Because You’re Worth It

by Sally Jenkins

At sixty-four, Michelle thought her best years were behind her. She couldn't have been more wrong . . .

When Michelle loses her beloved husband Eddie, she’s sure the best part of her life has gone with him.

Then her mother passes away, leaving her half a million pounds — money Michelle is certain she doesn't deserve.

Determined to give every penny to charity, Michelle sets out to find the worthiest cause. And she's not doing it alone.

There's Doug — her landlord, her brother's oldest friend, and the rugby-playing heartthrob of her teenage dreams. He's kind. He's funny, and he still makes her stomach flip like she's sixteen. There's just one problem, Doug has broken more hearts than Michelle has had hot dinners, and she's not about to become another name on his list.

Then she meets dashing charity trustee, Luke,and is swept into a world of scarlet ball gowns and champagne. For the first time in years, Michelle feels beautiful. Desired. Worth it.

But a forgotten suitcase, hidden away in storage, holds a secret about her inheritance. And as Michelle uncovers the truth, she must decide — about the money, her future and who her heart truly belongs to.

A swoon-worthy, heart-melting, second-chance romance packed with warmth, humour, and the unmistakable flutter of a love that was always meant to be.

Genres: Fiction, Romance

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2026

About the author

Sally Jenkins loves writing about mature characters with a lifetime of emotional baggage; characters who are searching for, and who richly deserve, a happy-ever-after.

Words and stories are Sally’s lifeblood. She ran a book group for eleven years, is a Shared Reading group leader for the charity, The Reader, and has worked as a library assistant.

Outside of her bookish world, she is a Women’s Institute member and a church bell ringer. She also enjoys yoga, walking and swimming.

Find out more about Sally and follow her at: https://linktr.ee/SallySJenkins7

Reviews

[Samantha H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book I would normally pick up, but was intrigued by the premise: Michelle, our MC, has recently suffered two very significant losses, her mother and her spouse, and now has an unexpected inheritance to decide what to do with. The book was a bit family drama, a bit gentle romance, and a... what's it called when a woman rediscovers herself late in life? I liked Michelle, though I found her to be rather dull at times, but I chalked this up to me not being a 50+ year old Brit. I enjoyed her mother's diary entries being interwoven, so we could hear her side of the very complicated source of her hidden wealth. All around, the book was an interesting exploration of very average people thrown into some unusual circumstances. I found it to be a feel good book that kept my interest despite not being particularly exciting. Probably not great for anyone in a slump, but overall a cute and easy read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Carolyn Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started it slow for me ... really slow. Like over 50% of the way in before I was invested. If it wasn't an ARC, I would have DNFed. But, in the end I'm giving it three stars as I did enjoy the back half.

Here's what went well: I eventually liked the redemption arc of Michelle. I'm glad that she finally felt her own self worth in the end. There was a lot to unpack about relationships between mothers and daughters, and really seeing your mother as a person and not just a mom. And there was an interesting undercurrent of what it meant to be a wife, mother, woman in the 70s with the diary flashbacks.

What was hard for me: I think it could use some editing -- the first half the whole woe-is-me attitude of Michelle and her insistence that she let her mother down was tedious. We got it! No need to beat a dead horse (or donkey). I really struggled to like Michelle (the FMC) for the first half then. And it was disappointing to read about a woman not really believing in herself until her sixties.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for access to the eARC, this review is my honest opinion.

[Julianne Harkleroad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle, widowed after her husband- Eddie's- death, has felt small, unloved, and not good enough her entire life. When her frugal, hardworking, stern mom, Nellie, dies and leaves 1 million dollars to split between Michelle and her brother Colin, Michelle can hardly believe it. She certainly can't accept it, so she starts to find a cause or charity her mother would have approved donating her entire portion to. Her benevolent but lonely landlord, Doug- can he be called such if he doesn't charge her?- steps in, er, oversteps in, to help her sort though, visit, and process verbally which organization is worthy of such a stigmatized gift.

