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What Dreams We Had! Book Tour

Cover Blurb

Five friends at the end of their schooldays dream of the long summer ahead.

Their band, Friendly Fire, is just beginning to gel and out of the blue they receive the offer of a lifetime - to play at the wedding of a young football star and his celebrity girlfriend. It will be held at their villa in Tuscany, and they're promised a luxurious lifestyle. Too good to be true? A cruel joke? The only way to find out is to take a risk and go.

Once there a series of horrific and mystifying events begins. Over the days they are each forced to face uncomfortable truths about themselves, their friends, their families, and their futures.

Finally, after nights of argument, terror, apparitions, and disturbing memories, the shocking explanation of why they have been brought to the villa becomes clear. Not one of them will ever be the same again!

Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion. Finalist in the 2021 Page Turner Awards. Chill With a Book PREMIER Readers' Award

"If you liked Sweet Sorrow or Normal People you'll love What Dreams We Had."

Other Titles By the Author

Phill Featherstone

Author Bio

Phill Featherstone alternates between writing, drinking coffee, and playing the saxophone (badly) - not always in that order. He lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England with Sally, his wife and partner of more years than they can count. Phill is the award-winning author of several novels and short stories. Most are about young people and therefore get the YA tag, but they're enjoyed by readers of all ages, including retirees. Subscribe to his email newsletter (www.phillfeatherstone.net/contact) and get writing updates, more offers, and book recommendations.

The Book Tour

Day 1 - Favourite Quotes

“How about Friendly Fire?” Page 16 - when choosing the band’s new name. If ever a line encapsulated the conflict in this story, that’s the one. (Andrew Oyston)

“What is it about this place and bad dreams?” (Andrew Bell)

Joey has always found Alex difficult because he looks down on him. (Yvonne Weston)

They all settle on the sun-warmed tiles and watch the fire. Already it’s dying down. Although burnt, the guitar retains its shape, a charcoal ghost of its former self. DJ gets a stick, pokes it, and the brittle shell crumbles. (Anne Rucroft)

However, the main lesson for me is deeper than any of those things. It’s that our lives are built not on indisputable truths but rather on what we think we know we think we know, and that this is not the same as reality. (Deb Hockenberry)

Alex waits till she’s left the terrace. ‘There, see?’ he says in a hushed voice. ‘She answered you. She must have heard what you said.’ This is from the discussion between the friends around whether the cook who had been sent was genuine. She was the only other person they saw apart from a distance gardener. Was she really deaf? (Stella Baker)

"And don't get lost in the en suite," says Alex. "The bathrooms are big enough to need a map to find your way around in them." (Kirsty McKay)

Day 2 - Character Summaries

Joey - The effective “child” of the group, the one without money and dealing with dyslexia. You feel that he is to be looked after, handled with care, yet he grows more than any other character, realising and acting on his feelings. (Andrew Oyston)

Elena - Her experiences involving nightmares, usually sleepwalking, and sustaining injuries. She questions the boundaries of what’s real and what is not, stepping into a living hell. (Andrew Bell)

Elena - As the writer of the piece, we hear more from her. On the whole, Mia and Joey are the nicest ones. Alex is a selfish idiot and it's good writing to have a ‘bad guy’ who is a really unlikeable character. (Yvonne Marrs)

Mia - She starts out as just an additional character that is involved very much on the sidelines of the band, though as the story moves along, so does what we learn about her. When reading the story, it is as if the author has deliberately kept Mia in the shadows as she is a character who has a lot of problems in the background which the group don’t appear to know about. As the book progresses, Mia appears to be used by the author as a story to shock, which really ensures you remain captivated with what you are reading. Mia’s dreams in the villa really emphasises what issues and concerns she has for her sister with her stepdad at home and produces a fine line between her dream and reality. Mia seemed a positive character which in real life are the sort of characters I embrace. She seems the type of person that no matter how hard life is treating you, you can still carry on and do your best and smile. (Anne Rucroft)

