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Friends for Life: A warm-hearted story of love, loss and unlikely friendship
Three deaths...three grieving women...one unbreakable bond that changes their lives...
Kate, Rose and Pascalle are thrown together because they share one experience – they have each lost their husbands. Shocked and bewildered, all three try to work out what it means to be suddenly alone with no partner, no security and their entire future wiped out. If that wasn’t enough, they are also faced with family conflict, elderly parents, and a support network that turns out to be lacking. And for each woman, secrets from the past threaten to derail their attempts to move on.
On the surface, Kate’s husband Jason was fun-loving and generous. Only she knows differently. In the months after his death, her attempts to rid her life of the things that trigger bad memories are also driving her son away. By keeping Jason’s secret is she in danger of losing her son as well?
Rose and Richard were soul mates. Married straight out of university, they shared a business and a love of the good life. Childless, they lived only for each other, or so Rose thought. That all changed the night Richard was killed in a car crash.
Once spirited, vibrant and flamboyantly French, Pascalle is now a grey shadow of herself. Her husband Trevor’s death has left her so emotionally paralysed, she can’t accept that he’s gone. Then one day her daughter offers her the chance to create a new life for herself. But will her past help or hinder her decision?
We follow Kate and Rose through their first year without their husbands. As their friendship with Pascalle grows they encourage each other to be brave, to take control of their lives, and to begin to heal...but can they overcome their grief?
Kate, Rose and Pascalle are thrown together because they share one experience – they have each lost their husbands. Shocked and bewildered, all three try to work out what it means to be suddenly alone with no partner, no security and their entire future wiped out. If that wasn’t enough, they are also faced with family conflict, elderly parents, and a support network that turns out to be lacking. And for each woman, secrets from the past threaten to derail their attempts to move on.
On the surface, Kate’s husband Jason was fun-loving and generous. Only she knows differently. In the months after his death, her attempts to rid her life of the things that trigger bad memories are also driving her son away. By keeping Jason’s secret is she in danger of losing her son as well?
Rose and Richard were soul mates. Married straight out of university, they shared a business and a love of the good life. Childless, they lived only for each other, or so Rose thought. That all changed the night Richard was killed in a car crash.
Once spirited, vibrant and flamboyantly French, Pascalle is now a grey shadow of herself. Her husband Trevor’s death has left her so emotionally paralysed, she can’t accept that he’s gone. Then one day her daughter offers her the chance to create a new life for herself. But will her past help or hinder her decision?
We follow Kate and Rose through their first year without their husbands. As their friendship with Pascalle grows they encourage each other to be brave, to take control of their lives, and to begin to heal...but can they overcome their grief?
388 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2024
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May 14, 2024I did not read this one, but I have an extract to share if you're interested.
Extract
It’s barely three months since Kate’s husband Jason died, and she’s struggling to deal with her loss. One thing she’s trying is to surround herself with pretty things that make her feel happy which means getting rid of everything that sparked bad memories of her life with her late husband. Both her adult children have places of their own, and her daughter Lila supports her Mum’s attempts to find her new solo style. Her son Luke is visiting today with his wife Cyn and is about to see for the first time what his mum has done to the family home…
She’d been so looking forward to his visit because she wanted to show off her new living room. The Ikat curtains she’d bought for her bedroom in November had stayed, and Kate had been so inspired by finally being able to make a decision about how she wanted her home to look, she’d tackled the living room – and the offending black sofa. It had been dumped, together with Jason’s ugly old brown desk that had sat at the back of the room alongside a filing cabinet and several enormous and untidy piles of books he’d gathered over the years.
She’d had the walls painted a soft blush colour, and bought an elegant grey sofa, cuddler chair, beautiful grey and cream rug, and classy silver curtains. Where the desk and wobbly office chair had been, now sat a very pretty pink velvet chaise longue. Kate was thrilled with it all and she hoped Luke would be too. She was disappointed.
‘Mum, I can’t believe it!’
‘What can’t you believe?’ Kate asked, taken aback not by the words he used, but by his hostile tone.
‘I can’t believe what you’ve done to this room.’ Luke had stood in the middle of her lovely room, turning his head in disbelief as he took in the furniture, the curtains, the new wall colour, a look of confusion spreading across his face.
‘Don’t you like it?’ Kate asked feebly.
‘Like it?’ Luke shrugged, arms up, head turning right and left, scanning the room as though searching for something positive to say. ‘Mum how can I like it?’
He turned towards Kate and she was stricken to see a steeliness behind his eyes that she hadn’t ever noticed before. ‘Dad’s been dead three months Mum and you’ve chucked out all his stuff. It’s like you’re pushing him out of the house, and all our memories with him.’
