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Love Is a State of Mind: An uplifting and humorous novel about a woman's second chance at love and life
She was in her fifties and living a quiet, contented life. She and her husband worked at the same school, their children had flown the nest. She thought she had a happy marriage but out of the blue, her husband dropped a devastating bombshell. He’d fallen in love with a colleague and was leaving her for good. Can she move forward and take control of her life? Anna McCarthy is naturally traumatised by her husband’s revelations. At first, she can’t function and wants to hide herself away. But soon, with the help of her friend and her daughter, she realises that there has to be life after a long marriage. She must make some huge changes in order to face her she leaves her job, relocates and decides to visit her estranged sister in Australia for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday and a fresh perspective. As she navigates her new life as a single woman, she discovers she is much stronger than she ever realised. Can she build a new life, find new love and a ‘happy-ever-after’? If you love humorous and poignant novels about women facing up to the harsh realities of life, then you’ll love this emotional and uplifting story. Buy ‘Love is a State of Mind’ today. You’ll laugh and cry in equal measure.
- GenresFamily Drama
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2015
About the author
Sarah Catherine Knights
18 books15 followersSarah Catherine Knights writes heartfelt women's fiction celebrating hope, second chances, and the beauty found in life's unexpected turns.
Her emotionally rich stories often transport readers to the sun-drenched island of Cyprus, a place that captured her heart during her time there in the 1990s and continues to inspire her writing.
Sarah is the author of The Aphrodite Trilogy (Aphrodite's Child, Now Is All There Is, and Shadows in the Rock) and The Life Series (Life Happens and Life's Complicated), both set against Cyprus's evocative landscape. Her standalone novels, Love Is a State of Mind and Beneath the Cyprus Sky, further explore themes of love, loss, and rediscovery. She also shares her personal journey in her memoir Love, Honour and Annoy and delights young readers with Marvellous Mabel and Her Amazing Ball.
Her latest novel, The Seven Postcards from Famagusta was released on 11th July, 2026 and is currently in the bestsellers list for Multigenerational Fiction and Historical World War II Fiction. Although part of the novel is set in Cyprus, it marks a change from Sarah's previous books, as the Cyprus part is set during World War II. It is a dual timeline story, with the modern part set in San Francisco.
Sarah lives in Wiltshire with her husband and beloved Labrador, staying active through swimming, weight training, and long walks. When not writing, she enjoys seeing her three children and four grandchildren.
A former English teacher who returned to university at sixty to earn her MA in Creative Writing, Sarah proves it's never too late to chase your dreams.
Ready to escape to Cyprus and discover stories that will touch your heart?
Start your journey with Sarah's books today.
Her emotionally rich stories often transport readers to the sun-drenched island of Cyprus, a place that captured her heart during her time there in the 1990s and continues to inspire her writing.
Sarah is the author of The Aphrodite Trilogy (Aphrodite's Child, Now Is All There Is, and Shadows in the Rock) and The Life Series (Life Happens and Life's Complicated), both set against Cyprus's evocative landscape. Her standalone novels, Love Is a State of Mind and Beneath the Cyprus Sky, further explore themes of love, loss, and rediscovery. She also shares her personal journey in her memoir Love, Honour and Annoy and delights young readers with Marvellous Mabel and Her Amazing Ball.
Her latest novel, The Seven Postcards from Famagusta was released on 11th July, 2026 and is currently in the bestsellers list for Multigenerational Fiction and Historical World War II Fiction. Although part of the novel is set in Cyprus, it marks a change from Sarah's previous books, as the Cyprus part is set during World War II. It is a dual timeline story, with the modern part set in San Francisco.
Sarah lives in Wiltshire with her husband and beloved Labrador, staying active through swimming, weight training, and long walks. When not writing, she enjoys seeing her three children and four grandchildren.
A former English teacher who returned to university at sixty to earn her MA in Creative Writing, Sarah proves it's never too late to chase your dreams.
Ready to escape to Cyprus and discover stories that will touch your heart?
