Keep You By My Side

by Callie Langridge

A novel about love, lies, and family.

Are family secrets the ties that bind or the lies that divide?

The secrets of one family live in the walls of a cottage perched high on a Dorset cliff. But secrets can only be kept for so long.

Follow three generations of a family from war-torn London, to the permissive 60s and liberated 80s. Gertie, Rose and Abi live through joy, tragedy and heartache as they navigate complicated mother-daughter relationships and learn the importance of friends and finding love. When circumstances force them under the same roof, secrets begin to unravel and promises made in love threaten to tear them apart.

How far would you go to protect the people you love?

What everyone is saying about Keep You By My Side:

"a book about, love, friendship, and the reverberating echoes of the past. I did not want to put it down and now that I’ve finished it, I am bereft" Lisa Timoney - reviewer 

"From page one this book had me hooked." Gail Atkins - reviewer

"an endearing story, tying together generations of a typical family, with quirks and heroics, traditions and secrets, all the things that make life whole."  Bonnye Reed Fry - reviewer 

Callie Langridge is the best-selling author of A Time to Change. Keep You By My Side is an emotional and heart-warming tale, which will appeal to fans of books like Postcards from a Stranger by Imogen Clark and Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy.

Genres: Fiction

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2018

About the author

Callie has a passion for history and the world and lives of those who came before us. Through her writing, she explores social history, complicated relationships, and how the extraordinary happens every day.

She can often be found roaming the halls of historic properties and has a particular fascination with venturing into the hidden parts of houses …

Callie lives in London along with an ever-growing collection of antique curiosities, more books than any person really needs, and a blanket waiting for a Jack Russell terrier to occupy soon!

Twitter: @CLangridgeWrite
Facebook: Callie Langridge facebook.com/CallieLangridgeAuthor/
Insta: Callie Langridge instagram.com/callielangridge/

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5☆ Endearing, Captivating Historical Romance

Keep You By My Side is a poignant and Heartwarming read about family, relationships and secrets.

The story is told over several decades, by three generations.... Nan Gertie, Mother Rose and her daughter Abi.
They all come to live together when Rose's husband suffers from mental illness.

Abi is being bullied at her new school as she is an outsider.
Rose is struggling with her life in general... trying to start a new business and supporting her husband.
Gertie is the glue holding them altogether, she is a real sweetheart, warm, caring and loveable.
But what happens when we delve into their past? Can secrets stay secrets?

I adored how effortlessly the story flowed between the characters lives.
Sometimes when stories have more than one timeline it starts to get confusing but Callie has weaved their stories together perfectly.
It helped having the character and date at the start of each chapter.

The characters are so well written, I really related to them.
Each Character brings something special to the story. It was really good seeing how the three generations interacted and related to each other.
In my house we had three generations living together and people often asked what it was like living with my grandparents, but I adored it and wouldn't of changed it for the world!!

Although the story is told through different time periods and that they are all family members, the links between the stories keep you intrigued.
There are plenty of secrets kept that slowly unravel making this story impossible to put down.

I really enjoy historical reads, but this one is a lil different. It's also told in present day.

I love books that feature stories from the war. Gertie's flashbacks are from war time London. But they are so vivid, real, and emotional I actually felt like I was living those memories alongside her. They had a powerful impact and made her story and character by far my favourite.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this poignant, Heartwarming and endearing historical romance.
This is my first book I have read by Callie Langridge and im looking forward to reading more!

Thank you to Bombshell Books and Bloodhound Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My Review is also on my Blog Website :-

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/1...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read and totally loved the authors debut novel, I was very excited to see that she had a new book coming out. Delighted to say that this one is every bit as good if not better.

The story alternates between Gertie, her daughter Rose and her grand daughter, Abi. Each characters chapters are also set at different time scales. It was great to see different periods in time, from the world war to the swinging sixties and to the modern days of the eighties. It felt a bit like a time machine where the author kept transporting me back and forth and I loved every minute of it.

Abi’s character is the one that stood out the most to me. I think I could empathise with her more, having to move house and schools and re adjust to a new life away from all her friends. I also loved the bond she has with her grand mother. You just know that from picking this book up that you will totally be captivated by these three women’s stories.

