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The Man I Fell In Love With
Sometimes there’s a right person for one half of your life, and a right person for the other…
After twenty years of quiet, contented marriage, Mary Black can’t help but find her eyes drawn to a particularly handsome man at a Christmas party. But her world is suddenly turned upside down when she sees her husband Leo next to him, holding his hand…
For the sake of her children, Mary has no choice but to pick herself back up and start again. She hosts a family Christmas that includes her ex-husband and his new partner. She copes with her children wanting to spend less time with her, and more time with their “fun” dads. And she tries her VERY best to ignore Leo’s hunk of a brother, who has been living in New York for many years, but has just come back to town…
As Mary tries to reshape her future, the past unravels, exposing secrets and lies that rewrite the story of her life and leave her questioning where her loyalties really should lie. After living a life of sliding doors and missed opportunities, can she finally put herself first and take a chance that could change everything? Sometimes life begins at the end of your comfort zone…
272 pages, ebook
Published February 7, 2019
66 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
January 15, 2022
**I miss this book***
Surprise!!!
Wow! I never thought this book would turn out to be this good!
When I picked up this book, I thought I would just try out a chapter and lo! I got hooked!
Kate Field, she has that charm and attraction in her writing. My first book of the author but yes, this is my magic find of the month👍
The story is about Mary Black whose life is crumbling down right in front of her with her husband, Leo, getting turning out to be gay and moving in with the love of his life, Clark.
With two teenage kids, Jonas and Ava; with a friendly confidante mother-in-law, Audrey & her mother to deal with life becomes a lot messier & complicated to deal with facing all kinds of humiliation after having sacrificed all her 20 years into the marriage.
But it was nothing compared to her confused feelings regarding Ethan, the brother of Leo & her brother-in-law.
Yes, this plot might ruin your chances of enjoying this book.
But the book is bigger than this!
It's her writing style that did it!
It's the perfect blend of characters that draws me so much into the book.
The quest to know herself better and accept better things for her own in the end was the ultimate success of the story👍
The characters in this book have been built up so good:
Leo - the husband I would love to hate so much. The selfish prick who was basking in the spotlight while his wife, Mary, was the one working too hard day and night to trail all the possible work of a long gone famous author, Alice Hornby
*Mary: Our main character! Damn she is so flawed yet we all can see a bit of ourselves in her regarding what we compromise for the ones we love.. to the point of neglecting herself for years and becoming used to it
*Ethan : The hot, caring guy. What can I say about him! He is perfect.
*Mary's parents: They are a hideous lot yet you will understand them in the end☺️
*Audrey: Mother of Leo and Ethan. Mary's best friend. The best mother-in-law you will ever read in fiction
*Daisy: Mary's best friend other than Audrey. She ended up with Owen, the art teacher at Ava's school.
Owen and Mary has a history too ☺️
*Jonas: Mary's son. The perfect son. The cutest, sweetest teenage boy I will ever read about. I want a son like him🤗
*Ava: Mary's teen daughter who is an exact copy of her, expert at bottling up her feelings.
Well, I have never loved such a read like this.
This is not exactly your perfect romance read. This is a story about so many things about a woman who has been giving all of her life to her husband, her kids, her family and friends forgetting how to love herself and giving herself a chance to live.
Absolute gem of a book!
Surprise!!!
Wow! I never thought this book would turn out to be this good!
When I picked up this book, I thought I would just try out a chapter and lo! I got hooked!
Kate Field, she has that charm and attraction in her writing. My first book of the author but yes, this is my magic find of the month👍
The story is about Mary Black whose life is crumbling down right in front of her with her husband, Leo, getting turning out to be gay and moving in with the love of his life, Clark.
With two teenage kids, Jonas and Ava; with a friendly confidante mother-in-law, Audrey & her mother to deal with life becomes a lot messier & complicated to deal with facing all kinds of humiliation after having sacrificed all her 20 years into the marriage.
But it was nothing compared to her confused feelings regarding Ethan, the brother of Leo & her brother-in-law.
Yes, this plot might ruin your chances of enjoying this book.
But the book is bigger than this!
It's her writing style that did it!
It's the perfect blend of characters that draws me so much into the book.
The quest to know herself better and accept better things for her own in the end was the ultimate success of the story👍
The characters in this book have been built up so good:
Leo - the husband I would love to hate so much. The selfish prick who was basking in the spotlight while his wife, Mary, was the one working too hard day and night to trail all the possible work of a long gone famous author, Alice Hornby
*Mary: Our main character! Damn she is so flawed yet we all can see a bit of ourselves in her regarding what we compromise for the ones we love.. to the point of neglecting herself for years and becoming used to it
*Ethan : The hot, caring guy. What can I say about him! He is perfect.
*Mary's parents: They are a hideous lot yet you will understand them in the end☺️
*Audrey: Mother of Leo and Ethan. Mary's best friend. The best mother-in-law you will ever read in fiction
*Daisy: Mary's best friend other than Audrey. She ended up with Owen, the art teacher at Ava's school.
Owen and Mary has a history too ☺️
*Jonas: Mary's son. The perfect son. The cutest, sweetest teenage boy I will ever read about. I want a son like him🤗
*Ava: Mary's teen daughter who is an exact copy of her, expert at bottling up her feelings.
Well, I have never loved such a read like this.
This is not exactly your perfect romance read. This is a story about so many things about a woman who has been giving all of her life to her husband, her kids, her family and friends forgetting how to love herself and giving herself a chance to live.
Absolute gem of a book!
January 17, 2019
When I read the synopsis of this book it sounded like a love story with a twist so I went a head requested a copy on Netgalley and I’m absolutely over the moon I did. Kate’s writing is so easy to follow and when I had to put the book down it was very easy to get back into the swing of the story. With having a crazy life I certainly needed to read a book like this in amongst all the craziness.
Obviously I was totally drawn to Mary, she knows instantly that her husband is going to leave her for another man and decides to not kick up a fuss about it for the sake of her children. I was hoping that Mary would put up more of a fight for her marriage but it clearly wouldn’t be the same if she did that. She comes across as a very shy person that doesn’t really speak her mind though I was willing for that to change as the story goes on (you will definitely have to read it to see if she does change her attitude) I found the other characters very likeable and they obviously have Mary’s best interests at heart (especially a certain man!) It wasn’t clear till near the end of the story what Mary was going to do with her life but I loved that as there were many twists and turns in the meantime! I was so happy with the ending that I’m sure Kate could write a sequel and I for one would read it!
I’m certainly looking forward to any future novels that Kate releases as I will definitely be reading those in the future. If you want a love story with a twist (as mentioned before) and want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside then I would totally recommend you read ‘The Man I Fell In Love With’ I give this emotional, feel good story a very deserving 5*/5* 😊
Thank you to Avon Books UK and Kate Field for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.
Obviously I was totally drawn to Mary, she knows instantly that her husband is going to leave her for another man and decides to not kick up a fuss about it for the sake of her children. I was hoping that Mary would put up more of a fight for her marriage but it clearly wouldn’t be the same if she did that. She comes across as a very shy person that doesn’t really speak her mind though I was willing for that to change as the story goes on (you will definitely have to read it to see if she does change her attitude) I found the other characters very likeable and they obviously have Mary’s best interests at heart (especially a certain man!) It wasn’t clear till near the end of the story what Mary was going to do with her life but I loved that as there were many twists and turns in the meantime! I was so happy with the ending that I’m sure Kate could write a sequel and I for one would read it!
I’m certainly looking forward to any future novels that Kate releases as I will definitely be reading those in the future. If you want a love story with a twist (as mentioned before) and want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside then I would totally recommend you read ‘The Man I Fell In Love With’ I give this emotional, feel good story a very deserving 5*/5* 😊
Thank you to Avon Books UK and Kate Field for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.
July 30, 2019
Grrrr! Mary’s a drip. I’m so sick of self-effacing, self-sacrificing women! Leo walks all over Mary and she works for him for free and lets him take credit for the work she does. Gross!
Grump! Grump!
Grump! Grump!
December 17, 2018
Probably a 3.5 !!!!
What do I say about a book that I read in one single sitting without ever putting it down because it’s so well written and enticing to read, but I don’t really know what I feel about the characters. It’s a very realistic emotional read while being equally frustrating and I don’t think I’ve ever struggled so much to rate a book.
Mary is such a realistic portrayal of the lives of so many women that it just pained me to read her story. Due to her childhood abandonment issues, she chose a life of safety and contentment over that of love and passion and has spent the next two decades dedicating herself to the welfare of her family. Her work revolves around making sure her husband is successful without ever getting credit for her massive contribution and her home life is all about making sure her kids, her mother and mother-in-law are happy, irrespective of her feelings on any matter. Even after the disastrous way she learns about her husband’s affair and the subsequent divorce, it falls to her to keep the peace, make sure the kids don’t lose their father and co-exist happily with her husband’s new partner.