Start your journey with Sarah's books today.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 17, 2016
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The h is dumped after 30 yrs of marriage for a younger model who was pretty much trash, oh well the husband was a loser anyway and I don't see it lasting long - he makes his new piece live in his and the h's marital home after he buys out the h.
Anyways, the h is very bitter at first (and who wouldn't be,) but moves herself right along and gets out and about in a pretty great new life. This book is really a cozy book about having to move on at a time in life when a lot of people are just settling in. The h does get a new relationship and reconnects with her old ones, she also gets a lot of perspective about life and loving that help her in her growth.
Overall this one is a nice story about a lady who has to put the past behind her to open the doors to a more fulfilling life and she accomplishes this with some heartbreak but a lot of grace and charm. Worth a read for those days when you just need to reaffirm the belief that there are nice people in the world and bad things can be overcome.
Anyways, the h is very bitter at first (and who wouldn't be,) but moves herself right along and gets out and about in a pretty great new life. This book is really a cozy book about having to move on at a time in life when a lot of people are just settling in. The h does get a new relationship and reconnects with her old ones, she also gets a lot of perspective about life and loving that help her in her growth.
Overall this one is a nice story about a lady who has to put the past behind her to open the doors to a more fulfilling life and she accomplishes this with some heartbreak but a lot of grace and charm. Worth a read for those days when you just need to reaffirm the belief that there are nice people in the world and bad things can be overcome.
April 19, 2022
Nicely done moving on after betrayal story.
After 29 years of marriage, she’s traded in for a younger model. Her husband is a cliche, but she has a lovely support system and moves on to a younger model herself.
4 I wish Karma had bit him in the ass stars.
After 29 years of marriage, she’s traded in for a younger model. Her husband is a cliche, but she has a lovely support system and moves on to a younger model herself.
4 I wish Karma had bit him in the ass stars.
September 18, 2025
So this was a wonderful, uplifting story about a middle age woman in her 50s whose husband tells her he's in love with another woman who they both work with.
Although sje says he's left her , honestly I dont thi k he had any intention of leaving her..he wanted to play both sides indefinitely and let her choose what his next move was ( she choose to kick him out).
She has two 20 something kids who keep in touch and are saddened by the situation but have their own lives to concern themselves about.
She does meet a very sweet new man before a adventure to Australia to see her sister and son. Ben is 10 years younger with a young daughter.
Although sje says he's left her , honestly I dont thi k he had any intention of leaving her..he wanted to play both sides indefinitely and let her choose what his next move was ( she choose to kick him out).
She has two 20 something kids who keep in touch and are saddened by the situation but have their own lives to concern themselves about.
She does meet a very sweet new man before a adventure to Australia to see her sister and son. Ben is 10 years younger with a young daughter.
October 2, 2015
i loved this book... it was just so... what is the right word... cozy? HM. likeable. gentle. loveable. caring. kind.
it's realistic - i loved the plot and liked Anna, Ben & her children and family. loved the feelings and Anna & David's dynamic after the divorce... see, they have been together for 30+ years and they're so used to each other that David forgets to look after Anna's feelings... to be sensitive around her. he is this big, happy child and so detached from his old life and wife but... at the same time, still so connected to Anna that he continues to treat her like a friend.
i disliked David & i got a feeling that the author made him so incredibly dense on purpose. i didn't really have a problem with him leaving the marriage but the way he had handled it...? it was hard to believe this was a 50+ years old man. the way he had handled (or rather didn't) his kids was also disappointing.
i loved the message this book carries - love is, indeed a choice & a state of mind.
recommended!
August 3, 2022
This book is very well written, and it's ultimately very real. However, it's TOO real for me. Unlike most of the books I read where cheating breaks up a long-term marriage, the h's husband never really apologizes, never really grasps how terrible his behavior has been, and never really seems to understand what he has given away -- there are only occasional glimmers. The man she loves evaporates and she has to figure out what happened and whether he ever existed at all. (It's that last part that takes it out of you IRL.) This h toughs it out in an authentic way -- she grieves and rages, then looks carefully at her life and recognizes the opportunity that she's been given. As a mother of young adult children, she doesn't want to run away and join the circus; she wants to have a life that makes her happier, which means changing her life while still making sure to leave room for the people she loves. It's a tricky act.
