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Somebody Else's Boy
When drama teacher, Nancy O’Brien, puts her ambitions on hold to support her family, she returns to her idyllic seaside home town, St Nicholas Bay. Jack has his own reasons for heading to the Bay; a young widower desperate to come to terms with his loss, he hopes setting up home there with baby son, Toby, might just enable him to survive the future.
As Nancy and Jack become closer, not everyone is thrilled, particularly Toby’s grandmother, who can’t bear to see her late daughter ‘replaced’. When Fraser– the only man Nancy’s ever really loved – reappears, her living arrangements with Jack seem set for disaster.
With Nancy's mother, Ruth, hiding a shocking secret that will send shockwaves through the whole family, Nancy begins to wonder why she ever came home. Will Nancy and Jack be allowed to embrace the future, or will their histories forever bind them to the past?
As Nancy and Jack become closer, not everyone is thrilled, particularly Toby’s grandmother, who can’t bear to see her late daughter ‘replaced’. When Fraser– the only man Nancy’s ever really loved – reappears, her living arrangements with Jack seem set for disaster.
With Nancy's mother, Ruth, hiding a shocking secret that will send shockwaves through the whole family, Nancy begins to wonder why she ever came home. Will Nancy and Jack be allowed to embrace the future, or will their histories forever bind them to the past?
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 216
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 14, 2017
3.5 stars
Jack's wife has an accident which results in her death, leaving him a widower and his 9 month old son Toby motherless. He loved his wife very much and finding it difficult to deal with the grief, Jack makes the decision to move to a small seaside town called St. Nicholas Bay with his son, where he finds a job as a creative-writing tutor at a college. Nancy O'Brien is a drama teacher at the college who's engaged to David. She's put her ambitions to the side in order to support her family as her father suffers from Alzheimer's and lives in a care home. Her father's condition affects both Nancy and her mother Ruth greatly. To see the man they have both loved so much slowly fade away over time is certainly heartbreaking. Nancy tries to put together a pantomime with the help of Jack, and others from the community come together, resulting in some hilarious moments.
I wasn't wowed by the book if I was honest. From all the reviews I saw, I was expecting to love this a lot more than I did. Although there were some great funny moments, I felt like the story fell a little flat for me. I thought the friendship between Jack and Nancy that slowly built over time was great. They really got to know each other and became each other's support in their times of need. Toby was adorable who became really attached to Nancy and Nancy loved him just the same. One of my favourite things to read about in a book are the characters. You can tell a lot about someone through the way they speak and carry themselves. I thought Nancy was a very strong person despite all that she was going through. I had never given a lot of thought to Alzheimer's before this but the book made me realise how much it affects those who's family members are affected bit it.
Overall a decent read!
Jack's wife has an accident which results in her death, leaving him a widower and his 9 month old son Toby motherless. He loved his wife very much and finding it difficult to deal with the grief, Jack makes the decision to move to a small seaside town called St. Nicholas Bay with his son, where he finds a job as a creative-writing tutor at a college. Nancy O'Brien is a drama teacher at the college who's engaged to David. She's put her ambitions to the side in order to support her family as her father suffers from Alzheimer's and lives in a care home. Her father's condition affects both Nancy and her mother Ruth greatly. To see the man they have both loved so much slowly fade away over time is certainly heartbreaking. Nancy tries to put together a pantomime with the help of Jack, and others from the community come together, resulting in some hilarious moments.
I wasn't wowed by the book if I was honest. From all the reviews I saw, I was expecting to love this a lot more than I did. Although there were some great funny moments, I felt like the story fell a little flat for me. I thought the friendship between Jack and Nancy that slowly built over time was great. They really got to know each other and became each other's support in their times of need. Toby was adorable who became really attached to Nancy and Nancy loved him just the same. One of my favourite things to read about in a book are the characters. You can tell a lot about someone through the way they speak and carry themselves. I thought Nancy was a very strong person despite all that she was going through. I had never given a lot of thought to Alzheimer's before this but the book made me realise how much it affects those who's family members are affected bit it.
Overall a decent read!
June 19, 2018
Three and a half stars.
