Believe in Me by Susan Lewis is the story of loss, love and family relationships. It's topical because of the referendum and race hate element and it's an emotional read.

I was so excited to read thus but but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations. I expected it to be more exciting but found it a rather dull read.

Whenever I have a Susan Lewis book I always make sure the tissues are nearby as her stories always tug at my heart strings!!

When Leanne’s husband commits suicide she and her daughter Abbie return to their family home of Ash Morley. Abbie is soon playing up and taking it out on her mother, moving away from her friends hasn’t helped Abbie’s mood.

I want to stay at Ash Morley as it seems idyllic with people arriving constantly, everyone is welcome.

Klaudia and her 2 children are living in a rented cottage, originally coming from Poland she is on tender hooks as to whether she will get her residency or will be sent home even though her children were born in England and she has a job and family. I couldn’t begin to image how that would feel like to be waiting for news that could turn you’re life upside down and to have no say in it.

The story mostly revolves around Daniel whose dad is in prison for a crime that he is convinced he could never have done. Daniel has been moved around several foster families until he arrives at Ash Morley, as Leanne wants to foster children.

The family soon grow to love Daniel, me too to be honest!! The more Daniel talks about his dad the more Leanne starts to think he may be innocent, along with a close friend they start to dig deeper.

What wasn’t there to not love about this book, the characters felt real and all had interesting stories to tell. I must admit to having a tear in my Eye at times ( thank god the tissues were close)

Would love to revisit this wonderful family in another book to see how they are all getting on.

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

EXCERPT: Remember to live in the moment, she told herself firmly, as she left the shop. If you don't, all these special times with these very special people will pass you by, and you'll never get them back again.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Leanne and her teenage daughter Abby have recently been forced to move from London back to Kesterley-on-Sea, to Ash Morley Farm where Leanne grew up. Leanne's husband Jack, Abby's father, killed himself over a year ago, and the pair is still reeling from the shock waves caused by the tragedy.

Also living at Ash Morley farm is Leanne's mother Wilkie, who is a rock for everyone, and family friend Klaudia and her two children. Klaudia has to face the backlash of the xenophobic feeling post the Brexit vote and is on tenterhooks to hear whether she and her children will be sent home to Poland.

Hoping to move forward and mend the wounds her family has suffered, Leanne decides to foster a child. And when she's told that Daniel's father is in prison for murder, she hardly bats an eyelid. But as Daniel becomes integrated into the family, Leanne starts asking herself questions about his father's conviction. Is he really guilty? With the help of friend and ex-detective Andee Lawrence, Leanne sets out to right the wrongs of the past.

MY THOUGHTS: As with every other book I have read by this author, Believe In Me by Susan Lewis contains little reminders about how we should appreciate our lives and live them to the fullest. But it's not done in a preachy way. Instead, it is wrapped in a story that most of us can relate to in one way or another.

Abby reminds me of myself as a teenager, passionate and prickly, subject to sudden mood swings, and of the opinion that if mum couldn't guess what was wrong with me, then she didn't deserve to know. I was a nightmare, just as Abby is, and equally as certain as Abby that my mother loved everyone else more than me, or even but me.

Believe In Me deals with many issues; single motherhood, suicide, fostering, racial intolerance, and bullying to name a few, with a little mystery thrown in for good measure.

Lewis has a beautiful turn of phrase. One particular passage that I loved was ' Today, when she looked in the mirror, she saw a kind of bad watercolor of herself, blurred about the edges, no longer defined as a confident, capable woman, more like someone who'd been left out in the rain.'

I love Lewis' characters. They are honest and forthright, and the type of people who I would like to have for friends.

😊😊😊😊

THE AUTHOR: I was born in 1956, in Bristol. My father was a Welsh miner, a poet, an engineer and a thinker. My mother was one of 13 children who, at 20, persuaded my father to spend his bonus on an engagement ring instead of a motorbike. We were a normal, happy, nuclear family, living in a spanking new council house on the outskirts of town – my mother’s pride and joy. But we were going to do better, my mother had made up her mind about that. My father, an unabashed communist, was writing a book, I was signed up for ballet, elocution, piano and eventually a private boarding school, and my brother, (the real great love of my mother’s life) was going to succeed at everything he set his mind to.

