Amanda Prowse has done it again, another fab read which kept me engrossed from beginning to end. Highly recommend

Another great book from Amanda Prowse, the Girl in the Corner tells of family life with the story moving between the friendship of Rae-Valentine and Dolly and Rae’s marriage to Dolly’s Brother, Howard.

As the stories unfolded (yes, dear Reader there is always multiple stories in an Amanda Prowse novel) the Girl In The Corner, had me hanging on to every word until the very last page, and I found myself shouting advice to Rae-Valentine several times!

I really recommend The Girl In The Corner and give it 5 stars.

There are a few authors who are bumped straight to the top of my to be read pile as soon as I am lucky enough to get a copy of their new book.
Amanda Prowse is one of those authors and yet again she hasn’t failed to deliver.

This story written in the third person is a tale of a woman who has always put her family first, but after being dealt a devastating blow when a betrayal is revealed on the night of her wedding anniversary, but will her family stand by her like she would for them.

As always this was an emotional rollercoaster, beautifully written, with great characters and a heartbreaking storyline.

A beautiful, descriptively written book full of poignancy, laughter and tears. This book is so realistic it could relate to many of us who go through the same experience in our every day lives.I absolutely love Amanda’s books , her understanding and empathy is second to none and her writing just flows through the pages. Thanks to TBC and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I really wanted to LOVE this book but I didn't. And I am very disappointed because I really love this author and previous reads. It was decent and I liked it but I just couldn't get into any of the characters or the story line. There were good parts, a few laughs but this book just didn't do it for me. My apology to the author.

A Girl in the Corner is an emotional book that will touch the core of your heart. It is about Rae-a shy girl/woman who allows everyone to run her life and has always been too afraid to go after what SHE really wants. Reading through her sad, trying experiences is heart breaking. You can feel her frustration at herself, at her husband and at her best friend, his sister. Rae has to find her inner power and strength to make choices that are hers and hers alone in order to achieve the life she really wants.

Yet another amazing book from Amanda. I have now read every book and you don’t think there could be a better one and yet along comes The girl in the corner. I was so excited to get this early and the book did not disappoint me. Amanda’s characters are always believable and you can imagine in your minds eye exactly what they are doing or even facial expressions. Maybe everyone has a bit of Rae in them feeling a bit pushed in the corner at times which is why her actions keep you on tender hooks to see which way things will work out. Some tissues are always needed as Amanda does it again. This is a standalone story but if you haven’t read any other of Amanda’s books Why Not!! This book only took me 2 long car journeys to read it so once you star you can’t stop. All families are unique and those in this book have their strange ways but also traits that we can all relate to which is why this book is a must read.

This is the draft of the review that I plan to post on Amazon.co.UK when the book is released:

A shock revelation causes Rae-Valentine to reevaluate her life.

An emotional family drama. The story is absorbing. and well, analytical. The main characters are well drawn and believable.

This book would be a great winter sun holiday read.

Oh my goodness Amanda Process never disappoints! Was thrilled to be able to read her latest novel! Must say it took me a little while to get into which is unusual, but was soon hooked. Amanda writes sensitivily and it was easy to live through Rae Valentine's emotional trauma. Tricky situation for her sister in law and best friend Dolly....time in Antigua together starts to clarify things for Rae but is complicated by Howard's arrival.
Was pleased to find that the story didn't end as I imagined it would.
A really enjoyable and satisfying read. Highly recommend. Stick with it if you find it a struggle initially.

Another great book by Amanda Prowse. Some great characters in this and I really felt for the main character Rae. Again the author really demonstrates some of the realities of family dynamics especially in this novel where the characters are so intertwined.
This book also made me want to go on holiday and I loved the ending. It made me cheer!!!!!

Amanda Prowse in fine form with thoroughly believable characters who you're able to strongly picture in your mind. I was rooting for Rae-Valentine all the way through this book - never once seeing her as downtrodden but knowing that her moment must come. .At the very end I could have jumped up and cheered! Highly recommended. I want to be that woman.

I really enjoyed this book ,the characters are very believable and brought to life beautifully ,The story is about love ,betrayal and finding out who you really are and new beginnings .This story is an emotional roller coaster with a few laughs on the way .Brilliant . Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my preview copy .

Another excellent and very relatable read from accomplished storyteller Amanda Prowse. Rae -Valentine has always felt like the girl in the corner, timid, shy and unnoticed by those around her. As a child she was in the shadow of her talented older sister Debbie-Jo and as a gawky and gauche teen she hid behind her flamboyant friend Dolly. Despite a disastrous double date Dolly sets Rae up with her brother Harry, and soon the teenage sweethearts are walking down the aisle. Twenty five years later, and on the night of a party celebrating this momentous anniversary, Harry shatters not only Rae's world , but also her sense of self worth. Unsure whether their relationship has a future, she heads to Antigua for a little breathing room , to try to clear her head.
As always the real strength and heart of this book, like so many others by this author, lies in how well crafted and empathetic her characters are. While Rae, as the protagonist, is an obvious example, there are some touching moments later in the book which really highlight both the strengths and flaws of characters like Rae's parents and the indomitable Dolly.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Rae-Valentine is a pretty strong and determined woman...which she needs to be following childhood sweetheart and husband Howard's betrayal of her.
The characters in this book are extremely well written and like-able (or hate-able for Howard!).
I became easily ensconced in the story and was equally happy for and angry with Rae as she made decisions about her future and the future of her marriage (if she had been on my TV I would have been shouting at her a lot, particularly whilst in Antigua!).
She made some decisions I really didn't agree with (the sign of excellent writing in my opinion to provoke a strong emotional response to a fictional character!) but ultimately she triumphs and her final decision sits well with the background of her character. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

It always takes me a few days to get over reading an Amanda Prowse novel; mainly because she not only gets you in all the feels, she is so good at telling real life, touching, and moving stories that you cannot put down. I always know there’s a fantastic story ahead, despite being pretty confident each time that I will undoubtedly shed a tear at some point.