Ultimately, this is a very good book about a woman whose life moves forward after divorce, but it's all about compromise, realizations, and decisions. There are no triumphs, but there is the satisfaction of knowing that the h has taken an active role in reshaping her life into something worth having.
Ultimately, this is a very good book about a woman whose life moves forward after divorce, but it's all about compromise, realizations, and decisions. There are no triumphs, but there is the satisfaction of knowing that the h has taken an active role in reshaping her life into something worth having.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
Sarah Catherine Knights is a new find of mine but I am thoroughly enjoying her books. She has an easy writing style which flows as well as the ability to create tangible characters and realistic dialogue, so that is easy to become absorbed in the story.
In Love is a State of Mind, Anna, our narrator, has just been given a shock when her husband, David says that he is leaving. Anna's life, has up to this point, been a little humdrum; like a comfy pair of slippers, she is used to the shape of it and its familiarity. So, to be jolted out of this by David's revelation completely throws her off balance. With her children, Holly and Adam, well on into, or starting on, their own adult lives, Anna feels a bit lost, hurt and generally bewildered. However, she has a choice - whether to wallow or use this as an opportunity to find herself.
We follow Anna as she tries to reconcile the person who she always believed she was, shaped by her job, her marriage and her role as mother, into one where she spreads her wings a bit, finding what she's capable of with the support of her friends and family.
As well as Anna's story, there are subplots too involving her children and the way that their lives are progressing as she communicates with them during the course of the book. And, of course, Gaz the dog who features as a devoted sidekick throughout the novel.
Anna is an entertaining narrator and there were times during the book where certain observations resonated with me and made me chuckle to myself. I liked the fact that Knights has chosen to show a woman who feels the hurt and rejection of being pushed to one side but also, the chances that this offers her, if she keeps an open mind and finds a little courage. There is some focus on emotion but it is not a dark book in any way - in fact, quite the opposite. I have to admit that I felt quite upbeat after reading it and was sorry that it had ended.
Nothing too taxing here and the best read for a summer afternoon in the garden with your feet up.
In Love is a State of Mind, Anna, our narrator, has just been given a shock when her husband, David says that he is leaving. Anna's life, has up to this point, been a little humdrum; like a comfy pair of slippers, she is used to the shape of it and its familiarity. So, to be jolted out of this by David's revelation completely throws her off balance. With her children, Holly and Adam, well on into, or starting on, their own adult lives, Anna feels a bit lost, hurt and generally bewildered. However, she has a choice - whether to wallow or use this as an opportunity to find herself.
We follow Anna as she tries to reconcile the person who she always believed she was, shaped by her job, her marriage and her role as mother, into one where she spreads her wings a bit, finding what she's capable of with the support of her friends and family.
As well as Anna's story, there are subplots too involving her children and the way that their lives are progressing as she communicates with them during the course of the book. And, of course, Gaz the dog who features as a devoted sidekick throughout the novel.
Anna is an entertaining narrator and there were times during the book where certain observations resonated with me and made me chuckle to myself. I liked the fact that Knights has chosen to show a woman who feels the hurt and rejection of being pushed to one side but also, the chances that this offers her, if she keeps an open mind and finds a little courage. There is some focus on emotion but it is not a dark book in any way - in fact, quite the opposite. I have to admit that I felt quite upbeat after reading it and was sorry that it had ended.
Nothing too taxing here and the best read for a summer afternoon in the garden with your feet up.
November 2, 2024
It was a nice story but the book just stopped and I felt like the story should have gone further.
To me, this was a book written for older people. It's not a bad thing but I expected way more when I read the blurb.
The heroine is 55 years old and she just got dumped by her husband (who is also 55) after 30 years of marriage because he has been having an affair with a 36 years old. Now, the husband is a school director and the heroine is a teacher. The OW is a PE teacher. No words on anti-fraternization policies so I guess it's ok. The OW has a 3 years old girl and she ends up pregnant near the end of the book.
The heroine is way too calm about everything. She is kinda boring like the story. No angst, no revenge, no shouting (she does shout but even these scenes were too calm for my liking).
