Forgiveness can be hard to come by… An unputdownable new novel from bestseller Samantha Tonge How far would you go to make amends?When Emma fled her home at Foxglove Farm, she’d let down and hurt those who cared for her most. But now, two years later, she’s ready to face up to her past; she’s ready to go back.But Emma’s unannounced return causes more problems than she could have foreseen. The … she could have foreseen. The people she knew and loved aren’t ready to forget, let alone forgive. And the one person she wants to reconnect with the most, her mother, can’t remember who she is.
Just as Emma starts to rebuild trust, an uncovered family secret and a shocking past crime threaten her newly forged future…
Sometimes simply saying sorry isn’t enough.
Perfect for readers of Ruth Hogan or Amanda Prowse, this is an extraordinary and unforgettable novel about running away from yourself – and finding a way back.
‘A compelling read, utterly unputdownable; prepare to have your heartstrings pulled and your perceptions challenged.’ Fiona Collins, author of The Sister Swap
’Forgive Me Not is a brave and beautiful book that tackles difficult themes with grace and compassion. It portrays the cruelty and fallibility of human nature against the backdrop of the powerful dual forces of forgiveness and hope, to tell a story that will stay with me for some time. Highly recommended.’ Rachel Burton, author of The Many Colours of Us
’Samantha Tonge has created something unique and magical in Forgive Me Not. It’s a one-of-a-kind read!’ Laurie Ellingham, author of One Endless Summer
’A poignant, bittersweet story of finding forgiveness in the hardest of places—home.’ Kate Hewitt, author of A Mother’s Goodbye
‘A touching, poignant read with real heart about the choices we make, the second chances we hope for and the power of forgiveness’ – Annie Lyons, author of The Happiness List
‘Both touching and thought-provoking with its real-life issues. Emma’s story – especially her experiences of rough sleeping – will stay with me for a long time’ – Jennifer Joyce, author of The Bed and Breakfast by the Sea
’Thought-provoking and emotional, Forgive Me Not is a brave and sensitively handled story about one woman’s journey home from addiction. There’s an honesty in Samantha Tonge’s writing that resonated with me, and I cried more than once reading this book’ – Fiona Harper, author of The Memory Collector
‘Easily one of the best books I’ve read this year’ Rachel’s Random Reads
more
This beautifully written book tackles some pretty serious subjects, including homelessness, dementia and alcoholism but is written with compassion and a lightness of touch. It is a story, too, of redemption and forgiveness. This is the second book I’ve read by this talented author (the first was The New Beginnings Coffee Club) and look forward to reading more from her.
I absolutely loved this book. Emma returns to her former home at Foxglove Farm. She’s not the same person she was when she last lived there but she’s not the only one to have experienced change. With a mother and sister who no longer recognise her but for quite different reasons, Emma can stay and face the past, or she can flee again.
We know from the outset that things went very wrong before Emma left home but the back story is steadily revealed over the course of the book. I loved the way Forgive Me Not was written, gradually building up a picture of what went wrong and why. For me, this was a page-turner which I devoured in a couple of days on holiday. Emotional and uplifting, and a great story. Thoroughly recommended
This book is – as the title suggests – about forgiveness, but not just working for the forgiveness of others – forgiving oneself. This is raw and beautiful and it plumbs the depths of the human heart. Samantha Tonge leaves it all on the page in this incredible book.
This was a very moving story about addiction, overcoming that addiction and seeking forgiveness.
A change of direction for Samantha Tonge, but she did it so well.
I was moved to tears on several occasions, and found I couldn’t put this book down; even when I took a break from reading, it stayed with me.
Favorite Quotes:
Forgiving isn’t so easy, is it? You’ve waltzed back into our lives expecting us to say that we understand. That we’ll forget what happened in the past. Now you know what it feels like to be hurt irrevocably by someone you love. How difficult it is to understand how they could do that.
It was time to start accepting the new status quo and realising that relationships could not be rekindled exactly as they had been before – that some types of pain were not for healing.
You can ask people to forgive you, but it means nothing if you don’t forgive yourself. If you can live with what you’ve done, perhaps it will take the pressure off seeking that peace from another person… Maybe what matters most is the respect you get back from yourself. The rest is a bonus.
My Review:
Forgive Me Not was not what I was expecting, it really wasn’t my cup of tea as my personal taste is to eschew a heavily negative imbalance in tone; high angst and constant conflict don’t fall within my wheelhouse. Yet the book was well written and thought-provoking, and certainly gave me pause in my own thinking as it squeezed my heart and put a few hot rocks in my throat. Having dealt with more than my share of addicted and/or prevaricating personalities, I had a hard time appreciating the main character of Emma. Emma abandoned her family after causing and leaving them with yet another appallingly hideous mess during a two-day drunken spree while cheating on her boyfriend with his stolen money. She was the worst type of manipulative and selfish party girl and had been for quite some time. After taking off to a larger city and ultimately living rough on the streets, Emma finally hit bottom and bounced, which finally provided the impetus to clean up in rehab. She slowly and carefully went about her recovery and sincerely attempted to make amends, but she didn’t seem to fully realize just how much she needs to atone for.
Emma returned to her small village but didn’t find the eager open arms she was hoping for; her family and the entire community at large were having none of it as they were each struggling with their own hard times – and they were more than done with Emma. She had repeatedly lied, cheated, made empty promises, used and abused, and drained their banked accounts for the last time. Every one of them doubted her veracity (for good reason) and deemed this latest attempt at reconciliation as temporary. I didn’t blame them. Not one bit. I’ve jettisoned people for far less. But it was rather unnerving for me to consider if maybe, possibly, I should have given some of those a third chance. Although this was probably Emma’s thousandth chance… But there are some acts that cut extra deep and just aren’t forgivable, and Emma had committed lots of those acts, repeatedly.
The writing was insightfully observant and evocative with several interesting storylines involving the small and quirky little village and its unique inhabitants. It was just unfortunate that this thoughtfully written book was a full-on angst-fest. To end on an upbeat, I do have yet another new addition for my Brit List with “mithering,” which Mr. Google defined as to irritate or pester. I cannot wait to start employing its use.
Oh my goodness! This book touches on a variety of issues – addiction, mental diseases, family dramatics, and more! As I was reading, my heartstrings were being pulled for Emma so much – I wanted her to reconcile with her family, for her family to open their arms to her, and just allow her to try to make for any lost time. A women’s fiction novel for your next family vacation!
Samantha Tonge really outdid herself with this book. The words like amazing and incredible I usually use to describe a book I enjoy don’t really fit here. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a well-written book because it was, and it was a very emotionally moving book.
Emma returns home after leaving years ago after alienating not only her family but almost the entire village. She is hoping she can make amends, but she quickly finds out it won’t be as easy as she thought. To make matters worse, her mother doesn’t recognize her. When she was away, she worked very hard to become a better person, and now all the skills she learned will put her to the test.
The book was described as a “gritty, heartbreaking novel that will take your breath away.” Those are the perfect words to describe it. Emma is a complicated character…yes, she did some really horrible things. As you read, you will see that she also was dealing with something that exacerbated her issues. She did have consequences. She lost everything she held dear, and she reaches deep down inside to not lose herself again. I really admired her for that.
Without spoiling anything, I have to say, this book hit very close to home for me. We recently lost someone close to our family who suffered with what Emma struggled with. Seeing things from Emma’s perspective opened my eyes and made me think. It also made me see the importance of forgiveness. When a writer can move me like that, she has more than done her job!