The Year That Changed Us

by Helen Rolfe

A warm-hearted and gripping story of community, secrets and the family we choose that will captivate fans of Lucy Diamond, Cathy Bramley and Jessica Redland.

As young women, Lise and Emma had the kind of friendship people dream about. While Lise's own family was distant and disengaged, Emma's was welcoming and warm, and for the first twenty-six years of their life, growing up together in a close-knit community, the duo were inseparable. But when they decide to spend one year living together in Paris, what starts as the adventure of a lifetime becomes a disaster that changes everything. And when Emma returns to Bath the following summer, Lise stays behind in France, their friendship in tatters.

Now, sixteen years later, Lise has come back to their hometown, determined to put things right. But to do so, she'll have to face up to the truth about what happened in Paris. And with Emma refusing to talk to her, can she get close enough to share her secret?

Join the readers and authors enchanted by Helen Rolfe’s heartwarming

‘I really loved this book. I fully intended to save it for the long bank holiday weekend, to be enjoyed leisurely over a few days, but I ended up devouring it all in just two sittings…’ Jo Bartlett

‘Helen Rolfe is an absolute specialist at building cosy communities and making me want to live there. I want the characters as my friends!’ Sue Moorcroft

‘One to curl up with after a long hard day, and know you are just going to be treated to a cosy atmosphere, realistic characters that you will come to care for’ Rachel's Random Reads

'Such a perfect gift of a book!' Reader Review

‘Heritage Cove has this wonderful community spirit that I so want to be part of...the balance between the emotional moments, tough relatable topics against the light-hearted fun was done ever so well’ Love Books Actually

'What a beautiful story filled with happiness, comedy and lovely characters' Reader Review

‘I was gripped by the story from start to finish and the end of the book left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside’ Ginger Book Geek

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Romance, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Adult

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2024

About the author

Helen Rolfe also writes as Helen J. Rolfe

Helen Rolfe writes contemporary women's fiction and enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and relationships. Characters often face challenges and must fight to overcome them, but above all, Helen's stories always have a happy ending.

Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen's books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries around the world. So far, locations have included Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Connecticut, Bath and the Cotswolds. She also loves creating village settings or places with a small-town feel and a big sense of community.

Born and raised in the UK, Helen graduated from University with a business degree and began working in I.T. This job took her over to Australia where she eventually turned her attentions back to the career she'd dreamt of when she was fourteen. She studied writing and journalism and wrote articles for women's health and fitness magazines. Helen began writing fiction in 2011 and hasn't missed the I.T. world one little bit... in fact she may just have found her dream job!

To learn more about Helen, find her at:

www.helenjrolfe.com

https://www.facebook.com/helenjrolfew...

https://twitter.com/hjrolfe

https://www.instagram.com/helen_j_rolfe/

Reviews

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, easy read. I enjoyed the dual time-line and was desperate to see how the story turned out in the end. It did not disappoint. I laughed alot reading this book. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Carlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out decent, but the reason for the famous fight was a bit lame and the rest was predictable. It could have been a beautiful story about friendship but it just fell flat for me.
ADDITIONALLY, EVERY sentence that was written in french was wrong and clearly gotten from Google translate, which was super disappointing.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a drag to get through. I almost DNF several times, but stuck it out to find out what the big fight was. It was incredibly disappointing, slow, and the ending was very predictable.

[kyra eeckhoudt]

dnf

[Book Escapes Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

For once, I read the synopsis for this book and knew that I was in for a bumpy ride. My female friends are treasured, but I’d be lying if I suggested that none have drifted away over the years, or that others haven’t been willingly disconnected. The challenge of regaining a friendship is a delicate matter, but this book handles the subject beautifully.
The setting up of the friendship between Emma and Lise is particularly gorgeous and I was instantly invested in their connection. I loved reading about the innocence that childhood brought to their friendship, how seeing your best friend can be the most important part of your day,
Emma and Lise – short for Annalise – come from different backgrounds and it’s their differences that help form the tight connections. Whilst this book is somewhat different, I could hear the echoes of Beaches by Iris Rainer and knew that when the friendship became damaged, I would feel the shockwaves. Thankfully, Helen Rolfe handled the conflict without added drama, and I managed to not shed too many tears.
I felt my allegiance to the friends switching as each element was revealed, but ultimately, this book focused more on the recovery than the injury and I welcomed the front-row seat for those developments. The introduction of the additional cast was expertly timed, and I found myself hoping for the best outcome. I even had a wild idea about what Lise’s big secret may be, but I will keep quiet about whether or not I was right.
This incredibly special book celebrates friendship. It is rich with perfectly flawed characters and relatable themes that had me visiting many emotions. Ultimately, it’s perfect and I can highly recommend it.

[Maddie]

dnf @ 66%, i couldnt take it anymore 🩷

[Christine Frister · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not crying - you are!!!!

[Becki · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was...eh. A lot felt repetitive to me, and there were some places where I felt the author went into details that was just unnecessary. I was also thrown by the writing - parts were cliche and soppy and other parts had big words thrown in when regular words would have worked just as well. It felt like the author was trying too hard to prove she was smart and had a large vocabulary (especially when some of those words were synonyms for each other). The surprise twist was predictable, not a surprise at all. And on a personal note, I felt the whole thing being based around someone smoking a joint and buying some weed was so ridiculous and overblown! I rolled my eyes every time Emma made a big deal about how traumatized she was over weed. It made the character extremely unlikeable to me, as she just came off as a big baby.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lise has returned to her hometown after a long period for a funeral.
She is wanting to reconnect with her friend after falling out sixteen years before.
A story about friendships and regrets.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole Never Reads Too Much · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I wasn’t hooked and had to push through to finish it. 😬 The premise had potential, but parts of the story were predictable that it took away any real excitement. I kept waiting for twists that never came. And the marijuana storyline? Totally confusing. I thought it would tie in more or have a bigger impact, but it just kind of fizzled. That said, I did appreciate the character growth and some of the relationships, but overall, it didn’t really wow me. Not one I’d rush to read again.

