The Shadow Between Us

by Carol Mason, Billie Fulford-Brown (Reader)

What is it about the coast that attracts people running from their past? When Olivia moves to Port Townsend, her marriage is floundering, and her life is in pieces. She doesn’t know if things with her husband Mark are truly over, or quite why the phone call she longs for on her daughter’s birthday will never come. Joining a letter-writing club seems like a harmless decision. But when she meets Ned, an ex-soldier badly wounded in Afghanistan, this unlooked-for friendship revives unexpected emotions and memories she’d rather forget. Can Olivia find the courage to confront what she’s hiding from and finally begin to heal the wounds that have torn her life apart? From the bestselling author of After You Left comes a story about finding hope in second chances.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction

Audio CD

First published March 21, 2019

About the author

I am the Kindle #1 and Amazon Charts bestselling author of After You left, The Secrets of Married Women, The Last Time We Met, Send Me A Lover. and The Shadow Between Us. My brand new novel, LITTLE WHITE SECRETS, publishes May 1, 2020 but for the month of April it's an Amazon First Reads pick, so if you have Amazon Prime you can download it free! (if not, it's still on sale for $1.99 through April).

Please feel free to follow me on Amazon to be notified when I have a new release. https://amzn.to/2QrkK4W

Come friend me on Facebook or like my author page as I love interacting on there! https://www.facebook.com/CarolMasonAu...

I always enjoy getting comments about my books (especially lovely ones!), and am always willing to attend your book club or do a phone conference if you'd like to have me.

If you read my books and enjoy them, do consider taking a moment to leave a review on Amazon too. It can be very short if you want, but I cannot stress how important reviews are for authors.. If you have left a review already, then thanks so much!

Wishing you many happy hours of reading! Best wishes, from Carol.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia Chapman moves to Port Townsend, her marriage to Mark is in serious trouble and her life has shattered into pieces. She doesn’t know if she will ever be able to return home to her husband, her house and she needs a break.

She joins the letter-writing club at Beth’s café, here she meets Ned Parker, he was serving in Afghanistan when the Hummer he was driving in hit a landmine, he was badly burnt and has terrible scars.

Their friendship is unexpected, both Olivia and Ned want to be left alone, both are suffering from PTSD and Ned's the only person who understands how Olivia feels. By speaking to Ned, it gives Olivia the courage to face what’s happened in her own life, it’s extremely painful and she can’t continue to live in her pretend world she’s created to protect her broken heart.

The Shadow Between Us Is a story about life, loss, grief, finding the courage to continue to face each day, thanks to NetGalley for my copy and three stars from me.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I read a book from a new to me author I’m always excited of course, but also oddly nervous as I’m never quite sure what to expect. The description of this one appealed to me, I got a Catherine Ryan Hyde sort of vibe from it and while that’s somewhat fitting, Mason has a unique style that is all her own. This was so much more than I expected, in a good way, this had depth and heart and was written in such a pretty style, I’m a new fan of the author now!

It’s clear from the start that Olivia is troubled and running from something, it’s not just her strained marriage to her husband, Mark or even just her issues with her daughter, you get the sense that it’s something deeper and despite this not being a mystery, that aspect kept me guessing throughout. I wanted to know what had happened to Olivia in her past, what had caused her pain, enough pain that she fled her home to live someone brand new. She was a complex character for sure, I found her fascinating and by the time I finished the book and everything came together, it was a lightbulb moment for me, everything made sense suddenly.

Besides Olivia and Mark there are a handful of secondary characters that added another dimension to the story. Beth is the woman who owns the local coffee shop/bookstore and Ned is an ex soldier with his own demons. Olivia’s developing relationships with both characters were telling, both because they were all harboring guilt and murky histories, but also because of how all three of them helped each other deal with their issues. I learned a lot about each character based on their interactions with each other and to see relationships being newly formed that weren’t romantic was a surprising treat.

This had some heavy themes that I won’t get into because I don’t want to spoil things, this is not a light read, it’s a thought provoking one. It’s fast paced and I read it quickly (even for me) because I was so desperate to find out the secrets Olivia was carrying and it paid off in the end, big time!