I was 9 and my brother 5 when my mother died of cancer. She was 33, my father was 37, and he never married again.

I went to the boarding school, a rogue little pupil in amongst all the posh girls, with their plummy voices, rich parents and exotic tales of faraway places. I yearned for my mother and father, but it was for the best, I was told. My father couldn’t bring me up on his own. However, I believed he could, and because no one would listen to my pleas for freedom, I took it upon myself to get expelled. It took a while, and I had rather a fabulous time achieving it, and by the time I was thirteen I was back in our little council house with my father and brother.

The teenage years are too painful to go into.

When I was 18 I got a job at HTV in Bristol, and at 22 I moved to London to work for Thames. I began as a secretary in news and current affairs, then trained as a production assistant and moved on to light entertainment and drama. It was a love of drama, combined with a fierce ambition, that got me knocking on the Controller’s door to ask what steps to take to become a producer. “Oh, go away and write something,” came the reply. So I did.

Over 30 books later, my only regret is that none of them have yet made it to the screen. I left TV eighteen years ago to do the “novelist thing” of buying a house with a swimming pool in the South of France. Bliss! For the first summer! After that came a disastrous love affair with one of the FBI’s most wanted, the plunge of the pound, and the dawning realization that life full-time in France was very, very different to a two week holiday frolicking around on millionaire’s yachts on the sunny Riviera. Sure it was glamorous, and the yachts – along with the interesting people – all came back in the summer, but the endless months in between were not far short of hell.

So, off to sunny California and Hollywood. After equipping myself with a Mercedes estate for my beloved dogs Casanova and Floozie, a home in the hills complete with pool and perfect sunsets every night, I set about completing the obstacle course of cowboy agents, big-talking producers and wannabe directors. Once I realised that Hollywood was NOT waiting for me, I put the struggle behind me and from thereon life in Tinsel Town became just plain thrilling. From star-studded screenings and glitzy parties, to moonlit dinners on the beach and edgy nightclubs, it was the perfect town to be single. George Clooney was my neighbour, Jennifer Anniston, Charlize Theron and Julianne Moore shopped in the same places, Nick Cage was a guest at my house, and Steve Martin was a regular on our dog walks. Romances flourished and faded, some dreams came true and others were crushed.

After seven happy years of taking the best from Hollywood and avoiding the rest, I had to face up to the fact that I was losing touch with being English. I needed a fix of my own country, so once again my dogs and I were on the move. We returned to Wiltshire for two years where making the adjustment from Manolo Blahniks to Wellies, cocktails at sunset to nights in by the fire, and no more glittery invites to liven up the mail proved too crushing for a still young and lively spirit.

So, we returned to the South of France, not to the same village, but to an even prettier one than before, perched high above the Riviera with glorious views of the sea. It was wonderful to be back amongst old friends, and to make so many new ones – the stress of living in a language that wasn’t mine was still an issue, but seemed slightly easier to deal with second time around. Alas Casanova and Floozie both died aged 13 and 15 during our first few years there, but Coco and Lulabelle are doing a valiant job of taking over their places – and my bed!

Everything changed again three months after my 50th birthday when, having given up hope of ever finding the right man, I met James my now husband, who lived and worked in Bristol. For a couple of years we had a very romantic and enjoyable time of it flying back and forth to see one another at weekends, but at the end of 2010 I finally sold my house on the Riviera and we are now living on the edge of the Cotswolds in a delightful old barn with Coco and Lulabelle. James’s sons Michael and Luke are regular visitors; it’s been quite exhilarating and educational having a young musician and dedicated sportsman in my life!

