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Alice, her sister and best friend, riddled with guilt over their silence following an earlier argument, tries to piece together the last days of Leni’s life, while baby brother Will is living fast and lose in Thailand trying to forget the part he played in their sister’s death. Meanwhile, mum Belinda falls into an unhealthy relationship with a clairvoyant as her ex, Tony, struggles with becoming a father again after a trio of failed marriages. She has the uncanny ability to look right into a person’s heart and convey the most hidden secrets and feelings they harbour, in ways that feel innovative and natural. The Best Days of Our Lives takes all those features and delivers an outstanding read that is simply fabulous.
Leni and her sister Alice were best friends as well as siblings. But did they know each other as well as Alice thought? In the hope of coming to terms with her grief, she tries to piece together Leni’s last weeks – but her discoveries only lead to more questions. And that’s before the surprise reappearance of someone from the past. Life is certainly getting very complicated …Another absolutely gorgeous book by the best selling author Lucy Diamond. Oh how I loved this precious book. The Best Days of Our Lives is one of those books that makes you reassess how you live your own life. Deeply moving but ultimately uplifting, you won't regret reading this * Katie Fforde * Despite the heavy subject matter which is sure to stir up your emotions, Lucy Diamond's lively and frequently humorous writing ensures you'll laugh as often as you cry * Sunday Express * Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex And Tony Lenis dad is trying to make amends for leaving the family and being a rubbish dad. While awaiting a new baby himself with his new girlfriend. You’d think that would make for a miserable or maudlin story, but not a bit of it! There’s humour, love, excitement and joy in The Best Days of Our Lives too so that, while the reader needs a tissue or two along the way, the overall sensation is of a fabulous, uplifting, and life affirming experience. This book was very sad as ultimately it follows a family in the months after losing a daughter/sister, but it was uplifting and inspiring too. It did have sprinkles of humour (thanks Hamish!!) throughout, and ultimately it portrayed real life for many families. Set over the course of one life-changing year, The Best Days of Our Lives is a warm, big-hearted and poignant story, full of hope, heartache and love.Everyone is keeping secrets and the thing about secrets is that they will all be revealed in the end. There’s such depth that it’s hard to accept that all the people here – Alice, Belinda and Will in particular – are not real people. I felt their emotions every bit as much as they did because I believed in them so completely. The mystery of Leni’s last few weeks
Where Lucy Diamond does excel is in her character creation. Main or supporting, old or young, female or male…they’re all so well written. And the extended family as a whole. It’s a great exploration of a dysfunctional family without straying into the pantomime.
Reminding us how to fly
I had a problem with Leni, though, because the picture of her, painted by the characters, was totally different to this what the author showed us in the first chapter. I didn't like her too much, to be honest. The story, on the whole, was very character driven and the author did a good job with describing them, yet I still think that Leni was really the weakest link and I'm guessing it shouldn't be like this, I was supposed to like her and because I didn't, well, the whole story was already from the beginning spoiled for me.
Oh how I treasured this precious novel by Lucy Diamond. Sure, it's majorly weepy for the most part but also enduringly uplifting. Wayyyyy too many feels to contend with!! There are touches of mystery and romance woven into the story too so that it really is a mesmerising read. It keeps the reader guessing every bit as much as Alice as she tries to piece together Leni’s last few weeks. However, I had a feeling that the story, all the feelings and emotions are a bit over the top. It was a bit overdone and the characters' behaviour was too extreme, to over the top. This is well-written but it will not appeal to everyone. There is a lot of focus on the grief suffered by Leni's family following her surprising death. UK popular contemporary fiction author Lucy Diamond pens a family drama saga that fans will appreciate.Lucy is at the top of her game with this wise and wonderful book. It's deeply moving and truly uplifting. No-one does real life better than Lucy Diamond * Veronica Henry * A bittersweet ode to the highs, the lows, and all the shades of living in between, The Best Days of Our Lives is Lucy Diamond at her absolute best. Prepare to be charmed! * Laura Jane Williams *
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