Enter Luke Shiner at the Pumpkin Do key Sanctuary. What an incredible foundation and cause! And handsome Luke, he's almost too good to be true! Or is he? And we haven't even touched on Sophie, Michelle's daughter- to whom $500,000 would be a life changing amount of money! Michelle is afraid to tell her about this inheritance because she doesn't want Sophie to talk her out of donating it, thinking *she's* entitled to it instead of improving her own life. Well, their meeting gets loud and Sophie decides she... You need to read it for yourself! 🤐

When you can't trust your own mom, who can you turn to? Your child? Professionals in the field? What if your memories are untrustworthy? How does one proceed when so much money and emotional worthlessness is at stake? Through both POV's, Michelle discovers the truth about her mother's life, heart for her, as well as her own worth. The real prize was never the money, but Michelle's value as a hardworking, generous human being.

Personally, money is always a touchy subject- especially when strong emotions are ties to it!- but I love how real this book is! When donating to charity, it IS important to check admin/oversight percentages and the effectiveness of the charity. If I was given half a million dollars, I don't think I would be able to spend it on *stuff*, and I don't know of a charity that is absolutely rocking its purpose without overpaying the board... I'd be tempted to create my own 501c3 and run it off the income generated from the investment dividends without paying myself a fee (unlike most CEO/presidents).

Troupes: dual-timeline/POV, inheritance, mother/daughter issues, found family, backstabbing
Spice: 3/5 🌶️ second base
Gore: 1/5 🩸 implied
Language: 2/5 👀
Triggers: death of a loved one

Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

[Cait's Reading Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle has lost her beloved husband Eddie. She feels the grief of that loss daily. She felt he was the love of her life. She feels unsure about how to start again.

She also loses her mother and is unexpectedly left with an inheritance of 500,000 pounds. She is dedicating her time to donating the inheritance to charity. Michelle looks to determine the recipient of the donation.

In her quest, she connects with Doug her landlord and her brother's friend, who is helping her on the journey. She feels emotions that she has not felt since the loss of her late husband. However, she worries about becoming another in series of relationships for Doug.

And as Michelle uncovers the truth, she must decide — about the inheritance, her future and who her heart truly belongs to.

Michelle’s story is one of new beginnings, healing, redemption, and transformation. The novel reminds us that navigating grief is a journey without a set timeline. The novel shows the honesty and humanity of Michelle’s journey. How she puts one foot in front of the other to move forward. How she reminds herself that she can start again.

I found the use of journals passages to be powerful. Michelle communicates with her late husband, sharing her thoughts, fears, feelings, and emotions. We as the reader are able to see more in depth her emotions through these journal entries to Eddie. Journals can be quite eye opening and writing can help processing emotions as well as making decisions. The journals are also a way for Michelle to understand her mother better.

I enjoy epistolary novels in how writing within writing (e.g., letters and journals) helps us to get to know and understand the characters’ emotional journey while simultaneously advancing the exposition.

The novel is heartfelt and emotional. It’s also reflective in showcasing the understanding the complexities of emotions, including grief and healing.

[Mo Chapter · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something wonderfully comforting about settling into a story that leaves you feeling lighter than when you began, and Because You're Worth It did exactly that for me.

From the opening chapters, I found myself completely invested in Michelle's journey. While she faces some significant challenges along the way, this is ultimately a story about hope, self-discovery and finding the confidence to embrace new possibilities when life takes an unexpected turn. There is a warmth running through the novel that makes it incredibly easy to sink into.

The story is told through multiple perspectives, but this never felt complicated or distracting. Instead, each voice added another layer to the narrative, helping me understand the characters more fully and making their relationships feel authentic. Every character had a purpose within the story, and together they created a cast that was engaging, believable and enjoyable to spend time with.

What I appreciated most was the way the story unfolded. Nothing felt rushed or forced, and I found myself becoming increasingly invested in the characters and the choices they faced. There were moments that made me smile, moments that tugged at the heartstrings and plenty of occasions where I simply wanted to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next.

This was exactly the kind of uplifting read I needed. I flew through it over the course of two days, happily returning to Michelle's world whenever I had a spare moment. By the final page, I felt thoroughly satisfied and reluctant to say goodbye to the characters.