Mia - I liked Mia since she seemed to have her head connected on right. She had more common sense than the others and better judgement. She made me feel sympathy for her, too. She came from an ordinary household and didn’t have extra money, like myself. She stuck to her morals, too. When the others were getting drunk and doing drugs, she stayed away and did her own thing. This is also like my own teenage years, and I was very impressed by this. I was envious of her looks. I guess we’ve all had that friend where we thought, “If I only looked like her.” She was tall, slender, long dark hair, and a great personality. I admire the author for letting Mia stick to her standards and not making all of the teenagers party animals. I also admire him for making her an ordinary girl. As I previously said, not everyone comes from well-to-do families. (Deb Hockenberry)

Joey - The reader’s sympathies are aroused in Joey - a quiet boy who really comes alive when drumming. He keeps himself to himself and doesn't get drawn into drink and drugs. This shows strength of character and makes him stand out from the others. He is brave and strong in his convictions. He demonstrates more of his character when he is romantically drawn to one of the other members of the group, which shows a tenderness and a caring side to his nature. (Stella Baker)

I really enjoyed all of the characters, and seeing the darker sides of their personalities exposed. I do feel the author gave a well written and credible account of each of the five friends, and so it was very easy to visualise and form an emotional connection with. There wasn't really a character that stood out for me, and I say this as a positive. Both Elena and Mia were strong female characters, and I liked them both for very different reasons. I found Joey to be a sensitive however oddly placed character when thinking of the group dynamic as a whole, and particularly the two males, Alex and DJ who are much more dominant, and poles apart from Joey in terms of their personalities and traits. As we reach the end of the story, it all makes perfect sense. (Kirsty McKay)

Day 3 - Favourite Excerpts

He’s not going to tell the others about the objects he’s found, at least not yet, and he’s certainly not going to say what he thinks about them. Elena would want to understand them and she’d go on and on. Mia would worry. DJ would think it’s some great Voodoo game and he’d go and cut down the dead animals to dissect them. Alex would tell him he was being fucking stupid and should grow up. (Andrew Oyston)

When the band were invited to play, yet not attend the wedding. This intrigued me. Instinct told me something was not quite right, setting off alarm bells. "In fact the wedding will take place very soon, in a couple of weeks. I should like to invite Friendly Fire to come to Italy, your visit to coincide with the wedding.’ Bruno said it with a flourish, like a conjuror whisking away a cloth to reveal a surprise. Alex was lost for words. ‘Naturally, you won’t attend the wedding itself. Theo is a devout catholic and the ceremony will be in church, with only family and close friends."

(Andrew Bell)

Joey was horrified. Is that what he was doing to Mia? Stalking her? He meant no harm, he just wanted to see her, but he resolved in that instant to stop it. (Yvonne Weston)

Then it happens. She’s seized from behind. Talons digging into her arms. Her eyes are covered. The claws that grip her are as tight as a vice. She feels a rough push in her back and she lurches forward. She can’t see where she’s going and her foot scrapes a rock, stubs on a root. Thorns rake her shins. She’s thrust against a tree and her head bangs the trunk. Something is wrapped around her waist and pulled till she cries out. It digs into her flesh and she struggles to wriggle free, but she’s bound to the timber and can do nothing. (Anne Rucroft)

He’s a town boy and he rarely goes into the country, but one of the things he’s noticed near woods in England is the presence of birds; not only their song, but the rustlings as they flutter among the branches. Here there’s nothing. There’s no sound of any sort, neither call nor movement. The forest seems empty of life, and as still as if it’s been soundproofed. (Deb Hockenberry)

The dream sequences were particularly well drawn and quite horrific in parts which is what was intended. ‘Hello. Where are you?’ she answers. ‘I’m here. I’m coming.’ The sound of her voice goes nowhere, muffled by the woods. It’s like shouting into a blanket. She presses further along the path. Spiky things dig into her feet but she’s forgotten about scorpions and snakes and spiders now. She must get to whoever it is that needs her. (Stella Baker)

"There's one thing you've forgotten," Elena says. Alex is curious. What she's talking about? "What have I forgotten?" "You haven't asked me what I'm going to do?" He's surprised. "I thought you'd be staying. With me." "You thought wrong. I'm going." She gets up and follows Mia into the house. (Kirsty McKay)