The Shadow Between Us in three words: Lyrical, Emotional and Moving

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a compelling read with some thought provoking themes. The central characters were Olivia and Ned who were both damaged in different ways. They met in Port Townsend, Washington where both of them fled to attempt to deal with their issues. Ned was physically and mentally damaged by an IED in Afghanistan. It’s not clear what Olivia was struggling with until later in the book which I won’t spoil here! They both attended The Correspondents Club in a local coffee shop which was a letter writing club. I thought this was a lovely idea as letter writing used to be such an important skill which has been replaced by the speed of email, text etc. Through this medium they both explored the different ways they could heal by writing letters to appropriate people. I really liked the concept of ‘Hunt the good stuff’ that Ned explained to Olivia. This was to turn our focus away from dwelling on the things we think we did wrong and turn our thoughts the other way by recognising the things we did right. Must remember that one!

Ultimately Ned and Olivia helped each other with their issues and support rated each other to address and hopefully move on with their lives. The ending of the book was positive which I liked after the difficult issues that the characters wrestled with. It was an interesting, thoughtful and well written book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Carol Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to share this book with you on March 21. This was a profoundly moving story for me to write, as I had to explore what is one of my very worst fears, and what would happen if that came true. It was quite the emotional rollercoaster! I hope it will move you in the same way, when you read it.
Best wishes,
Carol xx

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant, emotional, and breathtaking…In THE SHADOW BETWEEN US, Olivia is running from something we’ve all feared and hope to never face. Carol Mason’s effortless storytelling and exquisite writing will keep you turning the pages until the book’s stunning and surprising ending. Bring tissues!

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was decent, I guess, but I had absolutely no sympathy for the heroine. She was rude, disdainful and pretty spoiled. The Big Incident that messed her up took waaaaay too long to be revealed, - we’re talking past the 50% point - by which point she had alienated pretty much everyone around her. And then an epilogue tacks on something that maybe I’d considered but was too busy hating the heroine to look for.

Also, I really didn’t appreciate the tee-hee pidgin English of the Filipina landlady character. The writer gave this character no dignity and made her look stupid.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Mason, the best-selling author of ’After You Left’ has written an incredibly moving and poignant novel in this slow-burn, very beautiful work of fiction.

Olivia moves to the pretty coastal town of Port Townsend, with her marriage on-the-rocks, and her life in pieces. She doesn’t know if things with her husband Mark are truly over, or quite why the phone call she longs for on her daughter’s birthday will never come.

After joining a letter-writing club held at her local cafe she meets Ned, an ex-soldier badly wounded in Afghanistan. This chance friendship revives unexpected emotions and memories she’d rather forget.

Can Olivia find the courage to confront what she’s hiding from and finally begin to heal the wounds that have torn her life apart?

Liv, as she is known to her husband, is an extremely intriguing character. Regularly displaying a cocktail of emotions, I could still really empathise with her. She could be caring and thoughtful one minute, but then be frank, blunt and very much to-the-point, the next moment. At times she was positively distant and unkind. She was not alone in her attitude and behaviour as some of the other characters in the story shared similar traits such as cafe owner Beth. For me, this added to and complemented this wonderful character-driven story.

THE SHADOW BETWEEN US was a very insightful and thought-provoking read about reflecting on the mistakes we sometimes make and finding hope in second chances. I very much liked the emphasis on letter-writing, reading and quotes from favourite books, running throughout the story.

The dialogue between Olivia and Ned was lovely and liked how they had an almost immediate connection. I was very keen to see how their relationship might develop. I found THE SHADOW BETWEEN US a very enjoyable read, helped by Carol Mason’s beautiful writing which has depth and substance. The ending was very fulfilling although with an unexpected twist. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

[Thanks to #NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Carol Mason for my ARC of #TheShadowBetweenUs in exchange for an honest review.]

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’ve read all of Carol Mason’s novels and pretty much knew what to expect - her plots are essentially romantic stories, set in the English North-east which avoid the ‘chick-lit’ label by being a bit more gritty, sad, insightful, intelligent and grounded.

