This is the first novel I've read by Holly Seddon, and I think this is why I expected something else when starting this novel - I thought it would be more mystery / pyschological thriller for the sole reason that someone else I know had really recommended Try Not To Breathe, which seems to have more of a suspense/ mystery element to it. However, I found that Love Will tear Us Apart is far more of a character-driven, thoughtful and moving story and I really loved it!

The characters, and the way you follow them from their younger days right through to adulthood, is what makes this novel so absorbing. I loved reading about Paul and Kate, plus their very different but interesting respective families. No character is perfect; they each have their faults but, unlike many novels which feature relationships in them, that doesn't mean that, as the reader, you can instantly tell 'well things won't work out this or that way' because they're not this black-or-white 'good or bad' person. People are, of course, more complex in actualist, and never more so than how they're portrayed here. Kate took a while for me to like her, and same with Paul, but I felt like I truly got to know them as the story spans many years. I sped through this novel and didn't want it to end!

The narrative stretches over many years, and there are seperate timelines that show us Kate's (and Paul's) younger life, their time growing up and starting a career, and adulthood, plus a seperate 'present' storyline that follows them and their family in the present day. We learn all about their lives, both together and apart, and the many different forms that love can come in.

I suppose there is a small element of mystery throughout the book, as we wonder from the beginning what announcement or discussion Kate wants to bring up on her and Paul's 10 year wedding anniversary. I did find myself intrigued to know what this was, and in the first quarter of the book I kind of wanted the story to stay in the present narrative so I could find out what it could be. Soon, though, I was just as invested in the past storylines as the present.

The plot, despite having various happier moments, felt quite sad at times and poignant - I cried a good few times, and I know when that happens that a story has completely sucked me in. I would definitely recommend Love Will Tear Us Apart and will certainly be adding her other novels to my reading list!

Kate and Paul met when they were 8 years old and we see their friendship blossom. They vowed that they would marry if they were both still single when they reached 30 years of age. The story is set in the present and the past. It begins with them celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary and then flicks back to events in the years inbetween, Kate has a secret and there is a mysterious letter. This I thought was a disappointment as I was expecting an earth shattering discovery but it was not to be. This is a story about family, friendship and love which I found a little slow and disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Corvus for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A well-written novel about the evolution of friendship between a boy and a girl who grow up together and marry. The story flits between the eve of their 10-year wedding anniversary and their childhoods, exploring how they became friends, the development of their friendship, and the events behind their eventually marriage. Meanwhile, in 2012, the reader knows that something is brewing and there's a secret driving the story to a climax.

The book is really nice, and explores the nuances of friendship and marriage in a really sophisticated way. The level of detail is excellent, to the point where I did wonder if parts of the novel were based on a true story.

This is the first book I have read by Holly Seddon, but it gave me all the feels.

It’s a book about love in its many forms and is based around childhood friends, Kate and Paul, who have marriage pact that if they are not married by the time they are 30..... you know the rest. The book goes into their history together and apart, as children and as adults, but also their relationships with others around them.

The characterisation brilliant and by the end of the book I felt as though I had some close intimate friends. It was beautifully structured, kept you interested, which not all books about relationships do, and emotional (I did cry a few times!) read which has a realistic and satisfying ending.

I really enjoyed this beautifully written love story. I was caught up in all of the different the relationships in the book. Well worth reading, thoroughly recommended.

My second Holly Seddon book and once again I enjoyed reading this book.
Which tells the story of Katie and Paul, from being childhood friends to husband and wife. Set over several years it flicks back between different periods to tell the story of their relationship.
I would recommend to others

An intimate account of an unconventional marriage, Love Will Tear Us Apart has some food for thought for all of us.

This book should be a manual for married people, and all people in fact, who want to have any sort of relationship with another human being, about how not communicating properly ruins everything and our dark secrets will eventually come and bite us in the ass.

If you can't talk to your childhood best friend honestly, then I guess there really is no hope. Or is there? Kate and Paul have known each other since they were little. Even though they came from very different backgrounds, their summers were filled with adventures and they needed was each other's company. Kate comes from money, but Paul has loving parents who soon take the little girl under their wings. Viv, Paul's mum becomes more of a mother to her than her actual one.

