Very moving and keeps you engrossed to the end. Sensitive and funny, based on a true story. Feel good story but one that hasn't been gilded - dealing with hard issues honestly. Very well written.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This for me was such a wonderful uplifting read that I couldn’t put down, it was a total change from my usual books and I just adored it.

Thought-provoking and Uplifting

With so much negativity spreading across our screens and infiltrating our ears these days, it's so refreshing to read a book that leaves you feeling hopeful.

Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove does exactly that.

Although this novel is not a true story, it is based on events that happened to the author, Ella Dove.

Heidi is out jogging one day, just a normal day when a freak accident sees her trip and fall on a canal path. She dislocates her knee so badly, that she ends up having to have her leg amputated.

In many ways, I feel the book is written to show the progression of not only Heidi's character but a path she must follow towards acceptance.

Part one sees Heidi left utterly devastated and having to navigate her new life. Coming to terms with a prosthetic leg and moving through her new life, which now includes visits to a rehab unit in Lambeth. Her whole life has been altered by one very small action and it takes a while for her to come to terms with that.

In a way, as a reader, we are pulled through typical patterns of grief. Essentially, Heidi has to grieve her old life and what she must leave behind to be able to embrace a new shape of the world in front of her.

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Poor Heidi experiences facets of them all.

In part two, her friend Jack helps her to see life a little differently and Heidi makes a list of things she wants to achieve to help her find the joy in her life again. This list is her Five Steps to Happy.

This book is one that will stay with me for a very very long time. Heidi's resilience and ability to see the good in the world after such a random moment that changed her life... it's remarkable. Told delicately and with so much love and heart, this is a book that found a space in my heart, pitched up a tent and remains a part of me even today. I placed the book back on my shelf knowing that I won't take the small moments for granted anymore. Never again will I lace up my running shoes without being grateful for the pain I am able to put myself through.If you are looking for a book that will truly make you appreciate life - this is one to pick up. Beautifully written, perfectly balanced and Ella has created a character in Heidi that I wanted to befriend for life.

This story was bursting at the seams with inspiration and integrity. Sometimes life has a way of throwing the biggest hurdles in our way and how we overcome these challenges speaks a thousand words.



Heidi is an incredible and strong character who I had the up most respect for. Her story was laced with deep emotional and physical struggles but her determination to bring her life back to a happy place was both uplifting and heartwarming.



The narrative was captivating with inspiration weaving its way throughout. Heidi's road to recovery was long with set backs, dark moments and struggles embedded. But I was cheering her on every step of the way to find her five steps to happiness.



This book is a beacon of positivity that will inspire and uplift and I for one am honoured to have read this incredible story.

Five Steps to Happy is based on the true-life experience of the author, Ella Dove.

Heidi is 32 years old – a struggling actress who works in a bar (it was supposed to be a part-time stop-gap, but it’s become more of a full-time gig), and lives with her best friend Dougie who’s on the verge of moving out so he can go and live with his boyfriend, Hal. It’s not exactly where she expected to be at her age, but she’s more or less content with her life as it is for the time being.

Until one day, she’s out for her morning jog when she has a freak accident and wakes up in hospital to discover that her right leg has been amputated below the knee! From that point on, I thought I was going to cry my way through this book – and I did for quite a bit of it. I cried for Heidi’s loss, her pain, her anxiety, her distress, her embarassment (that she should never have felt – this is not something she chose) and for her anger. Then I cried for her family, for what they had to endure, for their desperate need to protect her from what they were feeling, for their need to protect each other and for the way they felt unable to talk to each other about what they were going through. And then I cried for Dougie, Heidi’s best friend, the dearest man who battled to deal with what had happened to his closest friend, the person who had been beside him for so long, through thick and thin, and who he hadn’t been able to protect from this horrific incident.

As you can see, I cried … A LOT!! And when I eventually pulled myself toward myself, I gave myself a little talking to and asked myself how I thought I had the right to be so bloody miserable about all of this, when it hadn’t actually happened to me, but to someone else, who had to live through it, I stopped the pity party!

Heidi is moved from the hospital into a rehabilitation unit, grumbling all the way, especially when she discovers that she won’t even have her own room. All she wants is to be left alone to wallow in her misery. However, she develops a strong bond with her elderly room-mate Maud, a bright and optimistic woman who helps her to see that this is something she’s going to have to learn to live with. She either needs to be positive about it and find a way to get on with her new life … or else. Is the alternative even worth contemplating?

So together with Maud and Maud’s grandson Jack, Heidi undertakes her very own ‘five steps to happy’. She realises that she needs to live by her own rules, not those set by the rehab centre and its staff or anyone else for that matter. How she’s going to live the rest of her life is something that she herself needs to determine. And with bravery and steely determination she sets out to do just that.

This is an absolutely beautiful book. It’s not over-emotional (believe me – that was all me and my total and utter over-reaction), but is at all times honest. It brings to light the minutae of daily life that we don’t even give a second thought to as we rush about in our haste to get things done. The bravery that needs to be mustered by someone facing such a life-changing experience is unimaginable, and while they are constantly told how inspirational they are, most don’t realise the strength and effort that goes into appearing so brave. They’re not attempting to inspire and uplift others, they’re merely trying to get through each seemingly excruciating hour at a time.

