My enormous thanks to Rachel Kennedy of Penguin Random House for sending me a surprise copy of What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon. It’s my absolute pleasure to share my review of What If I Never Get Over You today.

It’s a little over a year since I reviewed Paige’s Seven Summers and you’ll find that post here. 

Published by Penguin on 10th April 2025, What If I Never Get Over You is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

What If I Never Get Over You 

Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.

Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while travelling in Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash.

Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection – deep enough for them to plan to meet again in Madrid. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.

Six years later, the memory of Ash and their time together still burns deeply in Ellie’s heart. She hopes that her dream job as a gardener on a grand estate in Wales will bring the fresh start she desperately needs.

But when Ash unexpectedly crashes back into her life, Ellie is forced to question if the universe has other plans…

My Review of What If I Never Get Over You

Ellie and Ash fall in love in Lisbon – but fate intervenes.

There are some books that it’s really difficult to review adequately and What If I Never Get Over You is one such book. I just want to say, ‘Buy it because it is absolutely wonderful’, but that doesn’t explain why I think this is the most gorgeous story or why I adored every word.

Paige Toon’s style is effortless to read – not because it is superficial, but because her dialogue is natural, her plot immersive and compelling, and her ability to imbue her writing with deep, believable emotion is unparalleled. It’s quite, quite wonderful. 

What is so impressive is the credibility of the plot. My heart ached for the missed opportunities and years for Ellie and Ash. I was desperate for them to be together, but throughout, fate, family and responsibility intervened until I wasn’t sure how much more my emotions could withstand. The story is so romantic, so mesmerising and so fantastic. 

The characters of Ellie and Ash feel instantly vivid, real and relatable. They are very much the product of their upbringing and the past has a highly important role to play that is slowly revealed, so that the reader gets to know them gradually, in much the same way real relationships develop.

Alongside memorable protagonists and a glorious plot are superb descriptions, both in Lisbon and in Wales. Horticultural reference, songs and real locations add depth and texture so that it feels as if you are there alongside Ellie. What If I Never Get Over You is a feast for the senses as well as for the emotions.

Even more affecting are the underpinning themes. Of course there is a gorgeous romantic element, but darker themes are also handled with consummate dexterity by Paige Toon. The difficult relationships that sometimes exist between parent and child, the dynamics of marriage and class, our ability to reinvent ourselves, grief, and the immense capacity of human nature to endure, sit seamlessly alongside the power of nature, the impact of media and a sense of history. 

In case I haven’t made myself clear, I adored What If I Never Get Over You unreservedly. It is a book that stays with the reader long after the final page is turned. I recommend it unreservedly. 

 About Paige Toon

Paige Toon is the bestselling author of seventeen adult novels and three young adult titles, and her books have sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Paige writes sweeping, emotional love stories filled with incredible settings and characters you’ll never forget. She tells nuanced stories with big, thought- provoking themes at their heart which leave you uplifted and believing in the power of love. You will laugh, cry and feel like you’ve become part of a new family. She lives in Cambridgeshire with her husband and their two children.

For further information, follow Paige on Twitter/X @PaigeToonAuthor, visit her website or find Paige on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

I’m delighted that my latest My Weekly online review is of The Ick by Holly McCulloch.

My huge thanks to Izzy Warner of FMcM for originally sending me a copy.

Published by Dialogue imprint Renegade on 6th March 2025, The Ick is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

The Ick

 Six foot two with blue eyes ✅

Dimples and strong arms ✅

Giant turtle backpack ❌

Gem’s date is looking promising. Atlas is 6’2, with blue eyes, dimples and strong hands that look like they would be at home wielding an axe. But when he says he eats soup for lunch, Gem is immediately hit with the ick. Suddenly she’s painfully aware of his giant backpack that makes him look like a turtle, his colourful socks, and his hair that’s just a bit too floppy.

Gem, who collects icks like others collect loyalty points, is adamant that the phenomenon is her instinct kicking in, but her housemate and best friend Shanti disagrees, and challenges Gem to take part in a study for her psychology course: Is intuition real?

