Wife, Mother, Liar - Sue Watson

About the book… 

She’s perfect. Too perfect…

Wife: For twenty-five years, my husband and I have been the ideal couple. I’m shy, but he’s always been the life and soul of the party, a charmer, so I didn’t worry the first time I caught him a little too close to my best friend, Wendy.

Mother: Then our darling son says he’s taking Wendy’s daughter to prom, the girl I never trusted because she’s too much like her mother. As I snap photos of them, I have a smile plastered on my face, but inside my head I’m screaming at him to stay away from her.

Liar: As flashing lights slice the darkness around our home, my worst nightmare comes true with the shocking news that one of our children is dead. And I can tell my husband, my best friend are both lying about where they were. But none of their secrets compares to mine.

And nobody knows just how far I’d go to protect my family…

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DJ93FWFTsocial

About the author… 

Sue Watson was a journalist on national magazines and newspapers before becoming a TV producer with the BBC.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists.

Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

Contact Links: 

Follow Sue Watson:

Twitter @suewatsonwriter 

Instagram @suewatsonbooks.

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Sue Watson here: https://www.bookouture.com/sue-watson/

My thoughts…

Oh my, another compelling, heart in the mouth thriller from the amazing Sue Watson, who never fails to amaze me with the dark depths of her imagination. With each new psychological thriller she writes, I’m left slack jawed and wondering where her mind will take me next time.

Wife, Mother, Liar is a compelling read that is both emotional and incredible at the same time. The story focuses on two families, who start off as neighbours and become friends when Jill and husband Tim move into the house next door to Wendy and Robert.  Jill and Wendy are like chalk and cheese, if not for living next door to each other and bringing their children up together they would likely never have gravitated towards each other and formed a friendship. Their lives and that of their children intrinsically linked until suddenly they’re not! 

This was a book that seemed to come with a dark cloud, death, depression and deceit peppering all of their lives. I was totally gripped, and changed my allegiance with each of the characters and throughout - such was the quality of writing, no attempts at second guessing got me anywhere close to working out all of the motives and which camp I should stake my flag. I felt anxious throughout, never quite knowing who to trust and how to sift the truth from the lies that peppered the pages - leaving me open mouthed with wonder when Sue Watson slowly but surely dropped her grenades, the fall out from each ricocheting through my mind. The debris from each shattering my thoughts and taking away the ability to tidily wrap up the story.

Sue thank you for yet another page turning thriller that hooked me in and gripped me tightly, I felt breathless and broken as I walked in the footsteps of the plethora of characters, each of whom stole my heart, some quietly and considered, others boldly without apology. Only to then have me hating them and questioning everything I thought I knew. I should now know to expect the unexpected and realise that the alarm on my Fitbit is going to be triggered by the elevated heart rate from the off.  Which, whilst reading this book, didn’t seem to drop for most of the second half of the book. Nobody and nothing are actually what they seem with Wife, Liar, Mother, having more twists than a helta skelter - a ride I was pleased to have joined!

Thank you to Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. I thoroughly loved this deep, dark, tangled story of love, honour, justice, passion and loyalty that was hidden below the surface, that burned brightly when given the oxygen it needed to survive. 

Another outstanding read that will stay with me forever, and another read I have already recommended to so my friends.

Follow the tour:

The Forever Home - Sue Watson

About the book… 

Carly had thought they’d always live there. The beautiful Cornish cliffside house they’d taken on as a wreck, that Mark had obsessively re-designed and renovated – a project that had made him famous. It was where they’d raised their children, where they’d sat cosily on the sofa watching storms raging over the sea below. It was where they’d promised to keep each other’s secrets…

Until now. Because Mark has fallen in love. With someone he definitely shouldn’t have. Someone who isn’t Carly. And suddenly their family home doesn’t feel like so much of a safe haven.

Carly thinks forever should mean forever though: it’s her home and she’ll stay there. Even the dark family secrets it contains feel like they belong to her. But someone disagrees. And, as threats start to arrive at her front door, it becomes clear, someone will stop at nothing. Because someone wants to demolish every last thing that makes Carly feel safe. Forever.

