One Year After You by Shari Low

 

For forty years the fabulous Odette Devine has been a beloved matriarchal actress on Scotland’s longest-running TV show.
Today she is broken, betrayed, and desperate to find out if this is her payback for a lie she told forty years ago.

A year ago today, Tress Walker’s husband was killed in a car accident, on the same day she gave birth to their baby. Reeling from the discovery that he was with his mistress, Tress has to choose whether to protect her fragile heart or open it to love again.

Noah Clark was devastated to discover his wife and his best friend were having an affair. Now the love of his life is asking for another chance to make their marriage work. But can there ever be a way back, once the trust is broken?

Noah’s sister Keli Clark has recently been ghosted by the man she loves. When a shocking message from a complete stranger reveals the reason why, Keli will have to decide whether to forgive, forget, or to make sure he pays.

Twenty-four hours. Four shocking secrets. One tumultuous tale of love, loss and second chances.

I have to hold my hands up and say that until I began to schedule my review in for One Year After You and find a link for you I didn’t know that it was actually a sequel to One Day With You but what I will say is that this can absolutely be read as a standalone because at no time did I feel like I was missing something.

This book follows those who are left behind to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives after a devastating crash a year ago took the life of not only a bestfriend, a dad but a husband too whilst also ripping apart another marriage and friendship when infidelity was discovered. Adjusting to this new life and learning to trust again

The storyline follows a 24 hour period and alongside this storyline of loss are weaved many other characters who are all linked to each other in this big web of connection who all have something going on in their lives from infidelity to hidden secrets looking set to come out the woodwork and even touching on loneliness and regret too. There are so many characters and so much happening it felt like an episode of our favourite soaps and yet the author was so clever to tie each of the storylines into another character so that nothing felt like it shouldn’t have been there.

I loved all the drama that was going on, there was such a buzz of activity there was no safe place to put this book down because there was always something happening and I wanted to see what was going to happen next. One minute you had a lump in your throat from emotion the next adrenalin pumping when a dose of karma was given.

Having lost my own husband it was Daisy’s character and story that I was drawn to the most because in part I could relate to her healing journey and the uncomfortable situations of “moving on” with someone new when all you have ever known is your husband and learning to trust again is not something that comes naturally or easy. I was holding out so much hope for her that she would find the happiness and a new start that she deserved.

What I can 100% say is that having finished this book and loving each and every moment I am now desperate to go back and read One Day with You.

Buy Your Copy Here

Friday Night With The Girls by Shari Low

I have just finished reading Friday Night With The Girls by Shari Low which is due for release in paperback on the 13th October. I am sure some of you have heard of Shari Low and that is because she has two weekly columns at the Daily Record newspaper. Obviously a lady with a great way with words I was expecting a great read but I wasn’t quite prepared for what I got!


Plot
You should write it all down, Lou, so that your daughter can understand what happened. Everything, Right from the start.'
Lou Cairney's life has never been dull. But through twenty years of ups, downs and really bad hairstyles, Lou has had the best friends a woman could hope for in Lizzy and Ginger. Growing up together, they shared their dreams and their disasters, broken hearts and career crashes and they survived it all thanks to love, hope and a large dollop of humour. And cocktails. Lots of cocktails. Until now. Lou needs her friends more than ever because her past has just caught up with her in a shocking way. Everyone makes mistakes in life - but Lou has just discovered that she might have made the biggest one of all..


My Opinion
When I read the synopsis to this book I knew it was going to be the kind of book I would enjoy and I also thought I knew a couple of scenarios as to what had happened in the past had come back to bite Lou on the bum... I was wrong. There is a twist in this book which I was not expecting and to say I was shocked was an understatement.

The structure of this book works well for this kind of storyline. When we first meet the girls they are meeting up for their Friday Girls Night at The St Kentigern Hotel, the story then jumps back in time to when the girls were growing up together and we get to follow along on the girls journey growing up together. Each chapter alternates between the present day in the hotel and then back to a pivotal point in their lives. Shari Low has been very clever in structuring this book in this way as by doing this we feel as if we really know each one of the girls, well I for one felt like I was one of the girls, and this is important for when we get to the twist in the book as we feel as if we are there with them and so feel the emotions that the girls would be feeling.

The storyline is very realistic and each of the girls although they all have very different characteristics they all felt like genuine people. The way that Shari Low brings across the friendship between these girls is beautiful and she manages to balance the three girls perfectly without one feeling pushed out. The book continues at a great pace and at no point during the book did I feel the book start to dull on me.

I felt every emotion possible whilst reading this book, there were times when I laughed out loud, but equally there were times where I had a lump in my throat, this book is truly a touching read.
This is definitely one for your to be read list and I will be looking forward to the next Shari Low book.

Pre-order your copy here for a great price