Drama teacher, Nancy O’Brien, has returned home to St Nicholas Bay to help support her mother. Her father, only sixty two, is in The Pines, a care home for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Though she and her mother Ruth visit on alternate days, he does not remember either of them, which is heartbreaking for them. After the death of his young wife, Jack moves to St Nicholas Bay with his baby Toby. He hopes to find what he need to help his face the future and to start writing again. He takes up a position as a creative writing teacher at the local college where Nancy works. But who is he going to get to care for Toby while he is at work? And what about the plans Nancy is involved in for a local theatre group? Will that ever come to fruition given some of the events that threaten to derail it?
I really liked the depiction of the town and its community. It was a fun addition as those in town focused on connections to Charles Dickens and named many of the businesses to fit that theme. Nancy was a lovely character with a caring and forgiving nature. But she can also be strong and determined when she needs to be. Jack is also likeable as are some of the other characters. This is a good read about dealing with grief, friendship, abuse, caring for others, depression and forgiveness.
At times it does seem a little predictable and some changes, to me seemed a bit too sudden in shift. I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced about the need for secrecy and the promise made. I enjoyed reading it, although twice the author refers to koala bears. A bit of research would have revealed there is no such animal. They are simply koalas. No relation to the bear family. For an Aussie that wrong fact niggled. Despite the quibbles mentioned above it was a good, light read that still managed to tackle some serious issues. I enjoyed the setting and characters, except the one or two the reader was never really meant to like. But even with one of them, the author manages to evoke sympathy. In the end the story leaves you feeling good.
This is the first book in a series about St Nicholas Bay. I will likely read book 2 when I find it.
Drama teacher, Nancy O’Brien, has returned home to St Nicholas Bay to help support her mother. Her father, only sixty two, is in The Pines, a care home for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Though she and her mother Ruth visit on alternate days, he does not remember either of them, which is heartbreaking for them. After the death of his young wife, Jack moves to St Nicholas Bay with his baby Toby. He hopes to find what he need to help his face the future and to start writing again. He takes up a position as a creative writing teacher at the local college where Nancy works. But who is he going to get to care for Toby while he is at work? And what about the plans Nancy is involved in for a local theatre group? Will that ever come to fruition given some of the events that threaten to derail it?
I really liked the depiction of the town and its community. It was a fun addition as those in town focused on connections to Charles Dickens and named many of the businesses to fit that theme. Nancy was a lovely character with a caring and forgiving nature. But she can also be strong and determined when she needs to be. Jack is also likeable as are some of the other characters. This is a good read about dealing with grief, friendship, abuse, caring for others, depression and forgiveness.
At times it does seem a little predictable and some changes, to me seemed a bit too sudden in shift. I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced about the need for secrecy and the promise made. I enjoyed reading it, although twice the author refers to koala bears. A bit of research would have revealed there is no such animal. They are simply koalas. No relation to the bear family. For an Aussie that wrong fact niggled. Despite the quibbles mentioned above it was a good, light read that still managed to tackle some serious issues. I enjoyed the setting and characters, except the one or two the reader was never really meant to like. But even with one of them, the author manages to evoke sympathy. In the end the story leaves you feeling good.
This is the first book in a series about St Nicholas Bay. I will likely read book 2 when I find it.
September 30, 2016
This is the first book I’ve read by Jo Bartlett and after reading this novel Jo will be going straight onto my favourite author’s list. Somebody Else’s Boy is book one in the St Nicholas Bay series. I was initially drawn to this novel by the gorgeous cover with it’s quaint illustration of a coastal community. I do prefer illustrated covers to photographic ones, they appeal more to me.
Within the first few pages of this novel Jo Bartlett takes you on an emotional journey with the two main characters Nancy and Jack experiencing such tragic events in their personal lives that change their outlook forever. My heart was breaking for them both. Their situations were quite different but they were both experiencing great losses in their lives. A chance encounter brings the two strangers together and a solution to one of their most recent dilemmas is resolved. Nancy and Jack are joined together in a community project bringing a theatre group to the local community centre. Jack helps with the screenplay for a new pantomime. The community is brought together for the pantomime with some comical results. However, the panto does not bring happy times to all of the residents in the community as one of their own is faced with a terrifying ordeal. Friendships and families are put to the test with events from the past and present changing the course of the future for Nancy, Jack and their close-ones.
