We are introduced to Jack and Stella when he proposes in 1985. In the present day they are divorced with new partners. A tragic incident is hinted at being the cause of their separation and slowly we learn about the couple and their unresolved issues.
The characters are real and the story flows easily. Yes it is sentimental at times, but the writing draws the reader into the lives and emotions of the characters – which makes you wanting the impossible to happen.
But then sometimes a lifetime of waiting throws up some surprises!

I found that I was reading this book for the first 40% with my heart in my mouth, almost not wanting to know how Jonny had died as I felt Stella and Jack's pain so keenly. However, there were times when I wanted to scrub out the repetitive use of the word 'discombobulated' and other similarly irritating descriptive words which appeared to be written when at a loss for anything else.

An interesting premise for a lovely romance and good to see us oldies centre stage for a change! A quick tidy up of some of the vocabulary and this will get more stars from me!!

The Anniversary is a rather predictable love story where the lovers involved can't reach each other after a tragedy. After a lifetime apart they finally resolve their differences over the grief they share.

Hilary Boyd's books always have a happy, sometimes unrealistic, ending I can see this book appealing to many readers and her fans will not be disappointed but it was not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review it.

A delightfully touching book that I found very easy to read. The characters are easy to warm to and the plot engaging.

I have enjoyed Hilary Boyd's books ever since I read Thursdays in the Park some years ago so I was delighted to have the chance to read this book ahead of its release later this month.

The book begins with a very romantic scene between Jack and Stella, who are clearly a young couple very much in love and who seem just perfect for each other. Fast forward thirty odd years and we find that Jack and Stella have split up. Both have new partners: Jack is married to the much younger Lisa while Stella has been in a relationship with Ian for some years though they don't share a home. When their daughter Evie experiences difficulties in her pregnancy while her husband is working far from home, they find themselves reluctantly having to spend time together while they support her and their grandson Arthur. With two significant anniversaries looming, they find themselves forced to think about what tore them apart all those years ago.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much of the plot away but I will try my best. What Jack and Stella went through as a young couple was unbearable to think about. Hilary Boyd writes so perceptively about their emotions and through occasional chapters set in the past really explores what went on and how they reacted. You'd need to be really hard-hearted not to feel for this couple. Even although how they behaved, Stella in particular, sometimes seemed irrational, it is hard to see how you could behave rationally in such a situation. I know this is all a bit vague but I really don't want to give away what happened. Hilary Boyd's skill is in showing just how her characters felt and responded and how their earlier experiences reverberated throughout their lives. Jack and Stella clearly still have feelings for each other, can sense that deep love they once had for each other. You really feel that the time has come for them to really talk over their feelings so they can move on with their lives.

In The Anniversary, Hilary Boyd really gets to the heart of the relationships and feelings of her characters. I particularly like how she looks at love through the eyes of older characters, characters who have much to contend with. Characters who can be pulled in many directions as a parent, as a grown-up child, as an employee, as a husband or wife, as a lover. As she rightly says herself, there is no age limit for falling in love! The Anniversary is a poignant and moving story.

So enjoyed this book that I couldn’t put it down.

Jack and Stella were married with a beloved little boy Jonny and another child on the way, when tragedy strikes, tearing their world apart, and ripping their relationship to shreds in a blame game neither can control.

Fast forward many years and their daughter is expecting her second child, whilst her husband is away. The pregnancy is problematic and Stella and Jack have to step up to help with their Grandson, their daughter, and potential problems with the baby.

A time of confusion, love, life and laughter, and believable characters make this an excellent read, and one you won’t want to finish.

A emotional read about love life and family. Stella and Jack married young and were happy until tragedy strikes. After spliting up they meet again years later when their daughter needs their help and memories flood back to what once was.
If you have every loved and lost you will relate to these characters, They are well written and bring the reader a mix of emotions while reading.

Lovely late life romance with tears along the way. This is maybe a little long, but very readable. The food descriptions mean this book should not be read when hungry! Likeable characters and an upbeat story.