I can understand the responsibility that Mary feels towards her family and wanting to make sure that her kids are able to get through the divorce and the new reality without a lot of hostility. But she suppresses every part of her personality and her heart for this to happen; she is essentially a doormat for most part of the book and I hated it. I hated it more because it’s also very accurate and hit quite close to home and I guess I just wanted her to finally reach for her happiness instead of settling for what others expected of her. It takes a long time for her to realize her own worth, decide that she deserves her own life outside of her family and even though she does change her mind later, I thought it was too late in the book and I was already on the verge of exasperation.
The major problem I had with the book is that I disliked most of the other characters. Her ex-husband Leo is a selfish, lying, cheating, manipulative jerk and I didn’t like that he got everything that he wanted in life, but never really had to answer for any of his wrongs. He is never called out, Mary never confronts him and she doesn’t even really think that he has wronged her, and is happy to remain his friend. I was very disappointed with this take that a man can get away with anything and a woman will forgive him. Mary’s mother felt very condescending and kept reminding her to choose her family and keeping everyone happy over her own life. Her mother-in-law seemed like she wanted more for Mary but she never tells it outright and when she does, I again thought it was too late. Mary’s 14-year old daughter Ava is supposed to be a typical parent-hating teenager, but I especially disliked that she showed so much disrespect towards her mother who did so much for her, while seeming to accept her father’s decisions so easily. Her son Jonas is the only one in the household who seems to care how his mother feels and though he speaks very less, he definitely succeeds in conveying his support for her. And her brother-in-law Ethan is the one person who tries very hard to poke and prod and provoke her to realize that there is more to life than feeling contented and encourages her to come out of her shell and let herself fly.
The writing is seamless to get through and it felt very hard to put down. Every single character and emotion is portrayed very close to reality and that’s what made it such a difficult read. The feel of a small town and it’s dynamics are captured very well and I could really feel being in the setting. There is also a whole subplot about a Victorian author Alice Hornby and Mary’s adoration of her writing which I thought was done really done well. I could totally feel the love that Mary had for books and the bookstores she visits are described beautifully, especially Archer’s and I felt totally transported to those places.
If you like realistic fiction with very accurate true to life portrayals of characters, then I think you will enjoy this one more than I did. I just didn’t feel satisfied with the end and also with the way everyone got away with their lies and manipulations. I also think I just wanted Mary to be more assertive and decisive earlier in the book and I definitely would have loved an epilogue to finally see that she is truly happy.
What do I say about a book that I read in one single sitting without ever putting it down because it’s so well written and enticing to read, but I don’t really know what I feel about the characters. It’s a very realistic emotional read while being equally frustrating and I don’t think I’ve ever struggled so much to rate a book.
Mary is such a realistic portrayal of the lives of so many women that it just pained me to read her story. Due to her childhood abandonment issues, she chose a life of safety and contentment over that of love and passion and has spent the next two decades dedicating herself to the welfare of her family. Her work revolves around making sure her husband is successful without ever getting credit for her massive contribution and her home life is all about making sure her kids, her mother and mother-in-law are happy, irrespective of her feelings on any matter. Even after the disastrous way she learns about her husband’s affair and the subsequent divorce, it falls to her to keep the peace, make sure the kids don’t lose their father and co-exist happily with her husband’s new partner.
I can understand the responsibility that Mary feels towards her family and wanting to make sure that her kids are able to get through the divorce and the new reality without a lot of hostility. But she suppresses every part of her personality and her heart for this to happen; she is essentially a doormat for most part of the book and I hated it. I hated it more because it’s also very accurate and hit quite close to home and I guess I just wanted her to finally reach for her happiness instead of settling for what others expected of her. It takes a long time for her to realize her own worth, decide that she deserves her own life outside of her family and even though she does change her mind later, I thought it was too late in the book and I was already on the verge of exasperation.
The major problem I had with the book is that I disliked most of the other characters. Her ex-husband Leo is a selfish, lying, cheating, manipulative jerk and I didn’t like that he got everything that he wanted in life, but never really had to answer for any of his wrongs. He is never called out, Mary never confronts him and she doesn’t even really think that he has wronged her, and is happy to remain his friend. I was very disappointed with this take that a man can get away with anything and a woman will forgive him. Mary’s mother felt very condescending and kept reminding her to choose her family and keeping everyone happy over her own life. Her mother-in-law seemed like she wanted more for Mary but she never tells it outright and when she does, I again thought it was too late. Mary’s 14-year old daughter Ava is supposed to be a typical parent-hating teenager, but I especially disliked that she showed so much disrespect towards her mother who did so much for her, while seeming to accept her father’s decisions so easily. Her son Jonas is the only one in the household who seems to care how his mother feels and though he speaks very less, he definitely succeeds in conveying his support for her. And her brother-in-law Ethan is the one person who tries very hard to poke and prod and provoke her to realize that there is more to life than feeling contented and encourages her to come out of her shell and let herself fly.
The writing is seamless to get through and it felt very hard to put down. Every single character and emotion is portrayed very close to reality and that’s what made it such a difficult read. The feel of a small town and it’s dynamics are captured very well and I could really feel being in the setting. There is also a whole subplot about a Victorian author Alice Hornby and Mary’s adoration of her writing which I thought was done really done well. I could totally feel the love that Mary had for books and the bookstores she visits are described beautifully, especially Archer’s and I felt totally transported to those places.
If you like realistic fiction with very accurate true to life portrayals of characters, then I think you will enjoy this one more than I did. I just didn’t feel satisfied with the end and also with the way everyone got away with their lies and manipulations. I also think I just wanted Mary to be more assertive and decisive earlier in the book and I definitely would have loved an epilogue to finally see that she is truly happy.
February 7, 2019
Mary Black's comfortable life is blown apart when she sees her husband (and childhood sweetheart) holding hands with another man at a Christmas Party. Suddenly her marriage to the boy next door is a sham and she finds herself not only the subject of small town gossip but separated from a man who was her best friend as well as her husband.
Juggling her 'marvellous' mother-in-law, who still lives next door, her mother, who lives in a converted garage attached to Mary's house, two teenage children, her soon-to-be ex-husband Leo, his brother Ethan, and his lover Clark, the dog Dotty, her BFF Daisy and the promotion for Leo's book on the little known Lancastrian author Alice Hornby, Mary tries to please everyone all the time, after all that's what she's done practically her whole life, until Ethan points out that her life has been beige.
As the book progresses we see the secrets and lies that have pushed Mary down her life's path. The incidents that have shaped her behaviour and coloured her attitude towards others. I have to say by the end of the book the only character that I felt came out well was Ethan, everyone else appeared to behave very badly, to lie, and to keep secrets for, that terrible cliche, 'her own good'. Leo, in particular, seemed to be a cheating, selfish, egotistical, lazy waste of space - personally I would have set fire to his car. Mary on the other hand appeared to be a complete doormat, I did wonder if Mary would have been so accepting/forgiving if Leo had left her for another woman, and I did want to shake her at times and tell her to get a job.
I also thought there were too many coincidences, things tied together too neatly and everyone turned out not to be so bad after all, maybe its because Mary resolved her issues from the past.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel. I liked the unravelling of past secrets, I liked the romance and I liked the Alice Hornby sleuthing.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Juggling her 'marvellous' mother-in-law, who still lives next door, her mother, who lives in a converted garage attached to Mary's house, two teenage children, her soon-to-be ex-husband Leo, his brother Ethan, and his lover Clark, the dog Dotty, her BFF Daisy and the promotion for Leo's book on the little known Lancastrian author Alice Hornby, Mary tries to please everyone all the time, after all that's what she's done practically her whole life, until Ethan points out that her life has been beige.
As the book progresses we see the secrets and lies that have pushed Mary down her life's path. The incidents that have shaped her behaviour and coloured her attitude towards others. I have to say by the end of the book the only character that I felt came out well was Ethan, everyone else appeared to behave very badly, to lie, and to keep secrets for, that terrible cliche, 'her own good'. Leo, in particular, seemed to be a cheating, selfish, egotistical, lazy waste of space - personally I would have set fire to his car. Mary on the other hand appeared to be a complete doormat, I did wonder if Mary would have been so accepting/forgiving if Leo had left her for another woman, and I did want to shake her at times and tell her to get a job.
I also thought there were too many coincidences, things tied together too neatly and everyone turned out not to be so bad after all, maybe its because Mary resolved her issues from the past.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel. I liked the unravelling of past secrets, I liked the romance and I liked the Alice Hornby sleuthing.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
May 23, 2019
I won this book and couldn’t wait to read it was by first book by this author and I will be reading more as it’s brilliant. Such an easy read and shows the dilemma one lady can have in her life. It’s uplifting heartbreaking full of wisdoms and charm and romance. The characters are brilliant and so well written.
Mary has been married for 20 years and she’s contented but when her husband tells her he’s leaving her for another man how does she take it. She has to tell the children and for their sake she has to pick herself up and show all is ok. She has her ex husband round for meals with his new partner and she goes out with them to and she copes so well when the children want to spend more time with the dad. Problem is when her ex husbands brother turns up back home can she avoid him and can she put herself first and be happy with the right brother or is it to late.
