The Way Home by Amanda Prowse

From the multimillion-copy bestselling author of Waiting to Begin and Ever After comes an evocative, tender story about belonging, community, and the relationships that hold us together.

What if a stranger threatened to take away a lifetime of cherished memories?

Lilly-Bob loves her home by the River Thames in the heart of London. Throughout her childhood, it echoed with music and her father’s love, and for seventy years it’s been her sanctuary through a life well lived. These days, the familiar walls and treasured memories keep loneliness at bay.

But for months she’s been ignoring letters from a building developer, and now a compulsory purchase scheme threatens to take her home by force. Seventeen-year-old Lilly-Bob didn’t fear change, but present-day Lilly refuses to let go.

As the pressure builds, Lilly feels increasingly alone. But as her neighbours rally together, she finds herself drawn into the fold—making new friends, finding purpose, and glimpsing the possibility of something new.

Torn between the comfort of the past and the call of progress, Lilly-Bob must is home made of bricks and mortar, or is it a place inside ourselves?

 What did I think?

I love Amanda's books - she is one of my go to authors - if she has written a new book I just know I will be reading it

Always relatable. Always believable. Always great characters. And this one was no exception.

A dual time line is usually a winner with me and I thoroughly enjoyed Lily Bobs back story as well as her current situation. Made me think how would a grandparent of mine feel if this was them.

It is a book of friendships, of community and of support. Yes, there is some sadness (I might have needed a tissue on several occasions) but there are also funny bits. 

Don't you ever stop writing Amanda - I'm not sure I could cope :)

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse

 

In this captivating story from the bestselling author of Picking up the Pieces, Daisy has always envied the perfect family next door. But will a weekend of unexpected drama prove that the grass isn’t always greener?

Daisy Harrop has always felt like she exists in the background, and since her mother stopped getting out of bed, her life has come to a complete standstill. Daisy would give anything to leave the shabbiest house on the street and be more like the golden Kelleways next door, with their perfectly raked driveway and flourishing rose garden…

Winnie Kelleway is proud of the beautiful family she’s built. They’ve had their ups and downs—hasn’t everyone? But this weekend, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary is truly proof of their happiness, a joyful gathering for all the neighbours to see.

But as the festivities get underway, are the cracks in the ‘perfect’ Kelleway life beginning to show? As one bombshell revelation leads to another and events start to spiral out of control, Daisy and Winnie are about to discover that things aren’t always what they seem.

 

What did I think?

Who doesn't love an Amanda Prowse book and I was stupidly excited to receive a copy of her brand new release.

Amanda is one of those authors whose books I will pick up to read without knowing anything about the story. You know you are going to be in for a treat.

Amandas books are always written from the heart and have really relatable characters in them - covering subjects and situations many of us could find ourselves in. I have just seen her described as the queen of the domestic drama and I couldn't have said it better.

In all good things we delve into 2 sets of neighbours - one seemingly perfect one but underneath the polished exterior is a dysfunctional family. It goes to show that everything is not  always as it seems. As the story unfolds there are plenty of secrets and drama coming to the fore - most enjoyable.

I am a hug fan of Amanda's and have read almost all of her books but some of them seem so long ago that I'm feeling the need to read them again - in order!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/All_Good_Things

 

Author Bio –

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty-eight novels, two non-fiction titles and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart-topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner' and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda has appeared on numerous shows where her views on family and social issues strike a chord with viewers. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national and independent Radio stations including LBC, Times Radio and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’ Amanda’s novel, 'A Mother's Story' won the coveted Sainsbury's eBook of the year Award and she has had two books selected as World Book Night titles; 'Perfect Daughter' in 2016 and 'The Boy Between' in 2022.

Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades...

Praise for Amanda Prowse:

'A powerful and emotional work of fiction' - Piers Morgan

'Deeply moving and emotional, Amanda Prowse handles her explosive subjects with delicate skill' - Daily Mail

'Uplifting and positive, but you will still need a box of tissues' - Hello!