An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller about what lies are hidden in the most beautiful homes. Perfect for fans of Date Night, Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2Sx7grW

Apple: https://apple.co/2Ogai2b

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3v7BtNk

Google: https://bit.ly/3qyYfdl

About the author… 

Sue Watson was a journalist on national magazines and newspapers before becoming a TV producer with the BBC.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists.

Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

Contact Links: 

Website: http://www.suewatsonbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.watson.39501

Twitter: https://twitter.com/suewatsonwriter

My thoughts…

I’ll don’t think I’ll ever tire of reading Sue Watson’s books. With each they get that little bit darker, push my imagination to the edge of comfortable, are utterly compelling and leave me stuck for words.

The setting for The Forever Home resonated as I read it whilst sitting outside my caravan on a Cornish cliff top. Thankfully it was sunny and bright where I sat as the clouds darkened over Carly’s life.

When Carly married architect, husband Mark she inherited what she was to think of as her Forever Home from her mother. It was perfectly set, with cliff top views of the Cornish Coast and was to be the catalyst for a partnership both romantically and financially for her and Mark. As Mark set about renovating and transforming the house into a showpiece home, Carly filmed and documented the process, sharing it on-line - which inadvertently catapulted them into the spotlight and a TV career spanning 25 years showcasing Mark’s work. As a reader I could feel the buzz, and could visualise the setting but I also got the feeling of an unbalanced relationship, Mark was living the glamourises high life and Carly was definitely the foundations that propped him up.

At a time when they should be riding high as a pair it was obvious Carly and family life was coming a poor second to Mark, he was more bothered about his public profile. It was the evening of their silver wedding anniversary party, and turned out to be the night that Carly’s life shattered into a million pieces. It wasn’t the intimate family and close friend occasion Carly yearned for but more a lavish networking event with a guest list full of media and business contacts known only to Mark. A night that was to see the life they’d created disintegrate before their eyes.

Oh my goodness, the bombshell that dropped couldn’t have been any worse - I felt every second of Carly’s public humiliation. The ensuing chapters focus on Carly and her determination to salvage her life and her Forever Home. I think I lived every second of Carly’s life with her as she navigated the reality of her shattered life, dreams and trust - the emotions caught in my throat when Carly’s is subject to anonymous threats - someone wanted her out of her home at all costs!

The story, gripped and totally engaged - I played mental tennis as thoughts, ideas and scenarios about the plot bounced around, landing tantalisingly just out of reach. There are so many plausible red herrings, motives and scenarios that had me second guessing and surmising completely wrongly every time. “Is anyone who they seem” I asked myself? Everyone seems to have a back story and a hidden agenda, with individual stories so separate yet joined like the links on a bracelet. I didn’t know who Carly should trust or believe but I was firmly in her corner. I’m sure I almost died when the plot was finally unravelled in a shock ending I never once even came close to guessing, I sat mouth wide open as I held my breath - lockdown has clearly given Sue Watson too much time to hatch and plot - I can’t say anything other than the whole premise was totally plausible and just utterly brilliant!!!

Sue thank you for yet another page turning thriller that hooked me in and gripped me so tightly I felt captive, breathless and broken as I walked in Carly’s footsteps. An outstanding read that will stay with me forever, a read I have already recommended to so many friends.

Follow the tour...

Love, Lies and Wedding Cake - Sue Watson

About the book…

An absolutely hilarious, laugh-‘til-you-cry, romantic comedy about how life never quite goes to plan…

Faye is in crisis. You wouldn’t know it, because of the big fat smile on her face, but inside, she’s one step away from nuclear meltdown. And she shouldn’t be. Dan is the man of her dreams. And he’s just asked her to marry him.

But Faye’s been down the marriage road before and it ended up with her having Ryan Gosling fantasies while her ex-husband obsessed about the plumbing. Faye and Dan, on the other hand, have been living their lives to the fullest, travelling around the world, having sex under the stars... They've never argued about unrolling socks before putting them in the laundry.

