How the death of one man devastates the lives of three women…

Synopsis

New from the NUMBER ONE bestselling author of The Note.

As the crowds gather for charming and charismatic SebCooper’s funeral, three women sit in the congregation, mourning his loss.

First there is Clair, Seb’s wife and partner of twenty years, and mother of his two children. Furious at Seb for dying and leaving their children without a father, Clair isn’t sure of her place, and has been left baffled and bemused by the conflicting stories of Seb’s last days.

Then there’s Desiree, the woman Seb left Clair for. Heartbroken, self-conscious, and wondering if she made a mistake coming today. 

And the third and noisiest mourner of all is Noemie – Seb’slover and the last woman to see him alive. 

Three women who loved Seb in their own different ways.

Three women whose lives have changed forever.

But only one woman knows what really happened at the end…and only one truly had his heart…

Bestseller Zoe Folbigg returns with a utterly compelling and page-turning tale of love, betrayal, family and unlikely friendships. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Celeste Ngand JoJo Moyes.

My review

Seb Cooper was a man that loved dearly, not once but three times. So after his unexpected death, all three women are at his funeral.
Clair was Seb’s first love, wife and mother of his two children.
Desiree was the other woman, for which Seb left Clair to be together with her.
And then there is Noemie, his latest partner and last woman who has seen him alive.
All three women are very different from each other, and they have all loved Seb in their own way… And Seb has loved them all very differently, and has been very important for all of them.  

At the start of this story, we know that Seb has died. But we don’t know how and what the dynamics are with the women he has loved. 

Through several flashbacks we get to know how he first met Clair and how they fell in love, and started their family.
We see how they both grow into adulthood together, have lovely moments together but also face harder bits as a united front.
While I did know that things wouldn’t end all that happily for this couple, I saw how good these two fitted together. 

When Desiree entered the scene, knowing that she would be the reason of the end of the marriage of Seb and Clair, I was ready to dislike her.
But I quickly realized that even if she was somehow the ‘other woman’, I couldn’t dislike her. She knows that Seb is married, and she keeps her distance, but sometimes the attraction is just too strong to ignore.
Desiree knows she breaks up a marriage, but she understands that being with Seb means that Seb comes as a package deal. And it warmed my heart to see how well she got along with his children, but also understands when she needs to make herself scarce.
I could also see how good Seb and Desiree were together… So it saddened me to get to know the reason of their break – up. I understood both visions, but it broke my heart nevertheless… 

Noemie was vey easy to dislike… there was not just one bit I liked about her. I saw her as a terrible mother, a liar, a real drama queen, a woman who uses her looks to get what she wants.
Even if Seb didn’t always behave the way he was supposed to, I was totally shocked how he just couldn’t see how Noemie truly was.
And then I am not talking about her behaviour at the funeral. She totally things it’s all about her and later on she even is more despicable… 

The enigma of Seb’s death is only revealed in the end. And with the build – up we have had until then, I had imagined something more dramatic. Not that his death wasn’t, but the author let me think it was way more than what turned out to be. 

In many books we see how a family is being formed, from first falling in love, getting married and having children together. But in this book, we see also how it can all end. Love isn’t a feeling that once you have, it never goes away or changes.
And while Seb may seem like a man who doesn’t stand up for himself, or wants what he cannot have, he also shows the reality. Because even when you think you have reached your happy ending, it doesn’t mean you truly have. 

And people aren’t always good people unfortunately… each and every one of us are surrounded by selfish people, stupid people and people who have a nasty character. That can go from a friend, your new partner or even as close as a sibling… 

While there were plenty of characters that I truly liked and sympathized with, those nastier ones turned this story into an interesting one.
As a reader/watcher, it’s easier to comment or tell the characters what the right thing to do is. But if you are in it, it’s more difficult to see the reality.
And that reality can be that sometimes you make a wrong call of judgement. However, after that clouded moment, you can see clearer as ever what your heart truly wants. But on some tragical twist of faith, that clarity can come too late…