An enjoyable read. The story revolves around two different families. Tess who is pregnant and adores her grandmother, Iris, and Gigi who is in a loveless marriage to Richard, meet up at a care home, Clearview. Gig is visiting her father-in-law, James.

The stories of the two slowly begin to interlink and the author deals with illness and relationships in a carefully planned, poignant way. In parts it is funny and in parts sad. Most people will be able to see some aspect of their lives within the tale.

Enjoyable and recommended. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK – Michael Joseph and Elizabeth Noble for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Such a beautiful book. So well written and the emotions were almost tangible.

I really wanted to love this book, as I lost my own grandmother to vascular dementia just before Christmas. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get on with it. I struggled with the writing style and failed to connect with any of the characters. I didn’t finish the book so don’t feel it fair to write a review.

A good story on dementia and its effects on the friends and family who have to accept and cope with what happens as the conditions progresses. Well written, but there were too many characters for my liking - it took a while for the story to get going as the focus of the story changes characters with each chapter, but the underlying message of the story is there throughout. The descriptions of Iris and her dementia are well told and powerful at times, and the book will probably resonate with readers who have had experiences of family members with the condition.

A lovely story and beautifully written. This is my first book by Elizabeth Noble and I will definitely be looking out for more of her novels.

Tess has a fractious relationship with her mother, Donna, and was brought up by her grandmother Iris. She is now in a relationship with Sean and Iris is suffering from dementia and needs to go into a home and her mother needs to grow up. Sean is offered a job in New York and Tess finds she is pregnant.. Sean makes it very clear he doesn't want the baby.
Gigi is married to Richard. S.he is a midwife with three grown up children. She is very close to Richard's dad, James who is unable to live at home and is going into a home. She feels her life is so predictable and that she needs a break from Richard and leaves him.
This is the story of two strong women who meet at the nursing home and what happens to them when they learn to stand on their own to feet and how eventually their lives will intertwine.

I am trying to be a bit more selective about what advanced review copy books I request from Netgalley - partly so I don't get stuck with any more duds - but also because I want to be able to read them and give timely feedback so that I have a good reviewer rating and so when something I'm desperate to read comes along I can be approved!  (I am naturally a total geek too......)

Anyway - I saw this on there, and it really appealed so I decided to request it and was accepted (it still makes me do a happy dance every time this happens)

Here's the blurb:

"Tess has a secret - one which is going to turn her life upside down in just nine months' time.

The only person she can confide in is her beloved grandmother. But Iris is slipping further away each day.

Then chance brings a stranger into Tess's life.

Gigi's heart goes out to Tess, knowing what it's like to feel alone. She's determined to show her that there's a silver lining to every cloud.

As their unlikely friendship blossoms, Tess feels inspired to open up.

But something still holds her back - until she discovers Iris has a secret of her own. A suitcase of letters from another time, the missing pieces of a life she never shared.

Could the letters hold the answers that Tess thought lost for ever?

An uplifting, unforgettable story about keeping secrets, taking chances and finding happiness where you least expect it."



Initially the stories of Tess and Gigi appear completely separate and you're not sure how they're going to meet up - but then about 25% of the way through, they meet at a care home they both have relatives at. The care home sections were quite relevant to me, as my maternal grandmother has become a resident of one recently - so now they are much more on my radar than ever before.

I was immediately intrigued by both Tess and Gigi's stories - I found both interesting, in completely different ways.  Tess writes to her unborn child - and that made me think about my own pregnancies - in a fond, reminiscing kind of way!

The book made me laugh - and cry - which is always good.  Whilst Tess and Gigi are the main characters, the supporting characters are also great and well rounded.  I particularly liked Tess's friend Holly (whose daughter is a similar age to my eldest, and so was probably the character going through the most similar issues to me) and also Gigi's daughter in law Emily - who was just lovely.

I won't give too much of the story away (I loathe reviews that do that) and it is reasonably predictable - but in a comfortable and safe way, with some twists and turns along the way.  It does, as you expect from the start, encompass the whole 'circle of life' (sung in a Disney way, obvs!)

Now being a bit of a geek, I thought the book was really well written - it felt like it had been written with care and attention to detail and language.  Sometimes I feel some modern books seem a bit 'disposable' and have been written quickly by the author - this felt like it had been lovingly crafted rather than banged off to meet a deadline. (I hope you understand what I mean and I don't sound like a total snobby weirdo?!?)

A big thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for my free advance review copy in return for my honest opinion.

Loved it - Tess adores her grandmother, Iris. Gigi has an unhappy home life. They meet initially in the nursing home where Iris and Gigi's father in law are being looked after. This novel covers so many different types of love,. plus Tess finds letters written to Iris years and years ago, revealing a life neither she nor her mother, Donna, knew anything about .. I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to see several outcomes. Please say there will be a sequel to answer a few loose ends !

This is a very banal, over-sentimental, everyday story with no twists and a predictable ending. Donna, Tess's mother, started off being a little more interesting as a selfish, remote mother but changed instantly and became supportive overnight. Gigi was saccharine, and the men in the novel were all a bit pathetic. I thought the writing style was OK, the dialogue sounded real, and Iris's condition was portrayed accurately, as I have just gone through almost exactly the same with my mother, but there was too much dull detail.

I've picked this book up three times and started to read it. I apologise I just couldn't get into the book.

I love Elizabeth Noble, it’s been a while since I read her last book, so when I discovered Letters to Iris i was thrilled.
The story is so heartwarming and uplifting, a tale about love, life and all sorts in between. The writing is smooth and well structured and perfect for curling up to on a rainy day.

Letter to Iris is a powerful story about Life, love, relationships and even death. The story is telling about 2 families. Gigi and Richard and their grown up children and Tess, her Grandmother Iris and her Mother Donna.
Gigi is separated from her husband Richard as their ‘spark’ in their marriage has gone and she works in the hospital where Tess grandmother is. Their children are not really happy with the arrangement except for her son Olly.
Tess is single and pregnant from her boyfriend who didn’t want a baby and has gone to work in America. So with her pending baby and dealing with her grandmother’s Dementia. Also building a new relationship with her mother, life presently having its problems.
This is a four star read for me. Although this was beautifully written heart felt story which I really enjoyed. If you like stories from Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern, you will love this. But I thought it was too good to be true. Life doesn’t always plan out in the positive way, that you want it to be.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I started this with great expectation but unfortunately found the story very slow and became bored with it. Sorry

What a wonderful book I enjoyed every minute of Tess's story and felt as if I was with her throughout her journey such a collection of characters and each one believable particularly like Gigi and her family and how it all came together love , laughter tears and beautiful story telling and at the heart of the story Iris I thoroughly recommend this book a fantastic read from beginning to end

This is a very moving account of love and life, with all the unpredictability that modern times entail. Iris is the central character here,she is the grandmother of Tess,and she is deeply loved. Iris brought Tess up in the absence of Donna,her mother,and now Iris has early onset Dementia and has to go into care.
Tess is pregnant . This doesn't chime well with Sean her boyfriend,and when he implies that she should get rid of IT, they break up. Tess has to move in with Donna,and gradually secrets of why Donna has been such a flakey mother are revealed.
Gigi and Richard have a comfortable marriage,but Gigi feels trapped. There is no excitement or sex,and she feels let down by Richard,who appears to be the weaker half of this partnership. They end up separating,and Gigi moves into a smaller flat,despite opposition from some family members.
Gigi and Tess meet at Clearview, the Nursing home where Iris and James( Richards father) are both living. Gigi is a midwife,a warm hearted and perceptive person who takes Tess under her wing and they both help each other through difficult and demanding times ahead.
I guessed the eventual outcome of this fateful meeting,but it felt so right and necessary. I loved the letters from Tess to her unborn child. When Tess found the letters that Iris had kept hidden for over sixty years, that was heartbreaking to read, and the prologue of this book then made perfect sense,but so sad. Secrets can cause so much harm and cause much grief. You may reach for the paper tissues several times when reading this poignant account of what it is to be loved and treasured. We should all be so lucky.
I have posted this review to Goodreads today. I loved this moving story so much, thank you.

Wow what a truly lovely, heart warming, smiley book. I throughly enjoyed it, I found it to be light, funny whilst hitting tough issues and heart ache. Letters to Iris made me smile, made me well up and made me slow down my reading so it would last longer.
I can’t wait to share this find with friends and I’m slightly envious that they get to enjoy it as a first time read. I will be reading this again very soon. Great front cover design and it fits perfectly with the content.
This book is so heart warming, it glows.
Please write a sequel!!

Letters to Iris is a wonderful story of love, relationships but basically life with its ups and downs.
It concerns Tess whose love for her grandmother Iris shines off the page, her relationship with her 'flakey' mother and her partner who on learning Tess is pregnant wants her to have a termination as a baby would not fit into his plans having just been offered relocation to New York with his work. Tess decides to continue the pregnancy alone.
Gigi is a mother of three and a grandmother. Tess and Gigi meet at the nursing home where Iris is a resident as is Gigi's father in law. Dual stories of these two begin to interlink and we have a gradually unfolding excellent tale.
An uplifting story, extremely well written, although sad at times it winds its way to a satisfying end.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book.

What a wonderful story. Poignant, funny, sad to name a few feelings experienced whilst reading. A really great portrayal of love, life and all that they encompass. Well worth a read.

This beautiful gentle book revolves around two families who meet while visiting their elderly relatives in a nursing home.
Tess is visiting her beloved grandmother Iris. Her relationship with her grandmother is strong and her discovery of her old letters with secrets unfolded is central to the story. Tess is somewhat estranged from her mother and although in a relationship things change with her discovery of her unplanned pregrancy.

Gigi is married to Richard and a loving mother to three grown up children but her marriage has become routine and she wants more. Her decision to leave her husband has many repercussions on her family.

Ginas son Oliver meets Tess and this provides a lovely feel good factor in the book.

This book explores love, self discovery marriage and secrets. I loved the central theme of a grandmothers love something I could relate to as I was very close to my own granny. I read this with a few tears and smiles in equal measures. Masterful storytelling from Elizabeth Noble I will be on the lookout for more of her books#LettersToIris#NetGalley

A book which covers the themes of love and changes in life, especially dementia. There are secrets from the past which are revealed which are funny, heart warming but also poignant. A great read.