Kate put her head in her hands and stood there totally confused, lost for words. Her daughter Lila had been so supportive of the changes she’d made that she hadn’t thought for a moment that Luke would be any different. Plus, he’d never before spoken to her in this way. She didn’t know how to react.
‘Couldn’t you have waited, Mum?’
Kate lifted her head from her hands and looked up at her son. At 6 foot 2 he was a few inches taller than her and although he’d always been the image of his dad in looks, he had a much gentler, more generous nature. Now there was something about his attitude that reminded her of a part of Jason she’d never liked and hadn’t missed in the months since his death. Something that she never wanted to see again. The shock of recognising it in her son helped her find her
voice, and when she spoke there was no disguising her determination.
‘Waited for what Luke? For him to walk back through the door? If that’s what you’re thinking, that’s definitely not going to happen. So, what exactly should I have waited for?’
Luke’s face crumpled and Kate softened her tone. ‘I know you loved your dad. I loved him too. So much. But your dad was no angel Luke, and everything in this room – in fact most things in this house – reminded me of that. If I’m ever going to be able to move on, they needed to go.’
Kate saw confusion sweep across his brow. ‘What are you talking about? Why are you saying he was no angel…?’ he started, but Kate stopped him. ‘I’m not getting into that now Luke,’ she said, firmly. ‘Just please take my word that what I’ve done is what I needed to do.’
Luke folded his arms across his chest and turned away.
‘Come on Cyn,’ he said. ‘Let’s go before this gets any worse.’
Luke’s wife Cyn, pretty and petite, who’d been sitting quietly on the new sofa, now slowly stood up, flicking her blonde ponytail off her shoulder. As she moved forward to kiss her mother-in-law goodbye, Kate could have sworn she saw a smug smile playing on her lips.
‘Don’t worry Kate,’ she’d whispered as she got close to Kate’s cheek. ‘I’m sure he’ll come round. And if it’s any consolation, I rather like what you’ve done to the room.’
As their faces pulled apart, the smile had lingered on Cyn’s lips. What was that all about?
Extract
It’s barely three months since Kate’s husband Jason died, and she’s struggling to deal with her loss. One thing she’s trying is to surround herself with pretty things that make her feel happy which means getting rid of everything that sparked bad memories of her life with her late husband. Both her adult children have places of their own, and her daughter Lila supports her Mum’s attempts to find her new solo style. Her son Luke is visiting today with his wife Cyn and is about to see for the first time what his mum has done to the family home…
She’d been so looking forward to his visit because she wanted to show off her new living room. The Ikat curtains she’d bought for her bedroom in November had stayed, and Kate had been so inspired by finally being able to make a decision about how she wanted her home to look, she’d tackled the living room – and the offending black sofa. It had been dumped, together with Jason’s ugly old brown desk that had sat at the back of the room alongside a filing cabinet and several enormous and untidy piles of books he’d gathered over the years.
She’d had the walls painted a soft blush colour, and bought an elegant grey sofa, cuddler chair, beautiful grey and cream rug, and classy silver curtains. Where the desk and wobbly office chair had been, now sat a very pretty pink velvet chaise longue. Kate was thrilled with it all and she hoped Luke would be too. She was disappointed.
‘Mum, I can’t believe it!’
‘What can’t you believe?’ Kate asked, taken aback not by the words he used, but by his hostile tone.
‘I can’t believe what you’ve done to this room.’ Luke had stood in the middle of her lovely room, turning his head in disbelief as he took in the furniture, the curtains, the new wall colour, a look of confusion spreading across his face.
‘Don’t you like it?’ Kate asked feebly.
‘Like it?’ Luke shrugged, arms up, head turning right and left, scanning the room as though searching for something positive to say. ‘Mum how can I like it?’
He turned towards Kate and she was stricken to see a steeliness behind his eyes that she hadn’t ever noticed before. ‘Dad’s been dead three months Mum and you’ve chucked out all his stuff. It’s like you’re pushing him out of the house, and all our memories with him.’
Kate put her head in her hands and stood there totally confused, lost for words. Her daughter Lila had been so supportive of the changes she’d made that she hadn’t thought for a moment that Luke would be any different. Plus, he’d never before spoken to her in this way. She didn’t know how to react.
‘Couldn’t you have waited, Mum?’
