Published by Penguin on September 20, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 416
Goodreads
A deeply emotional new novel from the bestselling author of Thursdays in the Park
Is the one you tried to forget the one you can't live without?
Stella once thought that if she never saw Jack again, it would be too soon.
But life has other plans for her and her stubborn, handsome ex-husband.
Looking after their daughter in a time of need, Stella finds herself unwillingly reunited with the man she shared the best years of her life with - followed by the worst.
Where tragedy once tore them apart, now Stella and Jack are being drawn back together. But each of them has a new partner and a new life.
Should they fight temptation?
Should the past remain the past?
Or are some loves simply meant to be?
I am writing this with the tears still fresh on my face as this book has just completely moved me. It is safe to say that when Hilary’s next book comes out in 2019 I will be the first person to want to read it and I need to catch up with her back catalogue! I flew through this book today, I read a couple hundred pages without even realising it, I couldn’t put this down. An insight into this family, the “drama” unfolding, watching and waiting for the light to come to us. Psst, I loved all the mentions of Folkestone and Ashford considering I live right by there lol.
With this book, I got the ending I wanted but the journey it took to get there was one of a heartbreak, and realisation that life is just too short. One of my favourite thing about this book was how it was not two twenty-somethings trying to resolve their life and find meaning. This was Stella and Jack, in their sixties! They were married before, and due to the most overwhelming soul destroying event that happened, they had to part ways not seeing each other for years. Then the summer when their daughter Eve was pregnant, needing her mother for the summer, Jack and Stella see each other.
This book is a
I must admit I did not warm to Lisa, nothing against her really but she is written this way. I did not want to like her, she was with Jack. I did not want her to be with Jack, but then I liked Iain who Stella was with. Crazy I know!
Could their love survive another go?
There were times when I was shouting at the book! I was getting frustrated, why can’t things be so simple! Instead, the conversations were guarded,
I love this book, and I urge all of you to read it, maybe have a couple of tissues with you. You are left with the warm fuzzy feelings, hope and a final acceptance of how life is and how it could be.
Thank you so much to Tracy at Compulsive Readers, Jenny at Penguin Random House and the author Hilary Boyd for a copy of this book in return for my honest and unbiased review*
If you enjoyed my review or any of my other reviews, please share it on Twitter, Facebook, anywhere for other people to enjoy or if you fancy a chat stick a comment below. Thanks for stopping by! ♥
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Lauren Becker says
I’m glad to hear you loved this so much, and that it was emotional/moving as well!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Zoe says
Oh it was such a lovely story ❤️
marysmarbles says
I’m glad you liked it so much. How many other books has Hilary written?
Zoe says
Looks like she’s done quite a few ? so a bit of reading to do lol it is such a nice change of pace and this book was so beautifully done