This is a hard book to review as I’ve always enjoyed Lucy Diamond’s writing. Overall a nice enjoyable read, but there was just so much going on.

This was quite a difficult book to get into, rather melancholy at the start despite the Big Bang (which was more of a damp squib). Ultimately there were several stories going on which made it somewhat confusing. There are 5 female perspectives - Frankie/Robyn/Paula/Bunny - and at times I struggled to keep the different strands going ... plus the mother Jeanie’s view. The men seem to be an afterthought- Harry is mentioned sparingly and even John’s misdemeanours are driven from Robyn’s perspectives. And don’t get me started on Stephen who seemed to be written into the book as a late entrant to add another dimension... I liked the story of Craig (and his son) but I think there were so many stories competing for attention that this got a bit lost.

So in short, it was an interesting read once it got going but I felt that it scratched at the surface. A good story that would have benefited from a little more depth - and possibly split across 2 books?

Overall 3.5*

Wow ! What a gorgeous book :) I loved it !
Lucy Diamond never lets you down, her books are always a treat :)
Loved it 9/10

This book begins well. The main tale begins as this.... Frankie discovers an unopened letter from her late mother, it leaves her with lots of unanswered questions. She travels to York to meet the family mentioned in the letter in the hope of finding out more. This Mortimer family all have their own issues going on. So when Frankie arrives unexpectedly at a golden wedding anniversary party it starts a disastrous chain of relationship breakdowns. I usually like Lucy Diamond very much but here was too much going on in this book to really enjoy the read. I felt I had to keep checking up who was who and didn't really hear enough from any one character as there was so much going on at once.

"It struck her that the really crucial thing was to make the most of what you had while it was still there - and not to allow bad feeling to fester between loved ones".

After the death of Frankie's mother she stumbles upon an unopened letter addressed to her; Frankie is delighted to receive a last message from her mother, however this message was not what she expected, and will change her life. Contained within this letter is the details of Frankie's father; Frankie discovers that she is the result of an affair with a married man, Harry Mortimer. Frankie travels to York to meet with her father, however ends up sending shockwaves throughout the family. It turns out Frankie has three older brothers, and an older sister, all of whom have their own dramas and upheavals to get through. Secrets begin to spread throughout the family, and with these secrets, loyalties become tested. Can they move forward together as a family? And what role with Frankie have in this family?

Oh god, this is such a hard review for me to write. I absolutely love Lucy Diamond as an author after discovering her through On A Beautiful Day and fell in love with her writing style, and the way she weaves stories together. So when I saw this book was available on NetGalley I knew I needed to read it, but having read it now, I can't help feeling really disappointed with this story. Going into this story I was under the impression that the main story would be in relation to Frankie discovering this whole new family, and the repercussions of this. As with all Lucy Diamond books there are always side-stories about the other characters, however with this book the amount of side-plots are honestly so extensive, so much so that I felt I needed to count them;

1. Frankie discovering her father
2. Jeanie going abroad following the revelation - and almost having an affair
3. John's affair with a student
4. John losing his job because of said affair
5. John leaving Robyn and moving to Edinburgh with his new student squeeze
6. Robyn re-inventing her life following the seperation
7. Robyn's mother, Alison, struggling with her grief and trying to get back into the dating scene
8. Bunny's hidden past from her partner
9. Bunny's life as a weight-watch guru, and the subsequent downfall of this
10. Bunny's accident, and subsequent engagement to Dave
11. Random bits about Paula's life
12. Frankie and Craig's dilemma with Fergus's biological mother turning back up

I recognise that some of these are related, however they are all focuses of the story at some point; I also understand that within a story there needs to be side plots, but there was just far too many in this story to actually really care about any of them enough. Further to that, it felt that the main plot of Frankie finding her father was completely swept under the carpet after their initial meeting. It's not until 80% through the book do we actually get any progress on this storyline with Paula trying to track Frankie down. I just felt that there was far too many characters to invest in at all; we have the five siblings, their partners, and respective children, Harry, Jeanie, and Alison - it was just far too much, and i'd find myself trying to remember whether Bunny was the woman who stabbed her abusive partner, or the woman who'd been left for a student. It was even harder with the men because they weren't really a focus of the story and I didn't feel that we were meant to invest in them; I did find myself feeling sorry for poor Stephen and his partner Eddie who had absolutely nothing to do in this story. The only side story that was actually impacted by this revelation of Frankie was that of Jeanie going abroad and almost having an affair - every other side story would have carried on in the same vein if they had never met Frankie, and so it didn't feel that Frankie had any real impact on the story. It felt like completely separate stories placed into one book.