Kate lifted her head from her hands and looked up at her son. At 6 foot 2 he was a few inches taller than her and although he’d always been the image of his dad in looks, he had a much gentler, more generous nature. Now there was something about his attitude that reminded her of a part of Jason she’d never liked and hadn’t missed in the months since his death. Something that she never wanted to see again. The shock of recognising it in her son helped her find her
voice, and when she spoke there was no disguising her determination.
‘Waited for what Luke? For him to walk back through the door? If that’s what you’re thinking, that’s definitely not going to happen. So, what exactly should I have waited for?’
Luke’s face crumpled and Kate softened her tone. ‘I know you loved your dad. I loved him too. So much. But your dad was no angel Luke, and everything in this room – in fact most things in this house – reminded me of that. If I’m ever going to be able to move on, they needed to go.’
Kate saw confusion sweep across his brow. ‘What are you talking about? Why are you saying he was no angel…?’ he started, but Kate stopped him. ‘I’m not getting into that now Luke,’ she said, firmly. ‘Just please take my word that what I’ve done is what I needed to do.’
Luke folded his arms across his chest and turned away.
‘Come on Cyn,’ he said. ‘Let’s go before this gets any worse.’
Luke’s wife Cyn, pretty and petite, who’d been sitting quietly on the new sofa, now slowly stood up, flicking her blonde ponytail off her shoulder. As she moved forward to kiss her mother-in-law goodbye, Kate could have sworn she saw a smug smile playing on her lips.
‘Don’t worry Kate,’ she’d whispered as she got close to Kate’s cheek. ‘I’m sure he’ll come round. And if it’s any consolation, I rather like what you’ve done to the room.’
As their faces pulled apart, the smile had lingered on Cyn’s lips. What was that all about?
May 19, 2024
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Friends For Life' by Liz Murphy.
Well, what can I say!!! This book is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions from anger to happiness, grief to betrayal and everything in between. I became completely and utterly invested in Kate, Rose and Pascalle as they go through a year of widowhood together, helping each other through the discovery of secrets their husbands were hiding, family problems and life as singles. It is an emotionally packed page turner which will have you angry, laughing, happy, sad and make you feel like you are on a rollercoaster ride of emotions while standing by these three women and going through their struggles with them. Liz does an absolutely incredible job of weaving the multiple protagonists storylines together at just the perfect time to not give anything away while giving the reader a bigger picture of what is going on. The fact that Liz truly does care for these amazing characters leaps out of the pages in their incredible character development and Liz's evocative descriptions!! Liz does an incredible job of weaving difficult topics such as dementia and betrayal into an incredible storyline and treating each topic sensitivity while still highlighting the difficulties of each. The The storyline is realistic and unique and I absolutely LOVED getting lost in the pages!! I gave up counting how many times I told myself one more chapter just to HAVE to know what happened next as this happened over and over until I ended up devouring the whole book in one sitting!!
I love that each of the women had their own unique personalities with different circumstances between them all.
The characters were all realistic and it was lovely to watch all the different friendships between different characters develop and grow. I loved how each of the friend helped each other throughout and it truly shows how important friendships can be. It is an addictive book filled with friendship, family, drama, heartache, secrets , loss and absolutely everything you could ask for in a beautiful page turner! If you want to know more you need to grab your copy today. Congratulations Liz on creating such an amazing group of larger than life, strong, amazing and unforgettable characters!!!
Congratulations Liz on a huge success!!! I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books and this is exactly why I would like to welcome you to my favourite author list. Here is to your next guaranteed success 🥂!!
Overall a beautiful, emotive and addictive story of grief, friendship and healing.
#FriendsForLife #LizMurphy #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources
@LizMurphy @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources
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Review for 'Friends For Life' by Liz Murphy.
Well, what can I say!!! This book is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions from anger to happiness, grief to betrayal and everything in between. I became completely and utterly invested in Kate, Rose and Pascalle as they go through a year of widowhood together, helping each other through the discovery of secrets their husbands were hiding, family problems and life as singles. It is an emotionally packed page turner which will have you angry, laughing, happy, sad and make you feel like you are on a rollercoaster ride of emotions while standing by these three women and going through their struggles with them. Liz does an absolutely incredible job of weaving the multiple protagonists storylines together at just the perfect time to not give anything away while giving the reader a bigger picture of what is going on. The fact that Liz truly does care for these amazing characters leaps out of the pages in their incredible character development and Liz's evocative descriptions!! Liz does an incredible job of weaving difficult topics such as dementia and betrayal into an incredible storyline and treating each topic sensitivity while still highlighting the difficulties of each. The The storyline is realistic and unique and I absolutely LOVED getting lost in the pages!! I gave up counting how many times I told myself one more chapter just to HAVE to know what happened next as this happened over and over until I ended up devouring the whole book in one sitting!!