Now, away to Cornwall on their 10th wedding anniversary things are not looking so peachy. In fact, Kate and Paul barely seem to be able to even tolerate each other. The story is told by Kate, so we never really find out how Paul feels, but judging by his abrasive behaviour, peachy does not apply to him either.

A dark secret and a lot of reminiscing fill the pages of this book. There's quite a lot of build up, in fact, I dare say, most of the story is just that. There are plenty of flashbacks, not entirely adhering to a strict timeline, so if backstories are your thing, you're going to enjoy this one. There are no shocking twists or revelations on the way to make you gasp, but this just makes Holly Seddon's novel all the more relatable.

A story of love and friendship through childhood,teenage years,work,marriage ,children and all that life throws at us. Liked the characters and didn't guess the mystery in the letter.. Happy ending.

A book that really draws you in....a story of two friends that marry and have kids that jumps years and tells their story. A great read with characters I would love to meet!

A great story of enduring love and friendship, the impact that families and upbringings have on a person, the damage that an ill thought encounter can do to a shining career and the harm that secrets and a lack of communication can do to a relationship.

I loved the writing, how the book was structured and the smooth handling of the triple timeline, the Characters were interesting and vividly drawn and the complex relationships between Kate and both her own and Paul's parents was heartbreaking and fascinating. I really loved the early years and office years part of the book and was eager to see how this would impact on their 'make or break' 10th Anniversary dinner.

I really enjoyed this contemporary read, perhaps some of Holly's fans may expect more thrills and suspense - it's not a psychological thriller, it's a book filled with heartache and emotion and one that kept me turning the pages.

Many thanks to NetGally and Corvus for the opportunity to read this book - this review is, as always, my honest opinion and thoughts about this book.

I very enjoyable read. A beautifully written story of friendship and love, written to include several decades and eras of their life. Some surprises along the way - although I felt that one thing that could have been an interesting surprise was actually given away in the blurb which is a shame.

Great characters that you really want a happy ending for!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Drawn in by the blurb which told of the pact made by Kate and Paul, I soon found that the story is much deeper than that and far from being about just their relationship, it was actually a book about family and how we find love and acceptance and the effect our upbringings can have on us.
The story is told from three points in time: Kate and Paula childhood and adolescence in the 1980s, their young adulthood and first jobs and their decision to stick to their pact, and lastly the week before their tenth wedding anniversary when we find them on holiday with their two children.
I loved that they were only a few years older than me, such a walk down memory lane as Seddon is gifted in her descriptions, subtly adding in details from that time period, be that music, clothes or food.
As we watch Kate and Paul growing up together and almost as siblings as Kate finds the ‘normal’ family life she craves there we can’t help but see them as becoming a couple one day and when it happens, in one of the middle time chapters we are happy for them, especially Kate who needs so much to be loved as she finds it so hard to form meaningful friendships and romances. So why then are the couple so far apart in the present day chapters? Are they heading for divorce which would seem unthinkable for two people who have spent literally their whole lives together. There is tension in their relationships with their children and with how they parent them, all of which is so well drawn by Seddon. I watched the scenes unfold with true anxiety and worry for them, as if these were people I knew.
The denouement is swift and shocking but brings everything together so well.
I have thought about Kate and Paul since I finished the book a week ago which to me is always the hallmark of a good novel.

A well written story.. This flits between different times so requires a certain level of attention to know where you are at. Some motion to it but not one that really draws you in.

I loved Holly Seddon’s previous psychological thrillers and enjoyed this contemporary fiction novel too, just not as much. I thought the first half of the book was a little slow and hard to get into, but picked up as the story went on.

Childhood friends, Paul and Kate decide to marry each other at 30, if they are both still single. Now, 10 years on from that marriage, there is growing tension and distance between them.

The story jumps between the past and present and illustrates the damage that secrets and a lack of communication can do to a relationship.

I felt that ‘the carrot’ of the letter was dangled a little too long, so that by the time we learnt the contents of the letter it was a bit of an anticlimax.

Love Will Tear Us Apart certainly shows Holly's versatility as a novelist and the she can write in more than one genre, but I believe her forte is psychological thrillers and I hope she writes more of those soon.