Fantastic read.
Mary has been married for 20 years and she’s contented but when her husband tells her he’s leaving her for another man how does she take it. She has to tell the children and for their sake she has to pick herself up and show all is ok. She has her ex husband round for meals with his new partner and she goes out with them to and she copes so well when the children want to spend more time with the dad. Problem is when her ex husbands brother turns up back home can she avoid him and can she put herself first and be happy with the right brother or is it to late.
Fantastic read.
January 17, 2019
Such a great read! It does veer from the norm in respect of a romance story, offering an unusual scenario for the main characters which I found so engaging. It gives you food for thought about falling in love and how life can trundle on by, but is also uplifting with regards to new beginnings. Loved the characters and Kate's descriptive way of writing, which had me swooning for Ethan myself! A super 4.5 stars!
*I received a copy of the book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
*I received a copy of the book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
February 23, 2019
3.5 stars.
What is it about Mary that makes everyone lie to her? Sure, she’s a little set in her ways, but she’s a nice woman who spends most of her time going out of her way to make things pleasant for other people. She isn’t quite a doormat, but she definitely gets taken for granted, constantly suppressing her real personality because she’s so desperate to keep the peace. And the lies! All those lies. I don’t know how she managed to forgive some of them.
Which brings me to Leo. Rarely have I come across a character who needed to be killed off in a wild and unrealistic manner as much as Leo. I hated him. The way he goes about everything is just plain awful. The way he treats Mary, the way he acts, the way he never apologises, the way he gets away with everything, the way everyone seems to think he needs care and sympathy because, aw, poor Leo, something, something, blah, blah, blah. No. He’s awful. I hated him every time he came on the page, and yet, somehow, he always managed to make things worse. Shoot him into the sun, please.
Unlike Ethan, who was wonderful. Not that Mary could see it. She is so completely blind when it comes to the brothers, it’s just a shame she had them the wrong way around. Admittedly, the way he pokes and prods her could be annoying, but he’s just trying to draw out the real Mary after a lifetime of being squashed into a rigid box.
The other characters were a bit of a mix, mostly of the bad variety, with almost all of them treating Mary terribly, except her son Jonas, and I thought everything to do with her mother was utterly ridiculous and over the top. Of all the choices to go with for explaining everything, that’s the one we’re stuck with? Really?
And yet, and yet, I had real sympathy for Mary throughout and found the book a compelling read. There weren’t any real surprises (apart from a pretty daft one), but I cared enough about Mary that I wanted to see her find happiness. I wanted to see her break out of her suffocating mould and embrace her temper and passions and intelligence. I wanted her to shine. (I also wanted Leo to fall into a deep dark pit of no return, but we can’t have everything.)
It’s slow-going at times and my sympathy for Mary was occasionally strained by her inability to blame Leo for anything (let alone everything) he’d done, but overall I enjoyed it. True, aspects of the end veered pretty far off the rails and I’m still not convinced how anyone could forgive some of those lies, but I still liked it.
(ARC provided by the publisher via Amazon Vine.)
What is it about Mary that makes everyone lie to her? Sure, she’s a little set in her ways, but she’s a nice woman who spends most of her time going out of her way to make things pleasant for other people. She isn’t quite a doormat, but she definitely gets taken for granted, constantly suppressing her real personality because she’s so desperate to keep the peace. And the lies! All those lies. I don’t know how she managed to forgive some of them.
Which brings me to Leo. Rarely have I come across a character who needed to be killed off in a wild and unrealistic manner as much as Leo. I hated him. The way he goes about everything is just plain awful. The way he treats Mary, the way he acts, the way he never apologises, the way he gets away with everything, the way everyone seems to think he needs care and sympathy because, aw, poor Leo, something, something, blah, blah, blah. No. He’s awful. I hated him every time he came on the page, and yet, somehow, he always managed to make things worse. Shoot him into the sun, please.
Unlike Ethan, who was wonderful. Not that Mary could see it. She is so completely blind when it comes to the brothers, it’s just a shame she had them the wrong way around. Admittedly, the way he pokes and prods her could be annoying, but he’s just trying to draw out the real Mary after a lifetime of being squashed into a rigid box.
The other characters were a bit of a mix, mostly of the bad variety, with almost all of them treating Mary terribly, except her son Jonas, and I thought everything to do with her mother was utterly ridiculous and over the top. Of all the choices to go with for explaining everything, that’s the one we’re stuck with? Really?
And yet, and yet, I had real sympathy for Mary throughout and found the book a compelling read. There weren’t any real surprises (apart from a pretty daft one), but I cared enough about Mary that I wanted to see her find happiness. I wanted to see her break out of her suffocating mould and embrace her temper and passions and intelligence. I wanted her to shine. (I also wanted Leo to fall into a deep dark pit of no return, but we can’t have everything.)
It’s slow-going at times and my sympathy for Mary was occasionally strained by her inability to blame Leo for anything (let alone everything) he’d done, but overall I enjoyed it. True, aspects of the end veered pretty far off the rails and I’m still not convinced how anyone could forgive some of those lies, but I still liked it.
(ARC provided by the publisher via Amazon Vine.)
February 17, 2019
Everyone's who's married or been married, knows that it's not the stuff of fairytales. Marriage takes understanding and hard work to sustain. Mary Black thought she'd nailed it. She'd put her husband, and then her family first, but when her marriage imploded she was helpless to stop it.
Finding her husband loved another was a devastating discovery. The secrets he kept made her whole marriage a lie. Mary's ingrained sense of family makes her protect their teenage children, whatever the personal cost. Mary is a strong, selfless character and this story explores her emotional journey of self- discovery. Will she discover her sense of self-worth and be brave enough to take the opportunities for personal happiness that come her way?
This story has a lovely balance of humour, poignancy and romance. Every woman of a certain age will share some of the emotions Mary experiences and understand how she suffers from a lack of self-esteem. Her character is realistic and easy to empathise, and you want her to find her romantic happiness.
The genuineness of this novel makes it a heartwarming read that lets you escape for a little while.
I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Finding her husband loved another was a devastating discovery. The secrets he kept made her whole marriage a lie. Mary's ingrained sense of family makes her protect their teenage children, whatever the personal cost. Mary is a strong, selfless character and this story explores her emotional journey of self- discovery. Will she discover her sense of self-worth and be brave enough to take the opportunities for personal happiness that come her way?
This story has a lovely balance of humour, poignancy and romance. Every woman of a certain age will share some of the emotions Mary experiences and understand how she suffers from a lack of self-esteem. Her character is realistic and easy to empathise, and you want her to find her romantic happiness.
The genuineness of this novel makes it a heartwarming read that lets you escape for a little while.
I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 14, 2019
I’m a massive fan of Kate Field’s books and The Man I Fell in Love With was yet another fantastic, uplifting and involving read. The characters are so well observed. I love the way they tackle the challenges life throws at them, gradually see their way through the woods and grow to fill new spaces that they create for themselves. I think that’s one of the things that makes these books special from my point of view; there’s something both inspiring and comforting about them. I’m already looking forward to the next one!
February 17, 2019
You suspect what’s coming and, to a certain extent, you get exactly what you think is coming...but there’s a little more subtlety to this than I expected.
Our story begins in an inconspicuous setting-a fundraiser for a school event. Due to an unfortunate lighting moment, our main character - along with every other person there - sees her husband holding hands with another man. This precipitates the revelation that her husband of decades is gay, is moving out and - fairly quickly - going to marry.
Thrown into something of a spin, our main character starts to reassess her life. Things are changing, and not all of it for the better.
Through following the events we learn about this curious set-up and how some of these unusual family situations came about. Mary tries to put a brave face on things, but those close to her can see echoes of the younger Mary in her actions. We can see the way her father disappearing when she was younger has affected her, and all the decisions made.
During the story we see Mary find something precious, something that will change everything for her. The question is, does she have the confidence to do this for herself?
So many elements of this story were signalled early on, and it was a little frustrating to wait for things to happen. However, additional details were revealed that made me see certain characters differently, and which added a poignancy to this that I wasn’t expecting.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me t9 read this prior to publication.
Our story begins in an inconspicuous setting-a fundraiser for a school event. Due to an unfortunate lighting moment, our main character - along with every other person there - sees her husband holding hands with another man. This precipitates the revelation that her husband of decades is gay, is moving out and - fairly quickly - going to marry.
Thrown into something of a spin, our main character starts to reassess her life. Things are changing, and not all of it for the better.
Through following the events we learn about this curious set-up and how some of these unusual family situations came about. Mary tries to put a brave face on things, but those close to her can see echoes of the younger Mary in her actions. We can see the way her father disappearing when she was younger has affected her, and all the decisions made.
During the story we see Mary find something precious, something that will change everything for her. The question is, does she have the confidence to do this for herself?