I love that each of the women had their own unique personalities with different circumstances between them all.
The characters were all realistic and it was lovely to watch all the different friendships between different characters develop and grow. I loved how each of the friend helped each other throughout and it truly shows how important friendships can be. It is an addictive book filled with friendship, family, drama, heartache, secrets , loss and absolutely everything you could ask for in a beautiful page turner! If you want to know more you need to grab your copy today. Congratulations Liz on creating such an amazing group of larger than life, strong, amazing and unforgettable characters!!!
Congratulations Liz on a huge success!!! I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books and this is exactly why I would like to welcome you to my favourite author list. Here is to your next guaranteed success 🥂!!
Overall a beautiful, emotive and addictive story of grief, friendship and healing.
#FriendsForLife #LizMurphy #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources
@LizMurphy @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources
https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?...
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhi...
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
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https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/a...
May 10, 2024
This books starts out about grief but is really about the redemptive power of friendship. The storyyline is very interesting as we follow 3 women dealing with the loss of their husbands. The emotional notes are well developed as we learn all the ways grief can be multifaceted and complicated. Its also highlights how everyone grieves in their own way and how even that can drive people apart.
Despite the heavy subject matter there was light, life, and joy portrayed in the book as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed this moving debut novel from Liz Murphy.
Despite the heavy subject matter there was light, life, and joy portrayed in the book as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed this moving debut novel from Liz Murphy.
June 2, 2024
There aren’t that many books I read cover to cover, and to be honest, I wasn’t planning on doing that with this book but once I started, I could not put it down, my husband lost me for 24 hours!! So, what is this book all about? Loss. Three women, all unknown to each other, all suffer the loss of their husbands. Pascalle, the oldest of the three, lost her husband in 2018 and is still grieving. Kate and Rose both lose their husbands in the same month in 2022. Kate’s husband Jason suddenly dies from a massive heart attack at home whilst bringing out some tea. Nothing could be done as he was dead before the paramedics arrived. Rose’s husband Richard is killed in a car accident 10 miles from home, but Rose is confused as to why those 10 miles was in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to be!!
These three women meet completely by chance, at a Christmas party none of them what to be at, and a spark of recognised pain connects them. A friendship begins with a meet up and a cup of coffee and their stories begin to unfold. Following each of these women transform, comes from the Authors own experience when her husband, Steve, suddenly died. My heart broke for each of these women, including the Author. I have known my husband for 51 years so although I can’t quite relate to the pain these women have experienced, I do understand the fears every person can go through when something happens to their life partner. A book definitely worth reading.
These three women meet completely by chance, at a Christmas party none of them what to be at, and a spark of recognised pain connects them. A friendship begins with a meet up and a cup of coffee and their stories begin to unfold. Following each of these women transform, comes from the Authors own experience when her husband, Steve, suddenly died. My heart broke for each of these women, including the Author. I have known my husband for 51 years so although I can’t quite relate to the pain these women have experienced, I do understand the fears every person can go through when something happens to their life partner. A book definitely worth reading.
May 14, 2024
I received an advance review copy of this book, to review as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.
After reading just a couple of chapters, I found that I was quite emotional. I saw that as a positive thing, because as a reader, I like to feel something when I read; I don't like to feel detached or indifferent. One of the key themes in this book was grief. I think that grief is a different emotional journey for everyone, it's something that each person experiences differently. I thought about that while I was reading, because I felt a connection to each of the main characters - Rose, Kate and Pascalle - and I felt as though I wanted to follow each character's journey throughout the book. As the reader, I simply wanted to be there for these characters, while I was reading.
This book made me quite tearful in places, but I enjoyed how the characters bonded with and supported each other. That made it quite heartwarming to read, and I found parts of the dialogue a little bit humorous too.
Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, the author and the publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.
After reading just a couple of chapters, I found that I was quite emotional. I saw that as a positive thing, because as a reader, I like to feel something when I read; I don't like to feel detached or indifferent. One of the key themes in this book was grief. I think that grief is a different emotional journey for everyone, it's something that each person experiences differently. I thought about that while I was reading, because I felt a connection to each of the main characters - Rose, Kate and Pascalle - and I felt as though I wanted to follow each character's journey throughout the book. As the reader, I simply wanted to be there for these characters, while I was reading.
This book made me quite tearful in places, but I enjoyed how the characters bonded with and supported each other. That made it quite heartwarming to read, and I found parts of the dialogue a little bit humorous too.
Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, the author and the publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.
June 11, 2024
As much a story about the power of friendship as it is about the nature of grief and grieving.
A raw, emotional read {I'd advise you have a box of tissues to hand} and yet for all of that, amongst the tears of sadness there were also some tears of mirth as I journeyed with Kate, Rose and Pascalle, all of whom I came to feel very protective of.
The short chapters drawing me in, the story thoroughly engaging. Plot wise, I can only describe Friends For Life as being akin to being on a roller-coaster ride of emotions as I traversed the many facets of grief as we follow these three different women all of whom have lost their husbands in very different circumstances and grieve in quite different ways.
Definitely an author to keep a look out for. Its hard to believe that this is a debut novel, such is the power and the conviction of the writing.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour of this book. Agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own. No financial compensation was asked for nor given. Threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.
A raw, emotional read {I'd advise you have a box of tissues to hand} and yet for all of that, amongst the tears of sadness there were also some tears of mirth as I journeyed with Kate, Rose and Pascalle, all of whom I came to feel very protective of.
The short chapters drawing me in, the story thoroughly engaging. Plot wise, I can only describe Friends For Life as being akin to being on a roller-coaster ride of emotions as I traversed the many facets of grief as we follow these three different women all of whom have lost their husbands in very different circumstances and grieve in quite different ways.
Definitely an author to keep a look out for. Its hard to believe that this is a debut novel, such is the power and the conviction of the writing.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour of this book. Agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own. No financial compensation was asked for nor given. Threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.
May 10, 2024
Wow!
What an inspiring and uplifting novel, right off the bat I loved Kate, Rose and Pascalle! All grieving a loss they feel deeply they band together and try to uplift each other, getting to read their bond grow was so sweet and motivating, there's nothing like having friends who know what you're going through and help move you along in life. I liked how Liz, didn't pull her punches and we truly got to see and feel the grief these three strong women were going through, it made this feel not only realistic but relatable.
Plot wise this was unique and interesting and the author kept each chapter interesting and intriguing that you wanted to keep reading on to see what was going to happen next. Emotional but worth the read, I had to keep some tissues on hand because I was tearing up a couple times during this. With short digestible chapters this is a book I would recommend for everyone to read!
What an inspiring and uplifting novel, right off the bat I loved Kate, Rose and Pascalle! All grieving a loss they feel deeply they band together and try to uplift each other, getting to read their bond grow was so sweet and motivating, there's nothing like having friends who know what you're going through and help move you along in life. I liked how Liz, didn't pull her punches and we truly got to see and feel the grief these three strong women were going through, it made this feel not only realistic but relatable.
Plot wise this was unique and interesting and the author kept each chapter interesting and intriguing that you wanted to keep reading on to see what was going to happen next. Emotional but worth the read, I had to keep some tissues on hand because I was tearing up a couple times during this. With short digestible chapters this is a book I would recommend for everyone to read!
May 8, 2024
🌤Wednesday 8th May 2024🌤
📚PR book tour📚
Liz Murphy - Friends for life
Thank you so much Liz Murphy and Rachel’s random resources for gifting me a paperback copy of 'Friends for life in exchange for an honest review.
This book is such a beacon for life with grief and creating true friendships at any stage of your life. Im 34 and have had to tackle grief at many stages (never a husband like in the book) and the impact it has on you can be unbearable at times but like the characters in this book finding yourself again can be such a relief. I fell in love with the characters of this book and seeing how there lives developed over the year we follow them. I loved it.
#gifted #giftedbook #booktour #freereview #prbook
📚PR book tour📚
Liz Murphy - Friends for life
Thank you so much Liz Murphy and Rachel’s random resources for gifting me a paperback copy of 'Friends for life in exchange for an honest review.
This book is such a beacon for life with grief and creating true friendships at any stage of your life. Im 34 and have had to tackle grief at many stages (never a husband like in the book) and the impact it has on you can be unbearable at times but like the characters in this book finding yourself again can be such a relief. I fell in love with the characters of this book and seeing how there lives developed over the year we follow them. I loved it.
#gifted #giftedbook #booktour #freereview #prbook
January 27, 2024
loved this book!
This book was a tear-jerker, but ultimately uplifting story of 3 women coming to terms with their grief. The characters are likeable and believable, and the story flowed really well. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. I hope Liz writes another book soon - it was well-written and very readable!
This book was a tear-jerker, but ultimately uplifting story of 3 women coming to terms with their grief. The characters are likeable and believable, and the story flowed really well. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. I hope Liz writes another book soon - it was well-written and very readable!
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