Katie Marsh

This book starts with a letter written by Abi to her husband John and son Seb, and I'm not ashamed to say it had me in floods of tears. I readily admit that I usually cry at the end of books but to cry at the start was something new for me. I was absolutely astounded at the level of raw emotion that has been poured into the opening pages of This Beautiful Life, but I dried my eyes and carried on as I knew from past experience that Katie Marsh had a beautiful story lined up for me.

After show more dealing with the devastating news that she had colon cancer, Abi now gets the amazing news that she is in remission. The future she thought she had lost is coming back into focus but a lot of things have changed whilst Abi has been ill. Abi's husband John has gambled everything to help Abi get better and her son Seb is struggling with some powerful emotions of his own. The past months have been all about Abi's cancer so as the three attempt to reconnect, it's the perfect time for honesty. I knew they were strong enough to get through anything, although there are a few hairy moments!

Interspersed between chapters are songs from Abi's survival playlists; songs she has chosen for each of her loved ones with reasons why she has chosen them. Abi has written in the sleeves of her CDs for her family and friends to find after she has gone. Each note is so heartfelt that I both looked forward to it and dreaded it in equal measures, as I feared my tears would reappear at any moment.

It always astounds me how Katie Marsh manages to pour so much emotion into her books; her characters are so very realistic and they deal with real life situations with such poignancy and grace. As I hurtled towards the end of the book, I prepared myself for whatever was coming and I have to say that, along with the whole book, the ending is absolutely flawless.

Katie Marsh is without doubt one of my favourite authors; the beauty in Katie's books is more than skin deep from the stunning covers to the beautiful words within. Another poignant and outstanding novel from the pen of the super-talented Katie Marsh.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

Favorite Quotes:

She had babysat Jeanie’s two-year-old twins a couple of months before, and had aged a decade in four hours.

I think this is officially the worst meet up we have ever had, including that time we went to the park in the rain and a tramp peed in my bag.

The more Jeanie looked at the castle, the more crumbling it appeared to be. It was like her body since having kids– neglected, sagging, mouldering quietly away unnoticed, the bottom of the priority list.

‘Back off!’ Jeanie show more could feel blood in her mouth. ‘Whoever the hell you are, you have two pissed off and starving midlife women in here with you, so just give up now, okay?’

My Review:

This was a well-plotted mystery that seemed unsolvable, even for the ever-intrepid trio of the Bad Girls Detective Agency. The little pea in my brain certainly was not getting anywhere from spinning in place with the odd events occurring and the dearth of clues collected, and the general tone felt more tense than cozy. However, Ms. Marsh’s signature wit and lashings of amusing humor kept it from being too angsty. It was a long, cold, and tiresome night on empty stomachs for the group as they navigated irksome people and kept stumbling upon bodies. show less

As soon as I saw there was a new book out by Katie Marsh, I just knew I had to have it so I snapped one up from Amazon for my kindle. I read and absolutely adored Katie's first book, My Everything, and didn't think it could be bettered - but I was wrong! A Life Without You is impeccably written, it is completely flawless and I am sure it will be listed in many readers' top books of 2016 - it's definitely in mine! Katie Marsh really knows how people tick and understands the complexity of the show more heart which make her novels stand head and shoulders above the rest.

What an unusual start to a book - it certainly grabbed my attention. Zoe is embarking on the happiest day of her life as she prepares to marry Jamie. Then she gets a phone call from her mum's friend asking her to come and help as her mum is in trouble with the police. Wearing her wedding dress, Zoe takes a trip to the police station instead of down the aisle. Hold on a second you say, why wasn't her mum sitting in the church with the other members of Zoe's family? Zoe hasn't spoken to her mum in years - what could have happened that was so bad for a mother to not even be invited to her daughter's wedding? So begins the story of Gina and her daughter, golden girl Zoe, told through heartbreaking letters that Gina has written to Zoe on each birthday.

These emotional and candid letters are placed at the end of each present day chapter, chapters filled to the brim with emotion as we see the effects of Gina's memory loss on herself and her family. At a time when Gina really needs the support of her family, Zoe steps up to the mark by burying old grudges and sweeping aside feelings about her abandoned wedding to concentrate on looking after her mum. With so much on her mind, it naturally starts to affect her work and she realises that she can't do it all on her own. Time for hurt and resentment to be brushed aside and for people to show that they really care about Zoe.

Losing your memory must be such a devastating event and so difficult for friends and family to deal with. It really hit home for me, as a book lover, when it was mentioned that Gina had a pile of books by her bed, but there was no point reading them as she would forget what she had read when she put the book down each night. It must be so difficult to actually admit that you can no longer look after your loved one and have to look at other options available. As Zoe struggled with feelings of betrayal and guilt, it was completely understandable and virtually palpable, but clear that she had to put those feelings to one side and do what was best for Gina.

A Life Without You is a stunning and compassionate story of family, forgiveness and unconditional love. It is a stark reminder that we shouldn't dwell on negative events in the past but concentrate on what is left of the future. Katie Marsh has such emotive writing, evoking both laughter and tears, ensuring that A Life Without You is a book that will remain forever in my heart. No words will ever do this book justice - you simply must read it for yourself. show less

I read this book so quickly as once I started it, I really couldn't put it down. The writing is like a big fluffy duvet that wraps itself around you and warms you up from top to toe. It's an exceptional debut from Katie Marsh and I'll be looking out for her next book.

The night that Tom has his stroke was described so vividly that I don't think I let out a breath until the paramedics arrived. Hannah's conflicting feelings then went into battle and my heart went out to her. She was planning to show more tell Tom that she was leaving him and had already started to detach herself from the marriage, that Tom played a big part in breaking, I might add. Hannah probably thought she had no loving feelings left for Tom until he has his stroke and the little bit of love that never dies is reignited. We watch as the flame grows but Hannah loses more of herself and she becomes all about Tom, never doing what she wants.

The turnaround in Tom was amazing - I think he experienced almost every emotion. He went from being a selfish workaholic, blaming Hannah for everything that went wrong in his life, to a selfless and brave loving husband, with the inevitable emotions of anger and sorrow in between.

I enjoyed reading about Tom's relationship with his sister, Julie, and felt that she transformed from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly over the course of the book. Julie is harbouring a lot of anger following the death of their Mum, as she felt that Tom didn't spend enough time with them. Tom is a lawyer and we read about times where he intended to put family over work but his boss wouldn't allow it. In difficult economic times, employees do feel grateful to have a job and this is often exploited by employers. I doubt Tom would have been sacked for leaving work at 10pm on a Friday to attend his wife's 30th Birthday, but I have no doubt that his boss would have made it his mission to find another reason to put forward for dismissal.

Each chapter ends with the story behind a memento of their relationship, such as ticket stubs and receipts, that reminds us how much in love they once were. I found that I looked forward to this at the end of each chapter so I could see what item would help me get to know more about Tom and Hannah. I do love a good flashback!

This is an invaluable book as we always think of stroke victims as of the older generation, but in reality it can affect anyone. This book will raise awareness of stroke and give people hope when it does happen to them or their loved one.

It really is an exceptional heart-warming book. It's like a massive hug and shows that even when you think you have lost someone's love, you can always rekindle that flame. Never give up on a relationship, you just have to work at it and remember why you fell in love in the first place.

I received this book from the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, in exchange for an honest review. show less