'A gut-wrenching and absolutely brilliant read' - The Irish Sun

'You'll fall in love with this...' - Cosmopolitan

'Deeply moving and eye opening. Powerful and emotional drama that packs a real punch.' - Heat

'Magical' - Now magazine

Social Media Links –

Say hello on Twitter:  @MrsAmandaProwse

Friend me on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/AmandaProwseAuthor

Tag me on Instagram:  www.instagram.com/MrsAmandaProwse

Visit my Amazon Author Page:  Amanda Prowse Author  

Check out my website: www.amandaprowse.com

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

 

 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

What I'm reding now.

What I'm going to read next.

Readalong - Amanda Prowse and Shari Low

Bookclub - Mike Gayle, Toni Morrison and Neil Alexander

Audio - Hannah Treave

The Pigeonhole - Shelby Van Pelt

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

What I'm reading now.

What I'm going to read next.

The Pigeonhole - Dani Atkins and Matt Cain

Bookclub - Toni Morrison and Neil Alexander

Readalong - Amanda Prowse (a rare re read for me) and Shari Low

Audio - Peter May and Hannah Treave

Women Like Us by Amanda Prowse

‘Women Like Us’ is my life story so far! It’s a raw, but I hope, inspiring account of my life lived as someone who always felt as if I was the odd one out. I had so many ideas, but felt hemmed in by class, lack of opportunity and my own low self-esteem. I didn’t ever see how I could get on in life.

Growing up as a proper homebird and spending nights on the sofa with my wonderful, eccentric family, I felt as if the world was having a party to which I wasn’t invited, and it felt awful. The thought of writing a book felt like a dream, just out of reach, until aged forty-two I took the leap, and the rest is history.

Now, ten years later and with over thirty books published, I decided it was time to tackle my greatest challenge –  how I felt about myself, my overweight body and my ageing face. Having lived for years feeling that I wasn’t quite good enough, or that I didn’t quite fit, I finally learned the secrets of living a happy life and am sharing them with you now..

What did I think?

I simply love Amanda's books although I haven't read them all yet (so I still have titles to look forward to)

When I saw this book I knew I had to read it - but what I wasn't expecting was just how hard hitting and that it mirrored parts of my life too. Certain parts of this book could have been written about me. And that is a very strange feeling.

I want to thank Amanda for writing such a brutally honest book - we certainly get warts and all. But the book certainly isn't a pity party. It is an honest account of her life - the high points - the low points - and everything in between. It becomes apparent where she gets some of the ideas from for her books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I had to make myself read it slowly to make it last as long as possible.

This is a memoir about a real woman - written for real women. 

Women Like Us by Amanda Prowse

 

‘Women Like Us’ is my life story so far! It’s a raw, but I hope, inspiring account of my life lived as someone who always felt as if I was the odd one out. I had so many ideas, but felt hemmed in by class, lack of opportunity and my own low self-esteem. I didn’t ever see how I could get on in life.

Growing up as a proper homebird and spending nights on the sofa with my wonderful, eccentric family, I felt as if the world was having a party to which I wasn’t invited, and it felt awful. The thought of writing a book felt like a dream, just out of reach, until aged forty-two I took the leap, and the rest is history.

Now, ten years later and with over thirty books published, I decided it was time to tackle my greatest challenge –  how I felt about myself, my overweight body and my ageing face. Having lived for years feeling that I wasn’t quite good enough, or that I didn’t quite fit, I finally learned the secrets of living a happy life and am sharing them with you now..

What did I think?

I simply love Amanda's books although I haven't read them all yet (so I still have titles to look forward to)

When I saw this book I knew I had to read it - but what I wasn't expecting was just how hard hitting and that it mirrored parts of my life too. Certain parts of this book could have been written about me. And that is a very strange feeling.

I want to thank Amanda for writing such a brutally honest book - we certainly get warts and all. But the book certainly isn't a pity party. It is an honest account of her life - the high points - the low points - and everything in between. It becomes apparent where she gets some of the ideas from for her books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I had to make myself read it slowly to make it last as long as possible.