The Anniversary by Hilary Boyd a four-star read that you will want to celebrate. I picked this book up and put it down a bunch of times before I finally bit the bullet and read it, and I am glad I finished it. This was a tragic read and the characters really do push you to your limits, but they are well written and people you can relate to. It really does show that even after loss you can find happiness.

I read this in one sitting on the plane coming over to Tenerife. It was quite easy reading but a book I could not put down. I eagerly turned the pages wanting to know what happened next. It was however a little confusing the way it kept going back. This is the first Hilary Boyd book I have read but it definitely won’t be the last

Stella and Jack are soulmates, or so they believe, but when they suffer a terrible loss, it changes them and their relationship. Grief and mourning are unique to the sufferer, and if two people are raw with the pain of loss together, they fall together or fall apart. Stella and Jack fell apart and have gone their separate ways until their daughter needs them both and they have another chance to talk and maybe find out if their love is worth saving.

Realistic and poignant this a gentle story of life and its tragedies and how it can destroy or cement familial relationships. The family interactions are believable and the quandary Stella and Jack find themselves authentic. A tale of love, loss and life that is easy to read but resonates in your heart.

I received a copy of this book via Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is an unusual novel about two people who are married, Stella and Jack. Their son drowned when he was a toddler, and their daughter was yet unborn. They have been married for some time, but never really discuss what happened. Now Jack has found someone else, wants a divorce, and remarries someone younger than him.
It is now 30 years since their son drowned, but their daughter knows very little about what happened. she is expecting her second baby,with which there are complications, and her husband is in Antarctica. She asks her Mum to come and stay and help her with their toddler, Arthur.
Eventually things are resolved, but not until a great deal of soul searching. The characters in this book are painfully real, and the plot is extremely plausible. I found my self getting annoyed with Stella, and then Jack, and Jack's new wife.
I think anyone would enjoy this book, although is does sometimes get confusing when it jumps back in time.

When Stella has to go and look after her daughter who is having a troubled second pregnancy, she comes back into contact with her ex husband.
A great book about fractured family dynamics following a tragedy in their early married days. I loved reading it and seeing how they coped with meeting up again.

This book was absolutely beautiful. It was emotional, gripping and even though we all know what will happen given the blurb and cover, it was so deep and wonderful. The characters were so well written and the storyline flowed beautifully. Really enjoyed this!

Stella and Jack were hopelessly in love until they lost their little boy and their world fell apart. Three decades later, they are brought back together when their daughter has a complicated pregnancy. They finally come to terms with the loss of their son and realise their love for each other never really died. A well written, if predictable, love story.

How do parents ever overcome the death of a child? Jack and Stella have been divorced for 25 years, they are thrown together again through their daughter,Eve's complicated pregnancy . Can they be friends once more.? Both have new partners, is it possible for them to rekindle their love and live happily? Beautifully written, with sadness and turmoil. Hard to put down to discover the outcome.

An enjoyable summer about family relationships that tugs at the heartstrings. It has some lovely and realistic mother/daughter moments and all characters are well developed and relatable. Despite the subject of loss it is a lighthearted & easy read.

Once again, Hilary Boyd has come up with a wonderful portrait of family life. She manages to capture the tensions between generations, partners, ex partners so beautifully and I was completely captivated by the story. Another great read

Stella, another of the older women that Boyd characterises so well, and her ex ,Jack, find themselves forced into one another's company through their adult daughter. Both are now happily settled with new partners, and much water has gone under the bridge. But there is something un-finished, something that needs to be settled. .

Read this!

What an emotional read! Stella and Jack had a lovely relationship - a 3 year old and Stella was pregnant with their next child when tragedy stuck . It is a heart wrenching story and I did share many tears. It is an easy read full of emotions - its about family relationships and how people react differently to tragedy.
I have read a few of Hilarys' books and am always guaranteed a good read - they are a hug in a book.