Keep You By My Side is a wonderful story where you very much get wrapped up in the characters lives. It’s about family and the bonds that tie. I loved everything about this book and I could feel my emotions mounting throughout. The author has a knack of writing characters that really get under the readers skin and stick with you. Another beautifully written novel by the author. Loved it.

[Adele Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep You By My Side is told from three women's points of view. Gertie, who is grandma, Rose, who is mother and Abi who is granddaughter. It is also set in modern-day with flashbacks of each woman's past and how certain events defined them. It shows how a love for your daughter means so much that you have to hold back secrets of the past.
Very well written and enjoyable book. Well done Callie Langridge.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of Callie Langridge's first book, A Time to Change. If you love time travel/time slip books then I'd highly recommend it. As you can imagine, I was keen to read her second book to see if I loved it just as much. Well, the answer is I didn't love it quite as much (it had a lot to live up to) but I did still really enjoy Keep You By My Side as it has so many of the elements that I love and I think that it will appeal to a lot of readers.

This is a story of three women: Gertrude in the 1940s, Rose in the 1960s and Abi in the 1980s. They're three generations of the same family and each of them has their own issues to deal with. Gertie is living through the war years and is desperate for a child but none seems to be forthcoming. Rose is clever and hopes to be a doctor but unexpected events change her life forever. And when Abi and her family move into Cliff Cottage in Dorset, which is her nan's house, she has to deal with the upheaval that brings and secrets from her mother's past that come to light.

There is a lot of warmth in this story. I particularly loved Gertie and thought she was a lovely, tolerant character. Rose and Abi were great too, but I didn't find them quite as endearing as Gertie. I really liked how each chapter was told from the point of view of one of the women and so we jumped around the decades as the story unfolded. Not everyone's cup of tea but I really enjoy that in a novel.

This is a story which looks very much at the effect of secrets and lies through the generations and begs the question, is it better to hide those things that could cause distress or should you always be honest no matter the consequences? I'm not sure of the answer myself and certainly being truthful wouldn't have helped the characters in this book very much at times.

I really liked how all three stories converged, particularly at the end. It's a moving look at the relationship between mothers and daughters, and how sometimes doing what you believe is the right thing can have an unexpected effect further down the line.

Keep You By My Side is a beautifully written, emotional and sometimes heartbreaking story. Callie Langridge has written a moving study of family life.

[Between The Pages (Gemma M) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwh my heart. One beautiful story, one family, one house and three women. The story is told through Abi, Gertie and Rose from the 1940s to the 1990s. All strong women facing their own challenges and problems. All hiding secrets! However, this story is so full of love. It takes the reader back in time to family life in that era.

I felt the whole range of emotions while reading this story, it is a perfect story that I enjoyed throughout! Beautifully written. Uplifting. My first story I have read by Callie and it won’t be my last. I actually loved it and fell in love with all the ladies, the story makes you feel part of the family too. A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend! Just what I needed!

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I really enjoyed this story, it was very well written and I was captivated from the start by this very endearing story.

It has some excellent characters and they are well developed. They work brilliantly within the plot and with each other too.

I loved the layout for the book and how we were transported through the different decades. I love historical fiction stories and this one was a complete treat, the author really does transport you back in time with her writing style which is perfectly suited to this genre.

Four stars from me, I really enjoyed it - highly recommended!

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

GNab In Keep You By My Side we visit London with Gertie in 1940-1945, Rose in 1963 - 1964 and Abi in 1980 - 1988. This is an endearing story, tying together generations of a typical family, with quirks and heroics, traditions and secrets, all the things that make life whole. I very much enjoyed the Smith family and the richness of the family relationships, the details of the communities involved and the aspect of London in wartime.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Callie Langridge, and Bloodhound Books, Bombshell Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Pub date Oct 8, 2018

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful tale of family love showing the differences and similarities in the generations!

This is the story of Abi, Rose, and Gertie, three women from different generations of the same family. Spanning the years from the second world war, through the swinging sixties up to the eighties, following a normal British family with three strong women. When circumstances bring them all together under the one roof, secrets begin to peek out from their hiding place and the dynamics subtly change.