Therefore, I started ‘The Shadow Between Us’ with this expectation, but this is a completely different type of book. For a start, it is set in the American North-West. It is written in the first person by Liv, who is clearly suffering from some sort of mental illness or breakdown bought on by some unspecified event. The first half of more of the book is really devoted to Liv fleshing out her feelings and revealing vague hints about what precipitated this crisis. (I’m not a great fan of ‘poor-little-me’ narratives and I found this part of the book to be a little too slow, self-absorbed/introspective and lacking in action – but I kept going…)

She has left her husband moved to Oregon and rents a house and lives a quiet, sorrowful life to the bewilderment and curious speculation of the other inhabitants of her neighbourhood. (I was very much reminded of Annie Proulx’s ‘The Shipping News’.)

Gradually she builds relationships with other wounded souls through the medium of a letter writing or ‘correspondents club’ and through sharing their life traumas eventually finds some resolution.

This is a far more challenging and serous read from an author whose previous work I have much enjoyed. I will be really interested to see where she goes in her next novel.

[Samantha March · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Shadow Between Us started off slow for me and unfortunately the story was never able to gain steam. There were so many questions I had within the first few chapters of the book and instead of making this suspenseful and giving me the desire to quickly read, I kept getting frustrated by the lack of depth in the story. The story line had an interesting concept but there was too much of a mysterious air for too long that kept me disengaged. I tried to stay with the book as best I could and chose to speed read through some chapters to try to finally get an answer or two and there were some big moments revealed toward the end, but I needed something a little more to keep me interested in the beginning to get that to that point. I do like a lot of Carol Mason stories, but this one just missed the mark for me.
I received a review copy

[Rosina Ayling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read anything from this author before so I was excited to try a new author! It was way better than I expected, it had depth although, I found it a little wordy at times. This is not a light read and it was very thought provoking. I couldn’t wait to find out Olivia’s secret and I did not expect the twist! It kept me turning the pages for sure. I will definitely be reading more of Carol’s books! “The truest thing I have learnt is that you can’t rewrite what’s been written.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I happily won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway)

THE SHADOW BETWEEN US by Carol Mason

“Regrets are really just lessons we’re slow in learning…”

An intimate look at grief and guilt and the resultant trauma. This story is narrated by Olivia, a woman who has “done something” that haunts her, but because it is part mystery tale, we do not discover what it is until toward the end of the book. To the author’s credit, the writing is quite introspective yet never descends into the maudlin.

Running from her past and estranged from her husband, Olivia seeks solace at a seaside town. There she meets some interesting characters, among them Beth, the local bookstore owner and Ned, a former Navy SEAL suffering from PTSD, both of whom are also harboring secrets. Will Olivia allow them past her defenses?

When Olivia joins a correspondence club, the novel turns part epistolary. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book on letter writing, hopefully not a lost art:

“Reading your old letters reminds you of the person you used to be.”

“That’s the thing with writing the old-fashioned way: it’s a cue to mine the recesses of your heart, to set down that which has true worth with a certain grace and decorum.”

“One thing I have learned is letters are cathartic. We write to get beyond what we think we can’t get over. There doesn’t have to be a destination; it’s the journey writing takes us on that is often enough.”

There are some other wonderful quotes that I have included below. The writing in the novel was lovely and it was a fast, easy read. I highly recommend to everyone, especially those with regrets about their past, searching for forgiveness.

Other favorite quotes:

“The bad times are more easily remembered than the good, but in some ways they’re also easier to forget, and it strikes me that this is both a blessing and a curse.”

“Defeat may be victory in disguise; The lowest ebb is the turning of the tide.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from the poem Loss and Gain

“Sometimes it’s easier to pretend everything’s fine than admit differently. But the problem is it becomes habit-forming until it’s our new reality. Then we’re really just living a lie.”

“Why is it that physical pain almost always passes, but heartbreak never dies?”

“I firmly believe there’s a part of a woman’s being that can only be fulfilled by friendships with somewhat like-minded people her own age. You don’t have to bare your soul and confide your darkest secrets. But knowing they’re there, and you can, is everything.”

“I have never asked myself what it really means to love or to feel loved. But if I did, somewhere in the answer would be this: it’s that fine line we all walk between honesty and hurtfulness, guiding and controlling, supporting while being fair. It’s seeing past imperfections without pretending they’re invisible, seeing the good in someone’s heart and remembering that even our most bungled deeds often spring gracelessly from there.”