Gem eventually decides to take part, but doing so means she has to break all her own rules. She sees Atlas for a second date, a third, and even a fourth, until she starts losing count. It’s all for research purposes, of course – but what if the impossible happens and Gem falls for Atlas? And if he finds out she’s being paid to date him, will he ever forgive her?

My Review of The Ick

My full review of The Ick can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that I absolutely loved The Ick. It’s a perfect example of a rom com that not only entertains but that encompasses deeper themes that raise a tear as well as making the reader laugh aloud.

Do visit the My Weekly website to read my full review here.

About Holly McCulloch

As the fourth child in a busy household, Holly was often left to entertain herself. She wasn’t cool enough to hang out with her oldest siblings, and she wasn’t a good enough goalie to hang out with her younger sibling. Luckily, she quickly found the world of books and since then, she has never looked back. As a kid, Holly often went to sleep with at least four books underneath her pillow just in case she needed them. And she often did. Books have saved her time and time again.

After a stint working at a literary agency, then a stint working at a big four publisher, and then a stint working as a book buyer, Holly made the terrible decision to become a management consultant. After four years, and still no idea what the job actually entailed, books saved her once again. She wrote her first novel Just Friends (published by Transworld in 2020) when she needed to escape. Her second novel, The Mix-Up followed in 2021.

She is currently working as a freelance editor and writer, and lives in the outskirts of Oxford with her dog, who she lovingly named Schitthead (Ted) after the best TV programme known to man. She is fuelled by baked goods and a need to make people laugh.

For further information about Holly (and Ted), follow her over on Instagram.

My enormous thanks to Claudia Bullmore at Bedford Square for sending me a surprise copy of Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy. It’s my pleasure to share my review today. 

Out now in other formats, Sipsworth will be published in paperback by Bedford Square on 8th May 2025 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Sipsworth

Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns from sixty years in Australia to the English village of her childhood. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.

Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship, and a way back into life itself.

My Review of Sipsworth

Helen is elderly and lonely.

This slim novella is absolutely beautiful and I loved every word. Simon Van Booy writes with such precision and skill that every word contributes to a book that is profound, uplifting and emotional. 

In reality, little happens in Sipsworth as an elderly woman, Helen Cartwright who is newly returned to the UK from Australia, encounters a mouse. But that simplistic view is to mis-understand completely the complexities of human emotion that are gradually uncovered in the story. 

In her eighties, Helen is profoundly lonely, with almost no human contact, and spending her days in a routine of radio, television and baths. Her lifestyle is a sensitively depicted wake-up call for all humanity. Helen’s existence could be the fate that awaits any one of us. Equally, she could be the elderly person living next door to us or whom we ignore in the street or supermarket. Through the response to Helen from the few characters she meets, Simon Van Booy illustrates how an acknowledgement and a small act of kindness can ameliorate loneliness and, quite literally, be a lifeline for someone else. The more we discover about Helen’s life and her previous professional existence the more the message not to write off older members of the community is emphasised. There’s far more to Helen than meets the eye.

The relationship between Helen and the mouse is depicted simply wonderfully and it’s filled with both humour and poignancy. Through him, her life is dramatically altered. I adored their interactions. Simon Van Booy presents friendship so naturally and the reduced cast list provides an intimacy I found completely compelling. 

The way Helen’s memories interweave into her dreams and her day is affecting and emotional. She is harder on herself than she deserves and because we are given such insight into her character she makes the reader want to meet her and become her friend. It’s hard to accept she’s merely character in a book.

A tale of grief, loneliness and the basic need for connection, told with humanity and humour, Sipsworth is eloquent, entertaining and emotional – a total joy to read and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I loved it.

About Simon Van Booy

Simon Van Booy is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children, including The Illusion of Separateness, The Presence of Absence, and Sipsworth. Simon is the anthologist of three volumes of philosophy and has written for The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, and the BBC. His books have been translated into many languages and optioned for film. Raised in rural North Wales, he currently lives in New York where he is also a book editor and a volunteer E.M.T. crew chief.

For further information, visit Simon’s website, follow him on Twitter/X @simonvanbooy or find Simon on Instagram. 

I’m a huge fan of John Marrs’s writing so nothing could give me more pleasure than to be reviewing his brand new psychological thriller You Killed Me First for my latest My Weekly online review which has been slightly delayed due to staff changes recently.

