‘Another heart-warming read from Faith Hogan’ Trisha Ashley. ‘Heart-warming, poignant and uplifting’ Lucy Coleman, author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove. Two women. Two very different lives. One unexpected friendship. Amanda Kingand Tess Cuffeare strangers who share the same Georgian house, but their lives couldn’t be more different. Amanda seems to have the perfect life. But the reality is a …
Amanda seems to have the perfect life. But the reality is a soulless home, an unfaithful husband and a very lonely heart.
While Tess has spent a lifetime hiding and shutting her heart to love.
But if they can open up to one another, these two women may just learn that sometimes letting go is the first step to moving forward and new friendships can come from the most unlikely situations.
Perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond, Marian Keyes, Rowan Coleman and Veronica Henry.
Praise for The Girl I Used to Know:
‘A beautiful love story – full of a warmth and redemption’ Kate Kerrigan.
‘I absolutely loved this perfect autumn-y read – Faith Hogan really is a name to watch out for’ Claudia Carroll.
‘The Girl I Used to Knowis an engaging and emotive story of unlikely friendships and second chances’ Carmel Harrington, Sunday TimesBestseller.
‘The Girl I Used To Knowis the perfect Christmas gift!’ Ballina Community Radio.
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I really liked this book,
Loved it
Interesting book but left me feeling sad how the characters mixed up their lives even though it went through how some of them got fairly straightened up in the end. (I hate how people nowadays go through people in trying to be happy instead of working on things so this probably colored my feelings on this book)
It was interesting though to see how people changed throughout the book.
I don’t need a HEA in the books I read to enjoy them, but this one had one. A tad bit smarmy HEA. I enjoyed the story more than the ending. But not bad. Relatable characters that I enjoyed seeing their growth.
I really enjoyed the twists and turns. The flashbacks really led to deeper understanding of the characters. A great reflection of lives led with pain and regrets.
Favorite Quotes:
Maureen Cuffe was a mouse of a woman, forever playing small to augment her husband’s supremacy… her mother talked of his impending retirement with a sense of doom worthy of an undertaker. ‘Not long now,’ she would say when he left the house.
She actually nodded towards the dumpy little woman, with absurd copper rouge hair piled too high on her head. She stood transfixed, once she realised it was her own reflection. She studied the woman staring back at her with her expensive clothes and too much make-up. Amanda King was under there, somewhere. Her breath caught in her throat, she had been lovely, once. Where was that girl she used to know?
Nicola thought all teenagers should be sent away to boarding school. Nicola’s kids were packed off as soon as there was the danger of a negligent hormone ripening to make her perfect life appear untidy.
‘I’ve started exercising, just gently until I’m fully mobile,’ she whispered. Somehow, it didn’t seem right to add that she had only started to want to live longer so she could spite her neighbours.
Well, I’ll tell you this for nothing, if he so much as winked at me, I’d have my best linen on the bed and I’d be inviting him in for a stiff one before we got down to business…
My Review:
I found The Girl I Used To Know to be a captivating and resonant story – I adored it, but I might not have fully grasped the brilliance and depth of the insightful narrative when I was in my roaring 20s, but I’m older, and thankfully, much wiser now. Ms. Hogan turned out wryly humorous, craftily paced, well-written, and engaging tale that frequently had me smirking yet also squeezed my heart and stung my eyes. Although I have never been to Ireland and would love to, it didn’t matter where this story had been based as these women’s transformative tales were universal; betrayal, regret, loneliness, missed opportunities, heartbreak, infidelity, losing oneself – these unfortunate events happen everywhere and in every culture. I adored the clever juxtapositions and parallels drawn between the upstairs occupant and basement tenant who had always been at odds and had at first glance appeared so different. Ms. Hogan is an observant and cunning scribe; I greedily want all her clever words.