So many elements of this story were signalled early on, and it was a little frustrating to wait for things to happen. However, additional details were revealed that made me see certain characters differently, and which added a poignancy to this that I wasn’t expecting.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me t9 read this prior to publication.
September 16, 2020
Okay so i do hate a female heroine who let's men treat her like crap, however i really enjoyed the love story that came out of this. Ethan is all time :)
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 11, 2019
3 to 3.25 stars
Mary has always, since the age of 8, searched for a family, security and the surety that nothing will change. During this time she’d married, given up her opportunity for a university degree, studied and worked on her husband’s work, and managed to divorce herself from her own emotions – being the giver in all things. When her (very selfish) husband decided he was coming out – without actually telling her anything, just making an appearance with his new partner at a school function, Mary is devastated and lost. Convinced that the ‘rumors’ of her ‘turning him gay’ have impacted all of her life – all of her eggs were in one basket with a cowardly man who didn’t bother to respect her: and she expected NO DIFFERENT. See – this is where I had the niggles of a first difficulty with Mary. She didn’t expect anything better or more for herself – she even made excuses for Leo’s despicable behavior, his selfishness, his disregard for all of the research, editing and rewriting she’d done to ‘improve’ his life and career – never giving a thought to herself.
But – I digress – for there are two brothers: Leo, the one she married, and Ethan – the one she would (had she ever allowed herself to ‘feel’ anything) have loved. Or does love. But she’s so consumed with self-recrimination and blaming her mother for being ‘judgmental’, and worried what the neighbors will think that her tentative forays into self-actualization are stunted and often wrong-footed. Fortunately, the people in Mary’s life: from the rather secretive mother-daughter duo who have an unpublished novel from one of Mary’s favorite Victorian-era writers who happens to be her ex-husband’s holy grail, to her ex-mother in law and friend who is gently pushing her and Ethan together, to her mother with a ‘secret’ that really wasn’t a huge surprise with all of Mary’s obsession about her father disappearing when she was 8 and how she allowed her fear of abandonment and upheaval taint her entire life. Get along by going along was more the epitaph of her life – her own lack of confidence, fear of emotion, and worry about gossip had put her into a box, and she sealed it tight.
What emerges is a very slow and far too long overdue series of challenges and choices that have Mary actually finding her own two feet and moving forward. All of the paths were marked for the best choices – she just had to be brave enough to take them. And finally, she does. While I do know that people will wallow and hide from situations, afraid of the changes that are required, Mary’s iron-clad grasp on “what she’d always done” was a tenacious one. Yet, the story made me want to see just how she’d finally move forward (if at all) and whether or not she’d actually realize that her anger, fear and longing were viable and useful emotions, not just things to fear. With a few passages that almost had me throwing the book aside in frustration as the “turned him gay” theme reappeared – a solid prejudice that has no basis in what I considered a relatively intelligent and thoughtful woman, the attempts to make the family relationships continue and gain some sort of ‘normalcy’ in a very unusual circumstances, Field’s writing never lost track of the growth and revelations that Mary needed to face on her way to tomorrow.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
Mary has always, since the age of 8, searched for a family, security and the surety that nothing will change. During this time she’d married, given up her opportunity for a university degree, studied and worked on her husband’s work, and managed to divorce herself from her own emotions – being the giver in all things. When her (very selfish) husband decided he was coming out – without actually telling her anything, just making an appearance with his new partner at a school function, Mary is devastated and lost. Convinced that the ‘rumors’ of her ‘turning him gay’ have impacted all of her life – all of her eggs were in one basket with a cowardly man who didn’t bother to respect her: and she expected NO DIFFERENT. See – this is where I had the niggles of a first difficulty with Mary. She didn’t expect anything better or more for herself – she even made excuses for Leo’s despicable behavior, his selfishness, his disregard for all of the research, editing and rewriting she’d done to ‘improve’ his life and career – never giving a thought to herself.
But – I digress – for there are two brothers: Leo, the one she married, and Ethan – the one she would (had she ever allowed herself to ‘feel’ anything) have loved. Or does love. But she’s so consumed with self-recrimination and blaming her mother for being ‘judgmental’, and worried what the neighbors will think that her tentative forays into self-actualization are stunted and often wrong-footed. Fortunately, the people in Mary’s life: from the rather secretive mother-daughter duo who have an unpublished novel from one of Mary’s favorite Victorian-era writers who happens to be her ex-husband’s holy grail, to her ex-mother in law and friend who is gently pushing her and Ethan together, to her mother with a ‘secret’ that really wasn’t a huge surprise with all of Mary’s obsession about her father disappearing when she was 8 and how she allowed her fear of abandonment and upheaval taint her entire life. Get along by going along was more the epitaph of her life – her own lack of confidence, fear of emotion, and worry about gossip had put her into a box, and she sealed it tight.
What emerges is a very slow and far too long overdue series of challenges and choices that have Mary actually finding her own two feet and moving forward. All of the paths were marked for the best choices – she just had to be brave enough to take them. And finally, she does. While I do know that people will wallow and hide from situations, afraid of the changes that are required, Mary’s iron-clad grasp on “what she’d always done” was a tenacious one. Yet, the story made me want to see just how she’d finally move forward (if at all) and whether or not she’d actually realize that her anger, fear and longing were viable and useful emotions, not just things to fear. With a few passages that almost had me throwing the book aside in frustration as the “turned him gay” theme reappeared – a solid prejudice that has no basis in what I considered a relatively intelligent and thoughtful woman, the attempts to make the family relationships continue and gain some sort of ‘normalcy’ in a very unusual circumstances, Field’s writing never lost track of the growth and revelations that Mary needed to face on her way to tomorrow.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
December 27, 2018
The Man I fell in Love With is a book that left me quite torn. I was absolutely intrigued with the synopsis and although I quite enjoyed the story I just expected a little more from it. I expected it to be a little less predictable. Only 30 pages in the story and I knew exactly where Mary was going to end up. I wished it would have been a little less obvious or taken a completely different course. Something a little more refreshing, not the solution that 95% of the feel good books would offer.
But let’s start off with all the thing I did like about this book. I absolutely loved how realistic most of the story felt. I think lots of woman might recognize themselves in Mary. She is a woman who has always forgot her own needs. Her whole life is centred around her husband and her family. Mary is always taking care of everybody around her. Husband, kids, even her mother and her mother in law. She doesn’t seem to know the word no and is always giving, giving, giving. And suddenly all that security and her well designed future is ripped away. Not by another woman, but by a man. The conflicting emotions Mary has about this and what she is willing to do to keep her family together in some way was really heartfelt and real. Although Mary and I have nothing in common I could relate to her in the lioness feels she shows when people try to hurt her family.
But that is where my connection with Mary ends. Readers of my blog might know how much I love a strong female lead. Women who are not afraid to stand up for themselves. But even after the separation with her husband Mary just keeps on putting herself and her own needs last. Even when she goes on the rebound she does it with an exact copy of her husband! I just wanted to scream at her to open her eyes and see what she was doing. But honestly, that was just a minor complaint I had about the story. I could at some level understand why Mary just wanted her save, comfortable life to continue.
What I didn’t understand was the incredible unbelievable twist the plot took in the end. In the end the author tries to explain all the awful things that have happened to Mary in the past. Why she was abandoned by her father. Why she married Leo. But here she just lost me. Instead of giving an reasonable explication the story took twists and turns that made your head spin. The way Mary was eventually treated really gave me an overall bad feeling about this story and all the characters involved.
So what could have been a really enjoyable 3,5 even 4 star read, was actually a little bit ruined by the end explanation. Such a shame….
But let’s start off with all the thing I did like about this book. I absolutely loved how realistic most of the story felt. I think lots of woman might recognize themselves in Mary. She is a woman who has always forgot her own needs. Her whole life is centred around her husband and her family. Mary is always taking care of everybody around her. Husband, kids, even her mother and her mother in law. She doesn’t seem to know the word no and is always giving, giving, giving. And suddenly all that security and her well designed future is ripped away. Not by another woman, but by a man. The conflicting emotions Mary has about this and what she is willing to do to keep her family together in some way was really heartfelt and real. Although Mary and I have nothing in common I could relate to her in the lioness feels she shows when people try to hurt her family.
But that is where my connection with Mary ends. Readers of my blog might know how much I love a strong female lead. Women who are not afraid to stand up for themselves. But even after the separation with her husband Mary just keeps on putting herself and her own needs last. Even when she goes on the rebound she does it with an exact copy of her husband! I just wanted to scream at her to open her eyes and see what she was doing. But honestly, that was just a minor complaint I had about the story. I could at some level understand why Mary just wanted her save, comfortable life to continue.
What I didn’t understand was the incredible unbelievable twist the plot took in the end. In the end the author tries to explain all the awful things that have happened to Mary in the past. Why she was abandoned by her father. Why she married Leo. But here she just lost me. Instead of giving an reasonable explication the story took twists and turns that made your head spin. The way Mary was eventually treated really gave me an overall bad feeling about this story and all the characters involved.
