Even terrible news can be the start of a brand new bright chapter!

Synopsis

Life is better lived in the moment

Meet Alex. She has a wonderful fiancé, a job she thrives in, and a best friend she’s known since childhood. Life’s not perfect, but it’s pretty fantastic. Until a shock diagnosis suddenly throws everything off course.

But Alex has never been one to back down from a fight. Now single and unemployed, she packs up and moves from her Glasgow hometown to vibrant Birmingham for a fresh start. In a new job, in a new city, she’s learning all over again what’s important in life.

Friendship, fun and even romance lie just around the corner – but can Alex get out of her own way and learn to just take a moment, and live?

A stunning, uplifting romance for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Jo Watson.

My review

Life couldn’t be better for Alex. She cannot wait to marry Dom, the man of her dreams, she is great in her job and she has a best friend since childhood.
But everything changes when an apparently innocent incident turns out to be a life changing shock diagnosis.
So even being suddenly unemployed and single, won’t stop her. And refusing of being seen as “lesser” person, she decides to leave Glasgow for Birmingham for a fresh start.
A new place where almost nobody knows about her health issues, is what Alex needs to feel alive again and learn what truly matters in life.

Ooh how did I devour this book???? I found it just impossible to put it away!

I immediately liked Alex, she is this cheerful, energized happy woman, ready to jump over every hurdle.
Being a little bit clumsy and easily distracted myself, I didn’t see her being like me like signs that there would be something wrong with her.
And even when she has this tiredness over her, I saw it just as a sign that she was working too hard, having stressful moments at her work etc.
However, when it all takes a turn for the worse, and she is diagnosed with her disease, I was left flabbergasted!
Of course, reading the blurb you know that there is something wrong with her health, but having *that* disease at her age, was heart – breaking!

However, I admired Alex and her positivism, as she won’t allow her disease to take control over her life. And yes, obviously there will be moments that she won’t be able to do just how she plans, but she is adamant of not letting her life revolve around her condition.
She doesn’t want to be treated differently, and that clashes with just everyone around her.

I understand both perspectives…
Alex just want to have a normal life, while her parents, her sister, her fiancé and best friend are afraid of Alex relapsing.
I understand Alex still wanting to do things she normally used to do, and not being treated like she has a dead sentence and could drop dead any instance.
But on the other hand, I understand her loved ones too… having this disease isn’t surely a walk in the park, and over exhausting yourself is a recipe for paying later the consequences. So when Alex moves to Birmingham, it was just right for her, even if it caused a breach with her family.

I loved how she was welcomed at her new job, it seems a place I want to work myself! With the exception of Danielle of course, that was the only negative of the whole place!
And when she meets Matt again, it was just everything I wished for Alex! Matt is the kind of man I could fall in love too. He does things that made me not only swoon but sometimes even drool! 😄

I followed her need to hide her disease to her new friends and colleagues, because she knows that people will start to treat her differently, but when things with Matt evolve to something more, I just wished she could see how different Matt is.

This story had my heart broken, but it also had my heart skip a few beats of excitement! Alex’ courage and determination are inspiring, those nearby her show us how difficult it is to act ‘correctly’ in such circumstances.
I found this a wonderful, meaningful story to read, showing a woman ready to start all over again (which can be difficult as a standalone fact), but also facing the reality that she has to live her life differently (which doesn’t mean a lesser good life!)

The author managed to grasp the limitations Alex is and will be facing. Life will never be the same, but you can choose to make the best of it, and even start adventures you never dared to do before, or you can just sit back and let life pass you by.
Having an illness doesn’t per se mean giving up on everything. You maybe cannot do everything like before, but there are so many things you can still be doing, as long as you listen to the signs your body is sending.
And even having an illness doesn’t mean love won’t come your way anymore, because the right person won’t be afraid to face the darker moments together with you, because the lighter moments will make it all worth of it!
And if that is not worth fighting for…