Besides, even if she wanted to say yes, how could she move to the other side of the world? Because marrying Dan would mean living in Australia. Beautiful, warm and a gazillion miles from Faye’s daughter, Emma, a single mum with her own crazy little girl who both need Faye every single day. Leaving them – even for someone who makes her as happy as Dan – simply isn’t an option.

Dan is offering Faye everything she ever wanted. So why does she feel like she’s about to lose it all?

The most screamingly-funny romantic comedy of the summer – about secrets, second chances and following your heart. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson.

Buy Links: 

Amazon: myBook.to/LLandWCSocial
iBookStore: http://ow.ly/9IbY30k69Gv
Kobo: http://ow.ly/6Ygb30k69B7
Google Play: http://ow.ly/YL0i30k69Jm

About the author…

Sue Watson was a journalist then a TV Producer at the BBC until she realised that instead of working, she could stay at home, and write about exciting things like foreign travel and cake!

So far Sue's written twelve books, and some have been translated into Italian, German and Portuguese (she's big in Brazil!) Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire where her days are spent baking (and eating) lots of cake, while making big life decisions about whether to have Caramel Chew Chew or Salted Caramel ice cream while watching 'My 600lb Life,' on the sofa

Contact Links: 

For more info visit Sue's website; http://www.suewatsonbooks.com/
Sue would love to meet you on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks
Follow Sue on Twitter @suewatsonwriter

My thoughts…

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Bookouture, Sue Watsons publishers. This is something I'm more than happy to do.

Love, Lies and Wedding Cake is the sequel to Love, Lies and Lemon Cake both could be read as stand alone novels but why would you? You get the back story to Dan and Faye's relationship and it's where it all began for my addiction to everything that Sue Watson has written.

Love, Lies and Wedding Cake was a total 'emotion fest'. It was like a visit to the fairground. Huge amounts of laughter and smiles as I rode the highs and lows of the big dipper, Sue Watson is a natural comic, has great warmth and empathy with the ability to have you snorting with laughter one minute and choked with emotion the next.

It's decision time in Faye's life - Dan her, Australian tomboy has to return to Australia to help care for his dying brother. This prompts him to ask Faye to marry him and go to live in Australia with him, he's always talked about his dream of opening a cafe/restaurant in sight of the Sydney Opera House after all and now could be the time.

They have a spontaneous, romantic, relaxed lifestyle - the timing is perfect isn't it? But....Faye, divorced mother to single mum Emma and joint carer to Rosie her toddler, grand-daughter is torn. She can't let him go, he is the love of her life but she has her daughter and grand-daughter to think of too, they need her. How could she leave them behind?

OMG, Rosie is utterly adorable and definitely rules the roost in every situation, she's way older than her years and has her eye rolling, hand on hip stance down to perfection. She is an utter joy I could totally understand how Faye was incapable of making a decision - how could anyone leave this bundle of joy behind?

Fast-forward twelve months and imagine Bridgett Jones getting on a plane to Australia, A trip that was pure comedy gold, Faye suffers from verbal diahorea when stressed and constantly finds herself in situations that portray her as both physically and or mentally challenged. In her head she can do sophistication with ease but the reality is somewhat different. I literally cried laughing at the many 'situations' she found herself in and not to spoil it for other readers - I will definitely be wary of how I wear my swimming costume!!

This is a book about taking chances and letting go. We only have one life and we should live it, embrace what comes our way and give our children wings - we'll always be mothers but our children need to feel independent too - who knows what they and us are capable of until we try. Regret in life the things we didn't do not the things we tried.

Love, Lies and Wedding Cake gets another thumbs up for me - Sue has done it again and got the recipe just perfect! Sue is an author I'll never tire of reading, each and every book delivers what it says on the tin - escapism, laced with pure indulgence. I'm on a salad and water diet ATM to shed a few pounds before my hols - OMG, the crazy amounts of food references and lashings of cake literally had me drooling.

