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Number Thirty-Two: A gripping, contemporary family saga
A family home, full of secrets.
Number Thirty-Two was once a family home. Anna was once a mother and a wife. Now, she is in arrears and alone.
With little choice but to sell up, she is forced to confront the memories of the people who once inhabited the empty rooms. With the help of an unlikely ally in her next door neighbour's son, she is finally able to piece together the tragic events of forty years ago that have inextricably linked the fates of their families and ricocheted through both of their households for decades.
Number Thirty-Two is a novel of family secrets and shocking betrayals, promising heartbreak and humour in equal measures.
'Two women, three children and a secret that spans half a lifetime. An evocative, beautifully written story of forgiveness and recovery.' - Julia Slack, author of The Road to Somorrostro
'A story of pain, loss and self sabotage. Steward holds up a mirror and we have no choice but to look. Her interpretation of the devouring mother is rare and familiar at the same time. A triumph of women's literature that you need to read.' - Ashley McCarthy, author of The Heralding
'When someone says they want to lose themselves in a good book, I suspect that Number Thirty-Two is exactly what they have in mind. Warm, funny, and beautifully crafted, the story and the characters all lingered long after the last page. It's just wonderful, plain and simple.' - Keith A Pearson, author of The 86 Fix
Number Thirty-Two was once a family home. Anna was once a mother and a wife. Now, she is in arrears and alone.
With little choice but to sell up, she is forced to confront the memories of the people who once inhabited the empty rooms. With the help of an unlikely ally in her next door neighbour's son, she is finally able to piece together the tragic events of forty years ago that have inextricably linked the fates of their families and ricocheted through both of their households for decades.
Number Thirty-Two is a novel of family secrets and shocking betrayals, promising heartbreak and humour in equal measures.
'Two women, three children and a secret that spans half a lifetime. An evocative, beautifully written story of forgiveness and recovery.' - Julia Slack, author of The Road to Somorrostro
'A story of pain, loss and self sabotage. Steward holds up a mirror and we have no choice but to look. Her interpretation of the devouring mother is rare and familiar at the same time. A triumph of women's literature that you need to read.' - Ashley McCarthy, author of The Heralding
'When someone says they want to lose themselves in a good book, I suspect that Number Thirty-Two is exactly what they have in mind. Warm, funny, and beautifully crafted, the story and the characters all lingered long after the last page. It's just wonderful, plain and simple.' - Keith A Pearson, author of The 86 Fix
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2023
630 people are currently reading
13616 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
March 28, 2024
Wow. Where do I start.
Firstly I am mainly a thriller reader but I’ve seen this book on so many TikTok lives and gave into curiosity and had to purchase it.
The blurb had me intrigued and this book took me to places emotionally that I never thought a book could. Some parts of this book are extremely heartbreaking but on some occasions we relied on Maggie to make a funny comment and it lightened the mood all over again. I really loved the character Grayson. Even though he wasn’t one of the main characters, his principles and characteristics really had me invested.
I’m so glad I stepped away from my usual read to pick this up as it will leave a long lasting impression on me and I will be looking forward to more books from Cassie 👏🏻.
Firstly I am mainly a thriller reader but I’ve seen this book on so many TikTok lives and gave into curiosity and had to purchase it.
The blurb had me intrigued and this book took me to places emotionally that I never thought a book could. Some parts of this book are extremely heartbreaking but on some occasions we relied on Maggie to make a funny comment and it lightened the mood all over again. I really loved the character Grayson. Even though he wasn’t one of the main characters, his principles and characteristics really had me invested.
I’m so glad I stepped away from my usual read to pick this up as it will leave a long lasting impression on me and I will be looking forward to more books from Cassie 👏🏻.
April 11, 2024
Oh. My. Goodness.
I’m not sure how to put into words what this book was or how it made me feel. But I’ll try…
This book is about two families who lived next door to each other and how their lives were all interwoven together. It dealt with so many things like family, grief and loss, addiction, and love. It was incredibly beautiful.
☆
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 1966, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.
☆
The writing style took me a sec to get used to because it switches POV all throughout even during a single chapter. The way the author crafted this story and revealed tiny bits as it went on was perfection. The writing style is what made this book amazing. You truly felt engrossed in the story because of it. You get to know each person in these two families and learn their dynamic in the group. All the characters were so different too which I think is another testament to the author’s writing.
There’s different timelines all throughout as you learn what happened in the past and why things are the way they are in the present. It was so interesting and heartbreaking at times.