Jo Bartlett has written a wonderful tale set around an idyllic coastal bay in the south of England with characters that are easily relatable and you find yourself loving as each page is read. I instantly fell for little Toby. This story subtly deals with grief, loss, betrayal, abuse, new beginnings all with such a warmth that you get enveloped in the emotions the characters are feeling but you don’t feel depressed … a story with hope and strength emanating from new beginnings mixed with a big dose of love. 5/5*
I am really looking forward to continuing falling in love with the characters in the St Nicholas Bay series
Within the first few pages of this novel Jo Bartlett takes you on an emotional journey with the two main characters Nancy and Jack experiencing such tragic events in their personal lives that change their outlook forever. My heart was breaking for them both. Their situations were quite different but they were both experiencing great losses in their lives. A chance encounter brings the two strangers together and a solution to one of their most recent dilemmas is resolved. Nancy and Jack are joined together in a community project bringing a theatre group to the local community centre. Jack helps with the screenplay for a new pantomime. The community is brought together for the pantomime with some comical results. However, the panto does not bring happy times to all of the residents in the community as one of their own is faced with a terrifying ordeal. Friendships and families are put to the test with events from the past and present changing the course of the future for Nancy, Jack and their close-ones.
Jo Bartlett has written a wonderful tale set around an idyllic coastal bay in the south of England with characters that are easily relatable and you find yourself loving as each page is read. I instantly fell for little Toby. This story subtly deals with grief, loss, betrayal, abuse, new beginnings all with such a warmth that you get enveloped in the emotions the characters are feeling but you don’t feel depressed … a story with hope and strength emanating from new beginnings mixed with a big dose of love. 5/5*
I am really looking forward to continuing falling in love with the characters in the St Nicholas Bay series
July 8, 2018
This was a good read. It took a while to get going. Nancy and Ruth with have loss in their lives- Ruth's husband has Alzheimers and no longer recognises his wife or daughter. Nancy also has 2 serious relationships break down for different reasons.
Jack moves to the area, recently bereaved and with his baby son in tow.
This is a story of love and loss and finding your way again. Both Mother and daughter gradually come to terms with their lives and the lives of those around them.
I loved it.
Jack moves to the area, recently bereaved and with his baby son in tow.
This is a story of love and loss and finding your way again. Both Mother and daughter gradually come to terms with their lives and the lives of those around them.
I loved it.
June 2, 2025
Beautiful love story
Heartbreak to happiness. A great story of loss and finding love and a life worth living again. The grief of losing a spouse and then a different grief of losing a family member to a debilitating illness shows just how strong the ones left behind learn to live life again and find peace in new beginnings
Heartbreak to happiness. A great story of loss and finding love and a life worth living again. The grief of losing a spouse and then a different grief of losing a family member to a debilitating illness shows just how strong the ones left behind learn to live life again and find peace in new beginnings
February 9, 2017
Good story
As love stories go this had a bit of an edge. It isn't your typical boy meets girl have a bit of a problem and then comes the orange blossom. This is a story about real human emotions, the writer makes you identify with e
As love stories go this had a bit of an edge. It isn't your typical boy meets girl have a bit of a problem and then comes the orange blossom. This is a story about real human emotions, the writer makes you identify with e
March 26, 2022
Fantastic
This book was great, i kept thinking who was going to be happy in there relationship. Then it kept changing but it all worked out in the end. I cant wait to read the next book.
This book was great, i kept thinking who was going to be happy in there relationship. Then it kept changing but it all worked out in the end. I cant wait to read the next book.
July 1, 2022
Somebody Else’s Boy (St Nicholas Bay Series)
This book was riveting from beginning to end. It was well written and explained throughout. I loved the Modern approach to families and love. I shall be reading the other books in the series.
This book was riveting from beginning to end. It was well written and explained throughout. I loved the Modern approach to families and love. I shall be reading the other books in the series.
