Goodnight Beautiful

by Dorothy Koomson

Nova Kumalisi would do anything for her closest friend, Mal Wacken. She owes him her life. So, when he asked her to be the surrogate mother for him and his wife, in spite of her fears about how it would alter their friendship, Nova agreed.

Eight years later, Nova is bringing up their son alone, and she and Mal don't speak. Months into the pregnancy, Mal's wife changed her mind about the surrogacy agreement. Already suspicious of how close Nova and Mal were, Stephanie realised her strained marriage was in serious trouble when she found a text from her husband to Nova, saying, 'Goodnight, Beautiful'. She asked Mal to cut all ties with his closest friend and unborn child.

Now, seven-year-old Leo is critically ill and Nova, despite her anger and hurt, wants Mal to have the chance to know his son before it's too late. Will it take a tragedy to remind them how much they mean to each other?

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Drama, Adult, Womens Fiction

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2008

About the author

Hello, my name's Dorothy Koomson and I'll try to make this bit that's all about me as interesting as possible.
I wrote my first novel called There's A Thin Line Between Love And Hate when I was 13. I used to write a chapter every night then pass it around to my fellow convent school pupils every morning, and they seemed to love it.

I grew up in London and then grew up again in Leeds when I went to university. I eventually returned to London to study for my masters degree and stayed put for the following years. I took up various temping jobs and eventually got my big break writing, editing and subbing for various women's magazines and national papers.

Fiction and storytelling were still a HUGE passion of mine and I continued to write short stories and novels every spare moment that I got. In 2001 I had the idea for The Cupid Effect and my career as a published novelist began. And it's been fantastic. In 2006, third novel, My Best Friend's Girl was published. It was incredibly successful - selling nearly 90,000 copies within its first few weeks on sale. Six weeks later, it was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads Book Club and the book went on to sell over 500,000 copies. Oh, there I go again, this is meant to be about me, not my novels.

Okay, back to me. I recently spent two years living in Sydney Australia, and now I'm back in England. But I can't say for how long I'll be in the UK for because I've been well and truly bitten by the travel bug

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book until the last few chapters and the end was so terrible that it just made me mad that I read this whole book for that crummy ending! The book centers around best friends Mal and Nova. They grew up together and at times one or the other would contemplate taking their friendship to the next level, but were scared to jeopardize their incredible friendship. When Mal gets married his wife Stephanie is jealous and suspicious of his relationship with Nova, but since she can't have children she and Mel ask Nova to be their surrogate. Even though it's not the best idea Nova agrees simply because she loves Mal and wants him to be happy. But, a few months into the pregnancy Stephanie freaks out and forces Mal to choose between her and Nova and the baby and he chooses Stephanie. So, years pass without Mal and Nova speaking and Nova raises their son Leo alone. Then when Leo is 7 1/2 he has an accident and has to be put into a medically induced coma. While Nova waits for Leo to wake up she has to decide whether to let Mal into his son's life at this critical time.

This is giving things away a little, but I was so angry that it was so obvious that Mal and Nova really loved each other and should have been together, but time after time they wouldn't take an opportunity. Especially at the end - no one was happy so who cares if Mal left Stephanie - why would they want to punish themselves by still trying to live a "normal" life together?! The ending was VERY irritating to me. If you're going to build up these two characters and make it so painfully obvious that they should be together - GET THEM TOGETHER!

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It's the ones you love the most who can lift you in an instant, and destroy you without trying.”
― Dorothy Koomson, Goodnight, Beautiful


I am such a fan of Koomson. This is the one book I have read by her that I did not immediately fall in love with.

Never ever ask your best friend to be a surrogate..never.

This book made me cry as does all Koomson's books. It is powerful and maudlin and very moving. Yet as I said, cannot say I loved it. I would say I have loved all the other books I have read by her..about 4 or so..but not this one.

It is well written and I did like it. It's just the subject matter is not for me. This one was a bit like a soap opera and:

SPOILER:

I have a tough time reading about children in comas and that aspect of the story was very hard for me to read.

Do not get me wrong..this is a good book! To some it maybe even a great one! The fact is, this woman could write about a trip to the dentist office and make it sound exquisite.

My all time favorite by her is the Rose Petal Beach. I had such a tough time with all the sadness in this book and REALLY did not like the ending either. Still if you are Koomson fan (and even if you are not) you will probably like this. 3.5 stars.

[Tea Jovanović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, pure joy of reading Koomson! This author has "that" something making her books be remembered for a long time after you finish reading it... sometimes with tears in your eyes... but c'est la vie... Her books are full of emotions... #mustread

Četiri zvezdice zbog prevoda koji je lekturom mogao biti izglancan i materijalne greške uklonjene... A knjiga nije ni videla urednika (jer bi i on to mogao da dopravi)...
Imam utisak, da uprkos trudu izdavača (objavili su dosad 5 njenih naslova) ova autorka i nije baš stekla neku publiku kod nas, pa mi se čini da su odustali od daljeg objavljivanja (jer već godinama ništa novo njeno nisu objavili)... Grehota... :(

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total tear jerker, devastating book that I couldn't put down.