Ella's Ice Cream Summer - Sue Watson

About the book… 

Ella’s life just hit rock-bottom, but can a summer by the sea mend her broken heart? When life gives you lemons… make ice-cream!

Life hasn’t always been easy for single mum Ella, but she has just hit an all-time low; she’s jobless, loveless, very nearly homeless and, to make matters worse, now the owner of a pocket-sized pooch with a better wardrobe than her.

Packing her bags (and a bigger one for the dog), Ella sets off for the seaside town of Appledore in Devon to re-live the magical summers of her youth and claim her portion of the family ice-cream business: a clapped-out ice-cream van and a complicated mess of secrets.

There she meets gorgeous and free-spirited solicitor, Ben, who sees things differently: with a little bit of TLC he has a plan to get the van – and Ella – back up and running in no time.

Ella’s Ice-Cream Summer is a heart-warming and hilarious romance that will scoop you off your feet and prove it’s never too late for a fresh start. The ideal holiday read for fans of Lucy Diamond, Abby Clements and Debbie Johnson.

Buy Links: 

UK 🇬🇧 http://amzn.to/2mCM95j  

US 🇺🇸 http://amzn.to/2mZX0Hl

About the author… 

Sue Watson was a journalist on women’s magazines and national newspapers before leaving it all behind for a career in TV. As a producer with the BBC she worked on garden makeovers, kitchen takeovers and daytime sofas – all the time making copious notes so that one day she might escape to the country and turn it all into a book.

After much deliberation and copious consumption of cake, Sue eventually left her life in TV to write.  After a very successful debut novel, Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes Sue signed with Bookouture.

Contact Links: 

www.suewatsonbooks.com

www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks/

www.twitter.com/suewatsonwriter

My thoughts…

I was offered an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Kim at Bookouture as part of the blog tour for Ella's Ice Cream Summer.  This is something I'm more than happy to do.  

Sue Watson is one of my most favourite authors, her books are go to books when I want a pick-me-up, much cheaper than a prescription and better than any tonic you can buy across the counter.  They are books that will have you drooling in one way or another - either from the more than lovely lead men or the very delicious cake they usually feature.  I guessed this one would be different, the clue is in the title 'Ice-Cream' would I still get my fix?  Absolutely, definitely, without a shadow of a doubt YES!!!
Ella's Ice Cream dream had me smiling and grinning like an idiot from the very first page. In the first few chapters we meet Ella and her family and friends - an eclectic bunch of characters that I could relate to straight away. Each and every person, just slightly more bonkers than the next. My favourite being her mother, Roberta who is loud, opinionated and on a different page in life to everyone else, leaving total chaos in her wake as she plays up to her Italian heritage and gets the wrong end of pretty much every situation.

The story begins with Ella losing her job, her children have finished university and are off to spread their wings leaving Ella feeling like a redundant mum home alone with no purpose or direction - she only has her slightly bonkers mother to care for. To add to that she finds out that her ex husband wants to sell the family home in order to keep wife number two in the manner she has become accustomed to.

News that her mothers sister, her aunt Sophia has died brings back memories of happy, sunny, summers spent in Appledore in Devon. Of time spent helping out at her aunts Italian, ice-cream parlour and enjoying endless days of sunshine playing alongside her older cousin Gina - a girl that Ella has always looked up to and aspired to be like.

Roberta, Ella's mother refuses to attend the funeral and begs Ella not to go either. The two sisters had fallen out many years before and Ella's mum obviously holds a deep seated grudge as she refuses to reveal why - something that Ella finds difficult to reconcile and can't understand why she refuses to share the reasons behind the fall-out. Ella goes alone and after the funeral Ella attends her aunts will reading and finds herself the proud owner of Reginaldo, an old ice cream van owned by her aunt, this evokes many happy memories of summers spent on the beach, something Ella is eager to recreate.