A heartwarming, feel-good novel filled with charm, warmth and emotional depth. Sally Jenkins is definitely an author I will be reading again.

[Patrice Gotting - #prdgreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts: this book was lovely, it was quite refreshing to read a romance where the main characters were older, they’d lived a life, they weren’t perfect and all came with a huge heap of baggage.

Michelle our FMC has been through a lot, she’s widowed, she’s just lost her mum, she’s living with her brothers best friend and if she’s really honest with herself, she’s never really felt valued in her life, her childhood was hard, she always felt like she wasn’t really good enough, that she let her mum down constantly & now that her husband is gone too her relationship with her daughter isn’t the best.

So to try and make up for her ‘mistakes’ she has the genius idea of donating the inheritance from her mum to a charity she deems worthy.. it’s what her mum would want right?

The story was beautiful, but a lot of it had an underlying feeling of sadness, it’s told in 2 timelines, one from Michelle and one from Nellie, I really enjoyed this aspect because it meant we got a real insight & the best bit for me was the fact that Nellie’s parts for the majority were told through letters that she had written to her late husband.

I really felt the grief within those letter and I’m not ashamed to admit that although they didn’t make me cry it was a close one.

Not all of the characters in this book had good intentions and sometimes it was hard to tell which way the story was going to go, but I was invested and really struggled to put it down.

This is the second book of Sallys that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed which makes me excited to see what she comes up with next!

🐧🩷

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

When Michelle finds out that her mother left her a half million pounds, she struggles. The relationship between Michelle and her mother was strained when her father was killed at a young age., leaving Nellie to raise 2 small children on her own. Nellie left behind a series of journals that Michelle only found out about at age 64, after losing both her husband and her mother. She's at odds, living with her brother's best friend. Oh, and her daughter Sophie feels she is entitled to get the money so she can travel and not work....quite nervy!

Given all these negatives, Michelle doesn't feel she deserves the money and sets out to find charities worthy of the donation. In doing so she meets Luke, a man with many ambitions and the big feet to crush anyone to get his way. He has a plan to get Michelle's money for his donkey charity, Meanwhile, Doug, Michelle's landlord, is struggling with his feelings for Michelle and wants to protect her from Luke, but seems to keep getting in his own way.

I feel like this was a good story, kept me engaged and invested in Michelle's life. I'm sure most readers are screaming at Michelle to open her eyes to Luke, but she's starved for attention and turns a blind eye. Doug is very sweet. Sophie needs to be taught a lesson. I feel like Luke is getting exactly the day he deserves. I will definitely look for future books from this author!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

[Dee Groocock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy from the publisher.

Following the loss of her husband, Eddie, and then her mother, Nellie, Michelle is grieving. When she discovers her mother has left her half a million pounds, Michelle doesn’t feel that she deserves it. Her relationship with her mum wasn’t the best and she decides to give it away to charity instead, but how will her daughter, Sophie, take the news?

After having to move out of the tied cottage following Eddie’s death, Michelle is staying with her brother’s best friend, Doug. Doug helps Michelle to draw up a list of charities to look at with the possibility of donating to them, and that’s how Michelle meets Luke, a charity trustee. He makes Michelle feel good about herself, and treats her well, is all as it seems though?

When Michelle discovers diaries left by her mum, Nellie, she starts to understand her mum better along with the choices that she made through life.

This is a lovely story about grief, independence, guilt and love. My heart went out to Michelle, to lose two people close to you in a year is difficult, and this affected many of her choices since. Sophie and her mum’s relationship was a difficult one and I felt invested in seeing where they would end up.

I liked most of the characters, and through the writing, I felt their insecurities, their worth, grief and love. I thoroughly enjoyed the story-telling, it made for an enjoyable and entertaining tale.

[Harshita Nanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because You're Worth It is what the trade circles call, a later-in-life romance. The protagnists are not in the first blush of youth, and there are no meetings cutes or spicy bedroom scenes. However it would be wrong to say that there is not chemistry, though it would be mild.