So what could have been a really enjoyable 3,5 even 4 star read, was actually a little bit ruined by the end explanation. Such a shame….
January 17, 2019
The Man i Fell in Love With is a very beautiful, emotional and uplifting read. This book managed to break my heart and then slowly and gently placed it back together again.
Once I began to read I became fully immersed in Mary's story. I couldn't help but empathise with her. I too have been married for twenty years and I couldn't imagine what she must be going through. The fact that her husband, Leo, left her for another man could have been her undoing. It could have destroyed her family. But what we find here is an unbelievably strong and stoic woman who will do anything for her family. Luckily, she has a good support network in the form of her mother-in-law (Audrey) who lives next doordoor, her own mother who lives in an extension in the garden and her best friend Daisy. I admired Mary and her strength. I admired that she realised her marriage was over and that Leo deserved to be happy.
But what about Mary? Mary is a wonderful mother, friend, daughter and daughter-in-law. But, what about Mary as a woman? I wanted Mary to be able to see that she too was deserving of love and that she too could have a meaningful and happy relationship. This is what is at the core of this book. One woman's search for her own identity as she begins her life again, and it is both breathtaking and beautiful to read this change that takes place.
This is a love story with a difference, and it's one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's uplifting, it's thought provoking and it made me smile.
The Man I Fell in Love With is a delightful and heartwarming story about love and belonging and that there is someone out there for everyone. It's a gorgeous, romantic read and I loved Mary and everything that she stood for. What this book shares is that sometimes love just finds a way, even in the most difficult of circumstances. It's a story about second chances. A feel good book that I could not put down. Loved it!
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.
Once I began to read I became fully immersed in Mary's story. I couldn't help but empathise with her. I too have been married for twenty years and I couldn't imagine what she must be going through. The fact that her husband, Leo, left her for another man could have been her undoing. It could have destroyed her family. But what we find here is an unbelievably strong and stoic woman who will do anything for her family. Luckily, she has a good support network in the form of her mother-in-law (Audrey) who lives next doordoor, her own mother who lives in an extension in the garden and her best friend Daisy. I admired Mary and her strength. I admired that she realised her marriage was over and that Leo deserved to be happy.
But what about Mary? Mary is a wonderful mother, friend, daughter and daughter-in-law. But, what about Mary as a woman? I wanted Mary to be able to see that she too was deserving of love and that she too could have a meaningful and happy relationship. This is what is at the core of this book. One woman's search for her own identity as she begins her life again, and it is both breathtaking and beautiful to read this change that takes place.
This is a love story with a difference, and it's one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's uplifting, it's thought provoking and it made me smile.
The Man I Fell in Love With is a delightful and heartwarming story about love and belonging and that there is someone out there for everyone. It's a gorgeous, romantic read and I loved Mary and everything that she stood for. What this book shares is that sometimes love just finds a way, even in the most difficult of circumstances. It's a story about second chances. A feel good book that I could not put down. Loved it!
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.
February 9, 2019
This is my first book by Kate Fields. I enjoyed it and thought there was a good mix of characters. Nobody is more stunned than Mary when her husband Leo tells her he's leaving her for another man. To begin with I found the book quite difficult to get into but once I got to grips with it, the pages flew by. I liked the writing style and my favourite character was Leo's brother Ethan and I wish there was more of him in the book. The scenes in which Leo and Mary spoke about their job wasn't interesting for me but wouldn't like to say what it was as that may spoil the book. I'm looking forward to what Kate brings out next.
Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2019
When Mary sees her husband Leo holding hands with another man she is devastated........ how could she not have known after twenty years of marriage that he is gay! He moves out quickly and she is left to pick up the pieces, keeping a brave face on it and behaving magnanimously for the sake of the kids....... but how galling is it when they prefer to spend time with Leo and his new man!. Then her brother in law Ethan returns....... is he someone that can m make her feel better about life again
A good story with some good characters, although I do feel that Mary is a bit of a doormat, giving up everything in her life for Leo only to be treated like that.... he was definitely a character I didn't like!
A good story with some good characters, although I do feel that Mary is a bit of a doormat, giving up everything in her life for Leo only to be treated like that.... he was definitely a character I didn't like!
January 4, 2019
Lovely stuff, but it does bug me when everything gets resolved in the last four pages with a THUD.
October 1, 2019
I really felt for Mary, our lead character. She spends her life doing what's best for her husband, her kids, her mother, her in-laws: basically, she puts herself last (if she's even on the list at all). Seeing her gradually realize how she's lost herself - and how she begins to open up again - is quite lovely. I very much enjoyed this one, and I'm relieved I found a romance novel I can finally recommend to my mother!
February 14, 2019
A Beautiful Reflection of True Love
Well, as I write this, it's Valentine's Day. It would be wrong not to mark the occasion by reviewing a love story right? Only, for me, I don't often get the chance (or choose to) read soppy deliberate love stories very often. My bookshelves are filled with Police Procedural Crimes, Thrillers and sometimes the odd contemporary novel with a hint of romance. But it is very rare that I settled down with a mug of coffee and truly indulge in the lovey-dovey romance books I used to devour as a young girl.
This Valentines Day, I decided that just like this Christmas when I settled down deliberately to read a Christmas themed book, I wanted to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures and read a book that would give me 'all the feels!'
The Man I Fell In Love With, by Kate Field, could not have been a more perfect choice.
The blurb explained that the main character, Mary Black, suffers the most painful of all heartbreaks. Her husband is leaving her... for another man. Perfect. A love story with a bit of grit. I may have wanted to feel the love, but I don't want to be given it on a silver platter. I want my characters to really work for it. Kate certainly ensures that is the case!
It's not necessarily your typical love story is it? After 20 years of marriage to the 'boy next door' - your husband wakes up just after his 40th birthday to admit that he may have also fallen for 'the boy next door'.
The beginning of the book jumped right into the centre of Mary's heartbreak. Her husband Leo is stood holding the hand of a rather gorgeous looking companion. Clarke. 25 years of friendship, love, and devotion flashing before her eyes and the worries of destroying the family home for her two teenagers, Mary does the only thing she feels she can do - she embraces her new look family and welcomes her husbands' new partner into the fold.
Mary, it seems, put her entire life on hold for Leo. Her world revolves around supporting his career, making him happy and ensuring there is nothing Leo could ever want for (except the love of another man of course) and over the last 25 years, we can see in every conversation just how many compromises and sacrifices Mary has made for him. But when her old friend, sparring buddy, and brother-in-law, Ethan, comes back into town, he is followed by a cloud of secrets that have shrouded the two families for decades.
As Mary navigates her new found single life and tries to figure out how to live in this new blended family, Ethan it seems, is determined to remind Mary of who she was and what she truly deserves, and make just shake her out of that dull grey life and give her a little adventure to stir her soul.
The Man I Fell In Love With, made me fall in love. For the first time in what feels like forever, I sat curled up on the sofa and felt my heart flutter and I watched Mary become reborn.
Heading towards 40, feeling frumpy and invisible, she develops into the most beautiful butterfly by the end of the book. Her confidence and sparkle finally emerging. I found myself wishing she was a real friend, someone I could pop round to for a 'cuppa' and a hug. The thought that there might be someone out there in the world that would act in such a graceful and refined way in the face of such public humiliation, makes my heart feel lighter.
But as much as Mary is a sublime main character, and as a reader, we are brought back to her own story time and time again, the backstories of the other characters were equally as enthralling.
Her 'marvelous' mother-in-law Audrey is the kind of mother we all wish we could have. Her love and loyalty leaps off the page, Mary's friendship with Daisy is real and raw and doesn't feel at all contrived. Her own mother is prickly and distant, but with a new love in her life too, even her sharp edges are thawing.
Unlike most saccharine sweet romance novels, Field has managed to construct a world on the page that feels real. The love story is believable and not sickly, but more than that, the secrets and lies that the family discover along the way make it feel honest. Life isn't all hugs and roses, love takes sacrifice. Love endures. Love waits.
Katie Field has made me believe in love again, not the teenage meet-cute kind of love, but the real, enduring, self-sacrificing love. The love that really, as adults, we all hope is truly real.
The final few pages of the book may have been harder for me to read, you see, I had a little something stuck in my eye. I wasn't crying. I swear... I was however totally and utterly living that moment with her. As she cartwheels her way into her new life, I found myself hoping that all is well with Mary Black and that life turned out exactly as she deserves - full of love, hope, and adventure.
Thank you Kate Field for making me believe in 'true' love again - for anyone needing to restore their faith in love and humanity - this is an absolute must.
Well, as I write this, it's Valentine's Day. It would be wrong not to mark the occasion by reviewing a love story right? Only, for me, I don't often get the chance (or choose to) read soppy deliberate love stories very often. My bookshelves are filled with Police Procedural Crimes, Thrillers and sometimes the odd contemporary novel with a hint of romance. But it is very rare that I settled down with a mug of coffee and truly indulge in the lovey-dovey romance books I used to devour as a young girl.