Every single one of Dorothy's books are just blowing me away.

Five stars.

[Tempo de Ler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Repreendo-me por todas as vezes em que ia pegar neste livro para ler mas acabei por optar por outra coisa - Bons Sonhos, Meu Amor é absolutamente fantástico!

Embora não tenha sido fácil entrar na história devido ao revezamento entre pontos de vista sem a devida indicação (ponto que a escritora melhorou em livros mais recentes), uma vez a par do enredo foi muito difícil parar de ler. Bons Sonhos, Meu Amor é mais um exemplo do talento que Dorothy Koomson tem para contar uma história explorando diferentes perspectivas, revelando compassadamente o passado dos seus personagens e fundamentando as suas escolhas, mesmo que estas sejam antagónicas.

Koomson tem vindo a escrever livros muito bons; Bons Sonhos, Meu Amor está entre os meus preferidos de sua autoria porque entrei em completa sintonia com os personagens e com o drama que estes viviam. A história, já de si interessante, avança de forma bem ponderada e satisfatória até ao final.
Gostei muito!

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Depressing, very very depressing. I think Koomson writes well, but her characters are all a bit overly damaged in my opinion and this book just seemed to be miserable for no real point. No-one was happily married, no-one had a happy family. Nothin nice happened to any of the characters ever. I was holding out for a bit of a happy ending but it didn't materialise. Koomson seems to have a thing for sllghtly f*cked up women on their own and there was no change here.
The ending was also quite frankly unbelievable but hey ho.
Won't be reading it again or recommending that anyone else does either.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven-year-old Leo lies in a hospital bed, comatose, after a seemingly minor accident followed by surgery. By his bedside, his mother Nova recalls the moments of their lives together. But once upon a time, long ago in her own childhood, she and her best friend Mal were like two sides of one coin. Their bond was strong and one that they thought would never be broken.

Through flashbacks, we see the journey of Nova and Mal, how they gradually forged separate lives in their adulthood, while still maintaining a very strong connection. When Mal met Stephanie, however, things changed—just a bit. And when he married her, Nova knew that their relationship, with its strong friendship bonds, had morphed into something else—a friendship that now included the three of them.

The collision course that severs the connections between them begins when Stephanie and Mal want a baby, but Stephanie cannot have her own; they know that adoption will not be possible because of Stephanie's history and emotional problems. They approach Nova, asking her to carry their baby. After much thought and considerable anguish, Nova agrees.

Eight years later, Nova is raising her son Leo alone. What happened and how did everything go wrong?

Answering those questions fills the pages of this compelling novel that probes below the surface, peeling back the layers to finally reveal the hidden motivations that altered all of their lives.

Will Mal finally meet his son and join the others at his bedside? Will his presence heal the wounds? And will the tragedy finally change the future for all of them?

The characters were richly detailed, with all the flaws and strengths of real people. Sometimes I felt very frustrated with each of them, as their inability to clearly communicate their thoughts and feelings to each other led to the breakdown of their relationships. None of them revealed the complete truth. When Mal told Nova that he and Stephanie had changed their minds about the baby, he would not (or could not) tell the whole story. When Stephanie said she no longer could take the baby, the reasons she gave were not completely true, either.

And afterwards, while Nova was raising her son alone, she didn't share any of the details with her family, her husband Keith (whom she married after her son was born), or even her closest friends.

Told in the first-person narrative of Nova, and then Stephanie, we gradually come to understand each of the women. Alternating first-person voice is not unusual, but in this novel, each chapter began without anything to identify whose "voice" was spotlighted. Sometimes it took two or three paragraphs to figure it out, which altered my enjoyment of the story. The flow was not as smooth as I would have liked.

Because of this somewhat confusing writing style, I decided to award four stars. I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys tales of friendship, family, and the defining moments that change our lives.

[crίѕтίŋα•●Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ●• · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A mãe sorriu-lhe. Ele gostava que ela sorrisse. Quando ela sorria, parecia o sol: grande, quente e lindo. O pai dizia sempre que o sorriso da mãe iluminava o mundo"

[Anna L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma das minhas escritoras favoritas. Pelas temáticas que aborda, pela escrita, por raramente ter histórias e finais expectáveis.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess that there is an extra air of excitement about this book for me. I didn’t have anything to do with it, I don’t know the author personally or anything, but I entered the drawing to win it from goodreads’ first reads and low and behold, I won a copy. Hopefully this isn’t the last book I win from that nifty little program.

I very often don’t write reviews as soon as I’ve finished a book, especially if it is an emotional read. There is apart of me that does not understand my feelings and I can be a little harsh in reviewing if the writer has left me with emotions I don’t want to deal with. If I rate solely on my feelings alone I don’t know if it’ll be so high, so I take my time, think about things and try to give things a chance to roll around in my head and heart.

Koomson’s story telling, the way she weaves this story with the present and past, is superb. It is a sad story of love and loss, but a beautiful one as well, told by a highly talented writer who was able to draw me in and keep me there.