The heroine does meet a guy. She's happy. The husband and his mistress are happy. The end.
I wanted chaos, I got a Sunday roast.
To me, this was a book written for older people. It's not a bad thing but I expected way more when I read the blurb.
The heroine is 55 years old and she just got dumped by her husband (who is also 55) after 30 years of marriage because he has been having an affair with a 36 years old. Now, the husband is a school director and the heroine is a teacher. The OW is a PE teacher. No words on anti-fraternization policies so I guess it's ok. The OW has a 3 years old girl and she ends up pregnant near the end of the book.
The heroine is way too calm about everything. She is kinda boring like the story. No angst, no revenge, no shouting (she does shout but even these scenes were too calm for my liking).
The heroine does meet a guy. She's happy. The husband and his mistress are happy. The end.
I wanted chaos, I got a Sunday roast.
May 21, 2022
I enjoyed this story, the book is very character driven which made the plot compelling. The author does a good job showing the struggle with a midlife breakup, especially when it was so unexpected.
I loved seeing Anna come out of the situation she was in and finally reclaim her happiness. It was great seeing her growth and finally moving on to a worthy partner. I was hoping for more comeuppance with Anna's ex, but overall I was happy with the ending.
I loved seeing Anna come out of the situation she was in and finally reclaim her happiness. It was great seeing her growth and finally moving on to a worthy partner. I was hoping for more comeuppance with Anna's ex, but overall I was happy with the ending.
June 2, 2026
Great book! Anna is intelligent, funny/sarcastic (which I enjoyed) and very relatable. Her life, Part Two, is uplifting and courageous. Gives middle age women the fire to find true happiness.
I want to sit out by the sea with her and share life stories over a glass of wine.
Anna and the other main characters in this book have me rushing through my chores to get back to the book. I didn’t want it to end. I will now download LIFE HAPPENS by this author.
I want to sit out by the sea with her and share life stories over a glass of wine.
Anna and the other main characters in this book have me rushing through my chores to get back to the book. I didn’t want it to end. I will now download LIFE HAPPENS by this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2026
A book for mature ladies understanding growing older, a husband who exchanges her for a younger version.
Navigation of loss, finding herself alone and rediscovering who she is. Reconnection new discoveries and adventures.
Maybe a little long for some who haven't found themselves in her shoes. But for those who have understand the detail.
Navigation of loss, finding herself alone and rediscovering who she is. Reconnection new discoveries and adventures.
Maybe a little long for some who haven't found themselves in her shoes. But for those who have understand the detail.
May 16, 2023
beige
Not my cup of tea, no passion, no real angst just flat ! I found it sad and lifeless, even the second chance was flat.
Not my cup of tea, no passion, no real angst just flat ! I found it sad and lifeless, even the second chance was flat.
December 12, 2024
A funny book in parts of hoe Anna gets in with life following her husbands betrayal...
June 14, 2025
Love is a state of mind
Really enjoyed this book , like a warm hug .Liked the way the characters developed and grew to root for their happiness
Really enjoyed this book , like a warm hug .Liked the way the characters developed and grew to root for their happiness
July 10, 2025
lovely book, easy read - real feel good book
March 23, 2026
Nice
Kind of slow, but overall worth reading. I didn't find it humorous, though, so was a bit disappointed in it.
Kind of slow, but overall worth reading. I didn't find it humorous, though, so was a bit disappointed in it.
June 13, 2026
This was excruciating to finish! It was no where near laugh out loud, it was a miserable Karen inserting others to her misery.
July 5, 2026
Good read
July 26, 2026
I tried listening to the audiobook version of this book. The story was sweet. The narration was AI generated and ruined the experience. I highly recommend reading and not listening to this one.
August 2, 2026
Relaxing, fun book
I really enjoyed reading this. It was like watching someone blossom as Anna experienced her new life.
It was easy and slow and I really loved it.
I really enjoyed reading this. It was like watching someone blossom as Anna experienced her new life.
It was easy and slow and I really loved it.
August 21, 2026
3.5 stars
August 31, 2026
Was an easy read and kept me wanting to read more
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews