Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

If you have had a recent link to cancer or a devastating disease this could be quite a difficult read. The characters are sweet and well rounded and the story is interesting and heart breaking. Don't recommend reading it on public transport!

This book made me cry. It was a wonderful read, full of gut-wrenching real-life heartbreak. There's a few notes of happiness in this book which is great but the ending is awful - because it's a cliff-hanger and I really want to know what happens!

A really heart-rending story of living with cancer and being in remission brought back memories as both of my parents had cancer so an interesting read.

A delightful read. The kind of book you become absorbed in 100% and invest your heart in to. Emotional, uplifting and life evaluating.

Abi is finally in remission from cancer after spending an horrendous year fighting it, but can she get her life back on track and more importantly get back the family life and have them treating her normally again. Abi's husband has let things slip while she was ill both work wise and at home and her 18 year old son is at an awkward time of life.....but she needs them to stop pussyfooting around her because if they are keeping secrets from her it is making her worry more than if she knows them!

A lovely book that could be about a very depressing subject but it isn't - it is well written and obviously very emotional but definitely well worth reading

I read this book in two days whilst lying on a sunbed in Cyprus. I can honestly say that it made me laugh out loud and cry throughout. This is such an honest and real portrayal of a woman who has had the most horrendous year coping with bowel cancer and as the book starts she is in remission and hoping to re-start her life with her husband John and her 17-year-old son Seb. At the party to celebrate, we are introduced to all the main people in Abi’s life, her parents, her best friend, her brother; everyone is so happy for her and life is now about to begin again.

However, once the party is over real life interferes. Relationships have changed. Her husband John has been so desperate to do anything he can to help Abi recover that his business has fallen apart. Her son, Seb, has a beautiful girlfriend but finds himself assailed with feelings for his neighbour’s son Marc. Abi is infuriated at the way she is being so protected that her family no longer discuss problems with her for fear of hurting her after her terrible year.

The real joy of this book is that the writing comes from the heart. You are drawn into this family’s problems and feel their pain. The writing is topical and throughout the book you find yourself thinking that you know exactly what she is saying. Abi does a playlist of songs dedicated to all her family which makes her story even more real.

I am so envious of an author who can write like this about such a difficult area as cancer with such honesty. You feel the raw pain but also it is so uplifting and in some cases funny. The characters are so real, although Abi’s life is the main story, her son Seb’s struggle with his sexuality is also brilliantly described.

I could carry on enthusing about this book for pages but rather than that I would just implore anyone who can to read this. I cannot remember actually finding tears in my eyes when reading a book for a long, long time and that is not because the ending is either happy or sad but just because the sheer brilliance of the writing made this happen. An incredible book.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This book is a masterpiece and a must read. It's an emotional journey for abi and her family following her remission from cancer. Her son And her husband have issues of their own that they need to work through but they want to protect Abi. What a truthful insightful book which really gets you thinking. Through all of this you can feel the love of the family unit. A very heartwarming story beautifully written

This was one of those books that the minute I started reading it I thought, oh this is going to be a really memorable book​, and I wasn't wrong. It hit on a hard subject matter as Abi was in remission from cancer, but while there were some sad moments there were also a lot of uplifting moments. There was a Spotify playist linked to this book, with the songs on Abi's survival playlist and mentioned throughout the book, which was a great idea. I loved listening to the songs and it made the story feel more real. I especially loved the Black Beauty theme tune, I hadn't heard that in years!

I really liked that the story was written from two viewpoints, both Abi and Seb's perspectives, ​​
so we understood how they both felt​, and led us through the story in different months as time went on.​
This was one of those books that I was thinking about even when I wasn't reading it. It really made you realise about how the family around a cancer victim are just as effected as the person themselves, if in a different way.

It seemed that life had gone on hold for her family while Abi was fighting cancer, and everyone had done what they could to keep her going. But now she's in remission which should be, and is, a wonderful outcome and everyone is very happy about it, although still treating her with kid gloves. But now real life comes back into play and things have changed so much over the year she has been ill - relationships have changed, work/job/money things have slipped badly with her husband, and her son is nearly 18 and trying to sort out his own life and feelings, but really struggling, without wanting to worry his Mum about anything at all - initially. Her husband is trying to get his business back on track and very distant from her, without really meaning to be. So everyone is really struggling and things haven't 'gone back to normal' as they had all expected.

It seems her whole family are keeping secrets from Abi so they don't worry her and hamper her recovery, but of course not knowing causes her more worry, and things always come out in the open eventually. Her son, Seb, is really struggling with certain things in his life, but is getting so wound up about it all he starts taking it out on his parents, especially his Mum, who was only trying to help him. He may have just turned 18, and he was going through a very hard time in his life, but he acted like a spoilt, sullen child for a while, which I did find very irritating. I thought he treated his Mum very badly, especially after all she'd been through.

Then just when you think things are getting back on track, albeit a new track, a few other things happen that make you wonder if they'll ever make it out the other side. A real roller coaster, of a story with highs and lows, you'll be smiling one minute and crying the next! Very emotional, sad and funny. Highly recommended.

Really loved this story. How cancer affects the whole family and not just the sufferer. Told in 2 sides, Abi the Mum and Seb her son. Both sides to story very readable with likeable characters that you could relate to. Would highly recommend

Abi has just found out she has gone into remission from her brutal cancer she has been suffering from and while she's still weak at first she soon starts to try and get a grip back on her life and reconnect with her husband and son.

However, for her husband, John his mounting debt has left his business ruined and his relationship with his wife has dwindled into a more friendship as they've had no sex for months since she became sick. The point is he now wants to move away to take a job he has been offered and sees no other way than to separate.

Seb their teenage son faces a challenge still even though his mum is recovering. He broke up with his girlfriend Jess, but this causes his team of mates to think he's gay and suddenly his life is going wrong as he tries to convince them he's not though he is. He had also kept hidden the fact he's failing school and doesn't look set for medical school like he always was going to but he doesn't want to cause his mum any stress and so bottles everything to himself.

I liked that the teenagers were realistic and the media references for them were relevant to now from them watching Take Me Out and Love Island. The way the boys spoke of girls and their jock attitude throughout shows their animalistic side which was quite disrespectful at times towards the gay community however can unfortunately still be found in society. Recovering from cancer is a huge subject and a blessing so it was great to read a book that broaches that side of cancer for once.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!