Sue Watson takes us down the motorway to Devon with Delilah - Delilah being Josh her sons girlfriends dog, a dog with a better wardrobe than you or me I hasten to add. Ella decides that she'd quite like to take some time out and the opportunity to re-live one last summer of her childhood is too hard to resist. She's also secretly hoping she can find out what is behind the family feud.

Ella's Ice Cream summer was a delicious read, a journey with mouth watering descriptions as I followed Ella to Devon and totally bought into Ella's dream. It's a story with more than a little romance, a story steeped in mystery and secrets that were revealed slowly throughout the book.. There's more than one love interest and Roberta and Delilah are for me the stars of the show. Sue's ability to create multi-faceted characters is second to none - polishing them just a little more with each chapter until they shine and can stand alone - I totally loved this book. The descriptions of the various ice-creams and sorbets had me drooling, oh how I wish my 'fat club' was based in Appledore.

Another thumbs up for me - Sue has done it again and got the recipe just perfect! A totally uplifting read, with all the glitz and glamour of the Italian Riviera. Sue is an author I'll never tire of reading, each and every book delivers what it says on the tin - escapism, laced with pure indulgence - in this case ice-cream - mmmmmmm!

The Christmas Cake Cafe - Sue Watson

About the book… 

Heart-warming and hilarious, a story that will make you laugh, cry and bring a smile to your face.  Get ready for another deliciously amazing Christmas treat from Sue Watson…. 

As the Prosecco chills and Bing Crosby croons, Jen Barker just knows that her long-term boyfriend is about to propose.  But instead of a diamond ring nestled in her champagne flute, Jen finds cold flat rejection.  Her once perfect life and dreams of a husband and family seem even further from reach.  

A working holiday to the Swiss Alps with her younger sister Jody might not be the Christmas Jen had it mind, but it offers her the chance to recharge her batteries and recover from heartbreak. 

When Jen meets handsome ski instructor Jon Zutter her hopes for a happy-ever-after seem within her grasp again. Jon is kind and gorgeous and as they bond over Sachetorte at the picturesque Cake Café, Jen thinks he might just be her perfect man. But a relationship with him comes with a catch – and there are some things even cake can’t fix. 

As the snow falls and Christmas approaches, could this be the place that restores Jen Barker’s faith in love? 

Buy Links

 About the author… 

Sue Watson was a TV Producer with the BBC who combined motherhood and family life with a busy career. However, one day it dawned on Sue that Cosmo magazine may have been telling porkies about 'having it all,' and her life had become a slightly crazed juggling act. 

So after much soul searching (and comfort eating) Sue abandoned her TV career, bought a pink laptop and wrote a novel. 'Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes,' tells the story of Stella Weston, whose life is a constant struggle with a nasty boss at work, the weighing scales and being a mum, wife and daughter. 

Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire. When she's not toiling over her latest novel, Sue bakes (and eats) cake and enjoys very large tubs of Caramel Chew Chew ice cream all to herself while watching 'The Biggest Loser USA.' 

Contact Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/suewatsonwriter

My thoughts…

Imagine, ten years into a relationship and you think your boyfriend is finally going to propose. It's Christmas eve, The setting is perfect, a romantic meal for two in a restaurant with champagne and christmas tunes on the music system. Jen, just knows Tim is going to propose and is waiting for the perfect moment in the evening.  When the big speech finally comes it's not to ask her hand in marriage and to declare everlasting love, it's to shatter her dreams and walk out of her life forever.

Oh me oh my what a beginning.  Jen was devastated beyond words, the ten best years of her life taken and tossed aside by Tim who quite frankly was a supercilious ass - it would be fair to say first impressions count and mine were quite strong and didn't change.

