I haven’t read any of Dani Atkins’ books before, but from what I’ve heard of them, I was expecting an emotional, touching story, and that’s exactly what you get with this book.

I snuck a look at the first two pages when I received it and was awestruck and couldn’t wait to start it. Once I had started it, it was hard to put it down and once started had an epic reading session reading alot of it ending at 2am, then as I woke up, I started reading the last third of the book, which felt like someone had ripped my heart out. It completely just broke my heart in a way that hasn’t been done since ‘The Memory Book’ and ‘Me Before You’.

The writing is beautiful and you are sucked into Ally and Charlotte’s lives with ease. Dani captures their emotions and situation wonderfully. You hear from them in the past when Ally and Charlotte first meet when Ally is dating her housemate at Uni, David. They were never close but they are thrown back together under less than happy circumstances, where either of them are barely keeping it together, even without the added complications of seeing each other again after 8 years, you can feel the tension between them.

I adored Ally, she was so sensitive, but other than the intensity when they were first dating, I don’t think she was well suited to David on an outsider’s perspective, though as they say, opposites attract and that was certainly the case here, she obviously loved him with everything she had. After her split from David, I loved reading about her friendship with Joe, who I much preferred over David.

Charlotte, compared to Ally seemed much more confident and sure of herself. At times a bit cold even. I didn’t dislike her but felt connected more to Ally throughout most of the book, especially in the past. When in the present she was much easier to like, especially when she buys a second cup of coffee. A small gesture, but showed some real warmth to her.

This book is definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year, it’s tragic yet heartwarming. The last hundred or so pages need a pack of tissues built into them, that’s for sure. While it is really sad, there are moments you find yourself smiling, sometimes because it’s funny or more often someone says or does something that is poignant and touching and it makes you think and want to grasp life as it comes. This book is one of the ones that hits you hard, simply stunning!

Published by: Simon & Schuster
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.  

View Book on Goodreads
Order on: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository