Really liked this book, it flowed well and had wonderful characters, It kept me turning the page at a good steady pace and I enjoyed the format of this being in letters.

An engrossing read centring on Iris and her family and Gina with her family. At first I couldn’t see how the two stories linked but that became clear later. An enjoyable story of the circle of life, families and relationships.

A beautifully written, heartwarming tale with wonderful characters. This book is so sad and yet so uplifting. A joy to read.

Iris was a lady full of life and love who now resides in a nursing home, in the final throes of dementia. Her granddaughter Tess has seen her more as a mother than grandmother all of her life. Now Iris is there but not really there. Her relationship with her own mother while not fractious has always been lacking in closeness. Now Tess finds herself pregnant and alone and just wishes she could have Iris with her again. As she clears her grandmother's house she finds letters of a life that Iris led many years before that neither she nor her mother knew about. At the home where Iris now lives Tess meets Gigi, who visits her father in law. Her warmth and advice couldn't come at a better time for Tess, and despite her own worries they soon become friends and gradually, their lives and their families start to become interwoven.


I'll be honest this wasn't an instant hit for me. It took some getting into as I think I was expecting something a little different. But once I let go of my preconceptions it really started to pull me in. It's quite a predictable book, but then these types often are. But it doesn't matter as it isn't meant to surprise you, it's meant to pull at those emotional heartstrings. If you've ever lost someone, been pregnant or just had a heart this will make you smile, laugh and of course ultimately shed a tear. A heartwarming novel that is well worth a read.

Sorry, I received an email promoting this book and accidently pressed to request it when I was not interested. My apologies. I have put 3/5 stars as I have to give a rating and do not wish to rate it too low or high.

I really enjoyed this book. I was moved to tears at times and became deeply invested in the characters. A poignant look at friendship and relationships, I defy you to read this without crying!

I received a digital ARC of #LettersToIris from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This has been on my "to-read" list for a couple of months now, and I have been putting off reading it if I'm honest. Not because I thought it would be rubbish, but because I knew it would particularly hard for me to read. My Grandad had dementia and sadly passed away in 2009. With Iris and James both having dementia, and the families having to deal with that and placing them in a care home etc. I knew this would be a book very much close to home. I was not wrong!

Within the first 20% of the book, I was crying my eyes out. The thoughts and feelings of the characters brought it all back to me again - and one point in the book even reminded me of something which I must have blocked out in my mind. Once I'd read it, it all came flooding back to me, and once the tears started, there was no stopping them. This is testament to the great writing of Elizabeth Noble. The research she must have done is evident in the writing of the most difficult scenes.

I was able to get through the rest of the book without crying, so thought I was doing quite well. Until I got to the final 10%. I had been anticipating the end right from the start but it was still so hard to read, and again transported me right back there with my Grandad. The comforting words that Gigi spoke to Tess near the end made the tears start again, as it made me think of that difficult time almost 9 years ago.

This was a very poignant and deeply moving book about friendship and relationships. The secret that Iris has kept with her all these years is truly awful, and is only discovered at a time when she is too ill to be questioned about it. I ended up highlighting a lot of passages in this book as they resonated a lot with me, and meant a lot to me. It has proved one thing to me though: I am definitely not emotionally ready to read "Still Alice" yet!! However, I would not hesitate to read more by Elizabeth Noble in the future.

I was really excited to read this novel, and I can confidently say that I was not disappointed!  Letters to Iris is a novel about secrets and pain, but also about love, family and hope.

We are introduced to the novels namesake, Iris, in the prologue.  We are given a brief insight into her teenage years, and that of her older brother Tom at a time when war was breaking out and conscription was being introduced. We then fast forward to present day, where we meet Tess, Iris's beloved granddaughter.

The novel focuses on both Tess, a young woman with a secret and an ailing grandmother,  and Gigi, a mother, grandmother and wife who has lost her purpose in life.  They each have their issues, but find their lives intertwining as a friendship blossoms between them.

I'm a bit worried about giving too much away in this review, so am keen not to say too much.  What I will say though is that the stories of Tess and Gigi are beautifully woven together, and I genuinely enjoyed following their stories.  I also loved the way Iris's story, an elderly woman who had begun to lose her battle with life, was delicately threaded through the novel.  There are heartbreaking moments throughout, in both the contemporary and historic parts of the story.  This isn't just a story of secrets and loss though; it is also a story of love, family and hope.  There is light even in the moments of darkness, and that is one of the things that I loved about this novel.

I am delighted to be able to recommend this lovely novel - I hope that you'll read it and let me know what you think!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is a lovely story that if you give it chance sweeps you in to a tale that deals with a subject people don’t talk about, the devastating grief that comes with the loss of a baby and the ongoing suffering of a still birth.
The main character is Mona, a 60 year old Irish doll maker who lives in the English seaside, she has a close, yet distant, relationship with the local carpenter who assists her in her passion to help grieving mothers navigate the loss of their stillborn children.
The book takes us back to Mona’s childhood in Ireland, through her young adult years as an Irish immigrant in Birmingham during the IRA bombings of 1972, falling for a boy named William, and the ensuing devastation of that time and a pregnancy that sees their lives fall apart. As each layer of the story is lovingly unfurled, we learn more about Mona, her journey and the people who help shape her. We learn about the power of memory which can be both frightening and intentionally shut off to protect us and painful, insightful and necessary in recovery.
A tale of longing, hope and regret from a strong and inspiring woman who shows us how resourceful and resilient we can be. I loved the ending !!…….

