It is always such a privilege to be given the opportunity to participate in a blog tour for one of my favourite authors! Amanda Prowse writes with warmth and empathy in every single one of her books. She displays her innate understanding of the workings of the human heart; what it means to suffer heartbreak and seemingly unbearable pain and suffering, but to then reach into the deepest depths of one’s soul and grab onto the tiniest shreds of strength that we didn’t even know were there, in order to build ourselves up again. This latest offering, ‘All Good Things’, is no different.
Blurb:
In this captivating story from the bestselling author of Picking up the Pieces, Daisy has always envied the perfect family next door. But will a weekend of unexpected drama prove that the grass isn’t always greener?
Daisy Harrop has always felt like she exists in the background, and since her mother stopped getting out of bed, her life has come to a complete standstill. Daisy would give anything to leave the shabbiest house on the street and be more like the golden Kelleways next door, with their perfectly raked driveway and flourishing rose garden…
Winnie Kelleway is proud of the beautiful family she’s built. They’ve had their ups and downs—hasn’t everyone? But this weekend, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary is truly proof of their happiness, a joyful gathering for all the neighbours to see. But as the festivities get underway, are the cracks in the ‘perfect’ Kelleway life beginning to show? As one bombshell revelation leads to another and events start to spiral out of control, Daisy and Winnie are about to discover that things aren’t always what they seem.
My Review:
The Harrops and the Kelleways are next-door neighbours, but they might as well be on different planets! Everything about them is so vastly different: their homes, their families, their financial situations, their level of dysfunction … actually, dysfunction might be the one thing they have in common, although it manifests itself in very different ways.
Young Daisy Harrop isn’t very worldly. She’s still at school, trying her best to keep her world together: studying hard, while working part-time at everyone’s favourite local Italian restaurant. Her mother has barely left her bed, let alone the house for quite some time and Daisy can’t understand it. What happened to the loving mother she remembers? It’s like one day someone flipped a switch and she became a different person. Can’t she see that her family, especially her teenage daughter, still need her?
Daisy’s father seems adrift, and her brother keeps to himself and she senses that she can’t confide in him although she desperately wants to.
Meanwhile, next door, Winnie Kelleway is preparing to celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary (husband Bernie is rather inconsequential). She’s looking forward to being surrounded by her beloved children and grandchidren as they gather together at their favourite Italian restaurant. She’s planned a wonderful party (many would describe it as simply ‘showing off’).
Poor Daisy is just so dazzled by this gorgeous, sophisticated clan that she can barely function! And when she realizes that Winnie’s beautiful grandson Cassian, the object of all her dreams and affections, is going to be there, she begs to be allowed to stay in the kitchen instead of being waitress to people she’s barely able to even say hello to. But in the end she has no choice, and this sets into action a chain of events that will bring about changes that Daisy never imagined. Because it appears that Winnie has been just as blinded by appearances as Daisy has been, and her ‘perfect’ life, and ‘fabulous’ family might not be all that she thought they were.
Once again, Amanda Prowse reminds us that appearances can be deceiving and that we never truly know what goes on behind the closed doors of other people’s homes and hearts. The complications and complexities that accompany the human condition are all laid out here in fine detail.
I was so conflicted while reading this book: I found myself racing through the pages, because I just couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next (a bit like not being able to tear my eyes away from a car crash, because I knew disaster was inevitable) but at the same time, I was telling myself to slow down so that I could make it last longer!
I felt conflicted about Daisy. She found herself in a situation not of her own making, but I did want to shake her a bit and tell her to open her eyes to reality! I know she was young, but she seemed quite unable to distinguish between fact and fantasy. Hence the similarity I found between her and Winnie. I obviously don’t want to give any spoilers here, but I did wonder if Winnie knew about her family’s shortcomings and challenges and merely chose to turn a blind eye, or if she was genuinely unaware of all of it. I’d like to be gentle and claim that she’s a bit old-school so she was blithely oblivious.
There are characters to cheer for, moments that will touch your heart, move you and make you smile. As for the title … whether you want it to mean ‘all good things much come to an end or ‘all good things come to those who wait’ … read the book and decide!
Thank you to RaRaResources for the blog tour, and to Amanda Prowse for another fabulous winner of a book!
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/All_Good_Things
Author Bio: Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty-eight novels, two non-fiction titles and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart-topping No.1 titles ‘What Have I Done?’, ‘Perfect Daughter’, ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘The Girl in the Corner’ and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.
A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda has appeared on numerous shows where her views on family and social issues strike a chord with viewers. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national and independent Radio stations including LBC, Times Radio and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’Amanda’s novel, ‘A Mother’s Story’ won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBookof the Year Award and she has had two books selected as World Book Night titles; ‘Perfect Daughter’in 2016 and ‘The Boy Between’ in 2022.
Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…
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