Day 4 - Video Interview

Day 5 - Reviews

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - What Dreams We Had! follows five teenagers at the cusp of leaving college who are offered the chance to play at a celebrity wedding in Italy. Part psychological horror/part coming of age tale, Phill Featherstone has crafted an engaging and at times surprising story. What I really liked about this book was the pacing. The set up is just long enough to introduce you to the characters, allowing them time to grow as the story develops. There is a familiarity without the use of stereotypes. Once the location changes to Tuscany, the author follows what seems to be familiar horror tropes - indeed, to me it felt like the set up to a British horror movie of the 1970’s, and I mean that in a good way, with a mounting sense of dread mixed in with the fraying group dynamics. The style of the writing, third person in the present tense for the most part, helps build the tension and the idea that there is something not quite right. It is unfamiliar enough to set the reader on edge as the more psychological side of the story emerges. The last quarter of the book delivers a hefty punch, upending what you thought was going to happen into a climax that delivers in the character sense whilst also remaining grounded in the real world. This book gets four stars for its pacing and effective use of atmosphere (as well as that ending). (Andrew Oyston)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - A tense psychological drama with an unexpected twist, a moral that I thought was brilliant. “…our lives are built not on indisputable truths but rather on what we think we know, and that this is not the same as reality. We know nothing for sure, and what we think we experience has no more substance than a dream…” (Andrew Bell)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - A very mixed book for me. The start is completely different to the middle, and I found the ending confusing. I do think that it could be worked on further to produce a more satisfying read. I wanted to like it and it did get a lot of ticks in boxes for suspense and mystery. It seems like a dream come true to visit Italy, with the youngsters getting a last chance to be together before heading off their separate ways. It has lots of very powerful scenes, but in my opinion it could have been meshed together more smoothly. The character of Sylvani, is one that I could see being in the whole series of books, where his ideas are explored in more detail. (Yvonne Marrs)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - I found this book really hard to put down. The relationships described between the characters were really engaging and it was fascinating to learn how they felt emotionally not only about themselves but about each other. I hope that there is a sequel to this book as I would love to see how the characters are as they grow up and progress into their adult lives. (Anne Rucroft)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - Alex, Alena, DJ, Mia, and Joey think they have it made. When their high school band is asked to provide the music for a wedding in Italy, they think this is the chance of a lifetime and this will be their chance to make the bigtime. They ask DJ’s girlfriend, Mia, to come along. Their problems start early. The people who have asked them have only heard them perform once. That doesn’t matter to Alex and the rest of the band. Their transportation, trip, food, and housing are all paid for. All they have to do is follow the directions. When the five young people arrive, they find they will be living in a mansion, have delicious gourmet meals, be their own bosses, and have all the booze they want. But strange things begin to happen. Worst of all are the dreams …. What Dreams We Had! is an interesting and easy to read mystery. (Deb Hockenberry)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - This book pulled me in right away from the cover, with the illustration being intriguing and the wording providing a very good teaser for the story. My interest was immediately peaked. I enjoyed the story and it had some quite unexpected revelations and plot twists, keeping the reader guessing. The dialogue was strong and realistic. The characters were well drawn although some were unlikeable (intentionally I think) and the dynamics between them were really the nub of the narrative. I found the end of the book to be a bit rushed. A bigger and longer build-up with more clues would have been more satisfying. The final round-up of what happened afterwards did not quite fit with the rest of the story. All in all, a good story however. It was gripping and exciting in many places with the portent and jeopardy well depicted and the tension ratcheted up to keep the reader turning the pages. (Stella Baker)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars - A cleverly written story with an unexpected twist, of five friends in a high school band that receive the opportunity of a lifetime to play their music at a celebrity's wedding in Italy. The characters are well developed with credible dialogue and I love the delve into the different personality types and their interactions with each other. The plot itself moves forward at a good pace, keeping the reader guessing as to what is going on. The story has a nice build up of tension throughout, leading to its dramatic ending which was completely unexpected. There are very little editing issues that would detract the reader from the book. I did find that there were certain parts of the story that I wanted the author to go into more detail, particularly relating to the mysteries and discoveries in the woods near the band's villa in Italy. I highlight this as a positive as I really enjoyed those elements and wanted to read more. Perhaps this is something the author will consider for the next book in this series. (Kirsty McKay)