This Valentines Day, I decided that just like this Christmas when I settled down deliberately to read a Christmas themed book, I wanted to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures and read a book that would give me 'all the feels!'
The Man I Fell In Love With, by Kate Field, could not have been a more perfect choice.
The blurb explained that the main character, Mary Black, suffers the most painful of all heartbreaks. Her husband is leaving her... for another man. Perfect. A love story with a bit of grit. I may have wanted to feel the love, but I don't want to be given it on a silver platter. I want my characters to really work for it. Kate certainly ensures that is the case!
It's not necessarily your typical love story is it? After 20 years of marriage to the 'boy next door' - your husband wakes up just after his 40th birthday to admit that he may have also fallen for 'the boy next door'.
The beginning of the book jumped right into the centre of Mary's heartbreak. Her husband Leo is stood holding the hand of a rather gorgeous looking companion. Clarke. 25 years of friendship, love, and devotion flashing before her eyes and the worries of destroying the family home for her two teenagers, Mary does the only thing she feels she can do - she embraces her new look family and welcomes her husbands' new partner into the fold.
Mary, it seems, put her entire life on hold for Leo. Her world revolves around supporting his career, making him happy and ensuring there is nothing Leo could ever want for (except the love of another man of course) and over the last 25 years, we can see in every conversation just how many compromises and sacrifices Mary has made for him. But when her old friend, sparring buddy, and brother-in-law, Ethan, comes back into town, he is followed by a cloud of secrets that have shrouded the two families for decades.
As Mary navigates her new found single life and tries to figure out how to live in this new blended family, Ethan it seems, is determined to remind Mary of who she was and what she truly deserves, and make just shake her out of that dull grey life and give her a little adventure to stir her soul.
The Man I Fell In Love With, made me fall in love. For the first time in what feels like forever, I sat curled up on the sofa and felt my heart flutter and I watched Mary become reborn.
Heading towards 40, feeling frumpy and invisible, she develops into the most beautiful butterfly by the end of the book. Her confidence and sparkle finally emerging. I found myself wishing she was a real friend, someone I could pop round to for a 'cuppa' and a hug. The thought that there might be someone out there in the world that would act in such a graceful and refined way in the face of such public humiliation, makes my heart feel lighter.
But as much as Mary is a sublime main character, and as a reader, we are brought back to her own story time and time again, the backstories of the other characters were equally as enthralling.
Her 'marvelous' mother-in-law Audrey is the kind of mother we all wish we could have. Her love and loyalty leaps off the page, Mary's friendship with Daisy is real and raw and doesn't feel at all contrived. Her own mother is prickly and distant, but with a new love in her life too, even her sharp edges are thawing.
Unlike most saccharine sweet romance novels, Field has managed to construct a world on the page that feels real. The love story is believable and not sickly, but more than that, the secrets and lies that the family discover along the way make it feel honest. Life isn't all hugs and roses, love takes sacrifice. Love endures. Love waits.
Katie Field has made me believe in love again, not the teenage meet-cute kind of love, but the real, enduring, self-sacrificing love. The love that really, as adults, we all hope is truly real.
The final few pages of the book may have been harder for me to read, you see, I had a little something stuck in my eye. I wasn't crying. I swear... I was however totally and utterly living that moment with her. As she cartwheels her way into her new life, I found myself hoping that all is well with Mary Black and that life turned out exactly as she deserves - full of love, hope, and adventure.
Thank you Kate Field for making me believe in 'true' love again - for anyone needing to restore their faith in love and humanity - this is an absolute must.
November 21, 2025
I had just finished reading The Man I Fell In Love With by Kate Field and… I’ve got to admit it’s quite an emotional roller coaster. First off, hate doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about Leo! He’s a manipulative narcissist who takes advantage of Mary’s loyalty towards him for his own benefit, while simultaneously pretending to act like a supportive, ex-husband-turned-best friend who cares about her well being: First by taking all the credit for compromising the Alice Hornsby biography. Secondly, he humiliates her by announcing his relationship with Clark during the Christmas party at the beginning of the book—then had the gull to set Mary up one of Clark’s friends during a dinner party with them at their house—and getting engaged on the same day! Lastly, the revelation that their relationship was built upon Leo manipulating Mary to stay by his side—had made my blood boil! Honestly, every time I read a scene with them together—I wanted to KILL HIM!
Mary was a character that I both liked and hated all at once: On the one hand, I admired her for being the bigger person and keeping her cool when Leo announced he was leaving her for Clark and decided to peacefully co-parent their children with his lover (later husband) in order to avoid causing drama for the children’s sake. But at the same time, I hated her for staying loyal to Leo even after she found out the secrets he had been hiding: sleeping with another man while he was in Oxford (who I 100% believe to be Lucas Flynn since they attended Oxford University around the same time) and letting him take credit for her work! Although, I do have to give her credit for confronting Leo on his bullshit and deciding not to let him involved in publishing the manuscript—that I loved reading. When I found out that her toxic codependency on Leo was due to the trauma of her father (not actually) abandoning her when she was a child—it added a tragic twist to her character that made me kind of understand and sympathize with why she stayed with him for so long.
Ethan is an excellent foil to Leo: he’s kind and honest towards Mary and acts fun and attentive her children—and that’s what made me like him in the beginning, (especially since he’s the only person who can make Leo drop his haughty, condescending professor demeanor and show his true colors) and I genuinely thought that Mary would call Leo out for his manipulative behavior towards her and declare the genuine love she had with Ethan. However, when I found out that Ethan went along with letting Leo marry Mary because Leo (falsely) told him that she was pregnant with his child, (and even though he didn’t know it was lie until 11 months after Jonas was actually born), I still liked him. Because compared to what Leo had done—this was harmless. I was so happy that by the end of the book he and Mary begin to have a relationship together.
Audrey is the ideal mother-in-law for any woman to have and I loved the mother-daughter relationship they had compared to Mary’s relationship with her own mother. I admit, that when I found she was the mastermind behind breaking up Ethan and Mary’s relationship, thus causing her to be stuck in unhealthy marriage with Leo—I honestly hated her. But in her defense, Mary had gone through something traumatic and she was right about Mary needing safety and stability in her life—so I couldn’t blame her.
I didn’t really think much about Mary’s mother, Irene at first, but as I got near the end of the book—I wanted to punch her in the face! Not only did Irene lie to Mary for years about her father’s true reasons for leaving them—but she is directly responsible for Marry developing abandonment issues—causing to latch onto Leo in the first place—and wasting the best years of her life and her potential! I wished Mary had sued her mother for all she put her through.
Mary’s children, Jonas and Ava, were interesting too. Although, I hated Ava for constantly demeaning Mary and being unsympathetic to her situation—she wasn’t entirely wrong about calling Mary selfish for always putting herself last—and I understood that her behavior was more of a coping mechanism as result of the change in her family life, rather than actual spite. I also admired Jonas for being the mediator for between the two women.
Mary was a character that I both liked and hated all at once: On the one hand, I admired her for being the bigger person and keeping her cool when Leo announced he was leaving her for Clark and decided to peacefully co-parent their children with his lover (later husband) in order to avoid causing drama for the children’s sake. But at the same time, I hated her for staying loyal to Leo even after she found out the secrets he had been hiding: sleeping with another man while he was in Oxford (who I 100% believe to be Lucas Flynn since they attended Oxford University around the same time) and letting him take credit for her work! Although, I do have to give her credit for confronting Leo on his bullshit and deciding not to let him involved in publishing the manuscript—that I loved reading. When I found out that her toxic codependency on Leo was due to the trauma of her father (not actually) abandoning her when she was a child—it added a tragic twist to her character that made me kind of understand and sympathize with why she stayed with him for so long.
Ethan is an excellent foil to Leo: he’s kind and honest towards Mary and acts fun and attentive her children—and that’s what made me like him in the beginning, (especially since he’s the only person who can make Leo drop his haughty, condescending professor demeanor and show his true colors) and I genuinely thought that Mary would call Leo out for his manipulative behavior towards her and declare the genuine love she had with Ethan. However, when I found out that Ethan went along with letting Leo marry Mary because Leo (falsely) told him that she was pregnant with his child, (and even though he didn’t know it was lie until 11 months after Jonas was actually born), I still liked him. Because compared to what Leo had done—this was harmless. I was so happy that by the end of the book he and Mary begin to have a relationship together.
Audrey is the ideal mother-in-law for any woman to have and I loved the mother-daughter relationship they had compared to Mary’s relationship with her own mother. I admit, that when I found she was the mastermind behind breaking up Ethan and Mary’s relationship, thus causing her to be stuck in unhealthy marriage with Leo—I honestly hated her. But in her defense, Mary had gone through something traumatic and she was right about Mary needing safety and stability in her life—so I couldn’t blame her.