☆
𝘈 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦.𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.
☆
It’s honestly hard to say too much because it’s something you just have to read to understand how beautiful it truly was but I loved it. So much. The way each character was seen in a different light in each others POVs. The way they all dealt with loss. The way they all made mistakes and either learned from them or didn’t. The way they changed over time and the way life turned out for them… it was incredible.
10/10 recommend if you love a character driven contemporary fiction novel. At different times it is heartbreaking, funny, and/or hopeful. I loved it! I’m so happy I received an arc for this 🫶🏻
I’m not sure how to put into words what this book was or how it made me feel. But I’ll try…
This book is about two families who lived next door to each other and how their lives were all interwoven together. It dealt with so many things like family, grief and loss, addiction, and love. It was incredibly beautiful.
☆
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 1966, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.
☆
The writing style took me a sec to get used to because it switches POV all throughout even during a single chapter. The way the author crafted this story and revealed tiny bits as it went on was perfection. The writing style is what made this book amazing. You truly felt engrossed in the story because of it. You get to know each person in these two families and learn their dynamic in the group. All the characters were so different too which I think is another testament to the author’s writing.
There’s different timelines all throughout as you learn what happened in the past and why things are the way they are in the present. It was so interesting and heartbreaking at times.
☆
𝘈 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦.𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.
☆
It’s honestly hard to say too much because it’s something you just have to read to understand how beautiful it truly was but I loved it. So much. The way each character was seen in a different light in each others POVs. The way they all dealt with loss. The way they all made mistakes and either learned from them or didn’t. The way they changed over time and the way life turned out for them… it was incredible.
10/10 recommend if you love a character driven contemporary fiction novel. At different times it is heartbreaking, funny, and/or hopeful. I loved it! I’m so happy I received an arc for this 🫶🏻
January 17, 2024
You know a book is good when you have to stay up to finish it.
An emotional journey following a family as they deal with the struggles of family life, loss, and heartbreak to emerge into the light.
Cassie Steward's writing style is so evocative that you feel as though you're at the Carmichael's table with them. And everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like Maggie!!
This book will stay with me for years to come. If you read one book this year, let it be Number Thirty Two!
An emotional journey following a family as they deal with the struggles of family life, loss, and heartbreak to emerge into the light.
Cassie Steward's writing style is so evocative that you feel as though you're at the Carmichael's table with them. And everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like Maggie!!
This book will stay with me for years to come. If you read one book this year, let it be Number Thirty Two!
January 15, 2024
This is an incredible debut novel by Cassie Steward. An absolute masterpiece. I fell in love with the main characters right from the start - warts and all. This is a novel about family, friendships, grief, loss, love and hope. The authors reflections through the characters on all of this were honest and heart wrenching. The book is an emotional rollercoaster but one that you are gripped by and don’t want to get off. I know I will have a book hangover for these characters!
April 17, 2024
This isn’t my usual style of book but I’m so glad I read it. I loved the writing style, normally I find it to be a bit choppy when one chapter is from one period of time and the next is a present day chapter, but this was written so well. I found the plot easy to follow and it was easy to understand where in time we were.
This is a brilliant debut, and I loved the ending to the book. I really felt for Anna, and Ella around things that had happened to them.
So glad I got an arc of this book ✨
This is a brilliant debut, and I loved the ending to the book. I really felt for Anna, and Ella around things that had happened to them.
So glad I got an arc of this book ✨
February 18, 2024
This isn't a usual book I would read and it came recommended by @thistashreads ❤️that being said, I absolutely loved this book and I was so invested in it! It was an emotional read and the character development was just so lovely and had you feeling all the different emotions! 🥺 I would absolutely recommend reading this book! 😍
January 7, 2025
I can’t write down my thoughts on this book and do it any kind of justice! It’s honestly an incredible book. Cassie’s writing is so easy to read and the characters stories are just so beautifully told. I went through every emotion under the sun whilst reading this (my kindle nearly found its way through my window!) and what’s more incredible than a book that can evoke so much emotion!
July 18, 2025
a beautifully written book. like nothing I’ve ever read before, part mystery part heartbreaking inter-generational family story. The way two families lives became irrevocably intertwined was so unique, I went through every emotion with these characters, a definite tear jerker. Would definitely recommend for anyone, something so different
January 17, 2025
I saw so much on social media about this book and then it had great reviews on here, but I came away really disappointed.