I just loved this book. Admittedly it took me a little time to get into it but I soon became totally engrossed in the characters stories.
At first I had no idea how the story would unfold and even as you worked your way through you were not sure how it was going to pan out.
The characters are believable and I loved learning more about them.
The premise is about 3 generations of two families whose lives end up combining through he care of the eldest generation who are care homes.
This is not a depressing book but a celebration of life and history.
Elizabeth Noble does it again!

Both heart warming and heart breaking story. Beautifully written by Elizabeth. Letters to Iris will have you laughing aloud and wiping tears of sadness. It’s so absorbing that you feel every emotion and can’t help but feel what the characters do.
Highly recommended.

This one will make you laugh, and make you cry. This one hit a nerve with me as parts are very close to home.
So grab some tissues and enjoy the uplifting, heartwarming story.
A beautiful novel, thank you for the advanced reading opportunity!

A heart-warming and heart-wrenching tale in the finest tradition of family sagas.

I will not (as ever) give away the plot! I loved the characters (well most of them, but that's as it should be!) and wanted to know more about them.

The writing is beautifully observed - people behave and react as real people do when faced with the various dilemmas, crises and heartbreaking choices we all experience. The ups and downs of the various characters are heartwarming and heartbreaking at times - but they always feel human, rather than the plasterboard people and situations one finds in some novels.

I've always been a fan of this style of writing (as well as a wide range of other genres) and I would love to read a sequel, or at least more stories about these people.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.

What a fabulous book. I was engaged in the characters right from the start. Some of the aspects of the story resonated with my own life. I found myself sneaking off to bed early so I could read it quickly. I laughed but mostly cried through it.

I found this family story quite slow at the beginning but I'm glad I persevered with it. It developed into a long and satisfying read of the quality I would expect from this author.

Tess and Gigi are strangers,both at a crossroads of their lives when they meet each other at a care home. Gigi is visiting her father-in-law and Tess, her grandmother. Gigi is the caring motherly person that Tess's mother never was and Tess finds herself confiding in her.
Tess has a boyfriend,Sean, and as he drops the bombshell that he has a new job in New York and expects her to move with him she drops the bombshell that she's pregnant. His reply is that this is not the right time for them to have a baby with all that is going on with the move to New York.
This is the crossroads where Tess stands.
Gigi, with a grown up family and a job as a midwife is not enjoying life with her husband anymore. She is feeling like she has become invisible. So does she stick it out or try life on her own? This is her crossroads.
Tess writes letters to her unborn baby telling the child how she feels. She then finds a suitcase full of letters in her grandmother's house that explains her family's past.
This is a lovely story I liked the characters of Gigi and Tess who are both being told what to do by other people and struggling to find their own identity and act on it.
There is so much more to this story and so many spoilers on Amazon that will ruin a good read for you. I'm not going to add to them.
I enjoyed this book and Elizabeth Noble's other books are worth a read too.

This book introduced us to two female characters Tess and Gigi at completely different stages of life and brings you along as they process and deal with a surprise pregnancy, an empty nest and other family dynamics along the way. It’s a gentle easy read and I found it an enjoyable read!

Many thanks to Michael Joseph - Penguin UK for the ARC and opportunity to review

When Tess finds out she's pregnant she realises her life is about to be turned upside down. With only her Grandmother to confide in she feels completely alone, and Iris is slipping further away every day.

By chance Tess meets and finds herself befriended my Gigi, a lady who know's all about loneliness. Tess finds herself pouring her heart out to her new friend. Can Gigi prove to her that there's a silver lining to every cloud?

Having heard so many good things about Noble's previous titles, I was really looking forward to getting stuck into this one. Unfortunately, when I first picked it up it was during a busy time, and therefore I struggled to really get into it. Once I was able to devote some proper time to it, I became quickly engrossed.

From the way the book started I thought it was going to be quite an in depth story, touching on the devastating consequences of Alzheimers. However, I soon realised it managed to touch on the subject and remained a light rom-com.

The characters were all likeable, with interesting backgrounds, something that sometimes gets overlooked in a book of this genre. By far, my favourites were Emily and Oliver. They were the most humorous and light-hearted and I loved the dynamics of the Mother-Son relationship between Gigi and Oliver.

I was a little disappointed that the ending didn't involve Gigi more, although I can happily surmise the outcome it would have been nicer to know.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely pick up more from this author again in the future.

Letters (and in particular old letters) are a huge passion of mine so I knew I had to read this book as soon as I saw it. I wasn’t disappointed. Heartfelt, emotional and beautifully written. Recommended!

A great story, well written. Lots of emotions within the pages. Although I did work out how it would all end it didn't take away how good the book was