Should you be interested to know a little more about my early life why not try Just One More Day, which is a memoir about me and my mother. The follow up book One Day at a Time continues the story with my father.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone Century via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Believe In Me by Susan Lewis for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my wordpress.com page

I have read and enjoyed several of Susan’s previous books.
Whilst I enjoyed this book I didn’t enjoy it as much as others.
In this book we meet Leanne ( who’s husband committed suicide), her daughter, mum and their lodger and friend Klaudia.
Leanne is given the opportunity to foster a young boy and we follow this thread in the book.
The book is set once again in and around Kesterley on Sea and we meet some previous characters notably Andee Lawrence. Despite that you don’t need to have read any of Susan’s previous work to enjoy this.

Having read all of Susan's books over they years this book does not disappoint.If like me you enjoy Susan's writing style this book is very good..A very good and interesting read.

Having read a number of Susan Lewis titles I was a little underwhelmed by this book - it felt slower than others and I didn't really buy into the post brexit furore, it felt a little forced as a concept.

I did finish but I'm afraid its not one of my favourites.

I wasn’t sure about this book before I read it as it’s quite far from any of my usual genre’s but once I got through the first couple of chapters, I was hooked.
The setting was lovely, Ash Morley sounds great and the characters were well developed and easy to like, there was a bit of action to keep things interesting and also a sniff of love in the air, so for me, it had a bit of everything.
Well written and very easy to read, a great summer novel for the beach, I will definitely read more by this Author.

Thank you to Susan Lewis and netgalley for allowing me to read this book for my honest opinions. This book had me from the first page to the last. Beautifully written and will definitely be on the look out for more books by Susan Lewis

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

Aw man, this book, i loved it. I was a lil lost in the beginning i had to startvagain twice whilst trying to suss who was who. But once i got it i flew thru it. First novel ive read by this author but it certainly wont be the last. The book is fab, the storyline keeps ya drawn in, so many characters and just a really good read. Highly reconmend it and cant wait to get stuck into more books from this author.

Love and tolerance can be a superpower.

Leanne and her daughter, Abby, have had a terrible year and been forced to move back to Leanne’s childhood home. Also living at Ash Morley is her mother, Wilkie, and Klaudia and her children, a Polish woman and good friend of all the women.

Set just after the Brexit vote, tensions are high with attacks on immigrants and the uncertainty of what will happen post-referendum.

Daniel is the son of a convicted child murderer, being pushed from pillar to post by Social Services. Leanne and her family foster Daniel and soon realise that his father’s conviction is very unstable and perhaps he didn’t do it.

A book of social conscience, fighting spirit and good old-fashioned family values.

This book is a little out of my comfort zone. I am not usually enamoured with the hippy-dippy kind of “give hugs” stories, but although this book is all those things it is a very good read. I was impressed with the way the subjects of post-Brexit violence reacted and the closed-mindedness of people in a small village.

The book was a little too clean and fanciful as the problems and concerns were solved very neatly and tied with a bow. Leanne is too soft with her troubled, teenage daughter and I don’t think anyone would put up with the way Abby treats her. It is all a little too sweet for me, but the subject was handled with great dignity.

Not my kind of book but still a good story and worth a read.

Shesat

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Another enjoyable read from Susan Lewis.

For most of the book, I could just about forget that it was once again set in Kesterley-on-Sea, a very regular setting for Lewis novels over recent years! Of course, Andee Lawrence was conveniently on hand to assist with bringing this story to a conclusion.

I'm afraid that as much as I have enjoyed large numbers of novels by this author I would welcome a new setting and a novel that doesn't include once again characters met before.
That said this is a standalone novel - in that you wouldn't think you had missed anything if you read it in isolation. It introduced some great new characters and covered some interesting topics and issues.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Leanne returns to her childhood home of Ash Morely after the suicide of her husband and the death of her aunt, who has left everything to her in her will. Returning home is not without its trials as her teenage daughter is not dealing with her father's death & is taking it out on her mother.

Ash Morely seems to be a lovely place. Leanne's mother, Wilkie, is at the heart of the place. She is always ready to protest and protect the underdog. Also living in one of the rental cottages is Klaudia and her two children. Coming originally from Poland she is suffering from the Brexit backlash and is scared she is going to be deported.

The story also revolves around Daniel, a young boy who is being passed around the foster system after his father was imprisoned for abducting and presumably murdering a little girl.