Yet, a part of me feels tricked and seduced by Koomson. That despite carrying this book around with me everywhere, devouring pages nonstop, reading until the wee hours of the morning, hoping and hoping and hoping the that characters I had grown to like and care for so much would do the things I wanted them to do, say the magic words that needed to be said, make everything well again, wrapped with a happy love drenched bow and leave me feeling lighter, knowing that their lives were set straight and were now quite delightful. Koomson made me care about these characters that much. And alas, I didn’t get what I wanted in the end. I got something else, not the predictable fairy tale I hate to admit to wanting, and not the miserable depressing end I’m currently making it seem like (sorry about that) but something else, left kind of open, maybe for me to take which way I want to. At least that’s how I’m looking at it.

That is why I have to wait to write reviews. I’m not thinking like a sensible adult but like a child that hasn’t gotten what she wanted and now will throw a temper tantrum because of it, hurling harsh words at the keyboard, insulting Koomson and highlighting far fewer stars than deserved and typing the phrase “it isn’t fair!” over and over. But then again, that is how life is.

I cried, a lot, but I don’t feel angry about it. I was at first, but now I’m okay and I’ve accepted it and I feel Koomson did me a great service by introducing these people into my literary psyche.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book from goodreads. I thought Koomson did a great job of creating believable characters and at times I actually liked them. However, mostly I just kept thinking that if these people were my friends I would never talk to them again.

SPOILER: Stephanie and Mal are married but she is unable to have children (she was raped and had an abortion at 15 that left her unable to harvest or carry). After considering all their options they decide to ask Mal's beautiful best friend Nova to have a baby for them (Nova's egg and Mal's sperm). No one reading this book thinks that this is a great idea. Mal is in love with Nova and it is obvious. Stephanie is jealous of Nova because she should be. But, Stephanie can't consider adoption because she has recently tried to commit suicide. So, it is not a surprise that Stephanie gets jealous of Nova and decides she no longer wants the baby. But, it is a surprise that she tells Mal to ask Nova to have an abortion. Oops... I guess we should have thought that out a little better. Then the book continues for a few pages where all characters act flippant about their recent choices. Then Nova decides to keep the baby and Stephanie tells Mal that he is no longer allowed to talk to Nova or the child. Then eight years later Nova contacts Mal to tell him that their son is dying. When their son is dearly dead they have sex... oops... and she gets pregnant, again. This time Nova decides to leave her husband (yes, she is married) and travel. Mal stays with Stephanie but Nova doesnt want him to tell her about the new baby. In the end they are all "happy." So, Im not speaking to these crazy people ever again... good thing they aren't real.

[Didi · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/5 Книгата е брутално истинска, опустошителна и добре написана.

[Amy Dal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotivno i tužno 😓

[Filipa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bons sonhos, meu amor" é simplesmente uma história que aborda um dos medos mais temíveis. . . O medo de perdermos um filho. . .

O fim do livro é uma doçura, assim como, todas as passagens em que a mãe recorda momentos passados com o filhote, em diferentes anos.
Ficamos a conhecer o pequeno em todas as suas diabruras que levavam a mãe a chatear-se e em todos os momentos que se ria com ele. As brincadeiras entre mãe e filho. . .
Temos presente o medo da mãe, de não mais voltar a poder ter momentos com o filho. . .

A história do amor eterno entre dois amigos que não chega a acontecer e que seguem vidas diferentes devido ao acontecimento crucial desta história. . .

Aborda ainda uma doença, agora, mais falada e conhecida, a bipolaridade. Uma doença grave. Que afecta tanto a pessoa a quem lhe foi diagnosticada, como as pessoas que a rodeiam.
Aborda ainda, outra doença, a hemofilia, no seu estado mais grave.

A única razão porque não lhe vou atribuir as 5 estrelinhas é porque achei partes demasiado longas e que penso que, se fossem mais pequeninas, o livro não perdia a magia, pelo contrário.

Então, assim, é um livro que emociona, que me fez chorar, querer conhecer e abraçar todas as personagens, para sentir que tudo vai ficar bem. . .

[Brianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this book 2 1/2 stars if half stars were allowed on Goodreads. The story was good but I hated all of the characters. Every one of them (except the child) made horrible decisions that made me angry. I had a hard time caring what happened to them because they were not very nice people.

I also really struggled keeping the speakers/narrators straight. They changed randomly...sometimes by chapter...sometimes by page with no change of font or anything to let the reader know. I often read passages and had no idea who was speaking, especially in the beginning when they started flashing back to the past. It was all very confusing at first.

All of that being said, I did get "into" the story about half way through. It wasn't predictable and there were plenty of surprises along the way...although rarely any good surprises.

I wouldn't recommend this book because it wasn't anything special.

[Raquel Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião no blog: https://atocadonunca.wordpress.com/20...

