One night, an unexpected consequence…

Synopsis

An uplifting, heart-warming story from the number one bestselling author.

How do you rebuild your life when it changes forever in an instant?

Thirty-five-year-old Victoria Sharpe has a decent job as an illustrator, a perfectly good if predictable relationship, and great friends. So why can’t she shake the feeling that something is missing?

Keen to let off steam, she sets off on a night out with her best friends. Next morning – one reckless decision later – she resolves to make some seriously overdue changes to achieve the fulfilment she craves.

Then she gets devastating news that shatters everything she ever wanted for her future.

Or so she thinks. Because as friends and family rally around to support her, and an unexpected new romance makes her heart skip a beat, Victoria discovers that sometimes in the deepest darkness the brightest light can shine through. But, after all she’s been through, can she let it in?

This uplifting, heart-warming story from number one bestselling author Nicola May will have you reaching for the tissues. An unputdownable, unforgettable read, perfect for fans of Shari Low, Jill Mansell and Amanda Prowse.

“Nicola packs a punch in this joyous story about love and family, healing and hope. Singular, strong and sensitively written.” Milly Johnson, author of The Happiest Ever After

My review

At the age of thirty-five, Victoria Sharpe cannot really complain about her life. She has a steady job as an illustrator, her relationship with Nate is after six years not the most exciting anymore, but the love is still there. Her friends may be very different, but she wouldn’t change them for all the money of the world. Even if her mother and brother make Victoria worry, Victoria is living a rather content life. Yet she cannot shake off the feeling that something is missing in her life. At the hen do of one of her best friends, she decides to let off some steam, even if she regrets the made decisions the morning after. But what Victoria doesn’t know yet, is that this one night off will turn her complete world upside down. And all the plans she had for her future are ready to be flushed down the drain. Or will there be a silver lining despite everything?

When I started this book, I was ready to be succumb myself in happiness, I was ready for an uplifting story, where of course the main character would initially have to go through hardship, but I wasn’t ready for this story…

Because let me tell me you, this story for sure wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. It was a completely different story than I had in my mind. But different doesn’t mean bad, on the contrary!

I think that Victoria finds herself in a stage of her life that many people could relate to. Life isn’t perfect (when is it truly ever?). But just like so many, instead of finding the courage to make a change, she keeps on hanging around.

And while perhaps I didn’t agree with her night of recklessness, I could understand where she was coming from, especially as her relationship with Nate is not what it used to be. Haven’t we all done something out of character just that once, even if we regretted that later on? But I also believe that it was something that Victoria needed to do, in order to have that shake up that she in fact truly needed.

I have to admit, that for a long time while I was reading, I kept wondering where the uplifting moments would start, because Victoria is going through hell for almost half of the book. The news she receives, wasn’t the kind of news I was expecting, and it truly shook me, even if this is just fiction. And while I do not know someone in real life that is in Victoria’s same situation, and thus making it hard to truly understand what she is going through, my heart just broke for her.

Nicola May made a brave choice by letting her main character go through this journey, but unfortunately, Victoria’s fictional journey is a real journey for so many people… And I have to say, that just like Victoria and the people around her, I was a bit ignorant on the matter. I knew a little bit more than the characters, but there was also a lot I didn’t know, things that were explained in the book.

But beside seeing the difficulty of processing that kind of news, because it truly is devastating, life – altering even, we also see Victoria struggling with letting people know. Who to tell, how to tell? And how will her loved ones react? There is no right way to do something like that, and the reactions truly flabbergasted me, in a good way but also in a bad way.

Now, before you go thinking that this is a negative, dark story, please don’t. Because despite what is happening to Victoria, there is a lot of good in it too. We see not only how Victoria is able to make a change in her life, and finally having the courage to make a change. But we also see support, unconditional love (from every kind of loved ones), and that her news isn’t a dead sentence, that that kind of news doesn’t mean that you stop living your life.

It’s that message of positivism that made me absolutely love this book. But also how in the darkest of moments, you can find allies, in perhaps even unexpected corners.

This book for sure is one heck of a journey. We see how a life can easily be shaken up, take a completely different direction. We see how one choice can turn a life upside down, but at the same time, how that one devastating news can open your eyes, how it can make you find the courage to go for your dreams. And we see how after the initial shock, and perhaps the wrong actions after that shock, love and support can be found, that there will always be people in your corner. And that even more can be found, even that one thing that you thought wouldn’t be in your cards anymore…

I don’t give that easily five stars to a book. I read a lot, and I love a lot of books. Yet that doesn’t mean five stars perse. If and when I give five stars, that means that a book truly touched me, tugging some deep hidden heartstrings. And that is exactly what this book did to me…