This is a memoir about a real woman - written for real women.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

What I'm reading now.

What I'm reading next.

Bookclub - Damon Galmut and Kazuo Ishiguro

Audio - Carmel Harrington

To review - Sarah Penner and Amanda Prowse

The Pigeonhole - Sarah Turner

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

I didn't finish a single book last week!! Maybe because I have too many books on the go just now. That will teach me.

What I'm reading now.

What I'm going to read next.

Bookclub - Kazuo Ishiguro

Audio - Carmel Harrington

To review - Amanda Prowse

It's Monday. What are you reading?

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

What I'm reading now.

What I'm going to read next.

Bookclub - Jennifer Saint and Kazuo Ishiguro

Audio - Nita Prose and Carmel Harrington

Readalong - Paige Toon

To review - Daniel Hurst and Amanda Prowse

The Boy Between Blog Tour.

  

I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour. I love Amanda's book but I will admit to having not read them all - yet. I am slowly making my way through them - but not too fast as I don't want to run out.

Book Description: 

Bestselling novelist Amanda Prowse knew how to resolve a fictional family crisis. But then her son came to her with a real one…

Josiah was nineteen with the world at his feet when things changed. Without warning, the new university student’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he planned his own death. His mother, bestselling author Amanda Prowse, found herself grappling for ways to help him, with no clear sense of where that could be found. This is the book they wish had been there for them during those dark times.

Josiah’s situation is not unusual: the statistics on student mental health are terrifying. And he was not the only one suffering; his family was also hijacked by his illness, watching him struggle and fearing the day he might succeed in taking his life.

In this book, Josiah and Amanda hope to give a voice to those who suffer, and to show them that help can be found. It is Josiah’s raw, at times bleak, sometimes humorous, but always honest account of what it is like to live with depression. It is Amanda’s heart-rending account of her pain at watching him suffer, speaking from the heart about a mother’s love for her child.

For anyone with depression and anyone who loves someone with depression, Amanda and Josiah have a clear message—you are not alone, and there is hope.

What Did I Think:

I knew this wouldn't be an easy read but I wasn't expecting to be so movedand affected by it. It might have been that I am Mum to 2 boys aged 23 and 20 - so similar in age to Josh in this book. Like Amanda said she thought she knew her son inside out - I think the same about my boys. But how well do I actually know them?

Another reason this affected me is that someone I know (not well but we were in the same running club for a while) took his own life earlier in the year. I am sure Covid played a part in his actions and looking back at his social media posts you could maybe see something wasn't quite right.

This is such an emotional read. So very personal So moving. I will be recommending this book to lots of people who I now will enjoy and maybe benefit from reading it. I will admit to not knowing much about mental illness as it isn't something that has affected either myself or my family.   But it has opened my eyes.

Since I have read this book I have been telling everyone about it and recommending it all over the place.

 About the authors 

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty five novels and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres.  Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner' and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

 

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda is a regular panellist on Channel 5's 'The Jeremy Vine Show' and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national independent Radio stations including LBC and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’ Amanda’s novel, 'A Mother's Story' won the coveted Sainsbury's eBook of the year Award while 'Perfect Daughter' was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016.

 

Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades... 

Josh: 

A keen environmentalist and animal lover, Josiah (Josh) Hartley lives in a remote farmhouse in the West Country with his two idle and arrogant French Bulldogs, Dottie and Beau. Happiest following the music scene in Bristol, at a festival or watching rugby with his mates, Josh enjoys the outdoor life and often heads to the sea to surf and sit on the beach watching the sun go down.

After a stint at the University of Southampton, another at the University of Bristol and one planned suicide, Josh decided to write about his descent into mental illness and the depression that held him in its grip for the past few years. The Boy Between carries the overriding message that things can and often do get better. It is a book of reflection, raw, honest and full of hope - the proof being that Josh is still here and excited about what comes next. He’s ready to catch any opportunity that life throws his way; quite a thing for someone who only a few years ago was living in a world gone grey, ready to disappear from the face of the earth…