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

**SPOILER ALERT** This was my first read by this author and I'm glad I picked this book because I actually enjoyed the story, for the most part. I liked Nova, she was intelligent but believed in more than what the eye could see, so it almost made her a little quirky. I also, liked how most of the story was told as a sort of flashback, before coming back to the present, and how we got to get glimpses of Leo thru those flashbacks, from her eyes and his own. I loved seeing how her family and Mal's became an extended family to each other over time, and how they had close family ties and support. I COULD NOT STAND MAL BY THE END OF THIS BOOK!!!!! I liked him very much in the beginning, him and Nova had an amazing friendship where they could always count 100% on the other to be there for them. Then Mal, the ass, met Stephanie, and shortly thereafter everything fell apart. I mean, Nova was his best friend in the whole world, and after him and his wife talked her into using her body to house their baby, for THEIR benefit, when Stephanie got too jealous and insecure about the two, she made Mal choose who he was going to continue his life with. That was bad enough, that a wife would do that to her husband, when she knows the connection they had was innocent more than anything else. It was made worse by the fact that HE made the decision to not be apart of Nova's life anymore, and when she had the baby anyway, to not be apart of his life either, all because of his wife's desire to have him to herself!!!!! SELFISH SELFISH SELFISH!!!! I hated him for that decision! What man, what real man would do that, abandon his baby, a baby he and his wife wanted. I was disgusted, and even more so when it seemed Nova kinda forgave him, once she informed him of what was going on with Leo. I'm sorry, even on my best days, I couldn't forgive a person that easily, especially one who was my best friend in the world, the one I should have been able to depend on. She forgave him too easily!!! It was like Mal was co-dependent and he needed someone to NEED him like Stephanie did. He said he'd never leave her, and he stuck to that despite the hell it caused everyone else down the line. I was happy when their marriage started to crumble because both he and his wife were being selfish bastards! I'd hoped they'd fall apart and never get right again! They deserved to be miserable for doing what they did to Nova, and later Leo, when all she had been trying to do was make them happy in the first place. That was how they repaid her! UGH!!! Yeah, despite all that storyline this was a good book, nice sweet and emotional, but Mal, Mal, I just didn't like his character, it showed a great lack of moral uprightness I guess, that he wouldn't put his foot down and say, "sorry honey, that isn't an option, I know what's it like to grow up without a father and I'll never do that to my child". To just toss people like trash is unacceptable and horrible, especially people who you should love above anything else! I hate his character greatly, his wife's too actually, even at the end when they were "making amends" for what they'd both done, their characters left a horrible taste in my mouth. The book was a good read though, just be prepared to strongly dislike a character (or two) for the crappy half ass decisions they made for themselves!!!

[Mazribbands · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would never have read this book if it hadn't been chosen by my book group. My worst fears were confirmed.

[Filipa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nova Kumalisi e Malvolio - Mal para simplificar - foram criados juntos. O seu pai morreu quando ele ainda era jovem e a sua mãe sofre de um problema mental, pelo que desde cedo Nova e Mal se tornaram o apoio um do outro. Criavam uma unidade e sempre se amaram incondicionalmente, como só as crianças podem amar. No entanto, conforme foram crescendo, Mal e Nova apercebem-se que a grande amizade que mantêm é especial. Mais do que amizade, ambos se apaixonaram pelo outro, mas devido às circunstâncias em que vivem e às escolhas que fizeram na sua vida, a amizade incondicional que sempre mantiveram não poderá agora também passar disso mesmo. Uma grande amizade.
Quando Mal e a sua mulher, Steph decidem ter um filho, pedem à sua melhor amiga Nova que seja barriga de aluguer, visto que Steph não poderá nunca ter filhos. Nova, que sempre fez tudo pelo amigo e sempre fará, após muita ponderação decide conceder este desejo ao casal e engravida de Mal.
Contudo, o casal, inesperadamente, muda de ideias e Mal chega até a desaparecer da sua vida, deixando-a sozinha e desamparada, grávida de um filho seu.
Nova mal quer acreditar que Mal, o seu amigo de todo o sempre, é capaz de lhe fazer tal coisa, mas a verdade é que o filho que carrega no ventre é o último pedaço de Mal que poderá guardar consigo e por isso, cria o filho de ambos sozinha.
Nada a viria a preparar para o acidente que Leo, o seu filho de 7 anos apenas, viria a ter, obrigando o rapaz a ser submetido a uma cirurgia e um consequente coma profundo. Agora, Nova quer que Mal conheça o filho que nunca teve oportunidade de ver. Se ao menos as coisas fossem tão simples assim, tudo seria mais fácil...
Este é apenas o terceiro livro desta autora que leio. Contudo, desde o primeiro que me confessei fascinada pela sua escrita, pela sua envolvência, pelos seus enredos viciantes e por todo o leque de emoções que a sua narrativa me faz sentir. Dorothy Koomson é uma autora que gosta de mexer com os corações dos seus leitores, fazendo por isso, com as suas histórias românticas que têm sempre uma pitada de dramatismo. Nem sempre são histórias fáceis e os protagonistas passam sempre por momentos muitos difíceis que me trazem lágrimas aos olhos, mas é uma leitura que compensa a todos os níveis. Dos três livros dela que já li, posso dizer que cada um me toucou de forma diferente, mas todos - sem excepção - puxaram muito pelas minhas emoções e é por isso que continuo tão ansiosa, a ler os seus livros.