The plot is quite interesting, but becomes quite formulaic and predictable in the second half. It’s very readable, but the gaping holes and inconsistencies in the timeline and character ages throughout just irritated me too much.
If Anna was born in 1949 she’s probably not a frail old lady at 73 in 2022.
Ella is described as being born on Bonfire Night in 1971 but it later says she’s celebrating her 13th birthday in 1983 (should be 12th) and is almost 16 in summer 1985 (she was in fact 14 when she had sex with Arthur who was either 19 or 21 at the time depending on which mood the author was in. Questionable either way…and certainly not in a position to run away from home and set up a new life and job in Cornwall and have a baby with no questions asked).
Similarly if Anna was 17 when she gave birth to Louie then he was born 1966 or 1967 and definitely not going on his first day of school (she says he did not go to nursery or pre-school) in 1969 when he’d have been 2 or 3!
And Grayson Jr is described as a young man when he meets his dad in 2023, but would have been 37.
I could go on, but it all just detracted from the plot for me!
The plot is quite interesting, but becomes quite formulaic and predictable in the second half. It’s very readable, but the gaping holes and inconsistencies in the timeline and character ages throughout just irritated me too much.
If Anna was born in 1949 she’s probably not a frail old lady at 73 in 2022.
Ella is described as being born on Bonfire Night in 1971 but it later says she’s celebrating her 13th birthday in 1983 (should be 12th) and is almost 16 in summer 1985 (she was in fact 14 when she had sex with Arthur who was either 19 or 21 at the time depending on which mood the author was in. Questionable either way…and certainly not in a position to run away from home and set up a new life and job in Cornwall and have a baby with no questions asked).
Similarly if Anna was 17 when she gave birth to Louie then he was born 1966 or 1967 and definitely not going on his first day of school (she says he did not go to nursery or pre-school) in 1969 when he’d have been 2 or 3!
And Grayson Jr is described as a young man when he meets his dad in 2023, but would have been 37.
I could go on, but it all just detracted from the plot for me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2023
Nothing makes me happier than taking a chance on a book I had previously not heard of and then that book turning out to be really good, and that's exactly what happened here.
The thing that stuck out the most to me was the writing style, and how beautiful it was. It made the story come alive. It's really easy for contemporary fiction to fall into the "boring" category for me, and this was paced and executed so perfectly that it never even crossed my mind to be anything other than riveted. There's an ominous Big Tragic Event that is referenced consistently throughout the book, and it being set in two different timelines that are slowly converging keeps the little reveals coming at a perfect pace. When it was time for the big reveal, it felt perfectly placed, and made everything come together.
Overall, I'm so glad I read this. I laughed, I cried (in public), and I was rooting for all of the characters. I'll absolutely be continuing to read books by this author!
The thing that stuck out the most to me was the writing style, and how beautiful it was. It made the story come alive. It's really easy for contemporary fiction to fall into the "boring" category for me, and this was paced and executed so perfectly that it never even crossed my mind to be anything other than riveted. There's an ominous Big Tragic Event that is referenced consistently throughout the book, and it being set in two different timelines that are slowly converging keeps the little reveals coming at a perfect pace. When it was time for the big reveal, it felt perfectly placed, and made everything come together.
Overall, I'm so glad I read this. I laughed, I cried (in public), and I was rooting for all of the characters. I'll absolutely be continuing to read books by this author!
April 24, 2024
This was a brilliant debut 👏🏻 I thought it wasn’t for me at first but as I got to part two I was fully invested, I’d have raced through it had life and work not gotten in the way 😩
I loved the characters, especially the relationship between Anna and Arthur 🙂
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author
I loved the characters, especially the relationship between Anna and Arthur 🙂
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author
May 13, 2025
I started reading this because Cassie is a friend but I finished it because she’s a bloody talented writer and this book was such a lovely read.
It’s not my usual genre but now I’ve dabbled, it’s opened a whole new world of books for me. From the first chapter I was pretty hooked and I loved the comical highs and lows that were to follow.
Congratulation Cassie! I’m excited for the next one.
It’s not my usual genre but now I’ve dabbled, it’s opened a whole new world of books for me. From the first chapter I was pretty hooked and I loved the comical highs and lows that were to follow.
Congratulation Cassie! I’m excited for the next one.
May 2, 2025
I didn't so much read this book I devoured it.
The multiple view points. The multiple characters. The lies. The truths.