This is an easy read; following these woman one by one we get to know them well, their lives, their hopes and aspirations before discovering the skeletons lurking at the back of the cupboard. The author makes an excellent job of showing the differences in life which each woman faced during 'her' time, while also managing to bring the similarities to the fore. It's an attention grabbing novel - before you know it, you find yourself really invested in their lives and mesmerised by the generational differences and likenesses. There are more than a few surprises along the way, and it all adds up to a very enjoyable read and certainly one I recommend to those who enjoy a good saga crossing the generations.

My thanks to Bombshell Books, and imprint of Bloodhound Books, for my copy of this novel. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

[Sally Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of three generations of women Gertie, Rose and Abi who end up having to share a cottage in Dorset when they have to come together to support Rose when her husband becomes ill...... but living in such close proximity can the secrets of the past remain secrets?

A lovely book that I was drawn into immediately, I liked all of the characters but I think especially Gertie who drew them all together and her flashbacks to the forties and how all of the family secrets gradually unravelled

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on 3 generations of the same family Keep you By My Side moves between 3 different time periods. Each period is clearly labelled and I found it easy enough to keep track of what was happening in each.

Each of the main characters are easy to relate to and likable. The story is very well written and it is easy to get involved in the lives of these people you are reading about. Although each part seems to be a separate story they are all inter related and how they all cross over becomes clear by the end.

This book was very unpredictable with nothing becoming clear until the last few chapters. Callie wrote the book very well as you could not guess where each little road was leading. I tried to guess what was going to happen but was pleasantly surprised at being wrong. This definitely added something to the story for me and I found myself needing to turn the pages faster to find out where it was going to take me.

Ultimately the story is about people keeping secrets for all the right reasons but them then to affect and hurt further down the line. It also says a lot about how secrets can be misinterpreted and how this can have a huge effect on people and how sometimes honesty really is the best policy.

A very well written, enjoyable book for me and I would highly recommend for romance fans looking to try something a little bit different.

[Rachel (Rae) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what can I say other than I loved getting to know the characters in this story. This book was both emotional and heartfelt as we follow three women from the same family just in different time periods. After reading and loving A Time To Change last year I wondered how I would feel about Callie Langridge's new book but I had no need to worry as I loved this one just as much but for different reasons. It was easy to connect with the characters although I guess I did feel more of a connection when I read the chapters involving Gertie and Abi. The whole story moved at a lovely pace easily pulling me in and provided plenty of emotional moments, I have to admit there were tears!

I was fully invested in this families story as we follow them through the 40's to the 80's with each time period working perfectly to compliment the story. As secrets slowly surface Callie Langridge made sure that the switch to another characters perspective was smooth and added so much more to the next part of the story. This book has a whole lot of heart as the reader sees both the good times and the bad along with showing how complex family relationships can be.

Keep You By My Side is such a touching and beautifully written story!

[Nicki Southwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three generations of women, based in picturesque Dorset, and their stories. This is a well-written book that keeps the reader enthralled until the end.

We meet Gertie and her story begins in 1944. At the height of the blitz and all the fear and chaos that surrounds people living in London. She meets someone special by chances and that then steers her on her path in life.

1963 and we are introduced to her daughter, Rose. They move to the family house on the Dorset cliffs after a financial disaster hits her and her husband, This is where they bring up Abi.

She is out one evening and spies her mother and a stranger sitting together on a bench. At first glance, they appear to be more than friends. Her imagination runs riot and the relationship with her mother doesn't recover.

The characters are very likable and mostly well-meaning, the scene set in beautiful Dorset. You will be kept guessing the outcome.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

[Emma Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep You By My Side follows three different women from three different generations in three different, iconic, decades: the 40s, 60s and 80s.

I loved the characters of Gertie, Rose and Abi – both in their own right and in their relationships with one another as daughter, mother and grandmother. Family relationships are often complex, and the secrets the characters hold add to that, but there is a warmth throughout this novel which left me with a lump in my throat.

The quality of writing was a pleasure to read and also ensured that I felt fully submersed in each decade. The descriptions of the blitz added a depth to the story which I greatly enjoyed.

This is my first novel by Callie Langridge but I am eager to read more.