[Kirsty Hewes (hewes_books_are_these) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I was a bit disappointed by this book. I’ve read two other Carol Mason Books and really enjoyed them but this one I didn’t like as much as what I was expecting to. After finishing I felt a bit underwhelmed by it.

The plot:
Olivia has recently moved to a quiet little town as her marriage is in turmoil. Her daughter Jessica is currently away touring Europe before she starts University. Laura is coming to terms with a situation which has effected her mental well-being and her marriage and she craves some time and space to sort herself (and her marriage to Mark) out. Whilst there she befriends Ned a Afghan Veteran at a writing club and they become entwined together getting through their life experiences.

What I liked about the book:
* That it was relatively short and quick to read (meaning the pain of reading it was slightly less)
* The exploration of PTSD in life changing situations.

What I disliked about the book:
* Jessica’s Storyline: I had a feeling about her the way through the book and you find out towards the end and tbh I wasn’t surprised by it as I had already guessed it early on in the book.
* the big “reveal” of Olivia’s secret and the reason why she had moved and her marriage was on the rocks… not sure why it took over 50% of the book before it was revealed.
* Olivia as a character: rude, abrupt and wallowing in self pity. No wonder she had limited friends and her marriage was suffering. She seemed paranoid and deliberately on the road to make herself implode. She was just annoying and dislikeable.
* The racial undertones of Olivia’s Landlady “Nanette” really? Did the author have to emphasise her speech like that?

Other books read by this author:
* Between You and Me
* Little White Secrets

[Linda Zagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Shadow Between Us” by Carol Mason , March 21, 2019

Carol Mason, Author of “The Shadow Between Us” has written an intriguing and entertaining novel. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Mystery and Suspense. The time-line for the story is in the present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, secretive and dysfunctional

There are dark secrets and twists and turns in this story. I never expected what the ending reveals. Olivia seems to be running from her problems, and her marriage. She seems to be grasping at straws when she moves to Port Townsend, a small town. Olivia meets some other quirky characters that seem to be keeping secrets as well. Olivia isn’t clear if her marriage is over.

Olivia decides to join a writer’s correspondence club, where she meets Ned, a soldier with physical and emotional injuries. Can one truly run from their memories? I would recommend this novel for those readers who enjoy a mystery. I received an ARC from NetGalley.

[RedRobinXXX · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing this book for Carol Mason, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley who gave me a copy of their book for an honest review.
A very touching novel which had me gripped from about fifty pages in - felt it was a bit slow beforehand - it just didn't seem to grab my attention at the beginning. But then I was wanting the relationship to develop and was on the edge of my seat. Lovely writing with a great 'little' twist.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review"
A fascinating story about loss and healing, marriage and love, and how you can find friendships and new beginnings in the most unexpected places and with the most unimaginable people.
Full of sadness and secrets, “The Shadow Between Us” features a “not overly sentimental or romantic” heroine, hiding deep hurts of her own, and a wounded former SEAL who helps her heal.

[Traci Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best yet

This turned out to be Mason’s best yet. The author made me care about the characters and their struggles. The twist totally threw me.

[Soraya Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

When your perfect, ordinary world comes crashing down around you in the most unexpected of ways...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking story of loss, grief and recovery.

[K Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I liked this concept quite a bit. I wasn't really a fan of the heroine and that made it really hard to get 3/4 through the book to 'get' it. I found her rude and abrasive and selfish and I felt bad for her husband, to be honest. The random addition of the SEAL (because every book's military character is always a SEAL) seemed almost unnecessary considering how it ended up. The heroines journey seemed less about working on herself and more about using others to sort her feelings.

She also physically assaults her husband at one point, throwing rocks at him while he just stands there and takes it which is really not okay and not really addressed considering it's domestic violence.

I think some of my lack of enjoyment came from just not being into the long, introspective type of women's fiction, which is me, not the book.

The writing is well done though I found the pacing extremely slow, lots of interesting side characters and storylines.

[Linda Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carol Mason is a new author for me. She is a true storyteller. Mason writes so personally that this novel felt more like a real story. Held my attention to the very end. I look forward to reading more of her works.

[Callie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartrending story with a shocking twist that will leave you feeling giddy and bewildered…

One of the things I like best in a good story is how seemingly inconsequential things scattered throughout the book all link together, resulting in a reeling final twist that is totally unexpected but so very plausible. Carol Mason has executed this to perfection.