June 24, 2019
Somebody Else's Boy
Wow what wonderful book.The fabulous characters and story make this a book to thoroughly enjoy in piece and quiet. Enjoy
Wow what wonderful book.The fabulous characters and story make this a book to thoroughly enjoy in piece and quiet. Enjoy
July 25, 2022
Lovely
I thoroughly recommend this book, such a lovely romantic story.
Jack and Nancy were made for each other. Toby could not wish for better parents.
I thoroughly recommend this book, such a lovely romantic story.
Jack and Nancy were made for each other. Toby could not wish for better parents.
August 10, 2022
Beautifully written
There are several issues explored in this book, all are looked at with sensitivity and care. Love always wins out.
There are several issues explored in this book, all are looked at with sensitivity and care. Love always wins out.
September 15, 2023
Great read
Really enjoyed this story and the characters.
Nancy especially.
Fun and sad bits. Definitely worth reading.
Looking forward to more from Jo
Really enjoyed this story and the characters.
Nancy especially.
Fun and sad bits. Definitely worth reading.
Looking forward to more from Jo
June 30, 2024
Great housewarming story
This was a well written story of loss and love. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and good lighthearted story I enjoyed
This was a well written story of loss and love. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and good lighthearted story I enjoyed
November 3, 2024
good read
Lovely story of life, death and love and all the struggles between
Well written with nm lots of ups, downs and surprises.
Lovely story of life, death and love and all the struggles between
Well written with nm lots of ups, downs and surprises.
February 22, 2025
amazing book
Absolutely loved this book , couldn’t put it down , didn’t take long to finish and lovely ending , well dialogued too
Absolutely loved this book , couldn’t put it down , didn’t take long to finish and lovely ending , well dialogued too
September 4, 2025
Really beautiful story and well written.
Very emotional stories throughout for lots of the characters who were very endearing.
Very emotional stories throughout for lots of the characters who were very endearing.
October 6, 2016
This was another super book from Jo. I adored her first book and was delighted to get a copy of her latest to read in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely love her writing style and can't wait for the next book in the St Nicholas Bay series. I feel like I live amongst them now and can't wait to get to know them all better.
Nancy and Jack meet through work and are both suffering personally. They discover that they can solve several problems by helping each other out and their friendship grows quickly. They can chat to each other and relax in each other's company. Nancy also loves his little boy Toby.
We get to meet the families and friends and learn more about the issues they are working through. Jack is a writer and he helps Nancy put on a pantomime in a local hall. This adds much comic relief as the pantomime dame gets into his stride. You can feel the community spirit as everyone comes together to audition, rehearse and put on the production and you can imagine the next show.
We are taken through a complete range of emotions here- friendships are sorely tested, love reaches out, family relationships reach breaking points, guilt, acceptance, moments of pure happiness are all here and waiting for you to turn the page. I could not wait to see where the storyline went and was hoping for various developments.
An engagement celebration on a boat sounded wonderful and you could just feel the party atmosphere and made you wish you'd been invited along. I can't wait to see where we will meet the characters next time.
Nancy and Jack meet through work and are both suffering personally. They discover that they can solve several problems by helping each other out and their friendship grows quickly. They can chat to each other and relax in each other's company. Nancy also loves his little boy Toby.
We get to meet the families and friends and learn more about the issues they are working through. Jack is a writer and he helps Nancy put on a pantomime in a local hall. This adds much comic relief as the pantomime dame gets into his stride. You can feel the community spirit as everyone comes together to audition, rehearse and put on the production and you can imagine the next show.
We are taken through a complete range of emotions here- friendships are sorely tested, love reaches out, family relationships reach breaking points, guilt, acceptance, moments of pure happiness are all here and waiting for you to turn the page. I could not wait to see where the storyline went and was hoping for various developments.
An engagement celebration on a boat sounded wonderful and you could just feel the party atmosphere and made you wish you'd been invited along. I can't wait to see where we will meet the characters next time.