The Girl in the corner is a novel that explores many things. First and foremost, although it is Rae-Valentines story, it was about family for me. She has gone through life being loved, and blessed with a wonderful husband, close best friend, and children of her own, all from a young age. Yet she has always felt a bit lost, even if she didn’t realise it, like she was never quite good enough; the girl in the corner who didn’t quite deserve it.
Rae and her best friend in the world, the one who introduced her to her husband (and just happened to be her friends brother) are joined at the hip. Rae is shy from the off, always hiding behind her sister growing up and she meets an outgoing, loud and confident best friend she can hide behind. This dictates her life; marrying into a loud and outgoing successful family and settling into the role of wife, mother and general rock for the family and business - always there when anyone needs anything.

I think there’s a bit of all of us in Rae in some way, not quite sure if we followed the right path. She feels slightly unfulfilled and unappreciated at times despite seemingly having it all... until on the evening of her wedding anniversary party, she gets told a secret that shatters her world, and makes her re-evaluate her whole life. She begins to realise how the outside world views her, and doesn’t like what she sees. Following the revelations, she takes a trip with Dolly, her best friend, and begins to feel like herself again when their husbands turn up to “surprise” them. The story then takes some twists and turns along the way, leading Rae to make some serious life changing decisions....albeit late in the day.

There are some sad moments, particularly surrounding family and loss, and some moving moments, again surrounding family, love and acceptance.

This was a beautifully written, easy to read novel. It didn’t grip me quite the same as some other Amanda Prowse novels, however - wonderful writing, brilliant characters; each with their own issues, and her usual skill of making you feel like you are part of the story, made for another great novel that I highly recommend.

Amanda Prowse is one of my favorite authors.I loved this book warm emotional heart wrenching.Have a box of tissues nearby,#netgalley#amazonpublishinguk

Well I have no idea where to start, another fantastic read by one of my favourite authors, the characters are lovely, the storyline was great, had to take my glasses off to wipe the tears because I couldnt see the pages.
I loved it, bring on the next one Mrs Prowse

Rae-Valentine is on a path of rediscovery. Sometimes you can “come of age” later in life. These characters are so realistic and believable., that youwill feel as if you know them personally. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book brought a range of emotions from anger, sadness and what would be the correct emotion to describe wanting to cheer someone on shouting “you go girl!”?
I was so angry that Rae had no-one to turn to and how Dolly thought it was ok to push her into sorting things out with Howard. Any real friend would want to go hunt him down and do terrible things to him but because she’s his sister she wasn’t looking out for her friend's interests at all.
What Rae had to deal with made me feel so sad, no-one wants the rug pulled from under their feet, and the book certainly makes you feel grateful for everything good that you have in your life.
Overall, a really well-written book about a woman that needs to re-find herself and takes you, the reader, along for an emotional journey.

The Girl in the Corner, Amanda Prowse

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: , Women's Fiction, General Fiction (Adult) 

Usual grump – Women's fiction as a genre, just why? Men read all sorts of stories too....why alienate them?

Anyway, I enjoy Amanda's books, she writes tales that make me think “what would I do in that situation”, has characters and settings that feel very real.
I didn't enjoy this as much as some of her other stories though, the settings and characters were terrific as usual, but the story – I felt that for so much of the book I was waiting, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it wasn't until very near the end that it did. I'd have liked a bit more of what happens then, instead of the brief opening into Rae's future we see.

Its a tale that happens way to often, wife ( or husband) thinks everything is wonderful, and then finds out that their adored and loyal partner has been playing away...what next? Carry on regardless for the sake of the family? Try to forgive and move forward? Or divorce/separation? I always think, how could I trust that person again? That kind of betrayal is so hard to get past, I'm not sure I could forgive and move on. I think that would be a hard barrier for me, the one I can't forget.
Can Rae move forward though? And in what direction? She really needed to talk it through but Dolly is Howard's sister, and though they've been best friends for so many years, Dolly has divided loyalties. It meant Rae looking at her life introspectively, looking at not just her and Howard's relationship, but all the family ties, at what happened to the Rae who wanted to be someone but instead became the person supporting everyone else. Its got a huge potential for looking at what could happen if she decided differently, and I so felt for her in her having to decide without the soundboard of Dolly to help her.

Of course nothing happens in isolation and looking back we can see where the routes for different paths were going, where what one person perceives isn't necessarily the truth – a great example of that was Rae's view of her childhood and family relationships, where what she thought of events and decisions was how it seemed to her, but not what her parents intended her to feel. That sounds tangled, you'll need to read the story to understand I think...What Rae sees as her parents not supporting her ambition to be a chef turns out to be her parents fearing that way led to hard work and no reward for Rae, whereas they wanted what they saw as the best for her, that she was clever enough to work in an office, the pinnacle of achievement in their eyes. She thinks they're unsupportive, that her sister is the one they support, but what they intend is to make Rae be the best she can, and office work in their eyes is something their clever daughter can aspire to. As adults looking back we can see that what we though wasn't necessarily what was intended.

Like I said, I enjoyed this story, but didn't love it, its not one I'd reread. I just felt for so much of the story I was waiting for the next section, that so much of the book covered the same ground while Rae mulled over what had happened and what she should do – I'm sure that's very real, what people in her situation do but for me it wasn't very entertaining reading.

Stars: Three, another very real story from Amanda but not one of my favourites. Still, that's just my opinion and I can see that its a perfect story for other readers.

ARC via Netgalley and publishers