This book has it all - relationships, family, love, laughter, friendship and the biggest amount of humour and cake you can imagine - absolutely perfect.  Clearly no stone has been left unturned as Jen soul searches, looking for her happy ever after and gaining more than an insight into her own soul.  Sue has captured the characteristics of a relationship going through the motions perfectly.  Nothing Jen ever did was good enough and Tim was a mean spirited, small minded ejit - have I said yet how much I disliked him!?  Belittling and side lining Jen at every opportunity.  She just wanted someone of her own to care for and love, whilst Tim wanted to mould her into someone else - chipping away at her character and eroding her confidence.  A relationship based on familiarity and convenience not love and friendship.  When Jen was a child her parents divorced and she had to share her dad with his new wife and baby, something she resented and never quite came to terms with, so it's no wonder she clung onto a dead relationship for so long - it's only in adulthood and because of circumstances that Jen and Jody form a tentative bond each understanding the other a whole lot better.

Almost a year later Jody, persuades Jen to join her and a couple of friends working in Switzerland over the winter months. The story from hereon-in reads like a slalom skier going full pelt down a black run.  With Jen hurtling from one disaster to another.  Sue has a natural ability to write comedy that had me choking on my lunch whilst trying to hold in my guffaws at work - her books have the feel good factor about them that won't fail to lift even the lowest spirits.  They're fun, easy reads but each and every story is multi-faceted.  They're not just light humour but thought provoking and The Christmas Cake Cafe is my favourite so far.  In life some people lose sight of what is important and do things or stay in relationships out of habit more than desire and it's not until they are removed from the situation do they start to question their thoughts and actions.  Jen is no different, as her half sister and her friends drag her kicking and screaming into their madcap plans she suffers inner and outer turmoil and begins to question her own life, hopes and dreams and the relationships within it. 

As I turned the pages my smiles became wider as the humorous bits, become hilarious bits and then Sue throws a bit of love and romance  into the mix and we're off!  I laughed out loud so many times, putting my hand over my mouth as I mouthed oh no until my sides ached. It would be fair to say 'the girls' idea of a working holiday is different to that of mine but then, I like Jen am old ;D

I've grumbled so many times that there wasn't enough cake in the last couple of Sue's books - No more! This time I was spoilt.  I so want to go to Switzerland and taste all the delicious cakes.  Sue has an amazing ability to describe something in such detail it becomes a reality - I've always thought it decadent and wrong to order more than one cake and always struggle to choose - no more I'm going to order half a dozen and try them all. 

Huge thanks Sue for another perfect read that got under my skin, a little bit of soul searching and a lot of laughs. This was beautiful story about friendship, family and discovering what is important in life with a little bit of love and flirting thrown in for good measure - until the next time! 

I've said it before but I'll say it again. Sue Watson's books keep getting better and better, with the bar raised a little more each time - if you haven't discovered this for yourself yet you are seriously missing out. Head to Amazon and indulge yourself in this beautiful read - The Christmas Cake Cafe, you won't be disappointed.

We”ll Always Have Paris - Sue Watson

Is it ever too late for a second chance at first love?

About the book… 

A charming, moving second-chance love story for fans of Thursdays in the Park, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Last Tango in Halifax.

Does first love deserve a second chance?

When she was almost seventeen, Rosie Draper locked eyes with a charismatic student called Peter during their first week at art college, changing the course of her life forever. Now, on the cusp of sixty-five and recently widowed, Rosie is slowly coming to terms with a new future. And after a chance encounter with Peter, forty-seven years later, they both begin to wonder ‘what if’ . . .

Told with warmth, wit and humour, We’ll Always Have Paris is a charming, moving and uplifting novel about two people; the choices they make, the lives they lead and the love they share.

Buy Links: 

Amazon: We’ll Always Have Paris

About the Author...

Sue Watson was a journalist on women's magazines and national newspapers before working in a career in TV where she was a producer with the BBC. She has published six novels, her most well-known being Love, Lies and Lemon Cake. Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives in the Midlands and writes full time.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: @suewatsonwriter

Website: www.suewatsonbooks.com 

My thoughts…

Where to begin?  It's no secret how much I love Sue Watson and her writing - she has characters that are engaging and so very true to life. Stories that provide the perfect amount of escapism but you don't have to totally suspend belief - they're realistic, touching and heart warming with a generous helping of fun and laughter to counter balance the more serious aspects.

