This incredible book broke my heart, put it back together and then broke it again. Beautifully written, heartfelt and emotional it was refreshingly romantic and I can’t praise the author enough. Thank you so much!

Loved this book. A romance for older people, interspersed with family drama. The death of a child handled so delicately and bravely. A gorgeous feel good book to read.

Hilary Boyd writes an emotionally charged family drama of love, loss and grief that revolves around Jack and Stella, once love's young dream, living through years that cemented them as a couple, only for a harrowing tragedy, the unexpectedly devastating death of their young son, to splinter them apart. Their marriage was collateral damage as they divorced, although neither is left untouched by the repercussions, with Stella trying to emotionally protect herself from the fallout by distancing herself off from others, which is to affect her relationship with her daughter, Eve. Years have passed, both Jack and Stella have ostensibly moved on with their new partners, only for the status quo to be disrupted when Eve needs their help and support.

They find themselves once again in each other's company, can they resolve all that lies between them? Will their feelings for each other re-ignite? And if they do, where will it all lead and what will happen to their relationships with their current partners? This is an insightful look at marriage, family dynamics, relationships and friendships, with the darkness shot through with much needed light. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph.

I simply can't praise this book enough. I adore Hilary Boyd and she doesnt disappoint with this book ,The Anniversary. I want to thank Hilary and Penguin books for the opportunity to read and review this book. The story is based on a couple struggling to come to terms with their grief after the death of their 3 year old son nearly 30 years ago. The after effects of his death led to the demise of their marraige but we see that they never stopped loving each other. Now, through the life of their now grown daughter they are thrown together, minding their grandson and love starts to blossom. Jack and Stella might get a second chance at love. A heart warming story, that will bring a tear to the hardest heart. Can't recommend enough..

You always know when you pick up a book by Hilary Boyd that when you get to the last page you will cannot wait to start another book by the same author. What better recommendation.

I don’t know what it was about this but I just felt a bit of a disconnect with the characters. I didn’t feel any empathy towards any of them and particularly disliked Stella which is odd given the circumstances which led to her having her emotional walls up like she did. Although the book was well written I just found myself thinking so what and couldn’t find it in myself to care about Stella and Jack and their inevitable recoupling. Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never read anything by Hilary Boyd before but after reading this title I will be seeking her books out.
This was a lovely story marred in a past tragedy but everything came together beautifully,I loved the characters and it was believable.
5 stars all the way.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have always really enjoyed everything this author has written. Stella and Jack once so happily married with 2 perfect children and then disaster happens. I actually loved this 5 star read

I’m really late reviewing this. Hilary Boyd is the author of Thursdays in the Park, which I enjoyed. She writes in the new genre of granny-lit; books about older women still lively and up for love. In The Anniversary, the two main characters have been divorced for years and have new lives and partners. They’re still connected by the tragedy of a lost child and by their love for their daughter. When a new grandchild is due, with the father thousands of miles away, Mum rushes to help. The problem is that her ex has a cottage nearby and the two find they are still attracted to each other. I couldn’t fully engage with this book because I didn’t like the characters enough.

Stella and Jack were divorced years ago after a family tragedy pulled them apart. They have both moved on with new partners but when their daughter Eve is struggling with a difficult pregnancy Stella goes to stay with her and help her, which brings her back into contact with Jack again....... how will they feel about each other after all this time?

A great book you can really identify with the characters and feel for them in such an emotional story. I have loved all of Hillary Boyd's book and this is no exception definitely well worth reading

I was a big lover of Thursday in the Park by Hilary Boyd and was really looking forward to The Anniversary. I adore fiction featuring more mature female protagonists and I thankfully I wasn’t disappointed by this wonderfully written, emotional storyline. I have to admit that if I had known more about the some of the content, I might not have picked it up but I’m so glad that I did!

The lives of Stella, Jack and their daughter Eve are connected through their relationships with each other but it is difficult for Eve as her, once very much in love, parents no longer talk. But when Stella goes to stay with Eve to support her with a difficult pregnancy, she has to face Jack at a time of year that is going to bring back lots of memories. A family tragedy has caused this family to become distant from each other but is another about to bring them all back together?

What I loved about this book is that it featured an easily identifiable couple who weren’t young or perfect but were heading towards retirement with a wealth of life experience behind them. Jack and Stella had faced the good and the bad in their married life together, with the bad eventually winning out, causing them to separate. But they had moved on with their new partners and were both happily living their separate lives, until they had to join forces to support their daughter and grandson. And watching their gentle interaction with each other for the first time in ten years was a rather poignant moment that was both touching and affecting. The slowly revealed reasons for their separation and subsequent divorce are heartbreaking but handled carefully, delicately balancing out each of the characters reactions and emotions. Even so I had a lump in my throat that I found difficult to dislodge once the whole truth was revealed. So be prepared to be hit by a range of emotions here that may require tissues!!!

Beautifully written and covering the themes of grief, loss and second chances, The Anniversary was a real joy to read and I eventually closed the book feeling quite bereft that I was leaving these characters behind. They were so well developed and likeable that they felt real to me and I will miss them.