All going on behind the doors of Number Thirty Two.
I loved this characters - especially Louis who is the most dislikable likeable character I have encountered in a long time.
I downloaded this blind from Kindle Unlimited and was glad I did.
The multiple view points. The multiple characters. The lies. The truths.
All going on behind the doors of Number Thirty Two.
I loved this characters - especially Louis who is the most dislikable likeable character I have encountered in a long time.
I downloaded this blind from Kindle Unlimited and was glad I did.
November 2, 2023
Well this has blown me away. What a wonderful, heartbreaking, heartwarming book. It felt like just real life. Cassie really gets her characters right, she understands people and writes them in a fashion that draws you in and leave you sucker punched. I laughed, I cried and got annoyed. I felt their grief and I felt their joy. Everyone needs to read this. Cassie just gets it and I can not wait to see more from her in the future. I’ll be telling everyone about this.
October 23, 2023
An evocative, beautifully written story of forgiveness and recovery. Fans of Maggie o' Farrell and Sally Rooney will love it!
January 13, 2024
4.5 STARS✨ I READ THIS IS ONE SINGLE SITTING! I cannot tell you how glad I am that I read this book!! A stunning, un-put-down-able, debut novel… this was absolutely amazing
January 29, 2025
5 ⭐
Oh I adored this book.
Beautifully written, fabulous character development, switching POV and timelines.
Number Thirty- Two is a story of loss, addiction, family, love and hope.
The writing style drew me in and had me emotionally invested from page 1.
Read on my kindle but will be buying myself a physical copy, as it is a story which will stay with me for a long time.
Would highly recommend 💕
Oh I adored this book.
Beautifully written, fabulous character development, switching POV and timelines.
Number Thirty- Two is a story of loss, addiction, family, love and hope.
The writing style drew me in and had me emotionally invested from page 1.
Read on my kindle but will be buying myself a physical copy, as it is a story which will stay with me for a long time.
Would highly recommend 💕
January 5, 2025
This book had me hooked from the start! I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading and couldn’t wait to pick it back up. The story is so vivid and beautifully written. Absolutely recommend—an easy 5 stars!
March 26, 2025
An emotional story following a family with their struggles in life ,loss and heartbreak
A book I found hard to put down that just tore at my heart!
My local hospital (and where i worked as a midwife ) even got a shout out 🤣which makes me wonder if the author is local to me in Surrey
This was Cassie Stewards debut novel and I will be first in the queue for the next one
A book I found hard to put down that just tore at my heart!
My local hospital (and where i worked as a midwife ) even got a shout out 🤣which makes me wonder if the author is local to me in Surrey
This was Cassie Stewards debut novel and I will be first in the queue for the next one
October 19, 2025
This book is incredible
December 21, 2024
Such a lovely, heartwarming book! I’ve had a really busy month so not read a lot but when I have had time to pick my book back up again it’s been so easy just to pick up where I left off.
October 7, 2025
beautifully written book about family, friendship, loss, grief, and addiction that’s both heartbreaking & heartwarming. absolutely loved it
March 23, 2025
Loved this book. Loved the characters, loved the story, loved the way it was written. A tragic and heartbreaking but also heartwarming and beautiful story. I couldn't put it down, I felt so invested in the two family's lives. Can't wait to read more of Cassie's books👏🏼
May 1, 2024
This is my first 5 star of this year!
I was a bit apprehensive when starting this book, but I feel in love with it.
I like the perspective in this book as you get a mature point of view then a 3rd person point of view on Anna's life at the start. I loved the flashbacks and the other descriptions of the families life.
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy seeing the ups and downs of the families lives. But I loved the descriptions it made the story feel real and that you are following their lives and seeing how each aspect of their life affects them. This is strengthened by the reality of the conversation feeling genuine through the emotion, which makes me forget I'm reading and just observing conservation- which is so humble.
I liked the different perspectives and ages of people throughout their lives presenting everyone's struggles and different and persptions on life.
The connection between the families are beautiful, the way they treat each other like family, even in the most difficult situations and even when the families have broken down to only Anna and Arthur.
This book shows what is important in life, which is friends and family not items, not status or perception of ourselves from others and do what you want to do in your life.
The ending I loved as it completes the circle of the story connecting the start of the families lives until the very end.
I was a bit apprehensive when starting this book, but I feel in love with it.
I like the perspective in this book as you get a mature point of view then a 3rd person point of view on Anna's life at the start. I loved the flashbacks and the other descriptions of the families life.
