Of course the past catches up with you during chaos…

Synopsis

Growing up, sisters Libby and Nicky never knew who they’d find at breakfast.

Their parents fostered children of all ages, and although the girls loved playing their part in providing a safe haven, it meant that life was rarely peaceful.

Now as a single mother of two, Libby’s life is still anything but peaceful. In her work as an antenatal coach, as well as for the charity she and Nicky run for teenage mothers, Libby uses all the skills she learnt growing up surrounded by children. Her days are full, caring for her family, the mothers-to-be and the latest strays she has welcomed into her home. But in the dark of the lonely nights, Libby worries she’s falling apart at the seams.

One troubled boy and a reckless decision she made thirteen years ago still haunts her.

Two hearts that were broken, still not mended.

The time has come for Libby to look out for herself. As her family, friends and her community have known forever, Libby is one of a kind, and if she can just learn to love herself, she may be able to welcome back the love she let slip through her fingers.

Uplifting, heart-warming and irresistibly good for the soul, it’s impossible not to fall in love with a Beth Moran story. Perfect for all fans of Jill Mansell, Julie Houston, and Jenny Colgan.

My review

Libby and her sister Nicky have grown up learning and understanding the importance of helping people. As their parents fostered children of any age, the siblings were accustomed with having different faces at their breakfast table. But they also knew how important it was what their parents did, offering a safe place for those in need. And even if Libby is now a single mother of two, she is paying her upbringing forwards, as she is an antenatal coach and also has a charity running for teenage mothers, together with Nicky. But no matter how good her intentions are, her own personal life seems to be falling apart, as she is truly struggling with keeping all the balls in the air. On top of that, she is still haunted by what happened thirteen years ago. And then that boy of thirteen years ago, now an adult, appears back in her life. A life that is for sure chaotic, and where Libby has to learn to not only look after other, but also herself. And not only has to learn to love herself, but allow love and help in her life…

How? That’s the only question I have for Beth Moran… How do you manage to write such amazing stories, that grab me by the throat, and make me eve believe in the good in people again?

Because believe when I say that this isn’t an all – that – easy story to read, but at the same time it’s filled with so much care, heart and love that despite all the difficulties taking place, I want to be part of that world too.

Right from the start, I admired Lizzy and her sister Nicky for running their charity. They know how important it is to have someone to support you, and they want to offer that support to those who need it the most. It is truly amazing how they offer help to teenage mothers, and it’s not only the help they give during pregnancy, but also once the baby has been born, the sisters keep a watchful eye on the newly parents.

And all that, while especially Lizzy is having so many struggles in her own personal life herself… I am not a mother myself, never mind a single mother. So all I can do is try to imagine the difficulties Lizzy is going through. On top of her struggles, she also feels abandoned by her mother, who needed ‘some time off’.

Lizzy also being Lizzy, she also prioritizes everyone and everything above herself, so yes, it’s easy to point a finger towards all the things that go wrong, but I saw it more as something that made perfectly sense.

I felt sorry for Lizzy, as she is doing the best she can, yet she feels she is failing her own children. And it doesn’t help that her ex isn’t the kind of father her children need.

Lizzy is, like I said, the kind of person that wants to help, even if she hasn’t the right tools to help. Yet that doesn’t stop her for being there to those in need.

And in a way, it’s her helping out, that turns out to be that she gets the help herself that she needs. That is the beauty of being an altruistic person, it makes people want to help you back, even without you asking for help.

The world for sure needs more people like Lizzy and Nicky. From when they were young, they learned to help. And yet, it’s clear that something happened in Lizzy’s past, something that she hasn’t been truly able to move on from.

We don’t get to know what exactly from the start, but we know it involved Jonah, who stayed with her parents and then *that thing* happened and he left.

With him returning, with once again problems of his own, it for sure is a blast from the past.

While of course I was very curious to know about their shared past, and to see how things would evolve between them, for me it didn’t feel like the story centred around this pair and their chance to make things from the past right.

But this book felt more about the fact that’s okay putting yourself first once in a while. Especially when you are used on putting yourself at the back of your own to – do list for so long. Because only when you help yourself, when you learn to love yourself, that you can even be of a greater help to anyone else.

And only when you have learnt to love yourself, you are able to forgive yourself for your mistakes of the past, and even allow love back in your life.