A heartwarming, moving and memorable read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
In my mind this is Hilary Boyds best book to date.
A very touching and emotional story, Stella and Jack have been divorced for years, disaster struck one afternoon when their first child Jonny drowns in a pool while they are at a garden party, Stella was pregnant with their daughter Eve, they were both broken.
Now many years later their daughter Eve is expecting her 2nd child, Stella and Jack find themselves thrown together a few times, they are both struggling as it is approaching their sons anniversary and also his 30th birthday. Jack is determined to talk about their shared tragedy and heartache and mark the special date, and in doing so old feelings are awakened, although Jack has a new young wife and Stella has been in a relationship for some years,
This book is about love that is still alive many years later, family relationships and loss. A very poignant read

Stella and Jack had everything, a young son and another baby on the way and they were very much in love, everything was perfect then tragedy struck and their lives would never be the same again.  With neither of them able to get over the sad events of that fateful day, they drift apart and their marriage breaks down, but they are suddenly brought back together years later when their daughter Eve needs their help during a difficult pregnancy.  Can they be friends again or will their lost love for each other reignite when they are forced to spend so much time in each other company?

This story is a very emotional read and parts of it resonated with me as I experienced the same issues in my first pregnancy as Eve did in her second, so I could relate to her worries.  With regard to what Stella and Jack were experiencing was totally different, I can't begin to imagine what they were going through and not being able to gain closure after all these years must have eaten away at both of them, a truly heart breaking situation but depicted beautifully by the author. 

I've loved all of Hilary's books and this one was no exception, I look forward to her new one that's coming out next year.  I would like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the approval and will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon. A great read

This book was a complete change from my normal read of crime mysteries and psychological thrillers, and I loved it. It was one of those books that had you reaching for your tissues on a few occasions and was a very emotional read.
The story is about the relationship between Jack and Stella. They were married young and then divorced after a family tragedy. Jack remarries a much younger, glamorous wife and Stella is in a relationship too, but they both still have hidden feelings for each other. Their daughter Eve, who has a three year old son and is also going through a difficult pregnancy with her second child needs both her parents help. All their old feelings come flooding back when they meet up at Eve’s. Can they put the past tragedy behind them? Are they meant to be together again? This book is such an emotional read, about how we are never too old to fall in love, family relationships, love and loss, heartbreak and forgiveness. This book has it all. One of my favourite reads this year.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Stella meets Jack and they fall in love, they get married and have two wonderful children. Then there is a tragic accident the strain of which ends their marriage. Their daughter grows up and leaves London to live in the country. Jack has remarried and together with his new younger wife rent a house nearby to be able to spend weekends with his grandson. Their daughter finds she is pregnant whilst her husband is working abroad, so Stella goes to stay with her daughter and grandson to help out. She is very nervous about being reunited with Jack and here the story gets interesting. I loved this book, it felt real.

This is a first-rate telling of the survival of the individual members of a family who suffered an unthinkable tragedy and then did the only thing they could do - move on.

Jack and Stella shared a wonderful love, but three decades later they have as little contact as possible with each other. However, when their daughter needs help, it's only a matter of time until they come face to face again. As we follow all three members of the Holt family's current lives, we also gradually find out what happened in the past to a couple so perfectly matched.

This is the second book I've read by this author; I enjoyed Thursdays in the Park so much that I jumped at the opportunity to read this one - and I'm so happy I did. With the perfect balance of past and present, happiness and heartbreak and such a clear understanding of human nature, Hilary Boyd pens an impressive novel. A poignant - and at times emotional - read, this is a story which touched my soul and I loved every word of it. Beautifully written, it drew me into the story and before very long I needed to find out what both the past and the future held .. and I was not disappointed. A tale to be savoured, enjoyed and pondered over - not to say shed the odd tear. Such a worthwhile read, and one I'll not forget for quite some time.

My thanks to publisher Michael Joseph for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Stella once thought that if she never saw Jack again, it would be too soon. But life has other plans for her and her stubborn ex-husband. Looking after their daughter in a time of need, Stella finds herself unwillingly reunited with the man she shared the best years of her life with - followed by the worst.

Young and in love, Stella and Jack seemed the perfect couple. They had a young son and another baby on the way when tragedy struck. Fast forward thirty odd years and Stella and Jack have split up, divorced and the both have new partners. Their daughter, Evie, experiences some difficulties in her pregnancy while her husband is working away from home. Stella and Jack reluctantly find themselves having to spend time with each other, looking after their grandson, Arthur. With two significant anniversaries looming, the couple are forced to think about what drove them apart all those years ago.

There is not much more I can say about this book as it would give away far too much. A tale of grief and how it effects the wider circle of family and friends. Have the tissues ready, you will need them. A beautifully written story of love, loss and conflict. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and the author Hilary Boyd for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted as part of the upcoming Blog Tour. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this lovely and moving gem of a book. Highly recommended.

Oh my goodness, I just loved this book. Right from the start you just wish for a happy ending and it sets you on a roller-coaster of emotions.

Jack and Stella, so happily married, decide to add to their family, having a little boy Jonny already. Disaster strikes one sunny afternoon when attending a garden party, resulting in Jonny dying in a freak accident, leaving pregnant Stella and Jack, broken beyond repair.

Decades later, when their daughter Eve is pregnant with her second child, Jack and Stella find their paths crossing after trying to avoid eachother for over ten years. Can they settle their differences, or has too much water passed under the bridge?

A book about love, loss and relationships. It is an easy read, a bit too predictable but nice just the same.