Ainda fico impressionada quando penso com que rapidez costumo ler estes livros de Dorothy. Isto tudo porque mal começo a ler o prólogo, simplesmente não consigo parar mais. Se pouso o livro, ando sempre a pensar nele. Se não o leio, estou a pensar quando é que o poderei ler, à procura sempre de uns minutos extra para lhe deitar a mão.
Existe uma força que me impele sempre para a leitura destes livros. As personagens, o enredo cravam as suas garras em mim e não me deixam sossegada até ao terminar esta viagem na sua companhia.
Quando me preparei para ler este livro (e o anterior a este igualmente, por sinal) não foram poucos os avisos de que estes livros não eram os melhores da autora, para que eu não tivesse muitas esperanças e isso colocou-me algo de pé atrás, sem saber o que esperar e a achar que estas seriam daquelas autoras que mudam de estilo conforme a direcção do vento. Hoje, ao olhar para trás para estas leituras, vejo que não estou particularmente de acordo quando se diz que não são os melhores livros. Embora não tendo muito para com que comparar, posso no entanto com alguma segurança, dizer que estas três obras estão todas praticamente ao mesmo nível, com pequenas diferenças que se devem ao facto de a autora fazer uma escolha: aposta mais no romance, ou não.
Sendo eu uma romântica incurável, será de esperar que goste de livros com ênfase no romance. E normalmente, assim o é.

Mas com Dorothy Koomson, não me sinto particularmente assim. E vou tentar explicar porquê. Porque os livros dela são românticos o suficiente sem ser preciso existir um final diferente àquele que efectivamente houve (não esquecendo que me estou a referir apenas a este livro e ao anterior que li). De certa forma, acabo sempre por desejar que a autora acabe o livro como eu quero e andamos ali numa força de vontades até à última página para ver quem é que tem razão, mas os livros dela preenchem-me a tantos outros níveis que é impossível ficar insatisfeita com aquilo que ela escreve e da maneira como o faz. Realmente, os últimos dois livros tiveram finais com os quais não esperava, mas isso não diminui a magia que esta autora tem em mim, nem um pouco. Embora continue a dizer que o primeiro livro é o meu favorito (até agora) os outros pouco lhe ficam atrás.

Por palavras mais simples, estou completa e totalmente fã desta autora e das suas histórias. Levam-me sempre a outro mundo: a um mundo de esperança, com um misto de emoções muito intensas que tiram um pouco de mim e dão-me um pouco mais a mim mesma também.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how to convey what I feel about this book. I have such mixed emotions. On one hand, I really enjoyed the story. We have 2 friends who's families have been close since they were little. In a long drawn out story you find out that Mal and Nova are inseperable. They have never been boyfriend and girlfriend but that is in part due to the fact that both of them thought neither was interested.

So when Mal finds Stephanie and wants Nova to meet her, Nova tries to be the best friend she can and let Stephanie know she is no threat to her. However, Stephanie has issues of her own. In a web of lies she has chosen to create, it spins out of control. Mal and Stephanie had asked Nova to have a baby for them and when Stephanie gives Mal the ultimatium of either her or Nova and the baby, Mal decides one of them that will have disastrous consquences.

On the other hand, the story flipped back and forth so much that I had a hard time sometimes telling who was talking and I would have to re-read what I read to get it. But I wouldn't say it was the downfall of the book for me. Just something I had a hard time getting my mind on.

One of the biggest things when reading a book to me is the title. Does the title have anything to do with the book? And the answer this time is YES! Those words have a lot to do with the book, in fact one of the major turns in the book is because of those words. So on that note, you will enjoy this book!

Grab a box of kleenex if you are a mom especially because this one is a mother's worst nightmare if you ask me! However, you won't want to miss out!

[Cata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bons Sonhos, Meu Amor é mais um grande livro de Dorothy Koomson.

Tal como nos outros livros,- pelo menos os que já li- aborda temas difíceis. Neste caso em particular aborda o amor entre melhores amigos, as consequências de não se admitir que se amam, os impacto devastador que uma mentira aparente inocente pode ter na vida de várias pessoas e os efeitos que uma doença grave quando se é apenas uma criança pode ter na família.

É efectivamente um livro rico em lições de vida e em emoções intensas que poderão facilmente levar o leitor às lágrimas. São histórias de vida fantásticas e reais. Mal, Nova, Leo, Steph e Keith e os demais são personagens com as quais o leitor poderá- ou não- identificar-se.

Gostei imenso dele... excepto na fase final. Houve duas cenas em particular que eu só pensei “WTF?! Porque é que foste fazer uma coisa dessas Nova?! PORQUÊ?!!?!?!?”. E o final.. Não gostei do final. Tinha imaginado uma coisa diferente e o verdadeiro final ficou, expecialmente na parte da Nova, muito áquem do que tinha idealizado.