[Sue Purbrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read about three generations, starting from the war years in London and ending in the 1980s. Gertie is a young married woman when WW 11 is finally over. Her daughter Rose is born soon thereafter, and we learn about her life in the 1960s. Abi, Rose’s daughter, finds her life turned upside down in the 1980s when her family has to move away from home and move in with Gertie in her isolated cliff-top cottage. As the story skips back and forth between generations, we learn that not all is quite as it seems. I enjoyed the history, the evocation of the different eras, and the characters.

[Zoe Antoniades · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge hurrah for this wonderful book. Callie Langridge certainly knows how to tell a great story and ‘Keep You by my Side’, without a smidgen of a doubt, does just that. I was hooked from the first page to the last and consumed this page-turner of a book all too quickly so that I’m missing it already. It is one of those books that becomes your friend - something to lose yourself in and keep you company - just as the title suggests - I will keep a little of this by my side quite happily as I do not want to let go of it just yet. Bring on book three please, Callie Langridge - and soon.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Callie’s first book I was eagerly looking forward to reading this, her second book and it did not disappoint. It was like reading 3 different stories that intertwined with each other and after each chapter, I struggled to put the book down as I wanted to read more. The story is captured lovely in her writing which shows a real love of history. It was almost like stepping back in time and being there with the characters. I’d thoroughly recommend this book to others and I look forward to more books written by her.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel encompasses three generations. It enjoyed it to an extent as it revealed the changes through the decades. Some good; some bad. Modern relaxed morals butting heads against Victorian morality and shame which took so long to diminish. It had an excellent theme and plot but I thought the dialogue was clumsy and awkward in parts, the family members didn't have relaxed, good connections or prolonged relationships with others. Gertie's experience during an air raid didn't seem credible, nor Abi's in the shed.

[Alexina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly great book to not only get lost in, but to get involved in the lives of the characters

Three extremely strong female characters that live through their own generation and have to live together due to circumstances beyond their control.


A cleverly weaves tale of family, and fortune with plenty of misfitting and desperate measures.

The book is told from alternative perspectives and timelines- but is a seamless read with easy to follow chapters


A delightful look in to a gem of a special family

[Daffers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three generations intertwine into one story. Beautifully crafted and equally compelling. Every time the narrative shifted between the time periods I was disappointed to leave the woman I was with, then immediately excited to pick-up again with another. It's easy to romanticise the past, or forget that older generations lived life in colour (not in black and white). This novel reminds us that joys and tortures of love remain the same.

[Kelly-jane Kimpton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again Callie’s knack for writing has surpassed her. This book tells the stories of three generations and how each of their separate tales eventually entwine with each others. The descriptive words take you right in to the places that the characters lives encounter and make you want to be there with them too! I laughed, I cried but most of all I loved the book.

[Mrs Julie Gargett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering this book has been written about 3 different times (40s, 60s 80s) it was not hard to follow. It follows a gran, mum and daughter through their young lives and the secrets that try to stay hidden. I thought it was very well written and I loved the interaction between them.
Thank you netgalley.

[The P.Turners]

Please see blog for *L*'s review: https://thepturnersbookblog.wordpress...

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving.

A very emotional book moving effortlessly between three timelines; it is a story of three generations of women and the secrets they each hid.
I loved the characters; all of them with their flaws, but very strong as well.
Callie Langridge is a new author to me, and I look forward to reading more of her books.

[Deborah Cleaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read about three generations of women and the one night stands that transformed their lives in different ways.

[Alison Offerdal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely novel

Told through three generations of women, this novel was both heartwarming and heart breaking. A story reminding us that love is all you need.

[Sandra Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did like this book, but I didn’t really like the way it jumped between characters and time spans. But overall it was really good I love stories about ordinary folk and life.

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this, i love books that hop back and forth decades with family secrets etc

[deborah trout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I enjoyed this book immensely and was a bit sorry to finish it. Great characters. Lots of history. It is woven together nicely.

[Debbie V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Beautifully written, compelling and well researched. Definitely one I’ll read again.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read from Callie Langridge and I will definitely look out for more as I enjoyed reading it.

This is a story spanning several years, from the 1940's to the 1980's following the lives of three women - Gertie, Rose and Abigail. It is a compelling story of how events shape their lives, lies, love and family.

If you are looking for a beautifully written endearing story then you won't be disappointed.