‘Made me sob my heart out… heartbreaking.’ The Writing GarnetHelen knows exactly how many stitches to hem a gown, the best type of silk for summer and how to make any woman look beautiful… but she doesn’t know how to fix her own broken heart.Helen Whittaker’s beloved husband died three years ago. She misses him every moment of every day. The only thing that eases her pain is her job at the … that eases her pain is her job at the White Gallery – a gorgeous boutique tucked away in her tumbledown, wisteria-covered cottage in the English countryside.
Helen doesn’t know how to ask for help – not even from her own daughter, who feels so distant since it happened. Helen doesn’t even know she needs saving… but everything is about to change…
Sometimes life’s unexpected twists can change everything in a moment. Sometimes heartbreak is the only way you can begin to heal. And sometimes second chances can be found in the most unlikely of places.
An unforgettable and emotional book-club read about family, love and life’s unexpected second chances. If you love Jojo Moyes, Nancy Thayer and Mary Alice Monroe, you will adore this unputdownable page-turner.
Readers absolutely love The Almost Wife…
‘You’ll need to grab a box of tissues… one of the most captivating, beautiful, and flawlessly written books I think I have ever read… PERFECTLY perfect in every way.’ The Writing Garnet, 5 stars
‘I am not going to lie, but I sobbed in this book. Not just a little trickle of tears, I sobbed where it got plain ugly. God, I loved this book!… I feel like I have made new friends… I cried with them, laughed with them, cheered with them and my heart broke with them.’ Zoo Loo Book Blog, 5 stars
‘I laughed, I cheered, I cried my way through the book… a wonderful, emotional and gripping read that you won’t want to put down.’ Katie’s Book Cave, 5 stars
‘WOW!… I loved each and every one of their stories… really a well-crafted story… Absolutely recommend.’ Audio Killed the Bookmark
‘So many issues are covered, overwhelming grief, loneliness, physical insecurities, lack of trust… A beautiful book with words that really resonate.’ Waggy Tales Dog Blog, 5 stars
‘I absolutely loved this book!!…it really is amazing… it made me feel every emotion there is.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘This book was so good, a good book club choice… Grabbed my attention from page one.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘An emotional journey filled with tears of happiness and sadness.’ B for Book Review, 5 stars
‘A story of love, life and family… a rollercoaster of emotions… a perfect anytime read!’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘An emotional and touching story.’ Keeper Bookshelf, 5 stars
‘A gripping take on love and marriage.’ Cosmo
‘A charming, frothy book that packs an emotional punch.’ Red
‘OMG, I cried in the tube!… I thoroughly enjoyed this book, would highly recommend.’ Gill Feldman, 5 stars
‘Full of interesting twists and turns… a great read and one I would highly recommend.’ Chells and Books, 5 stars
‘Brilliantly written.’ Heat
‘An emotional page-turner, full of glossy insider details, you’re in for tears and tulle aplenty.’ Stella
‘A gripping story… Excellent read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Uplifting, nuanced and heart-breaking.’ Penny Parkesmore
Great fun!
Hooked from the beginning – loved all the characters just trying to do their best in their worlds. Worth reading.
I read 3 to 4 books a week do to chemotherapy books are able to help you escape into any world but your own. This book was so endearing in so many ways….the vulnerability of all these almost wife’s make your love them because you see the side of them that all woman feel. The wonderful described English village made me want to pack up and move there immediately and for the woman who lost so much and was so empty found so much compassion for all her wedding dress clients and gently guided them to what was the most important thing in life. This book took you through every range of emotions and this author effortlessly took you on the ride of your life.
Wonderful, wonderful story but wow does it hit the heart strings!!!!! Amazingly, beautifully told…l. I would certainly rate it as far as I could!!!!
Just when you think you can predict the stories, you find that you can’t.
Not settling ..and being able to be available to new, unknown chapters in life applies to old and young. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s tragic, it’s a slice of life.
To be fair, I somehow missed this was a tearjerker before I purchased it. I don’t like tearjerkers. I realized within the first chapter where the book was headed….but I figured I bought it; I’d read it. I tried…. but the foreshadowing is clumsy, the characters are overwritten stereotypes and the grief is maudlin. It’s like a mashup of all of the trope you’ve read in tearjerkers.
The Almost Wife by Jade Beer
Driving in to Beirut this morning and recapping the story in this book to my friend she asked me, “How will you write a review for it?” and now I sit here trying to figure out how to write about the owner of a bridal shop meeting, helping and becoming in the lives of three women getting ready for their wedding day. The owner, Helen, is a widow but a woman that truly loved her husband for nearly forty years before he passed on. Her insights, charm and care help each bride that comes into her shop.
Now, how to give a review without ruing the story? Three women plan a wedding but only one marries…that is known…it is in the book blurb BUT why? What happens? And, how do their stories impact the reader and the other characters in the book?
I told my friend I would mention “family” and how one bride found it, eventually, to be more important than she thought. I would mention that love is more than a wedding dress or the day or anything paid for to make the day special. The communication and inability to communicate what is really important is…important. The bumps in the road one encounters on the way to matrimony and true happiness and how one deals with those bumps can seem insurmountable but…communication and trust and a bit more as one determines who they are and what is ultimately important rings true and is visible throughout this book.
This book deals with emotions, love, the process and stress of planning a wedding and also it deals with so much more. This is not an easy to read book with fluff and laughter but one that deals with emotions and family and love and caring and…so much more.
Did I enjoy it? Yes – though it did have some dark times
Would I read more by this author – Yes, definitely.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
As I started reading this book, the first few chapters were so cumbersome in the author’s descriptions of everything, I truly did not think I would be able to continue. But I hung in there and boy, am I glad I did! This book is about 3 very different women preparing for their weddings: Jessie, a bridezilla marrying into a wealthy family; Dolly, a wannabe Brides Magazine featured bride and wedding; and Emily, a woman lucky enough to be marrying her best friend. Each woman sees her upcoming wedding in a different light.
The Almost Wife is a riveting story that will make you feel a variety of emotions from disgust, frustration, disappointment, despair and hope. In my opinion, Jessie needed a reality check with a strong gulp of humility while Dolly needed a large dose of reality. But it was Emily’s story that moved me to tears at the unfairness of her life’s circumstances.
This author has written a beautiful book and her characters are well-defined and multidimensional. I rated this book 4 stars out of 5 due to the superfluous descriptions in the early chapters and honestly, skipped over much of the excessive narrative. However, the story is a quality read and worth the investment of time.