Porém foram apenas esses dois pequenos pormenores que me desagraram. De resto é um livro fabuloso. Tenho vontade de ler os que me faltam dela, apesar de já ter sido avisada que esses são mais fraquinhos.

Obrigada Nídia pelo empréstimo ;)

[Biljana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teško mi je uopće dati ocjenu ovoj knjizi, a još teže napisati neki osvrt. Zadnjih 50 strana je dosta potresno i nabijeno intenzivnim emocijama, pa zbog toga dojam na kraju knjige postaje ipak malo bolji. Ipak, kroz cijelu knjigu likovi su mi bili malo previše patetični, stereotipni, i to me pomalo živciralo. On-ljepši od najljepše slike, žene padnu u komu kad ga ugledaju. Njih dvije, jedna crna druga bijela, ne zna se koja je ljepša, divnija, posebnija. On i ona najbolji prijatelji ikad, od malih nogu, odrasli zajedno, srasli zajedno, jedna duša u dva tijela i to sve, zaljubljeni ko telci jedno u drugo, a teško im progovorit o tome i reći nešto onom drugom. Pretjerivanje i patetika.
Osim toga, ovo mi je već druga knjiga zaredom (nakon "Ne vjeruj svojim očima") gdje psihički bolesna osoba na račun svoje izvanredne ljepote manipulira drugima. Pa kvragu, zar je sve u izgledu, jesmo stvarno toliko svi plitki i površni? OK, znam da se lijepim ljudima više progledava kroz prste, ali svejedno me tolika tolerancija gluposti malo odbila. Samo se do neke granice možeš izvlačiti na bolest i treptati lijepim okicama, napokon postupci ipak govore više o tebi nego izgled.
Neću reći da mi je žao što sam ju pročitala, neću ipak ići tako daleko, ali sam ipak očekivala malo više od prvih 350 stranica. Zadnjih 50 me podsjetilo koliko sam sretna što imam zdravu dječicu, koliko je ta sreća zapravo krhka i prividna i zaista treba živjeti i uživati u djeci svaki dan bez iznimke. Zbog toga knjigu i vrijedi pročitati. ;)

[Marina Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este livro foi um dos melhores que li até agora , o tema é bastante interessante e hoje em dia é algo muito falado . Será que se fosses tu farias o mesmo que Nova fez por amizade e amor a alguém ? E se no final fosse abandonada com um filho nos braços sem ser nada planeado , como ficarias ?
Este livro faz nos pensar imenso sobre vários assuntos , confesso que me emocionei bastante com ele , porém o que não me fez dar a cotação máxima foi o final ,que para mim foi como se "uma facada no peito" , não gostei mesmo nada .
De resto um livro muito interessante , vejam mais no meu canal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF61p...

[daniela sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admiro imenso a Dorothy Koomson, adoro a sua escrita e a forma como transmite as suas histórias aos leitores. Quando descobri esta autora eu li imensos livros de seguida, entretanto parei e agora ando a ler apenas um livro dela por ano. Quero ler todos os livros da autora, quero realmente ler tudo o que a autora publicar, e sei que são poucos os livros dela que me vão desiludir. Até agora, aquele que me encheu menos as medidas foi o mais conhecido da autora - A Filha da Minha Melhor Amiga. Depois desse eu baixei um pouco as expectativas quanto à autora, mas sempre com a esperança de encontrar mais algum favorito.

A Dorothy Koomson neste livro conseguiu trazer aquilo a que habituou os seus fãs: romance e drama. Ficámos fascinados pelos enredos viciantes e personagens pelas quais criámos uma certa empatia. A forma como a autora desperta as emoções dos leitores talvez seja o ponto alto dos seus livros. Sentimos aquela necessidade de confortar as personagens, de estar lá para ser o ombro amigo. Sempre que entramos numa história nova da autora, temos noção que não será fácil, vamos chorar quase de certeza. Cada livro que leio da autora surpreendo-me um pouco, ela realmente tem um talento inacreditável. Pousar um livro da Dorothy Koomson é tarefa complicada, basta ler o primeiro capítulo e quando nos apercebemos já terminámos de ler. Voámos pelos seus livros, ficámos presos nas suas histórias e acabámos de ler a sentir que queremos mais. Uma das melhores autoras de romances dramáticos.

Bons Sonhos, Meu Amor foi aquele livro da autora que tive de pegar e largar pelo menos duas vezes. Não foi que não estivesse a gostar, pelo contrário, eu estava a gostar, mas havia ali certos aspetos que estavam a estragar a minha experiência de leitura. A mudança de pontos de vista sem a indicação de quem estaria a narrar, foi talvez o que mais complicou a minha leitura. Verdade seja dita que nos livros mais recentes da autora isso melhorou, e ainda bem. Eu nem sempre lido bem com as mudanças de narrador, principalmente quando não estão devidamente identificadas. A Dorothy Koomson tem realmente muito talento para contar histórias, é uma contadora de histórias incríveis. O enredo é muito complicado e pesado, não é daquelas temas fáceis de lidar. Dei por mim diversas vezes com lágrimas nos olhos, é doloroso e daquelas histórias que nos deixam um caco.

