From the million-copy bestseller Amanda Prowse, the queen of heartbreak fiction. Amanda Prowse is the author of The Coordinates Of Lossand the no.1 bestsellers Perfect Daughter, My Husband’s Wifeand What Have I Done? How do you say goodbye to your family for the last time? Poppy Day is thirty-two and married to her childhood sweetheart. She’s a full-time mum of two gorgeous children and loves her … childhood sweetheart. She’s a full-time mum of two gorgeous children and loves her homely little cottage in the countryside. It’s the life she aways wanted.
But Poppy is so busy caring for others she hasn’t noticed how tired she is, or the menacing lump growing on her breast.It’s unthinkable that cancer could defeat such a strong and amazing woman. But life doesn’t always give you what you deserve…
Reviews for Amanda Prowse:
‘Prowse handles her explosive subject with delicate skill … Deeply moving and inspiring’ DAILY MAIL.
‘Powerful and emotional family dramathat packs a real punch’ HEAT.
‘A gut wrenching and absolutely brilliantread’ IRISH SUN.
‘Captivating, heartbreaking, superbly written’ CLOSER.
‘Very uplifting and positive, but you may still need a box (or two) of tissues’ HELLO.
‘An emotional, unputdownableread’ RED.
‘Prowse writes gritty, contemporary stories but always with an uplifting message of hope’ SUNDAY INDEPENDENT.
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4.5 stars for making me cry through the last few chapters of Will You Remember Me? by my new Queen, Amanda Prowse — and it was even sweeter knowing this was a signed copy that my friend Claire secured for me. I make no pretense here: I waffle back and forth between Amanda Prowse and Kate Morton as my favorite contemporary fiction female storyteller but it always comes down to who makes me tear up the most… Wow, this was quite a story and I can’t wait to devour another one of her books next month.
Although part of a series, it can definitely be read standalone as the series seems to jump around from character to character. I didn’t read the first book, Poppy Day, which focuses on the same lead but I have a feeling it’s okay to go out of order. Poppy is 32, married to the love of her life, has two wonderful children and a great sense of happiness for the future — until she finds a small lump in her breast, and nothing is ever the same again. Prowse takes us thru the journey as Poppy begins to realize everything she will lose. From telling her husband to searching for her unknown father, finding a new family member and saying goodbye to people for the final time… this tale will have you holding your breath, tearing up, and gritting your teeth with anger and disappointment. Things don’t always work out. Sometimes they do but on a different level. What fine balance in this beautiful and heartwarming piece of brilliance.
My only minor hesitancy in giving a full 5 stars is that there were a few moments where I wanted more details about her relationships with her mother, doctor, and son. There was a lot to cover in the book, and it was the right page count but it was a tad short on some details and a bit full on others that didn’t add 100% value. All very, very minor and just a personal taste for me. I definitely recommend this book especially with the sea of stories out there probably full of similar tones and styles. What’s different for me in a novel by Prowse is the genuine understanding of what the person is suffering from. It’s not just words strung together to make a reader sad and empathize. It’s as if you’re sitting there with the same pains and wishing only for a way to make it better for both you and the one suffering in the book. That’s an author I respect and plan to read her full canon as quickly as I can!
4.5 stars
Confession… I’ve never read Amanda Prouse before – which puts me in the minority. This is the final book in the No Greater Love series. I haven’t read the rest of the series but could engage with the story and the characters without any trouble.
Will You Remember Me was such a moving and sad read. There were times when I had to pause, cry, take a break and then read on. What struck me most about this novel is how painful it must be for young cancer patients to cope with the thought of leaving their family and loved ones behind. I can’t imagine anything more devastating. And it is clear that Amanda Prouse wrote this novel with these thoughts in mind.
You could feel Poppy’s pain on learning about her diagnosis, her determination to carry on and fight it alone by keeping the terrible news from her much loved husband. Of course, as her sickness grows this becomes impossible to hide and impossible to do.
There were other details, a long lost family member in St. Lucia – which added a much needed break and a way for Poppy perhaps to come to terms with her fate and to accept that we all die but perhaps it is how we live and how we forgive that makes the difference.
The male characters in the novel: her son, (being so young,) and (to a degree,) her husband are not quite as detailed and fade a bit into the background. The character spotlight is and should be on Poppy, she pulls at your heart strings. I also found her daughter Peg to be very engaging and a much needed source of light and hope in what is after all a dark tale.
Thank you so much to the author for a signed copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
My recommendation: I enjoy and appreciate stories that tug at the heartstrings. A highly recommended and emotional read.