We'll Always Have Paris is a story packed tightly with love, family. friendship, and hope.  It's about a family drifting through each day without a rudder to guide them.  Mike, husband to Rosie, father to daughters Anna and Isobel passed away, taken by the dreadful curse that is cancer; just six short weeks after diagnosis.  

Married for over forty years Rosie is struggling to get back to normal.  A year has passed and she realises that she has to start to regain some normality in her life, to do things for herself and begin living again.  She goes back to work in the florist shop she owns and runs with her daughters.  She finds just being out of the house is a big enough step for her to begin with - the thought of facing everyones sympathy face to face is too much so she takes a role in the background preparing the flowers for a big wedding.

A chance meeting whilst accompanying Anna to deliver the wedding flowers with a man, who as a teenager was the love of her life literally knocks Rosie for six. Peter is equally reeling, they haven't seen each other for over 40 years.

I can only imagine the tug of love played out in Rosie's mind as she was drawn to Peter and the 'perfect' memories of teenage love, then the heart stopping guilt because she feels she shouldn't be happy because the man she married is dead.  After all she's a widow and is still grieving.  Feeling immense guilt because she loved Mike, but he wasn't the love of her life. That was Peter, something Mike always knew but he still loved and cherished her all the same.  

The more I read of this book the more entranced I became.  Through this book Sue demonstrates how grief and grieving is a process.  There isn't a rule book and it can also be a positive thing.  Somehow, grief can empower people, giving purpose, focus as a result of reflection - this was certainly the case for Rosie.  

Grief affects us in different ways and takes differing amounts of time for people to come to terms with their loss. The wanting and needing to move on versus the guilt for being the one left behind enjoying life is all too apparent as Rosie struggles with her inner self.  At the same time she also has to consider the feelings of her daughters.   They're so busy looking out for their mother their own grief is on hold.  It's a complete role reversal that though well meant, in the end comes across as patronising - they have become the parent and she Rosie, the child.  

Through Rosie Sue demonstrates how we often look back at life through rose tinted glasses, remembering the good bits and erasing from our memories the worst bits.  It's easy to forget that young people have fewer commitments and don't often look beyond the here and now so everything was perfect then. Peter's re-arrival in Rosie's life is the catalyst, the turning point for Rosie.  When shrouded in grief she could only see herself as a widow.  With Peter back in her life, a friend to share happy memories with she finds the strength and begins the process of taking control of her life, stepping back into the shoes of her other roles.  That of Mother, grandmother and daughter. Connecting with her daughters on a much closer level, sharing her past and the events in her life that have shaped her. 

We'll Always Have Paris has a strong storyline that each and everyone of us can relate to.  It has family at the heart of it, led by a mother who always has her children's best interest at heart. The connection and understanding between mothers and daughters not always evident until they too become parents and face the same challenges - loving and protecting them, making decisions based upon experience. The older characters were perfect for this story about reflection, the dynamics of family life and taking second chances - with age comes maturity and understanding.  We all, I'm sure, can remember a time when we couldn't understand our parents reasoning and thought they was just being deliberately mean or awkward but as mature adults, perhaps as parents ourselves suddenly 'see the light' and get it.  It's a book that highlights the need to take chances, to live your dreams as we only have one life after all - life is too short and we shouldn't lose sight of our own hopes and aspirations whilst nurturing those of the people closest to us - it is still possible to achieve them whilst helping others achieve their own. Grief shouldn't be, but is often is the thing that gives us a kick up the bum to live our lives a little fuller.

I just loved this book, it's taken me three hours to try to put into words how much I loved it and I'm still not happy, I haven't done it justice.   It's such a thought provoking, reflective story told from the heart.  I smiled and savoured the raspberry macaroons - thank you Sue! Whilst at the same time laughing to myself as I thought about the many texts I receive off my daughter on a weekly basis, checking up on me - asking me where I am, what time I'll be home and telling me to ring when I arrive somewhere.  I'm not quite sure when I became the child and my daughter the mother but it has slowly happened in this house too!