You’ll find other posts featuring John here on Linda’s Book Bag, with interviews and my reviews of The One, What Lies Between Us, The Vacation and Keep It In The Family. 

Published by Thomas & Mercer on 4th March 2025, You Killed Me First is available for purchase here.

You Killed Me First

Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in – she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret – and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?

My Review of You Killed Me First

My full review of You Killed Me First can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that You Killed Me First is mind-blowingly fabulous. It’s filled with twists and turns that are completely gripping. I think You Killed Me First cements John Marrs as one of the most skilled psychological thriller writers of the modern age. It’s brilliant.

Do visit My Weekly for my full review.

About John Marrs

John Marrs is an author and former journalist based in London and Northamptonshire. After spending his career interviewing celebrities from the worlds of television, film and music for numerous national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time author. His books include No1 bestseller and Netflix series The One, The Passengers, award winning What Lies Between Us and The Good Samaritan.

You can visit John’s website for more information, or you can find him on Facebook and Instagram.  Follow him on Twitter @johnmarrs1.

My enormous thanks to Jeremy Vine for sending me a copy of Murder on Line One. It’s my pleasure to share my review today. 

Jeremy previously featured here on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed his novel The Diver and the Lover. 

Murder on Line One will be published by Harper Collins on 24th April and is available for pre-order through the publisher links here. 

Murder on Line One

There’s a killer on the airwaves … and they’re calling for you.

Darkness looms over sunny Sidmouth, when an unsolved murder comes to the attention of late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis.

Recently sacked from his beloved job after a devastating tragedy, Edward is cast adrift – until he meets Stevie, whose grandmother, a devoted listener, died in a suspicious fire last year. Well, nobody hurts his listeners and helping Stevie might just give him the purpose he needs.

Joined by his old fling, Kim, they discover Stevie’s grandmother wasn’t the only one of his listeners targeted – this is just the tip of the iceberg.

But who is pursuing his ageing audience and why? And can Edward, Stevie and Kim get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late?

My Review of Murder on Line One

Grieving radio presenter Edward Temmis is in the thick of things! 

Murder on Line One is a hugely entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was an engaging mystery, threaded with a sense of justice and a concern for the downtrodden or the misfits in society. There’s also warm and humane humour, especially through Stevie’s direct speech, that adds an extra layer of enjoyment.

I found the plot both fast paced and intriguing and loved the hooks at the ends of chapters that propel the reader into wanting to discover more. Murder on Line One has a kind of mycorrhizal structure, with tentacles spreading within the local community, linking events and characters together very intricately. It took me a little while to settle into those links, but once I did I thought they were brilliantly executed; as was the manner in which the story was resolved. I loved the sense of small coastal town claustrophobia that is so clearly depicted too because it placed me there with the characters. 

I thought those characters were excellent. The triumvirate of Edward, Kim and Stevie is brought together perfectly, so that the potential for future stories is set up and leaves the reader definitely wanting more. Their lives, their interaction, and the developing relationship between them, especially that between Edward and Kim, feels authentic, natural and realistic. I was incredibly convinced by the way Edward’s grief is illustrated because it has a resonant depth that is emotional and relatable. I found myself very moved at times as I was drawn into his back story.

Equally engaging, given one of the author’s day jobs as a radio presenter, is the self-deprecating humour surrounding Edward. His removal from the radio station, his need for approbation and his realisation that he has quickly become persona non grata, feels warm, humorous and sensitively handled. 

Murder on Line one might, perhaps, be defined as cosy crime with an added edge. The themes threaded through the narrative are modern, authentic and only too prevalent in the real world. Obviously I don’t want to spoil the plot for others, but Jeremy Vine illustrates what could easily happen to any one of us, or to someone we know.  With sensitive consideration of mental health, guilt, shame, and the impact of scams, there’s an understanding of human nature that permeates the story so that it is absorbing and thought-provoking as well as interesting. 

If I’m honest, I never really have high hopes for books written by authors better known in other spheres, but here Jeremy Vine has confounded me. There’s very much a sense of him in the writing, there’s a wickedly clear understanding of the politics of radio broadcasting and, above all else, there’s a simply smashing story that is huge fun to read. 