The Shadow Between Us is quite different to the author’s usual genre: more Female Noir than Women’s Fiction. It is clear from the outset the protagonist is running away from something. Olivia is unstable and flawed but also kind and generous; and whilst true to genre the protagonist is an unreliable first-person narrator, these personality traits also make her identifiable and easy to empathise with.

Whilst The Shadow Between Us, is different in genre to Carol’s other books, her unique narrative voice and style still shines through. When people ask what the difference is between Women’s Fiction and Chick-Lit, I always tell them to read After You Left. That is my definition of Women’s Fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I am far from a Chick-Lit snob, quite the opposite in-fact, but I do believe there is a difference between Chick-Lit and Women’s Fiction and this is largely to do with the narrative voice. This same narrative voice is present in The Shadow Between Us but coupled with a darker plotline this places the genre nearer to Female Noir.

As with all Carol’s novels, The Shadow Between Us is very character driven, giving almost a literary feel. The story is all about Olivia: she is the protagonist but her own fear of what happened in her past is also the antagonistic force. This makes for one hell of a read and I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Go reserve your copy NOW!!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

We meet Olivia on her daughter's birthday. "SOMETHING" has happened in the recent past that we are not privy to, but it has ripped her family apart. She's moved out of the family home - renting a little house in another town. This "thing" hangs like a dark shadow between her and her husband, Mark, while their daughter, Jessica, is off on a gap year in Europe.
In this new town she is a mystery to the townsfolk - someone unknown, to be discussed and pondered about. On a whim she joins a Correspondence Club hosted by Beth at her coffee/book shop. This is where she meets Ned, an injured young veteran, and feels a connection of sorts.
The story moved very slowly for me and I just couldn't get a feel for Olivia or understand the issues she was grappling with or the things she did.
The revelation of "the shadow" towards the end of the book blew my mind. It was NOT what I had imagined and had an immediate effect of raising the book's rating from 3 to 4 stars. It was as if someone had adjusted the filter and SO much of what I'd read earlier suddenly made perfect sense. You understood Olivia's (for a lack of a better word) craziness.
It didn't make me like her any more than I did before, but I started to understand her actions more.
The final chapters rocked me - my initial theory (which I'd dismissed early on as totally impossible) turned out to be true and left me in tears. And also explains why this book ended up with 5 stars from me.
I'm so glad I persevered with this book, I came so close to throwing in the towel many times in the first 60% of the book. I'm so glad I didn't. I finished the book actually liking Olivia.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

[Heather Gawiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because I could read/listen for free with Kindle Unlimited but also because I have read two other books by this author that I loved. I know there are some mixed reviews on this one, but I really, truly loved this read. I read it in about two days and found myself desperately wanting to know the "big reveal." I think she did a great job of weaving little teases and small details of the secret that is "the shadow" throughout the early parts of the book. When the secret is finally revealed, it was not exactly what I expected and there was way more to the story than I had anticipated. It is heartwrenching and beautiful. Unlike her other stories, this one is less "romantic" and has less heat but still has a subtle, calm touch of romance in various places that fleshes it out a bit. If you've read the author's other stories, this should be a good read. It was easy and quick to get through and I liked that it was not necessarily a "happily ever after" tale. There's some complexity to this story that leaves you feeling like she doesn't just give you what you want to hear. For some, I understand that may be frustrating but I found it to be an enjoyable change of pace and felt it had "good bones."

[Kim Hornsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Mason writes with a finesse and style that pulls you in to the story, grabs you by the collar and holds you there until the final page, in sweaty desperation. You care deeply about the characters and The Shadow Between Us is no different.
The story of a woman with a secret who leaves town to get perspective is a compelling one but the unfolding of this particular story is masterful. Mason lets out just enough information as we go along, to keep the reader in a state of worry and wonder that the hero might not make it through this tragedy. So often, Women's Fiction has heroines that don't have a sense of humor but Mason's heroine's are delightfully funny in a way that doesn't take away from their enormous task. Olivia is no different. Olivia's ability to see the humor in situations carries us through a dark time in her life that might otherwise be filled with angst and denial. The relationships in this novel are real, raw and written beautifully. I found myself wanting to stare over Ms. Mason's shoulder while she writes, asking her questions about her process.
If you enjoy Women's Fiction and typically choose novels that tackle heavy subjects, like Jodi Piccoult, you are sure to find The Shadow Between Us a book that satisfies on every level.