Because You're Worth It has many things going for it. Michelle is idealistic and yet very believable. Her insecurities, and her fraught relationship with her mother (and consequently her daughter) is very relatable. Her finding herself during the course of the book is predictable and yet, strikes a chord. Many women lose themselves into the roles they play, forgetting who they really are.
Luke reminds one of Mr. Wickham and while Doug is no Darcy, he does make an impact.

My main problem with the book was the POV. Written in 3rd person, while most chapters are from Michelle's POV, there are a few from Luke and Sophia( Michelle's daughter's POV) too. If I had read the book 3 years before, I don't think it would have bothered me, but since this is the problem many of my beta-readers pointed out in my book, I thought I should mention it.

I also think a little bit of tighter editing would have made the book crisper.

The final verdict, a heartwarming book with a dash of old-world romance. Perfect for those who want to read something simple and hopeful.

[Phil Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-warming story of a mother recently widowed and facing big decisions.
Michelle is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband when her mother dies. She is stunned to find that her frugal mother has left her a million pounds in her will. Michelle has never had much confidence or self worth and believes that she doesn’t deserve the windfall, she decides to give away the money to worthy causes. She had to give up the family home because of its costs and is lodging with her late
husbands best friend who also happens to be an old crush. She confides in him about the cash and her plans and agrees to help her find a worthy cause. Her daughter
however thinks that she is crazy in giving away what she sees as her inheritance. A rift between mother and daughter quickly escalates. It’s then that Michelle, in clearing some of her mums belongings, discovers a diary written by a mother that the source ofthe money and her mother’s reluctance to spend it begins to emerge. A favourite for the pgood causes soon emerges but all is not good and money soon corrupts.

This is a slow starter but worth sticking with, as the clever and heart-warming tale gradually unfolds

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reviewing this as part of a tour with Zooloo's Book Tours.

Sixty-four year old Michelle has lost both her husband and her mother. She finds herself alone with a lot of money that she's not sure what to do with. Both grieving, and feeling that the happiest days of her life are over, how can Michelle move forward?

From the beginning, I found this book both heartwarming and heartfelt. I enjoyed the journal element of the story, as well as following Michelle's personal journey. She made me smile, and I connected with her more as the story progressed. I think the character I identified with most was Michelle's daughter Sophie. I enjoyed what she brought to the story, following her journey alongside her mother's.

Maybe my initial description makes this sound like a sad story, but it wasn't. It wasn't just a journey of grief, it was a journey of self-love, self-discovery, and the joy of getting to know yourself all over again.

Thank you to Zooloo's Book Tours, and to the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.

[Bianca Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like a story with an older character, I feel like that extra level of experience and maturity just brings something special to a tale.
This cover is clean and simple and doesn't give much away about the story.
I found this quite difficult to get into, maybe I wasnt in the right headspace but the first 50% felt quote long. The second half absolutely pushed the pace back up and I felt like I got through that quite quickly.
I liked hearing about the charities, and thought it was an amazingly generous idea.
I thought the dual storyline of current day and finding out how Michelle's mum had come by the money through the letters written so long ago was really interesting and I was completely invested in the tale of Nellie and Dorothy.
Most of the chapters are from Michelle but there are a handful from other characters including Luke and Sophie. I preferred sticking to the main story of Michelle.
This is an interesting read, and something light that you could easily get lost in so I would definitely recommend this to others.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable novel, the second that Sally Jenkins has written.

She features relationships in later life and this follows that theme.

It is cleverly put together with the present day being linked to the past, with the heroine Michelle finding letters after her mother’s death which her mother wrote to her late father when Michelle was a child growing up in straitened circumstances.

The story centres on her legacy and Michelle’s endeavours to find what best to do with it, and there are some thought provoking considerations of possible benefits for charities.

Michelle and the other principal characters are well drawn and the story really draws the reader in and makes it vital that there is a happy ending.