This is a poignant story about friendship, love and marriage. Paul and Katie are childhood sweethearts who make a pact to marry. Their lack of communication within marriage and Katie's withheld secret creates havoc. It's a human interest story about marriage. I enjoyed the tidbits about the 1980's which made it so authentic. Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books Corvus.

Felt really privileged to review this book from netgalley as I have previously read the authors other titles “don’t close you’re eyes” and “try not to breathe” and couldn’t wait for Holly seddon’s next book.
The plot is about Kate and Paul who met and became friends when they were 8 years old and, they made a pact that if they hadn’t married by the age of 30 they would marry each other. The book has 2 timelines which makes this a very easy book to follow with strong likeable characters.
Would you marry you’re best friend? They know everything about you including you’re faults,but is it easier to marry someone you know rather than having to get to know somebody, and would you become complacent in that relationship!!
This book revealed secrets and made me realise love does come in different forms, a beautifully written book which makes me thankful that my husband is also my best friend!!

This is the story of Kate and Paul. It's their anniversary but is there anything to celebrate? Their marriage is strained and Kate is lost. Can a trip away save things or is it destined to tear them apart.

This is one of those stories that flickers between timelines, making it a bit confusing at times. I did find it a little slow at the start but it picked up and I was really invested by the end. Oh and that ending was so good. I'm such a sucker for a scene like that.

Kate is not the most likeable at times but given all she's been through I grew to care about her. I wanted her to work things out. Paul was an interesting character but I loved him.

This is one of those books that I've struggled to review. The author writes really well and I could picture all the scenes in my head. Paul and Kate were well-developed characters and the book detailed their lives from the beginning of their friendship at aged eight right up to present day where they are about to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. The story flows, the writing is flawless, but it just felt flat. I kept reading, waiting for something to happen, a twist, some excitement, something, but it never came. It was only at the very end 97% that everything fell into place and the whole memoir style story fell into place.

The story beings in the present with Paul and Kate taking their two children away on holidays and then jumps between the present and the past detailing Kate's life, the ups and downs, her grief, her schooling, absent parents, college life, and on to her working career. Throughout it all, Paul is her ever-present best friend and when they make a pact to marry at thirty if they are both still single, it happens. From reading the description for this book I was expecting so much more. More drama, action, emotional impact, but for me, this didn't happen. The real emotion in this story didn't come out until the very end and it was beautifully done.

It's hard to review this book because there was really nothing wrong with it. It was a good story, exceptional writing, and I think it just wasn't for me. Overall, I have to give it 3 /12 stars because I read it all and I imagined every single detail. I was pulled into the story and lived Kate's life with her as she remembered all the details. It just didn't have the impact I expected.

I am afraid this book was just not for me . I struggled to finish it. It was a good story in parts but just did not flow in my opinion. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Love Will Tear Us Apart is the story of childhood friends Kate and Paul who have been in each others lives since they were kids, complete polar opposites but yet there was that something that has always bonded them. They have grown up together and experienced so much, first as friends and then as a couple, but yet do they both really know everything about one another.

The story is narrated from the point of view of Kate in the present day as their 10th wedding anniversary approaches interspersed with flashbacks to different dates in the past, giving us an insight as to how their lives have evolved since they were kids to the present day. How they have been able to make the transition from being best friends, following up on their pact to get married if both still single at thirty, into maintaining a relationship once the dynamics have been changed. Although I did enjoy this format which allows us to really explore their relationship over the years, I would have liked to maybe have heard from Paul's viewpoint at times too to get to see both sides of the story.

I've only read one of Holly Seddon's books before, her debut Try Not to Breathe although I do have a copy of Don't Close Your Eyes that I've bought but not found the time to read yet, but it was clear from the start that this book was completely different in style to her previous two. Whereas the previous two books were more in the psychological thriller vein this one definitely had a more contemporary feel to it, it's a novel that delves deep into the heart of a friendship/relationship and the commitments they have made.

The only downside of reading this book for me was the pacing, it was very much a slow burner, a bit too slow at times for my liking as I was waiting impatiently for the big 'secret' to be revealed and discover the consequences and how it would affect them as a couple. But on the flipside it was also more of an emotional read than I was at first expecting which caught me off guard as I wasn't expecting to go through so many emotions whilst reading. So I look forward to hearing what the author has in store for us next, another contemporary or back to a psychological thriller, only time will tell.