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy seeing the ups and downs of the families lives. But I loved the descriptions it made the story feel real and that you are following their lives and seeing how each aspect of their life affects them. This is strengthened by the reality of the conversation feeling genuine through the emotion, which makes me forget I'm reading and just observing conservation- which is so humble.
I liked the different perspectives and ages of people throughout their lives presenting everyone's struggles and different and persptions on life.
The connection between the families are beautiful, the way they treat each other like family, even in the most difficult situations and even when the families have broken down to only Anna and Arthur.
This book shows what is important in life, which is friends and family not items, not status or perception of ourselves from others and do what you want to do in your life.
The ending I loved as it completes the circle of the story connecting the start of the families lives until the very end.
April 15, 2024
Number thirty two by cassie steward.
When single mum Anna moves in next door to single mum Maggie, the two two hit it off and immediately become best friends. With sons Louie and Arthur the same age who also become best friends. It follows the life of the two women and their children, through love, loss, addiction, grief, and forgiveness.
I absolutely adored this book, it is so beautifully written. It deserves all the praise in the word.
The characters are beautiful and unique. You don't aways like them all throughout the book, but that is the power of a good author. They have the ability to make you love a character, hate a character, understand a character. You finish the book feeling like you know them personally and they have impacted your life. These characters, especially Louie, will stay with me for a very long time.
Louie's story is told so beautifully and with compassion, it resonated so deeply with me. I felt the love and happiness through the good times and the anguish and torment that every character went through. Cassie Steward is an extremely talented writer, I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone and look forward to many more from this author. JUST REMEMBER YOUR TISSUES
When single mum Anna moves in next door to single mum Maggie, the two two hit it off and immediately become best friends. With sons Louie and Arthur the same age who also become best friends. It follows the life of the two women and their children, through love, loss, addiction, grief, and forgiveness.
I absolutely adored this book, it is so beautifully written. It deserves all the praise in the word.
The characters are beautiful and unique. You don't aways like them all throughout the book, but that is the power of a good author. They have the ability to make you love a character, hate a character, understand a character. You finish the book feeling like you know them personally and they have impacted your life. These characters, especially Louie, will stay with me for a very long time.
Louie's story is told so beautifully and with compassion, it resonated so deeply with me. I felt the love and happiness through the good times and the anguish and torment that every character went through. Cassie Steward is an extremely talented writer, I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone and look forward to many more from this author. JUST REMEMBER YOUR TISSUES
October 11, 2025
ate it up, it’s like desperate housewives but in a book
August 11, 2025
🌟🌟🌟🌟◾4/5
REVIEW - The book is split between the past 1970's and the present 2023, it's about two neighbours, both with families. The tales are told of the parents plus the children growing up (warts and all) it covers addiction, bullying and family love. The story twists and turns, the characters beautifully described and believable, you do want to know what happened and the family's secrets. I enjoyed it, it's not a fast paced gripping thriller but I enjoyed the family sagas.
REVIEW - The book is split between the past 1970's and the present 2023, it's about two neighbours, both with families. The tales are told of the parents plus the children growing up (warts and all) it covers addiction, bullying and family love. The story twists and turns, the characters beautifully described and believable, you do want to know what happened and the family's secrets. I enjoyed it, it's not a fast paced gripping thriller but I enjoyed the family sagas.
April 17, 2025
Such a good book, rly rly enjoyed it. Would’ve liked to see more about relationship of Louie and Ella but was so well written and loved seeing the characters develop and dive deeper.
May 23, 2025
This book was beautiful. So well written. The present to past time line was seamless and done perfectly. The characters and their imperfections; the story line and its ending; I can find very little fault with this book. It’s a slow savour for sure. 🥺
April 14, 2024
This was a fantastic read! Literally from the moment I started, the characters has me captivated.
This book is about two families that live next door to each other and how their lives are intertwined. Cassie steward deals with family, loss, grief, addiction and love beautifully. I absolutely could not put it down. This book was incredibly sad while also being uplifting and beautiful.
The writing style took me a minute to get used to, as the POV switches between characters throughout, in the same chapter. While at first I wasn’t sure I liked this, as I read on, I actually think it’s what makes the writing extra captivating and engrossing. I can’t lie, this had me a little choked up at the end. This has a realness to it and delved into the raw and imperfect ways different people deal with grief and loss while having a beautiful ending.
Highly recommend, 10/10 🌟
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