O final do livro conseguiu encher-me as medidas, foi aquilo que eu pensava que seria. Custou um bocadinho, admito que chorei. As personagens são muito reais, imaginei esta história a acontecer e vivi com eles tudo. Sofri com as personagens. Uma história que não fala só do papel da maternidade, também da amizade, o papel da amizade e como tudo pode influenciar e estragar uma amizade. As voltas que a vida dá, ao ponto que uma amizade de infância pode chegar. Fiquei triste por ser abordado o tema de traição, é sempre daqueles temas nos livros que nunca me deixam satisfeita. Não admiro quem o faz, e sim, é bom ser falado nos livros, é um tema importante, mas custa imenso quando o outro lado não merece essa traição. Para além disso aborda imensas doenças, como a bipolaridade e como pode afetar as pessoas à nossa volta, a hemofilia, num estado bastante avançado.

É um livro da autora que não merece as quatro estrelas, nem as cinco. Sei que a autora tem livros muito melhores que este, que me surpreenderam mais. Este tocou-me nas emoções, mas nem sempre eu vibrava com a história. Existiram diversos momentos em que eu ficava aborrecida, parecia que era demasiado longas e sem sentido. Faltou ali qualquer coisa na história para agarrar-me por completo. A escrita é incrível, as personagens algo de impressionante, mas a história deixou-se arrastar muito e ao longo da leitura foi perdendo a sua essência.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moments after I've finished it is too soon to give a real opinion, but I needed to log on to say that I feel as if I have been punched in the stomach and had the breath knocked out of me. And it's good. I don't remember when I have ever cried at a book.

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This book was really good. I don't have a more descriptive word than "good", unfortunately. I still don't really know what it did to me other than that it made me feel. The three main characters (Nova, Mal, and Steph) were all nicely formed. We get into the heads of both women, but by seeing Mal through the two sets of thoughts we get a good picture of why he does the things he does. I went into the book knowing only what is on the back cover and I expected to know exactly where my sympathies were. Of course, I was wrong. Steph is a flawed character, but the reader grows to understand her. Or maybe that was just me. It was a very true-feeling picture of mental illness; Steph had a lot of my own fears and worries, although at a level I have never felt.

The book is told in sections by Nova and by Steph, and it also jumps around in time quite a bit. There is no header and it is not always obvious who is speaking or when. This sort of thing usually kills a book for me, but I was surprised at how EASY it was to tell who was speaking and when. There's definitely an art to giving exposition in a few sentences naturally. Within the first line of a new section, something would be said to let you know when you were and who you were with, but it was always organic. Leo would be there, or there would be a mention of fashion or baking and you knew.

This book had to take place in England because of the race relations. Nova is black (Ghanaian), and Mal and Steph are white. This is slightly important, but so different from the ways it would be important in the US. Interracial couples are pretty much a nonissue, but the fact that someone could see the white parents of a biracial child and know something is up IS an issue.

The friendships and family relationships were pitch perfect. I "liked" all the characters, but I wouldn't want to know them, I don't think. We get to know them and all of their ridiculous thoughts and actions. The reader is too intimate with people portrayed too realistically for us to actually want to hang out with them.

As I think about the book now, there are things that perhaps bother me. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Koomson, so I don't know if psychics is one of her "things" that she has to put in every book, but Nova seeing ghosts didn't do much for the plot and felt somewhat thrown in. There were several other things that bother me, but only now. At NO point in the book did I even roll my eyes. I was too wrapped up in the story. That's good.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. I don't think I liked it, but I don't know what could have happened differently. It was more like, that's what happens with life, and life kind of sucks; as opposed to thinking that the book kind of sucks. Anything I didn't like could be written off to "doesn't it suck that life is like that?" and I think there is a spot on my shelf for a book that comments on life like that.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не стига сюрреалистичната ситуация в която сме изпаднали, а и трябваше да си причиня и тази поредна ултра брутална среща с книга на авторката.
Тя е не просто тъжна, буквално ти изтръгва няколко пъти сърцето.
Все повече се замислям , дали ми е необходима повече такава драма.
А и някак разказа й върви толкова накъсано и разхвърляно, особено в началото, че ми беше трудно да следя нишката на историята.
Да не говорим колко абсурдна е , дори не знам какво мисля за всичко това. Наистина не мога да я осмисля.

[Sabina Hodžić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Izuzetno dirljiv i potresan roman. Malo mi je u početku smetao stil pisanja, to naglo prebacivanje sa jednog pripovjedača na drugog, osjećala sam se dezorjentisano, vraćala stranice itd. Tokom čitanja ocjena je varirala od trojke do sjajne petice, upravo iz tog razloga.
Emocije su toliko opipljive, iskrene, nimalo mi nije bilo lako čitati ovu knjigu, vjerujem da niti jednom roditelju ne bi bilo lako.
Tople preporuke za čitanje, samo... naoružajte se maramicama.