I didn’t really think much about Mary’s mother, Irene at first, but as I got near the end of the book—I wanted to punch her in the face! Not only did Irene lie to Mary for years about her father’s true reasons for leaving them—but she is directly responsible for Marry developing abandonment issues—causing to latch onto Leo in the first place—and wasting the best years of her life and her potential! I wished Mary had sued her mother for all she put her through.
Mary’s children, Jonas and Ava, were interesting too. Although, I hated Ava for constantly demeaning Mary and being unsympathetic to her situation—she wasn’t entirely wrong about calling Mary selfish for always putting herself last—and I understood that her behavior was more of a coping mechanism as result of the change in her family life, rather than actual spite. I also admired Jonas for being the mediator for between the two women.
February 7, 2019
Mary’s life has been complacent...until now. Leo, her husband of twenty years has come out of the closet in an unfortunately public way with his partner Clark, causing a flurry of small town gossip. Her daughter, Ava, appears to despise everything Mary says or does, then again, Ava’s a typical, broody teenager. Her son, Jonas, is growing up and looking forward to moving out. Her mother is carrying on with a secret gentleman. So many changes are happening in a short span of time. The only normal in Mary’s life seems to be her dog Dotty, and maybe her ex brother-in-law, Ethan, and mother-in-law Audrey. Needless to say, Mary’s world has turned upside down. Does she get mad, get even, or go with the flow?
Mary’s journey of self-discovery was a plethora of feels. Mary was smart and sweet, but beige definitely described her to a T. She went along with everything anybody said, whether she agreed or not, and while the constant repression of herself eventually erupted with flair, I really, really wished it had happened sooner! Mary’s decision to take the safest route to love, settling for friendship and comfort, rather than taking a risk with the unknown, changed the direction or her life. She bottled up so much of her own identity and personality into her role as wife and mother, she floundered in the wake of Leo’s news. Personally, I couldn’t have swallowed my tongue and smiled through family holidays and being in an ex’s wedding as best woman! I wanted to shake some sense into Mary’s thick noggin so many times, especially when it came to Leo selfishness and Ethan’s obvious attempts to draw her out and show her what had been under her nose the entire time! Someone who loved and appreciated her for herself, without any colored glasses from society’s expectations.
Mary kept her head in the sand like an ostrich for longer than I thought she would, but I’ll give her credit. She was extremely gracious in her attempts to keep her family together and went above and beyond the call of duty! However, I do wish there was an extended epilogue into Mary’s new life that would have tidied things up somewhat considering selfish Leo had almost all his wishes and desires granted!
The Man I Fell In Love With was hard to put down! I loved the dynamics of each relationship and how each one had a different sort of love attached to it. I found myself invested in Mary’s personal turmoil and her new ‘normal’ blended-family relationships and was cheering for her to take that first step and live the life she was meant to have! Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’m happy to have discovered a new author!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book courtesy of Avon U.K. and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mary’s journey of self-discovery was a plethora of feels. Mary was smart and sweet, but beige definitely described her to a T. She went along with everything anybody said, whether she agreed or not, and while the constant repression of herself eventually erupted with flair, I really, really wished it had happened sooner! Mary’s decision to take the safest route to love, settling for friendship and comfort, rather than taking a risk with the unknown, changed the direction or her life. She bottled up so much of her own identity and personality into her role as wife and mother, she floundered in the wake of Leo’s news. Personally, I couldn’t have swallowed my tongue and smiled through family holidays and being in an ex’s wedding as best woman! I wanted to shake some sense into Mary’s thick noggin so many times, especially when it came to Leo selfishness and Ethan’s obvious attempts to draw her out and show her what had been under her nose the entire time! Someone who loved and appreciated her for herself, without any colored glasses from society’s expectations.
Mary kept her head in the sand like an ostrich for longer than I thought she would, but I’ll give her credit. She was extremely gracious in her attempts to keep her family together and went above and beyond the call of duty! However, I do wish there was an extended epilogue into Mary’s new life that would have tidied things up somewhat considering selfish Leo had almost all his wishes and desires granted!
The Man I Fell In Love With was hard to put down! I loved the dynamics of each relationship and how each one had a different sort of love attached to it. I found myself invested in Mary’s personal turmoil and her new ‘normal’ blended-family relationships and was cheering for her to take that first step and live the life she was meant to have! Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’m happy to have discovered a new author!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book courtesy of Avon U.K. and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 5, 2019
Mary finds out that her husband is leaving her for another man in such an excruciatingly public and humiliating way – and perhaps not every wife treated that way would continue to support everyone involved, to the extent of being best woman at her husband’s wedding. But Mary Black isn’t “every wife”, although many of the long-married might well recognise and identify with her. It was her emotional authenticity that made me so love this book – she might have become “beige”, but she’s also strong, wise and funny, and I ached for her to find herself and the happiness she so deserved. This is indeed a love story with a real difference – and although the romantic thread was strong and believable, the person Mary most needed to love was always herself.
Although Mary is always the one that draws your attention – and I really liked the back story, full of secrets and lies deeply hidden, extremely well-handled – the supporting cast in this book is excellent. Husband Leo seems quite oblivious to the damage caused by his betrayal, totally self-centred, piling on a few more wrongs just for good measure. Her teenage daughter frankly needs a good slap – monstrous behaviour! – but I did rather like the quiet interventions and occasional words of wisdom from son Jonas. The support network of friend Daisy and “marvellous” mother-in-law Audrey lifted the book nicely – well, she certainly needed more support than she could get from her self-sacrificing and rather horrendous mother, living her life amid a few new secrets in the garage. I also loved the parallels in the story of lost Lancashire Victorian novelist Alice Hornby – while the search for her lost novel and diaries added a whole new level of interest to the story, it also introduced the real constraints that blighted Alice’s happy ending, while the only thing holding Mary back is herself.
The writing is thoroughly excellent – an easy read in many ways, but with a real depth of feeling and emotion. Mary’s inability to let herself go may sometimes frustrate, but her actions and reactions are never less than absolutely real and entirely understandable. Fair to mention, I think, that there’s a degree of untangling of threads towards the end of the book that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, although it certainly worked for me – this is fiction after all. But this really was a book that had captured my heart from its opening pages – and its final scenes, in full widescreen technicolour and cinemascope, were some of the very loveliest I’ve read in a long time. Yes, I’ll admit I might have had something in my eye for a moment… Mary Black, I do so hope your future will be a happy one.
Although Mary is always the one that draws your attention – and I really liked the back story, full of secrets and lies deeply hidden, extremely well-handled – the supporting cast in this book is excellent. Husband Leo seems quite oblivious to the damage caused by his betrayal, totally self-centred, piling on a few more wrongs just for good measure. Her teenage daughter frankly needs a good slap – monstrous behaviour! – but I did rather like the quiet interventions and occasional words of wisdom from son Jonas. The support network of friend Daisy and “marvellous” mother-in-law Audrey lifted the book nicely – well, she certainly needed more support than she could get from her self-sacrificing and rather horrendous mother, living her life amid a few new secrets in the garage. I also loved the parallels in the story of lost Lancashire Victorian novelist Alice Hornby – while the search for her lost novel and diaries added a whole new level of interest to the story, it also introduced the real constraints that blighted Alice’s happy ending, while the only thing holding Mary back is herself.
The writing is thoroughly excellent – an easy read in many ways, but with a real depth of feeling and emotion. Mary’s inability to let herself go may sometimes frustrate, but her actions and reactions are never less than absolutely real and entirely understandable. Fair to mention, I think, that there’s a degree of untangling of threads towards the end of the book that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, although it certainly worked for me – this is fiction after all. But this really was a book that had captured my heart from its opening pages – and its final scenes, in full widescreen technicolour and cinemascope, were some of the very loveliest I’ve read in a long time. Yes, I’ll admit I might have had something in my eye for a moment… Mary Black, I do so hope your future will be a happy one.
April 9, 2019
Mary's husband Leo has just announced in the most public way that he is in a relationship ... with another man! Mary's organised and structured world being wife, mother and unpaid research assistant for her ex-husband's academic career are now suddenly thrown into turmoil. Her ex Leo doesn't want her but its clear that he doesn't really want her to go to anyone else. Her children Jonas and Ava take the news in different ways, her mother is a formidable and not very understanding person and it seems the only person on poor Mary's side is is darling mother-in-law/neighbour Audrey. Enter Leo's younger, handsome and all round lovely brother Ethan, back from his home in New York after another failed marriage. Now the fun begins!
I love what Kate Field has done with this book. Yes, its a love story but it's not an ordinary love story. There are so many twists and turns that it keeps you gripped until the very end.
All the main characters in this are flawed and that's what makes them relatable. Leo - you just want to slap, Ethan - you want to love, The Kids - mmm teenagers! And even Mary herself is not immune from being imperfect.
Mary is imperfect. She has flaws, physical, mental and she knows this. She has spent so many years looking after others she has no idea how to have any fun herself. She constantly refers to herself as "beige" but I think she is anything but. Yes, you want to grab her by the shoulders sometimes and shake her to try and get her to see what's right in front of her but this is part and parcel of the reading experience.