[Denise Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW:

The Shadow Between Us by Carol Mason

An unraveling story, leading the reader too what they will not see coming, which brings me to the phrase; "wait for it".......it's compelling and will take a hold as you move forward through it's many facets to what makes this story complete.

Our protagonist, Olivia, is in search of self, fresh new experiences while dealing with personal torments as she continues stumbling through what seems to be her very own mid-life crisis, or is it? A mother, a wife, a member of a letter-writing club; a woman of secrets and pain.

This story is poinient and pulses with expectation as to what really happened and why. The emotional twists keep coming. A bittersweet tale that is written well to include a side of sadness, courage and surprise; challenges and forgiveness, one that will engage and interest the reader.

I thank Carol Mason for my personal, signed, copy of The Shadow Between Us in order that I may read and review her debut novel.

4 Stars

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[Susan Cairney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to read this slowly and I did because true to Carol Mason novels this was another absolute cracker. True, it took me a bit to get into it because I wasn't sure what Liv's problem was til around 20% of the way through (but maybe that was just me cos I read at night so was probably just tired) but I trusted Carol Mason's writing and knew to keep reading. I am so glad I did. Every character was special and so real and I absolutely fell in love with Ned. Who is Ned? Well read this book and find out and you will love him too. I'm not going to give any spoilers for this story or write what it's about because you have already done that or you wouldn't have bought it. One tip, if you also didn't quite 'get'the beginning, push on, keep reading then when you've finished, reflect a bit then read the first few pages again and it will all sink in. This is one of the best books in my collection of kept books on my Kindle and we'll worth the spend. Thank you Carol for this fabulous story. I am now looking forward to the next. She's brilliant! If I could give a million stars I would have xx

[Joan]

My update at 78%

And the big reveal. But somehow I feel tricked. All these words and words and words and yet that’s it? I think my real problem is that Olivia is not a likeable person. It’s hard reading. Not much happens. There’s no real conflict or tension or reason to read on. So I’m not going to.

The problem with this novel is probably me. I like tension in a story, I like a reason to keep on reading, something that makes me worry about the characters and keeps me reading just so that I can find out what happens to them. There was none of that here, no sense of things likely to turn bad, or any real concern for the main character - who was, quite frankly, very unlikeable. I cared about her husband, but that was all. It was very fragmented and choppy and full of words that didn't add anything to the story.

It's probably me. But there again, it might not be ;) Whatever, I'm not rating this book at this moment. There was nothing I disliked about it but then again, there was nothing I loved about it either. It was just... words.

[Nancy Osberg-otrembiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't see it coming

Throughout almost the entirety of this book I kept waiting to find out why this woman was in pain and having so much trouble dealing with life. In all honesty, I got so tired of waiting that I was tempted to close the book and forget about it. BUT, the writing, the intrigue, how well all the supporting characters were fleshed it, kept me interested and kept me reading.
And then, there it was-- the reason for the main characters pain and stress. And while it was a surprise, it wasn't the only one. By the time I got used to that surprise and thought, 'okay, it's going to be alright', BAM, snack in the face with the real and more terrifying issue. Never saw it coming.
Great story, amazing writing. So happy, Carol Mason, that you finally got to write the one story you wanted to write (yes, I read the acknowledgements), and you did it so well!
Thank you.

[Annett Jummrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

The theme of the book is about dealing with guilt, emotional scars and trying to find the joy in life again after a tragedy. The story could have had me in tears and reaching for my tissues, had it not been for the unlikable main character Olivia. Yes, she is trying to deal with a trauma (little twist at the end of the book which was surprising and actually explained a lot about her behaviour), however, I could not warm to her almost whingeing, "I am a victim" attitude. As a character I really disliked her. I felt very sorry for her husband who clearly suffered too and needed help as well. The supporting characters in the story are much more intriguing and likeable, especially Ned and Beth. Both are strong characters.
I really wanted to like this book as it has an important theme (dealing with PTSD and life after tragedy), but I just could not warm to the main protagonist. What a shame!