[Jenee Rager · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. I'm not sure if it was the authors writing style or if it was the completely unlikeable characters, but it took me forever to force myself to finish. Usually even with the worst book I can find one redeeming character, but with this one that was impossible. The characters were either underdeveloped, had no spine, or just plain hateful.

[Julija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klaidos, skaudūs ir kitus skaudinantys sprendimai, nutylėjimai, susitaikymas su padėtimi - viso to knygoje buvo labai daug. Jaučiau didelę simpatiją Novai - išmintingai ir be galo šviesiai moteriai (ji man priminė Violetą Tusen - pagrindinę knygos Vanduo kapinių gėlėms veikėją). Norėjosi daugiau mažylio Leo - geriau jį pažinti, praleisti su juo daugiau laiko. Šiek tiek erzino tai, kad skaitant naują knygos skyrių, nebūdavai tikras nei kurio knygos veikėjo lūpomis kalbama (Novos ar Stefani), nei kokiu laikotarpiu vyksta veiksmas (dabartis ar praeitis). Istorija liūdna, labai liūdna.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nova and Mal have been best friends since, well, forever really. They grew up together and Nova thought they’d end up together as well.

But when Mal met Stephanie, he fell in love and married her. The couple have a big favour to ask Nova – will she have a baby for them? Nova agrees but when the couple suddenly decide they don’t want their baby anymore, Nova is left feeling frightened, alone and unsure she can be a single mother.

Flicking from the past to the present day, Nova’s son’s life hangs in the balance, and so does Mal and Stephanie’s marriage. Can both survive?

The blurb in itself suggests that this is going to be an emotional read, as are all of Dorothy Koomson’s novels. The main idea focuses on the issue of surrogacy, which isn’t an issue I’ve ever read about in a fictional book before. Surrogacy is something I know I could never do, I couldn’t grow a baby only to give it away the end and this theme is well-explored by Koomson, showing us Nova’s thoughts about the idea and how she comes to the decisions she eventually reaches. But the most important part of the surrogacy issue in this book is how it changes the relationships of those involved, right from finding out the surrogate mother is pregnant to the birth of the baby, and beyond.

I found the way that Koomson approached the whole issue was delicately done, and this really is a credit to her writing skill and indeed style. The whole background for the story was so well done that it really wasn’t a shock to read about, and nothing too graphic was written about, the idea of the surrogacy really focussed on Nova and Mal’s relationship, and the effect the surrogacy had on Stephanie, the outsider. Koomson really has a skill for writing well developed relationships between characters, and this was really a great element of the book. Koomson really knows how to engage her readers with an emotional storyline which has you hooked in minutes, and leaving you not able to put the book down again until its finished!

The characters themselves were very interesting too, with the main 2 characters of Nova and Mal being very detailed in background, emotion and story. The book flips between the present day and the past, right back to the childhood of the pair, and this allows you to get into the minds of both, particularly Nova as she is the storyteller for most of the book, and allows you to build up in your mind why things in the future (i.e. present day in the book) happen as they do. Mal’s wife Stephanie was clearly meant to be the evil outsider, and right from the off I really didn’t like her. How a woman can make her man choose between her and his child is beyond me, and for this I hated her instantly. Even towards the end when her past is fully revealed, I sympathised with her but didn’t feel it justified what she had to done to Nova and Mal.

The writing style used in the book was quite interesting to me, partly because it left me feeling confused quite frequently throughout the book! Despite the fact that Koomson had chose to tell the story from both Stephanie and Nova’s perspectives, so that’s 2 storytellers, she’s chosen to write in the first person without giving a name at the top of a new chapter to tell you who is narrating that particular section. I sometimes found I had to read almost 2 pages of a chapter before I got whether Nova or Stephanie were ‘talking’, and this left me frustrated and often confused. I always find first person narratives work best when there is only one storyteller as you can follow emotion and the story much better, but the 2 person first-person narrative just didn’t work, it would have been much better in the third person!

Although I have found the previous Koomson reads of “Marshmallows for Breakfast” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” quite uplifting, this one was quite the opposite, and I had a feeling all the way through that I might not get the happy ending I was hoping for. There wasn’t much happiness throughout the book as a whole to be honest, what with unrequited love, mental illness, failed surrogacy and broken friendships being the main themes in the book. I was hoping for a small glimmer of happiness somewhere in the book, but there just seemed to be misery all around which left me feeling a bit drained after reading large chunks of the book. It’s a shame Koomson didn’t write just a chapter of something happy going on in the story, as this really lost the book a star on its rating from me. It was quite a depressing read, and I did find myself a bit teary at stages throughout, so it wasn’t the light hearted chick-lit read I was hoping for! It is a very well-written story with interesting themes, great characters and a very easy to read style, but just a little depressing for me! I’d still recommend it to Koomson fans though, it is up to her usual writing standards. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could, but I decided to round it up for writing and a good story.