September 26, 2016
I was very eager to start reading Somebody Else's Boy as I had heard so many great things about it and I wasn't disappointed. From the very beginning of the book we are introduced to the setting of St Nicholas Bay, a haven for Charles Dickens enthusiasts with novelty gift shops and tea rooms. However there is so much more to this idyllic setting near the south coast and, this is echoed in the wonderful cast of characters that we are introduced to along the way.
Nancy is a drama lecturer at the local college and is daughter to John and Ruth. I really liked Nancy and would love her as a best friend. She is warm, genuine and down to earth. I found myself wanting the very best for her and the scenes with her father most definitely brought a lump to my throat. At her roots, Nancy is a genuinely kind person who has not had the best of luck in life romantically, and when Jack suddenly appears in the Bay, I found myself rooting for the pair of them to get together. To be happy.
This then leads me on to Jack, what can I say? I love him, what woman wouldn't. He lost the love of his life and you just want him to be happy again, to live. But he is in limbo and you cannot help but feel his pain. This state of being in limbo and of not being fulfilled with life is so very true for many of the characters in the book, and I was once again reminded that life is for living, that we need to seize the moment. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?
Father's play a huge role in this book and this theme very much ran as an undercurrent for the entire story. We have Jack who is dad to baby Toby, who has, as a very recent widower, had to learn to raise his son as a single father in the best way that he can. His thoughts, feelings and raw emotion were written beautifully. I felt his grief in every single word. I just wanted to reach into the pages and give him a big hug. The scenes between him and Toby were also written beautifully, sharing that newly formed bond between dad and son. The theme of fathers is also emotionally portrayed in the relationship between Nancy and John. I can't say too much about this without giving away the plot, but the way in which the author writes about their relationship is authentic and from the heart.
Some very serious issues are tackled in this book, but again I can't go into them as it would spoil the story, and I don't want to do that. All I will say is that these issues are dealt with in a sensitive manner and add to the depth of the story. For all of these serious issues though, this is in fact a funny book. It is uplifting in the fact that we are reminded to live each day as if it is our last. To embrace it.
The very core of this book is based upon a beautiful love story, told through many different narratives. The love that a mother and daughter share, the love between father and daughter, father and son. I also really enjoyed the blossoming friendship between Nancy and Jack. The very heart of this book is built upon the love that grows from friendship.
Nancy is a drama lecturer at the local college and is daughter to John and Ruth. I really liked Nancy and would love her as a best friend. She is warm, genuine and down to earth. I found myself wanting the very best for her and the scenes with her father most definitely brought a lump to my throat. At her roots, Nancy is a genuinely kind person who has not had the best of luck in life romantically, and when Jack suddenly appears in the Bay, I found myself rooting for the pair of them to get together. To be happy.
This then leads me on to Jack, what can I say? I love him, what woman wouldn't. He lost the love of his life and you just want him to be happy again, to live. But he is in limbo and you cannot help but feel his pain. This state of being in limbo and of not being fulfilled with life is so very true for many of the characters in the book, and I was once again reminded that life is for living, that we need to seize the moment. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?
Father's play a huge role in this book and this theme very much ran as an undercurrent for the entire story. We have Jack who is dad to baby Toby, who has, as a very recent widower, had to learn to raise his son as a single father in the best way that he can. His thoughts, feelings and raw emotion were written beautifully. I felt his grief in every single word. I just wanted to reach into the pages and give him a big hug. The scenes between him and Toby were also written beautifully, sharing that newly formed bond between dad and son. The theme of fathers is also emotionally portrayed in the relationship between Nancy and John. I can't say too much about this without giving away the plot, but the way in which the author writes about their relationship is authentic and from the heart.
Some very serious issues are tackled in this book, but again I can't go into them as it would spoil the story, and I don't want to do that. All I will say is that these issues are dealt with in a sensitive manner and add to the depth of the story. For all of these serious issues though, this is in fact a funny book. It is uplifting in the fact that we are reminded to live each day as if it is our last. To embrace it.
The very core of this book is based upon a beautiful love story, told through many different narratives. The love that a mother and daughter share, the love between father and daughter, father and son. I also really enjoyed the blossoming friendship between Nancy and Jack. The very heart of this book is built upon the love that grows from friendship.