I would highly recommend this book to others.
Thank you Avon and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love what Kate Field has done with this book. Yes, its a love story but it's not an ordinary love story. There are so many twists and turns that it keeps you gripped until the very end.
All the main characters in this are flawed and that's what makes them relatable. Leo - you just want to slap, Ethan - you want to love, The Kids - mmm teenagers! And even Mary herself is not immune from being imperfect.
Mary is imperfect. She has flaws, physical, mental and she knows this. She has spent so many years looking after others she has no idea how to have any fun herself. She constantly refers to herself as "beige" but I think she is anything but. Yes, you want to grab her by the shoulders sometimes and shake her to try and get her to see what's right in front of her but this is part and parcel of the reading experience.
I would highly recommend this book to others.
Thank you Avon and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2019
Well what can you say about Leo Black? A Professor of English Literature. Someone who is an expert on Victorian writer Alice Hornby and who has published several of her novels and written a biography. And a totally selfish man.
The story begins when Leo confesses to having been in another relationship for nearly a year. He plans to leave his wife Mary and their two children Jonas and Ava. Once his plans are out in the open he feels free to go ahead and proceed with getting this new life underway. So what about Mary? Well to a degree she blames herself for what has happened. Having read her background - marrying Leo just after her graduation, their eldest child born during their first year of marriage (through his keenness to become a father) and working for Leo in a job where she does most of the work - I thought he'd pretty much sorted things out for himself right from the beginning. I really didn't like him at all. And on the one occasion Mary discovers an absolute historical treasure with regard to Alice Hornby, he has to try and steal that from her, claiming its discovery is his. She also has to deal with a difficult mother and problems at home with her two teenage children, whose lives are thrown off course by their father's departure. Thank heaven then for her wonderful mother in law and her supportive brother in law Ethan who returns from New York. There were moments when I thought Mary was simply too accommodating but gradually she began to carve a life out for herself. And when she learns the truth about Leo's past she find she's free to be with the man she really has fallen in love with. A lovely, lovely read. Highly recommended.
The story begins when Leo confesses to having been in another relationship for nearly a year. He plans to leave his wife Mary and their two children Jonas and Ava. Once his plans are out in the open he feels free to go ahead and proceed with getting this new life underway. So what about Mary? Well to a degree she blames herself for what has happened. Having read her background - marrying Leo just after her graduation, their eldest child born during their first year of marriage (through his keenness to become a father) and working for Leo in a job where she does most of the work - I thought he'd pretty much sorted things out for himself right from the beginning. I really didn't like him at all. And on the one occasion Mary discovers an absolute historical treasure with regard to Alice Hornby, he has to try and steal that from her, claiming its discovery is his. She also has to deal with a difficult mother and problems at home with her two teenage children, whose lives are thrown off course by their father's departure. Thank heaven then for her wonderful mother in law and her supportive brother in law Ethan who returns from New York. There were moments when I thought Mary was simply too accommodating but gradually she began to carve a life out for herself. And when she learns the truth about Leo's past she find she's free to be with the man she really has fallen in love with. A lovely, lovely read. Highly recommended.
December 9, 2018
The story opens with Mary, the main female character in this story, witnessesing (along with everyone else) seeing her husband holding hands with another man.
The story goes on to follow Mary as she copes with life following a speedy divorce and remarriage of her ex Leo to his partner, and setting foot on the dating scene.
This was an ok read. However I am very frustrated with the trend that seems to be arising from a lot of fiction these days of the female character letting their partners (and exes) get away with so much. Mary is pretty much a doormat in this story, giving excuses for her ex for his appalling behaviour and the respective mother and mother in law don’t behave any better either. The only really stable characters in this are Mary’s son and her brother in law, Ethan (who is rather gorgeous). Also Mary’s behaviour around Ethan is equivalent to that of an awkward teenager, not a fully grown woman with children.
I would have enjoyed this story far more if Mary has developed a thicker skin and gave herself the chance to be happy much sooner. I agreee with another reviewer that it would have been nice to see further along into the future and seen Mary be properly happy and further on into the relationship at the end.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
The story goes on to follow Mary as she copes with life following a speedy divorce and remarriage of her ex Leo to his partner, and setting foot on the dating scene.
This was an ok read. However I am very frustrated with the trend that seems to be arising from a lot of fiction these days of the female character letting their partners (and exes) get away with so much. Mary is pretty much a doormat in this story, giving excuses for her ex for his appalling behaviour and the respective mother and mother in law don’t behave any better either. The only really stable characters in this are Mary’s son and her brother in law, Ethan (who is rather gorgeous). Also Mary’s behaviour around Ethan is equivalent to that of an awkward teenager, not a fully grown woman with children.
I would have enjoyed this story far more if Mary has developed a thicker skin and gave herself the chance to be happy much sooner. I agreee with another reviewer that it would have been nice to see further along into the future and seen Mary be properly happy and further on into the relationship at the end.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 15, 2019
Ugh. Mary is the worst kind of Mary Sue ever. She met them talk about her and move her about like a thing AND she talks about how they do it! Her husband leaves her for a man, her mother is a train wreck and runs her over constantly (later we find out why and it is just Ugh!), and her mother in law is her only constant (and later find out a huge part of the problem!), her daughter hates her and treats her like dirt, her ex-husband is a narcissistic toad, and his brother who had seemingly loved her since they met treats her like glass and an idiot who can’t think for herself. Ugh. Sad sack indeed! The only reason I read it was because I started it in May and the synopsis of finding love after her spouse leaves her and mix that with English countryside, I thought it would be cute and funny. It isn’t. There are some cute parts, especially in the beginning when she’s figuring out how to cope with her gay ex-husband and his partner, but overall I was scrolling through paragraphs of drivel at the end.
This writer probably has amazing talent, and I could see that at times, the writing is quite good, but Mary ruined the book for me. I wanted her to rage and get fed up 200 pages before she finally snapped. It was painful.
This writer probably has amazing talent, and I could see that at times, the writing is quite good, but Mary ruined the book for me. I wanted her to rage and get fed up 200 pages before she finally snapped. It was painful.
February 7, 2019
This is the first of Kate Field’s books that I’ve read and I’m so glad that I found her! I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be reading more. The book is well-written and had me hooked from the first few pages.
Mary Black has had twenty happy years of marriage to Leo, which produced two children, now teenagers. Her mother gave up her house for them and now lives alongside in the converted garage, and her mother-in-law (who she adores) lives next-door. At a party, Mary’s eye is caught by a good-looking man but then her eyes move downwards, and she realises that he’s holding hands with her husband. Mary’s world is shattered, but this isn’t the only surprising twist in the story, there are many other people and events to keep the reader hooked.
I read this in record time because I had difficulty putting it down, but I was sorry when it ended. I’d definitely recommend this as a warm romantic drama with several differences!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.
Mary Black has had twenty happy years of marriage to Leo, which produced two children, now teenagers. Her mother gave up her house for them and now lives alongside in the converted garage, and her mother-in-law (who she adores) lives next-door. At a party, Mary’s eye is caught by a good-looking man but then her eyes move downwards, and she realises that he’s holding hands with her husband. Mary’s world is shattered, but this isn’t the only surprising twist in the story, there are many other people and events to keep the reader hooked.
I read this in record time because I had difficulty putting it down, but I was sorry when it ended. I’d definitely recommend this as a warm romantic drama with several differences!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.
July 1, 2019
Mary Black and her husband Leo have been living a quiet, happily married life for twenty years. They have two children, their mothers live right next to them and they work together on Leo's lifelong project: researching, publicizing and promoting the late Victorian author Alice Hornby. When Leo announces that he is gay and will be divorcing Mary and marrying his new love, she does her very best to keep everything going, including being Best Woman at the wedding! Mary begins to realize that her life has been rather dull and that she has always been the one to make the sacrifices when they are called for, particularly in her marriage. Once Leo is remarried and moved out, she begins to notice other men, especially Leo's brother Ethan. Ethan has also noticed Mary and the story takes some interesting turns.
This is a well written and very enjoyable book that I strongly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley, the author Kate Field and the publisher Avon Books UK for an ARC in return for my honest review.
This is a well written and very enjoyable book that I strongly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley, the author Kate Field and the publisher Avon Books UK for an ARC in return for my honest review.
May 27, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story that has the ability to completely suck you in and take you on a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I really began to feel for Mary and how she was trying to deal with the new reality that she found herself in and really felt like I was with her as she tried to figure out the best way to handle it. It was a book that can easily be read within an afternoon and one that is great to take your mind of the real world for a little while.
It was however fairly predictable but after a while I did find myself getting just a little bit, I'm going to go with frustrated with Mary who in the nicest possible way is a bit of a doormat. While I could empathize and understand why she was doing what she was doing, she really needed to stand up and advocate for herself once in a while. I also wish that there had been more of a resolution and not one that was just suddenly done and dusted right at the end. It is a book I would still recommend with four out of five stars.
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