I thought Murder on Line One was totally absorbing, witty and entertaining. I thoroughly recommend it.  

About Jeremy Vine

Jeremy Vine is a well-known British broadcaster who presents a daily show on BBC Radio 2 called The Jeremy Vine Show — and also a self-titled daily news and chat programme on Channel 5. This is why he likes strong coffee. 

He has been Sony Speech Broadcaster of the Year, and won Interview of the Year for the seminal moment when Gordon Brown put his head in his hands during the 2010 election campaign. Jeremy also does the BBC election graphics and rides a penny farthing, although not at the same time. 

The Diver and The Lover was his first serious novel. It came out of a chance encounter with a painting. Born in 1965, he of course loves the music of Joy Division, The Cure and Elvis Costello. He is married to Rachel and they have two teenage daughters.

For further information, follow Jeremy on Twitter/X @theJeremyVine, or find him on Facebook, Bluesky and Instagram. 

Regular visitors to Linda’s Book Bag will know how much I love Milly Johnson’s writing so you can imagine how excited I am that my latest My Weekly online review is of her latest novel Same Time Next Week, slightly later than hoped because of some restructuring

For more of my reviews of Milly’s books, see here.

Published by Simon and Schuster on 27th February 2025, Same Time Next Week is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Same Time Next Week

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.

Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week?

Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…

My Review of Same Time Next Week

My full review of Same Time Next Week can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Same Time Next Week is utterly wonderful, being packed with humour and emotion in the lives of real, relatable women whose friendship is depicted with warmth and sensitive humanity. It’s gone straight on my list of books of the year.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Milly Johnson

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. She is the author of 22 novels, 4 short story ebooks, a book of poetry and a Quick Reads Novella (The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe) and was an erstwhile leading copywriter for the greetings card industry. She is also a poet, a professional joke-writer, a newspaper columnist and a seasoned after dinner speaker.

She won the RoNA for Best Romantic Comedy Novel of 2014 and 2016, the Yorkshire Society award for Arts and Culture 2015, the Romantic Novelist Association Outstanding Achievement award in 2020, the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2021 and the Richard Whiteley Award for Inspiration to the County of Yorkshire in 2022.

She writes about love, life, friendships and the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience and celebrate her beloved Yorkshire.

Her 22nd novel Same Time Next Week out 27th Feb 2025 is about five women all negotiating big changes in their lives. Will coming together in a friendship group at the new Ray’s Diner help them overcome what fate throws at them? Full of blueberry pie and cookies (don’t blame Milly if you start craving them).

You can follow Milly on Twitter/X @millyjohnson and Facebook, or you can visit her website for more information. You’ll also find Milly on Instagram.

It’s such a pleasure and privilege to read and review the latest fiction for My Weekly online and I’m delighted today to share details of my review of Give Him To Me by Dorothy Koomson.

My huge thanks to Emma and Katey at EDPR for originally sending me a copy of Give Him To Me. I previously reviewed Dorothy’s Every Smile You Fake for My Weekly and you’ll find details of that review here or can head to the My Weekly site for my full thoughts.

My apologies that it has taken longer than hoped for the review to appear, but there has been some restructuring at My Weekly that has delayed things.

Published by Headline on 13th February 2025, Give Him To Me is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Give Him To Me

Robyn ‘Avril’ Managa was twelve when she witnessed her controlling and abusive father murder her mother. Put into care while her well-connected father was given a new identity in Witness Protection, Robyn has lived with the trauma of that day ever since.

Now in her twenties, Robyn has decided she wants a family reunion – so is killing people connected to her father’s case, leaving on their bodies the note: GIVE HIM TO ME.

Dr Kez Lanyon is called onto the case. But can Kez get into Robyn’s mind before she kills again? Or is she about to become Avril’s latest victim?

Profiler and therapist Kez Lanyon returns in a gripping new stand-alone novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Dorothy Koomson.

My Review of Give Him To Me

My full review of Give Him To Me can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Give Him To Me is utterly gripping with a true insight into the human psyche that has the reader gasping aloud. It’s a total belter!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Dorothy Koomson

Dorothy Koomson is the award-winning author of numerous novels and has been making up stories since she was 13 when she used to share her stories with her convent school friends. Her published titles include: Tell Me Your Secret, The Brighton Mermaid, The Friend, When I Was Invisible, That Girl From Nowhere, The Flavours of Love, The Woman He Loved Before, Goodnight, Beautiful and The Chocolate Run.

Dorothy’s first novel, The Cupid Effect, was published in 2003 (when she was quite a bit older than 13). Her third book, My Best Friend’s Girl, was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads of 2006 and went on to sell over 500,000 copies. While her fourth novel, Marshmallows For Breakfast, has sold in excess of 250,000 copies. Dorothy’s books, The Ice Cream Girls and The Rose Petal Beach were both shortlisted for the popular fiction category of the British Book Awards in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Dorothy’s novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and a TV adaptation loosely based on The Ice Cream Girls was shown on ITV1 in 2013. After briefly living in Australia, Dorothy now lives in Brighton.

In 2019 Dorothy was awarded the Image Award by The Black British Business Awards to celebrate and honour her achievements.

For further information visit Dorothy’s website. You can also find Dorothy on Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook and follow her on Twitter/X @DorothyKoomson.

My enormous thanks to Kate Hambly for sending me a copy of A Wilding Year by Hannah Dale all those months ago in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure finally to share that review today and my apologies that it is later than hoped.

Published by Batsford Books on 13th March 2025, A Wilding Year is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

A Wilding Year

Follow Hannah Dale’s deeply personal journey as she returns her Lincolnshire farm to nature, celebrating the return of an astonishing variety of wildlife.

Hannah Dale, the artist and founder of the award-winning nature-centric gift company Wrendale Designs, takes you through a year on her farm in rural Lincolnshire where, alongside her husband, she has undertaken an ambitious rewilding project. Together, they are attempting to return the land to nature and increase the number of species their land is able to support.

A Wilding Year explores how one family have been able to embrace the beauty to be found in untidy landscapes, heralding the return of skylarks, meadow pipits, hobbies, polecats and many more species to their farm. The land was originally claimed from marshy wetlands, and leaning into the land’s natural inclination to be wet has also yielded amazing ponds and pond life.

This rewilding journey has also provided Hannah with new sources of inspiration for her paintings. A Wilding Year is both a journal and a sketchbook, in which Hannah keeps a visual record of the incredible variety of species she finds on the farm.

This fascinating account of a year spent in nature brings to life the beauty and power of wildlife in every season.

My Review of A Wilding Year

Life on a Lincolnshire farm as the owners embrace nature.

Wow! What a fantastic book. Part journal, part nature book, part artist’s portfolio, part memoir, it’s difficult to convey just how beautiful a book A Wilding Year is. Without wishing to sound hyperbolic, reading it is akin to a spiritual cleansing, because Hannah Dale immerses the reader in nature so effectively that they are experiencing her life observing and discovering the world around her as if they are by her side. I don’t read much non-fiction, but I thought this book was magnificent and it is no exaggeration to say I finished it feeling as if I knew the author and her farm intimately. I felt Hannah Dale’s range of emotions from surprise and rage to wonder and hope with her.

As Hannah Dale takes the reader through her experiences, her writing is beautiful, painterly and evocative, but she does not shy away from the harsher realities of nature and the impact of climate change. Living in Lincolnshire as I do, I could relate to every word – from the missing hoverflies to the lack of small birdsong. 

Despite its honesty, A Wilding Year is most certainly not all doom. What Hannah Dale does so eloquently, so convincingly and, actually, as a galvanising call to arms, is to illustrate that all is not lost if only we all played a small part in rewilding. The ‘dysfunctional relationship’ as Hannah sees it between us and nature can be changed – to the benefit of nature and humans –  and she articulates this concept irresistibly and eloquently.

The illustrations in A Wilding Year are truly magnificent. There’s an ethereal quality to the watercolour style images that only serves to heighten the text. The pictures mean that this would make a perfect gift book.

I thought A Wilding Year was fantastic. Essential reading for anyone remotely interested in the natural world around them, my only criticism is that I wish it had been available when my much missed Dad was alive. He would have adored it just as much as I do and reading A Wilding Year made me feel closer to him. I loved it.