January 11, 2017
Logically the best place to start to talk about this book is with St. Nicholas Bay, which turns out is a fictional town in Kent. I say that because I was so convinced the town had to be real from the detailed descriptions of it, and its history, that I went onto google to find out more about it, especially since the town has connections with Dickens, but then discovered that apart from a hotel in Greece sharing the name, it really is a fictional setting.
And what a setting it is, as has a real small, community minded, town feel to it, which is especially evidenced by the new theatre group , and their first production, the Cinderella pantomime that has been changed slightly to fit in with the towns connections to Charles Dickens.
The theatre group has been started by best friends Nancy and Olivia, although after a very specific and hilarious incident, they aren't really best friends any more. In fact in a short space of time, Nancy has lost her best friend, and her fiancee, and needs to find somewhere else to live.
Jack who edits the panto, is a single father to 9 month old Toby, who tragically has found himself widowed and has moved to St. Nicholas Bay, as a change of scenery. He comes to the rescue and offers Nancy a place to live, so long as she is ok to do some babysitting, while Jack is at work at his new job, teaching creative writing, at the same place Nancy works.
There are some tough topics dealt with in a very realistic way, which include grief and moving on, and alzheimer's, as well as domestic abuse, but not in as much depth. With each new topic introduced into the story, I found myself enjoying it more and more, despite the not overly joyous nature of the conditions, because the writing was endearing me so much to the characters, they just gained new depths and felt more real with these obstacles to overcome.
Yet with the seriousness of some of the book, there was also many humorous moments which kept the book on its toes, and pace moving along steadily.
I loved Jack and Toby and would love to see more of them both. Toby is the most adorable baby, generally quite well behaved, and is very happy playing, or giving people he likes, big grins. Jack is of course grieving for Alice, has his mother-in-law's grief to handle too, and yet also feels guilty at how this life starts to turn out, especially with Nancy living with him, which in a purely platonic sense alleviates some loneliness.
Somebody Else's Boy is an uplifting story, written in a style I enjoyed reading, and is a good mix of fun and more serious moments.
Thank you to Jo Bartlett for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
And what a setting it is, as has a real small, community minded, town feel to it, which is especially evidenced by the new theatre group , and their first production, the Cinderella pantomime that has been changed slightly to fit in with the towns connections to Charles Dickens.
The theatre group has been started by best friends Nancy and Olivia, although after a very specific and hilarious incident, they aren't really best friends any more. In fact in a short space of time, Nancy has lost her best friend, and her fiancee, and needs to find somewhere else to live.
Jack who edits the panto, is a single father to 9 month old Toby, who tragically has found himself widowed and has moved to St. Nicholas Bay, as a change of scenery. He comes to the rescue and offers Nancy a place to live, so long as she is ok to do some babysitting, while Jack is at work at his new job, teaching creative writing, at the same place Nancy works.
There are some tough topics dealt with in a very realistic way, which include grief and moving on, and alzheimer's, as well as domestic abuse, but not in as much depth. With each new topic introduced into the story, I found myself enjoying it more and more, despite the not overly joyous nature of the conditions, because the writing was endearing me so much to the characters, they just gained new depths and felt more real with these obstacles to overcome.
Yet with the seriousness of some of the book, there was also many humorous moments which kept the book on its toes, and pace moving along steadily.
I loved Jack and Toby and would love to see more of them both. Toby is the most adorable baby, generally quite well behaved, and is very happy playing, or giving people he likes, big grins. Jack is of course grieving for Alice, has his mother-in-law's grief to handle too, and yet also feels guilty at how this life starts to turn out, especially with Nancy living with him, which in a purely platonic sense alleviates some loneliness.
Somebody Else's Boy is an uplifting story, written in a style I enjoyed reading, and is a good mix of fun and more serious moments.
Thank you to Jo Bartlett for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
August 31, 2016
As they say: unputdownable!
This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. When I finished it, I was sad to let the characters go. I hope to find them again in book two of the St Nicholas Bay series!
This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. When I finished it, I was sad to let the characters go. I hope to find them again in book two of the St Nicholas Bay series!
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