[Beth Gerson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

If this wasn't an ARC, I probably would've DNF'd it. While the concept made sense and the flashbacks were interesting in showing how the present problem was reached it was begging for better editing. It was really repetitive, sometimes within the same chapter and the main character was grating. The ending was arrived at with everyone on board with a decision that would likely be more nuanced and it just seemed convenient and poorly executed. The most interesting parts were the diary entries but even those didn't do enough to pull me in and distract from the repetitive explanations of people's motivations and history. This was not for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of this story, Michelle is someone who thinks others deserve an inheritance she has gained. I liked her to start with but then I was just getting annoyed with her. Could she not see what was right in front of her, I understand she wanted to do good but she was wasting her time trying to put right the things her mother had not. It was sad to read her mother's diary and I did feel for her. The story was ok, a bit long winded and drawn out and I kept on getting annoyed at Michelle. But it was ok. Not sure I would read this author again.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly unusual story starring a slightly older than usual lady. Reading how she coped with her life after losing her husband was well written with genuine feeling. Subsequent happenings highlighted how vulnerable she actually was and how close to disaster she came. The revelation of her mother's story was beautifully placed throughout. I really enjoyed this story and read it quickly as I wanted to see what happened!
I received this advance copy from the publishers in exchange for an honest review, which this is.

[Jenny Kinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still grieving the loss of her husband Eddie , Michelle learns that she is to receive a large inheritance from the death of her mother. Not feeling worthy of it she sets about looking for charities that might benefit . Dashing Luke , a charity trustee appears on the scene and sweeps her off her feet . Could she fall in love again . Things seem to be going smoothly until Michelle opens a suitcase belonging to her mother that holds diaries about her mother`s past and makes her revaluate life and her inheritance .
This was an uplifting read of self discovery , love and new beginnings

[Mo Austin · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

I am sorry to say that this book was not for me. Whilst I admired the main character for using her mums legacy to donate to charity and I also I found myself feeling sorry for her. I found so much of this book to be predictable and was frustrated with Michelle. I found myself skimming over chunks of this book. I guess I wasn’t in the mind set for this type of romantic escapism as a cynical woman the same age as. Michelle. But then I didn’t have what sounds like the enviable life that Michelle had with her husband before his death.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairy tale ending

I struggled with Michelle as the main character. If I want to read about a weak & timid woman .... well, I can read about myself. LOL But before long, I realized that this is Nellie's story & Dorothy's story. I appreciate that Michelle (and Sophie) could learn and grow from the two older women. I love the bond between Nellie & Dorothy. That's the special point of this book. Fantastic character development and change.

[E-Reader Addict · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one - there is a distinct shortage of romance books about people in their older years. But I started reading this book a month ago and only got about 70 pages in. I can't even pinpoint exactly what the issue is, except the pacing is very slow and the heroine seems kinda milquetoast. And I just can't make myself read it any more...

[Annette Acker · Rating 5 out of 5]

very uplifting

A great read an amazing woman Michelle who wanted to support charities with a donation from her mother the trials and tribulations she went through to do this . Very uplifting .

[mrs brenda wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that keeps you wanting to get to the end but don’t want it to finish

Struggled to keep to my reading time of 45mins as didn’t want to put down the book it transported me to nights of enjoyable reading.

[Rhoda Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about soul searching and learning your own worth. It's so refreshing to see a slightly older heroine, too.

[Kathryn Ure · Rating 2 out of 5]

a quick read,was ok, I did get frustrated with the main character a lot but it all sorted by end.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story

I liked the characters. I liked that this was a bit different than a lot of feel-good books I've been reading lately.

[Misfits farm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful uplifting read with a smile

[Cynthia Vengraitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book was not quite worth it. Only skim worthy. Predictable with annoying characters. The self deprecation and neediness exuded from almost all of them and got tiresome.

[shirley stow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read from Sally Jenkins. She had my emotions in a turmoil again and I couldn't decide how it would all end until it ended!!! Hope she has more stories in the pipeline as her topics are so sensitive and varied.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I had to force myself to finish this book. I loved the concept and ending but what I found tedious was the main character repeating her flaws of "not being deserving" over and over. Otherwise good story.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal growth takes forefront on this novel. Sally Jenkins has crafted a narrative that does more than just tell a story; it holds up a mirror to the reader. I found that as the protagonists faced their own personal hurdles and evolved, I was moving right alongside them. It is rare to find a story that not only showcases transformation but also catalyzes it within the reader, making the growth feel earned, personal, and deeply satisfying.