The book does get a bit better in the middle with Robyn shadowing her husband to find out what he was actually up to, and the subsequent destruction of their marriage, and Bunny's wrenching past that she just can't escape, however the fact that none of these stories really inter-linked made it hard to invest in them. I was also really disappointed by the ending; after the big reveal at the start of the book which I felt was done well, we're suddenly met with Chapter 31 where there's a family party and we're told all about how Frankie has met up with Paula and Harry, but we don't actually get to experience any of that for ourselves as readers, which for me was disappointing. After being led into this book thinking the focus would be exploring the impact of this revelation on everyone, we get almost no exploration of that, and we barely get to see Harry's view of the situation; just that he wants his wife and his new daughter. All of the stories were neatly wrapped up in the rushed last chapter.

This has been such a difficult review, and i've really struggled to what to rate it - going in this was a clear five stars, but I feel that overall I have to rate it two stars, because I did just not enjoy the story. I do still love Lucy Diamond as an author, and will still continue to explore all her books, but it just wasn't I expected from her on this one.

When Frankie discovers an unopened letter from her late mother it surprises her, and leaves her with lots of unanswered questions. She decided to travel to York to meet the Mortimer family in the hope of answers.  The Mortimer family meanwhile all have their own issues going on.  When Frankie arrives unexpectedly at Harry and Jeanie's golden wedding anniversary party it throws everything into disarray. Will the families be able to resolve their differences? Or will everything fall apart?

I found this such a quick an easy read that I didn't make my usual notes whilst reading, so I'm writing this one on the fly.

I read the majority of this whilst on a plane from the UK back to Perth, and I have to say it felt like the perfect sort of book to be reading at the time.  I found the story really easy to get into, and the main characters were all likeable.
My favourites were Frankie and Paula, both seemed like down to earth and friendly women, and people who I could see myself bekng friends with should I meet them in real life.

The storyline is engaging, and moves at a fairly fast pace.  Although the book covers quite a long time span it does move forward a few weeks at a time so things feel like they are happening quickly.  I wouldn't say it's a gripping page turner as such, but it was hard to put down in its own right.  There's plenty of humour and although the story is based on family dramas it doesn't focus on the negative and upsetting parts of it, more looks at how people can pull together and help each other through the hard times.  It is very much a feel good novel, and all the way through you have a sense that you want things to work out well for the characters.

Overall I would say this is a great holiday read, it's light hearted and fun, and generally makes you feel happy reading it.  I'm giving it 4*.  I haven't read anything else by Lucy Diamond yet, but I'll definitely be adding her in to my list of authors to look out for when I'm looking for a feel good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an arc in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. Lucy Diamond always writes a fabulous story with interesting plot lines and characters. You feel like they could be people you know and I often see characteristics of friends as family in her characters.

This story was about building relationships, family life and unexpected life experiences. I think a lot of readers would recognise themselves in her characters, both the good and bad characteristics.

Well worth reading, perfect beach read or curling up on the sofa. I loved it.

Thank you Lucy and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Easy read! Frankie sets out to find her father and stumbles into a large family gathering - the story develops from here. Light family saga, with a few more dramatic moments. Great for a long flight or when sunbathing by a pool.

I really enjoyed this book even though it is not my usual genre. After her mother's death, Frankie finds a letter telling her who her father really is - Harry Mortimer. When she arrives unannounced to see her father, she sends shockwaves through the Mortimer family. The book tells the story of the family coping with this and their other problems.

Although a little sugary, Lucy Diamond shows that it is not the problem itself but how one deals with it. A cosy, gentle read.

This is a really interesting book about friendships, families and love. I found the way it jumps between characters slightly tricky to get into but was an enjoyable read nonetheless. This is definitely the definition of feel good fiction!

A book of two halves for me. The first part was quite disjointed, hard to keep up with the individual plots and didn't flow well. I didn't like the characters, apart from Jeannie when she decides to go on holiday and not go home. However, the second half was classic Lucy Diamond writing, when the characters came to life, the plots sizzled, and pages started to turn quickly as I wanted to know what would happen next.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity to review Something to Tell You by Lucy Diamond.