When Leanne (and the rest of the family) decide to foster and are told about this it does not put them off. They soon grow fond of Daniel & the more Leanne hears the more she begins to doubt that the man who brought up this child with such love and good attitudes could be guilty. Along with a friend they try to find out the truth.

This was an enjoyable read. The characters were really interesting- although I think Leanne was a saint for putting up with her daughter sometimes!! The atmosphere of Ash Morely was so nice I wanted to visit! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Susan Lewis is one of my favourite authors, she has a natural flair for encompassing day to day troubles in her stories
In this book she covers Brexit, anti racist groups, wrongful imprisonment, and generation living not bad for an easy reading book!
I love the way all the characters are intra linked in this book from grandmother and her escapades usually ending up in a police cell to introducing a foster child of an alleged killer who happens to be black
I fell in love with Leanne the mum of two daughters and one fostered son Daniel, the way she is written about is exactly type of mum I would like to be unfortunately I haven't learned to hold my tongue as yet but this book aspires to make me better mum
Finally if you have a mum,sister,aunt or girlfriend who has a birthday coming up buy them this book they will love it

I found this to be so slow with very poor character depth.
It really struggled to hold my interest.
I did manage to finish it though.
So Two Stars.

i found this to be different to her usual books, still a very good read and would definately recommend this book, i think its nice when authors write differently sometimes it shows they can write to a varied audience

I'm a fan of Susan Lewis so I lapped up the opportunity to review Believe in Me. However I almost gave up at the first chapter but I'm glad that I did persist as the story developed quickly and grabbed my attention.

Set in the bustling Ash Morley Leanne, her grieving daughter Abby and her activist mother Wilkie. Having returned to the family home after her alcoholic husband's suicide Leanne is finding that adjusting to her new reality will not come without a fight. Her best friend Klaudia, who in my opinion was the most fascinating character in the book, is fighting for the right to British citizenship and Leanne's business is struggling to stay afloat. Wanting to inject some positivity into her life Leanne decides to start fostering children but little does she know that her first assignment will turn out to be the son of convicted murderer Patrick Marks.

The most fascinating aspect of the book definitely was the reference to the EU referendum and the impact that it had on immigrants in the country. It truly is heartbreaking to see how Klaudia and her other Polish friends feel so threatened and endangered by the decision to leave the EU.

I would recommend reading Believe in Me but if you do find yourself struggling at the beginning please keep with it as it will soon grab a hold of your emotions.

Leanne is still reeling from her husband's suicide and has to leave London and return to her family farm and mother Wilkie, with her teenage daughter Abby. Any is not adjusting well and causes Leanne heartbreak, but not really surprising for a teenager who's father had committed suicide! Willie is not living alone on the farm as she has the Polish Klaudia living there with her two children.

When Leanne decides that she wants to foster a child she meets the young Daniel who's father is in prison for murder. Daniel is convinced that his father is innocent and gradually Leanne begins to agree with him ....but what cam she do to prove it

A good story, a bit of a slow burner but once you start to invest in the characters the story takes off

This is a story of love, community, grief, worries and the impact of racial hatred and Brexit! Following the suicide of her husband, Leanne has had to move from London with her daughter back to her childhood home, Ash Morley Farm at Kesterley on Sea. The farm buildings now also house a Polish family Klaudia and her two children as well as Leanne’s mother, Wilkie. This mini-community of friends are helping protect and nurture each other. When Leanne decides to foster a young boy, Daniel, little did they realise that this would impact so dramatically on their group. Daniel’s father, Patrick, is in prison, accused of an infamous murder that Daniel is convinced he didn’t do. As Leanne learns more about events, she also starts to doubt the conviction and sets out to investigate it with the help of a friend who used to be a detective. Will they help each other heal? What will they discover about the murder - will they free Patrick?

This is a family fighting for their own futures after traumatic grief and doing so whilst still endeavouring to help others. It is an easy, delightful read, packed with family drama and held together by the glue that is family love. There are several different threads running through the story and these are interwoven and join together in the end to create the final picture. It is an enjoyable and memorable read.

I requested and received a copy of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.