I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

*This Much is True* by Jane Sanderson is a family drama that, while initially slow-paced, becomes a compelling read as the story unfolds. The narrative alternates between two timelines: the present and over 50 years earlier, charting the journey of the protagonist's meeting and marriage to Vince. The dual timelines add depth to the plot, slowly revealing secrets and hidden layers of the characters' lives.

Despite the slower start, the book becomes gripping, and I found myself invested in the story right up to the end. One of its strongest aspects is the vivid portrayal of family dynamics and the complexity of relationships. The friendship between Josie, Sandra, and Annie is a highlight, offering a heartfelt look at the support and loyalty that can exist between women. Their bond provides both warmth and depth to the novel, making it a highly relatable and enjoyable read.

With strong characters and plenty of family secrets to uncover, *This Much is True* is an engaging and accessible novel for those who enjoy character-driven stories.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Quite slow paced and took a while to get to the “shocking secret”. Not the kind of book that I would. Or ally read but well written. Thanks for the opportunity to read

While I found it a little slow and wanted to give up I kept going, cause it would be disrespectful to,the publisher who gave me this ARC.

I cant say its a bad book. It just wasnt for me. Annoying main character, slow storyline. But others may like it.

I started this book looking forward to a twisty, gripping tale full of shocking secrets - this is what the blurb promised, it also said that if you love KL Slater, Rachel Abbott and Kathryn Hughes the this would be perfect, well I do so yippee!! I couldn't wait to read it. I started it whilst sunbathing in the Whitsundays - the perfect book for the perfect holiday .... Well the holiday was indeed perfect - the book sadly was not. I really wasn't keen on any of the characters especially the leads Annie and Micheal. I found them unpleasant, rude and prissy. The story bored me to tears - it was just so laborious to read I really really wanted to give up but that's so unfair with an arc so I had to stick with it, yes there were one or two secrets that came to light but they were neither twisty nor gripping or indeed shocking. Not for me I'm afraid.

Annie’s husband Vince is in a care home not expected to live for long, why doesn’t she seem that devastated about his impending death. On his deathbed he utters the name Martha. But who is she and why is she a secret?

This is a great family drama which draws you in. Its told over 2 timelines, the present time and over 50 years before and tells the story of how she meets and marries Vince.

It is an easy book to read full of family secrets, with strong characters. I loved the friendship between Josie, Sandra and Annie and how they supported each other.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

This Much Is True is an ok read and I enjoyed the characters in this novel.
This took me the longest it’s ever taken to finish a book and I can’t really put into words why. Yes the storyline was sssssllllloooooowwwww but there was something about it that kept me going. The title says “a gripping story of a shocking secret” but there was nothing gripping and there wasn’t really a shocking secret, it would be in normal life but because it took so long to get to the point it didn’t seem shocking. The characters were all believable and that is the reason I stuck at this book as Annie, the main character had a lot going on in her life but although she was 73 years old there were a lot of sides to her life.
I have given this book three stars but wouldn’t rate it any higher as the blurb built this up to be a really suspenseful read that I would devour in a day but I was left disappointed.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

* i received a free E-ARC in return of an honest review through netgalley*
3/5 stars!
this book was okay, it was enjoyable but not the best book of the year, in my opinion.
once i had gotten into this book i did enjoy it, but my main issue was infact getting into this book for the first couple chapters it was quite slow and it did take me a couple of attempts but overall it was worth it!
this book is about Annie a 70 year old and her 50 year old son! but what did she do 50 years ago to keep her family together? you will have to read it to find out! would recommend.

I really enjoyed this fictional story. Our storyteller is Annie who is a lady in her 70's. She keeps herself to herself and dotes on her dog. The story is set in the present and 50 years ago. It tells why Annie is the way she is. However when Annie makes some new friends, while walking her dog, her world opens up and old secrets come to the surface.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Seventy three year Annie lives with her dog and her middle aged son while her husband is in a nursing home. She refuses to join the technological age.

This jumped between Annie now and when she was a child but to be honest it didn't hold my interest and although I persevered it wasn't an astounding read

I loved this book, even though the blurb was slightly misleading. It was mostly about Annie, a lonely, unsure 73-year-old whose life revolves around her dog and her incredibly unpleasant grown-up son who lives with her, and about the things in her past that led up to the present. I know this description sounds like it's a terribly dreary read, but it was actually quite wonderful.
The "Martha" in the blurb only makes an appearance well after the first third of the book, and while that thread is important in the story, I feel it was more about Annie herself. Annie's developing friendships with Josie, Sandra and Mr Dinmoor, she shenanigans of her dog Finn, her relationships with her sons, her childhood and her past with Vince -- everything came together very nicely in the end.
The book is mostly from Annie's perspective, though the PoV jumped from head to head, depending on who was in the scene. This usually annoys me, but it sort of went well with the languid pace of the book. Despite being somewhat slow, it was still a compelling read.
(Review copy received from NetGalley)

This is a good read, for the most part. I questioned the notion of friendship as I read it. I’m not going to give away any details, though! It was interesting and made me want to finish it quickly.

The one thing keeping her family together is the lie that could tear them apart...

Meet Annie Doyle, this is her story, her past as she first met her husband Vince and her present, caring for her husband who has had dementia for thirty years. Married life didn't turn out quite like how she imagined, it has been an unhappy marriage so when she gets the news her husband is about to pass away Annie finds herself not really caring!
But as we learn about her past, we come to understand why things are as they are in the present and understand why she acts and feels as she does.
As the family come together to say their goodbyes we meet her two sons two sons, Michael and Andrew.
Michael still lives at home and comes across in the beginning as rude and indifferent.
Her other son Andrew lives on the other side of the world, in Australia, with his wife and two young sons. He is the more likeable and caring of the two brothers, and there is certainly no love loss between them.
The only other people in Annie's life is her beloved dog Finn and her tentative friendship with two dog walking friends, Sandra and Josie.
Annie's dog Finn becomes one of the main characters throughout the book and surprisingly it works really well.
On his deathbed Vince utters one last word 'Martha.'
It is from there that the story starts to pick up pace, Who is Martha? No-one knows who Martha is, no-one except Annie, and that single name is going to change the lives of Annie and her sons, Michael and Andrew forever.
What did Annie Doyle do fifty years ago to keep her family together?
The truth starts to emerge the book sweeps as along and leaves us ending with a twist that you may not see coming!!
It is a very well written book, the characters are given real depth, even the dogs :-)
Quite a slow starter so it takes some time to really connect with the book but i do recommend sticking with it and you will be rewarded in the end!

Took me a while to get into, but glad I stuck with it.
Great characters full of personality and completely believable!

It surprised me several times, which is everything you want from a great thriller and I found myself really connecting to Annie, which surprised me too.

Would recommend.

This was a little slow paced and predictable for me but it was an enjoyable and easy read over all. It wouldn't stop me from recommending it to others

This is a brilliant read if you enjoy family sagas. The first few chapters seemed a little slow, but then I found I couldn't put it down. It is a story of Annie Doyle, her family and her friends and alternates between her past and present day life and all the events which have shaped her life. A thoroughly recommended read with an unexpected twist at the end. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

great read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more from this author.

Excellent book! Great characters and a brilliant storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

I didn't really enjoy this, I found the main character Annie Doyle irritated me, initially she seemed too insipid and too meek. Reading further in to her story the reasons why are there but I kind of lost the need to find out