A big happy family is a complex organism at the best of times and it becomes far more complex when a secret is revealed. In the case of Something to Tell You, there is more than one secret lurking. This feels very lifelike to me, and when the exposure of one secret leads to the revelation of others, there is a good story to be had.

The characters in this novel are well drawn, although the woman, the main storytellers for the majority of the novel, are particularly well drawn and believable. The novelist takes the opportunity to explore what it means to be a family, the difference between genetic family and functional family, and the impact that keeping secrets had upon relationships. A well written story which sweeps the reader along, this is an easy and enjoyable read which will have the reader asking themselves how they would react if confronted with the same issues..

Another excellent book from Lucy Diamond - one of my favourite authors. This is a heart-warming story about friendship, families and love 💕

The book opens with Frankie turning up at Harry and Jeanie’s Golden Wedding Anniversary party hoping to meet up with the father she never knew.

Then we are introduced to Harry’s daughter, Paula and her three brothers (John, Dave and Stephen). Each with their own partners and/or families and in some cases secrets.

We also get to know Frankie a bit better and her partner, Craig and his four year old son Fergus. When a face from the past turns up it threatens everything in Frankie’s life.

I read this book in one sitting as I could not bear to put it down. I loved every minute of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book about the Mortimer Family and all the members of it with their own individual stories .Frankie finds a letter from her late Mum telling her that her real Father is Harry Mortimer ,so she sets out to find him and to say that she causes ripples is an understatement!This is such a well written book ,one of those that is very hard to put down ,..just one more chapter ! This is a story about the importance of Family ,love ,trust and new beginnings .Fabulous! Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Excellent saga about Frankie and the extended family she discovers in her 30s. Plenty of secrets are uncovered and problems resolved. The characters are believable and the narrative moves long at a good pace. Another great novel from Lucy Diamond.

I am a big Lucy Diamond fan. I can't get enough of her books so I was delighted to get an E-copy in return for an honest review.
I devoured it in one night. I was feeling a bit low and took it to bed for an early night. It did the trick. Lucy never fails to give me the warm and fuzzies. Totally recommend if you need your heart warmed!

There's one thing this book is really suffering from and that's bad writing. Lucy Diamond is usually one of my favourite authors, her brand of fluffy contemporary romance on par with Sophie Kinsella or Jill Mansell, but something about this book falls horribly flat. It could do with some serious editing.
For example, chapters jump between places and characters by saying 'back in x location, this person was feeling this and they were doing this'. That is not a formula for good writing. There are cleaner, stronger ways to go about creating tension, creating interest in the book. It takes me out of the story enough that I don't want to keep reading. The story isn't the most original- in fact, it seems to have been transplanted from a handful of other books I read recently, and there's so many characters introduced in just a handful of pages that you struggle to keep track of what's going on and who's feeling what.
What should have been an entertaining, light book about familial relationships and lives being turned upside down just feels like a bad episode of a soap opera. This was a disappointing effort from Lucy Diamond. I hope her next novel is a better thought out.

I enjoy Lucy Diamond books. They’re a nice easy read in between heavier books. This was a lovely story of family, friendship, life and love with a bit of family drama thrown into the mix to stop it being slushy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Thumbs up for the latest from Lucy Diamond!
In Something to Tell You we meet Frankie who after finding a letter in her baby albums makes the brave decision to track down her birth father, Harry Mortimer.
We are also introduced into the Mortimer family who have a LOT of secrets. These secrets slowly unravel to create a family in crisis.
I thought this book was great, although somewhat predictable at times but I still thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks for allowing me to read

Fantastic book of love, friendship, family truth and lies. Another great book from Lucu. Not one to be missed

There's nothing really wrong with this book, but it's just so similar to so many books that have gone before it. The character's were largely nice people, with nice lives, nice jobs, nice friends and nice family. The only character who seemed to be designed to deviate from this pattern was Fergus' birth mother who was something of a pantomime villain. Her earlier problems and her determination to be back in his life were painted as a selfish inconvenience and the issue was dealt with in a very black and white way. Similarly, the matriarch's difficulty in accepting the arrival of a previously unknown child from her husband's affair was also portrayed as selfish and unreasonable.

I have previously enjoyed all of Lucy Diamond's books and have always bought them almost immediately at publication. This however seemed to be an attempt to deal with trickier themes, but her lightness of style and characterisation that is normally so effective means that she never really gets to grips with these themes and it all ends up being a bit trite.