About Hannah Dale

Hannah Dale runs Wrendale Designs, a stationery and gift design company which specialises in endearing illustrations depicting British wildlife. Her other Batsford titles include: A Dog’s Life, The Farmyard Set, The Young Ones, The Country Set, Born to be Wild and Flying The Nest.

Hannah lives in rural Lincolnshire and her work is inspired by the beautiful surrounding countryside. She is also a trained zoologist.

Visit Wrendale Designs for further information. 

My enormous thanks to Dani Atkins for sending me a copy of her latest book Always You And Me. It’s my absolute pleasure to share my review today.

You’ll find Dani featured on Linda’s Book Bag on other occasions in interview and review here. 

I had hoped Always You And Me might be one of my My Weekly reviews for April but sadly recent restructuring and redundancies mean I already have seven reviews pending new reviews are on hold at the moment. 

Always You And Me is published in paperback by Lake Union today, 1st April 2025, and is available for purchase here. 

Always You And Me

From the bestselling author of Fractured comes a moving, heart-mending and uplifting novel of love, hope and second chances.

Then…

On the eve of her wedding to Adam, Lily’s best friend Josh unexpectedly walked out of her life, and she hasn’t seen him since.

Lily and Adam are blissfully happy, until he falls ill. As she cares for him in his final hours, Adam asks her to make a mysterious promise: to find Josh―and forgive them both.

This winter…

Tracking Josh down isn’t easy, but fate seems determined to bring them together. Cut off in his remote Scottish cabin by a fierce snowstorm, Lily and Josh explore their tangled feelings for each other, stretching back over the decades. But when she discovers the shocking reason behind Adam’s unexpected last wish, she’ll need to trust her heart completely…

Can Lily and Josh choose love―and find forgiveness and lasting happiness together?

My Review of Always You And Me

Lily has a promise to keep.

Always You And Me is one of those books that grasps your heart from the very first page and simply doesn’t let go. It’s totally wonderful and I adored it unreservedly. 

There’s an intensity of emotion because essentially the narrative revolves around Lily, Adam and Josh with only a very few minor characters so that it’s as if we are discovering the innermost thoughts of these three. Lily’s narrative voice is perfection and Dani Atkins uses that voice to delve into Josh’s heart so that as we learn about Lily we also learn about Josh and vice versa. They are as interwoven as two strands of DNA. And yet it is Adam who initiates the action. It is he who has shaped Lily and Josh’s destiny. Although he is not physically present for almost all the novel, I felt I knew him intimately, because Lily showed him to me with scalpel sharp clarity and yet, as is true of all relationships, she didn’t know everything entirely. Indeed, I thought the way the characters developed in Always You and Me was superb.

The plot is magnificent. It is so realistic, so absorbing and so compelling that it doesn’t feel like fiction at all. I truly forgot I was reading about the lives of characters in a book. Obviously I can’t spoil the read by revealing too much, but I found every aspect of the story realistic and heart-breaking in equal measure. At the same time, there is wonderful, natural humour that frequently comes through direct speech, making Always You and Me feel balanced and absorbing.

Themes of love, family, the way our past shapes our present, grief, marriage, loyalty and parenthood are threaded throughout the book, providing a tapestry of life and humanity in a beautifully written narrative that makes the book flawless in execution.

I’m aware I haven’t said a great deal but if you read the story for yourself you’ll appreciate how hard it is not to reveal too much and spoil the read for others. Achingly romantic and deeply emotional, Always You And Me is utterly wonderful and not to be missed, even if I was completely broken by it. This will be a hard book to beat for my favourite read of 2025.

About Dani Atkins

Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut Fractured (published as Then and Always in North America) has been translated into over twenty languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK.

Dani is the author of ten bestselling novels (Fractured; The Story of Us; Our Song; This Love; While I was Sleeping; A Million Dreams; A Sky Full of Stars; The Wedding Dress; Six days and The Memory of Us) and two eBook novellas: Perfect Strangers and When I Awake.

This Love, A Sky Full Of Stars and Six Days have all won Romantic Novelist Association awards.

Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, a Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

For further information, follow Dani on Twitter/X @AtkinsDani, or find her on Facebook and Instagram.