[Ashley Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book and I found most of the characters easy to warm to. I did find Emma a little difficult to like. The particular event that caused her grudge I didn’t think was enough to cause her to throw away a friendship and make everyone miserable. There’s plenty of sadness in the lives of Lise and Emma, so the one thing that broke them just seemed silly among it all. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the story and really warmed to the supporting characters, and I liked Lise.

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The horrible incident that ended a friendship was trivial. The people involved were all painfully immature, and in the end it was much ado about nothing. I should have quit when I was ahead - somewhere in the first 50 pages.
Emma was an idiot, Gabriel was a jerk and Lise was at best a fool. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Don't bother.

[Catherine Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 🌟🌟🌟

[Linda Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, easy readable book, perfect for a day or two in the summer. Two young girls, Emma and Lise (Annalise) and Emma meet in the first year of Primary School. The live in the same area where the homes are known by a #, in this case # 4 and 12. They remain fast friends, even when Lise is sent to Boarding School. They then go to different Universities, and decide to take a take a year and go to Paris, to see the sights, enjoy the food and then get jobs and live like a native Parisian. All goes well until Emma meets a man in the grocery store, ends up working for his family owned cafe, and of course falls in love with him. This causes some sadness on both parts because they are unable to spend the time with their friend that they would like. Lise then meets the chef and owner of two high end dinner places. She is then exposed to a very different life style. With the two friends living with the boyfriends, they try to get the four of them together when they can, but one of the boyfriends tend to make rude comments to the other couple and the problems increase. One night a joint is brought out and Emma and her boyfriend are very upset and things don't go well. In another attempt to make things right, another dinner is held and by then Emma's boyfriend knows the other has lots of drugs and buys some to give to his mother who is in great pain due to severe illness. Emma does not know any of this and when they are stopped and he is arrested she is devastated and tries to find and talk to the love of her life, but he does not respond, his sister fires her from her job in the cafe and finally she returns home to England and dries to rebuild her life. Leis stays in France, eventually marries her boyfriend and has a little girl.

[Emily Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 - This was actually really sweet! A platonic soulmate kinda story which is completely different from what I usually read. It was definitely a nice change and I was hooked on wanting to know what tf happened to cause such a rift between them!

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a slow burner , i thought i wqs going to DNF. I didnt enjoy the flip between the timelines, and there was a lot of repetitiveness. The fall out wasnt that dramatic and was a but predicatable.

[char🧚‍♂️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was BORING. it got a little interesting when they got to paris but when they was talking about the paris trip in the flash forward i expected something more shocking to happen on the trip. 1.5/5 ⭐️

[Angel Livermore · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! Random audiobook I found to pass the time. Cute story about 2 besties who lost touch

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. A journey of friendship spanning decades told by both friends pov. Many ups and downs and a few good twists.

[Amanda Horner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Slow burn start, but a sweet little story.

[Ahna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars, I figured out the twist before I even got into the meat of the book. However, it was a sweet cozy little read. Happy endings are nice. This is a great cleanser book.

[Wenrug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good audio

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody loves a second chance story but what about a duo double chance story?
What fractured the friendship between Lise and Emma? I figured out a key part of the plot fairly early because I figured it just had to be.
The part I enjoyed the best was when the two girls hit Paris for a year.
One part of Emma’s story was very bittersweet.
Sometimes it is beneficial to let and other times one needs to just remain firm.
It does have a happy ending.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the early copy.

[Kerry Bridgman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't see that coming

Good book throughout, couldn't put it down. Loves how it ended.

Hope she does a sequel as it's been set up nicely

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Year That Changed Us by Helen Rolfe is the story of Emma and Annalise. They’ve been best friends since childhood. They’ve shared everything - dreams, secrets, adventures - and vowed that nothing would come between them. But some vows get broken. After a 16-year estrangement, Annalise is back in her hometown. Will they be able to put aside their hurt and anger to rekindle their friendship?

This story will pull at your heartstrings as Emma and Annalise try to find their way back to the friendship they once shared.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

16 years ago, Emma and Annalise (Lise) shared all they had. They loved spending time together and were the perfect best friends. Will they ever get that friendship back on track?

The Year That Changed Us started well and I liked the backstories and flashbacks. I felt the pace lagged in parts which was a shame.

The Year That Changed Us has a lot of home truths and raised a lot of questions for me: Can a friendship really ever go back to what it was? Do we know our friends as well as we think?

Everyone has had friends come and go, and I always value those who are there through thick and thin.

Even after the estrangement, are Emma and Lise what they once were and will that last this time?

Thanks to Helen Rolfe, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars

[Shell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. The fight was a bit boring. The way it was handled by said male was random, though it had to be that way for the story to continue the way it is.
But, did so many of Emma's people have to die? Husband (why - so they could both be 'single'), brother ( a reunion could have been amazing), Mum (why). There are too many for no reason.

[jackie true · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book started off promisingly and the first part about when the girls were young I quite enjoyed.
Unfortunately for me it went steadily downhill from then on, became very dreary and I thought, predictable.

On the plus side, it sent me to sleep very quickly!

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uninspiring ☹️

[Alicia Grasby · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about lost friendships and closing chapters in your life. Unfortunately it was very slow and didn’t hold my interest. Particularly the final 20% of the book which dragged on