This is a 5-star sparkler of a book, which I would recommend to everyone!

This was one of the most uplifting, eye-opening and motivating novels that I have read.
This is a story about Heidi who after a freak accident becomes an amputee, losing her leg. What this story does is open your eyes not only to what it is like to become physically disabled but also the emotional and psychological challenges that are faced, not only to Heidi herself but also her friends and family.
From the beginning of this book you feel that the book is written from the heart, and this is so because the author has been through this experience herself. You know from Heidi’s story how real this experience is for her as it was for the author and many other amputees.
The journey that Heidi faces over the course of the book is what is uplifting, motivating, full of hope and inspirational. Not only does Heidi have to face the physical changes of becoming an amputee, but also emotionally, she also has to let go of the past, of the circumstances that changed her future. To do this she creates five steps, a bucket list of sorts, to face to build her self-confidence and discover who she is now.
Heidi is able to face these challenges due to the people she has around her, her family, her friend Dougie, her new roommate Maud and Maud’s grandson Jack, all of whom play an important role in her life and journey.
What this books does is open your eyes to how quickly life can change, and that we all are guilty of taking the simple things in life for granted.
Thank you to Tracy Felton at Compulsive Readers, Ella Dove and Trapeze Books for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.

One of those books that manages to draw you in completely, I didn’t want to let the main character Heidi go at the end! I loved the positivity that shone from this book. A true message for all of us that even through hard times there is hope and light.

This is a powerful, poignant and inspiring book
This is a powerful, heartwarming and uplifting story that touched my heart.
An excellent book for a debut novel and it is so well written

How the hell do you review this?! ‘Five Steps To Happy’ may be fiction, however it is based on the true story of the authors own life, and all I can say it……wow.

Ella Dove is one helluva woman, and one helluva author. I knew, after racing through 10% of the book in a matter of minutes, that it was going to be a good’un. You know when you just get that feeling about something? I had that and then some. I mean, how does anyone even come back from a situation like this? I know that some people have no choice but to carry on, and others feel as though they cannot cope, but can you honestly blame them for being upset by what’s happened? I can’t. I felt like shouting at the book; ‘don’t tell Heidi to cheer up, you have no idea how she feels!’.

‘Five Steps To Happy’ tells the story of Heidi and her journey as she finds her ‘new normal’ after becoming an amputee after a freak accident. As well as Heidi’s emotions, the storyline sheds light on the domino effect of the accident and how Heidi’s loved ones are struggling to cope with what’s happened.

This was such an eye-opening and poignant read – I had no idea about the journey which amputees go on, nor how long the ‘rehab’ is before they can go back to living in their home. On a personal level, I was able to resonate with some of Heidi’s emotions as I am losing the ability to walk myself, with the prospect of being unable to walk completely by the time I’m 40. Now I’m not taking the owniss off Ella or Heidi by saying that, it’s just I felt comfort by the rollercoaster of emotions, the worry at finding a ‘new normal’, feeling guilty and such. Walking is something we take for granted and it’s not until that ability is hindered, do we realise just how much a part of us walking actually is.

Being based on a true story, the emotion and frustration was very genuine and, because I was aware of the authors story, I felt that Heidi’s emotions hit me a lot harder because someone had actually been in that position if you get what I mean. It wasn’t as though Ella Dove was writing the scenes based on second hand knowledge via other people’s stories.

Talking of other people, I LOVED Maud!!! I just wanted to wrap her in a huge hug and take care of her. Such a lovely, lovely character.

Towards the end of the book, I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried. I honestly couldn’t hold in my emotion any longer. ‘Five Steps To Happy’ is one of the most beautiful, uplifting, honest, and empowering novels i think I have ever had the pleasure of reading. You don’t need to be an amputee to appreciate the powerful words in this story, you just need to have a heart and be willing to listen. People who have found their whole life change over night aren’t expecting people to understand, they’re just wanting people to take the time to listen and be present.

Such a wonderful, wonderful book with a very important message within. I adored its beauty, and I adored the authors magnetic storytelling – I am jealous of everyone who gets to read this for the very first time.

This is such a thought-provoking and feel good story.

Heidi is out running one day when she has a freak accident that changes her life forever. When she wakes up in hospital and discovers she’s an amputee – she doesn’t know how she’s going to continue with her independent life.

But after leaving the hospital she goes to rehab where she makes friends and realises that she can do all the things she wants, she just has to be brave. With the help of Jack, her room mate Maud’s Grandson, she writes a list and starts ticking things off….proud of herself for every one. And with her sister’s wedding looming, and her as bridesmaid will she be able to walk down the aisle as planned? Will she be able to move back home after rehab? And what will happen with her a Jack?

Reading through the story, I didn’t realise that it was inspired by events that had happened to the author. All the way through I was thinking of how inspirational Heidi was and how hard and devastating it must be for someone to go through the things she does. Then to learn that some of this is what the Author went through blew me away!

Heidi is a great character and we go along with her on her journey of recovery and rediscovering her independence. Maud is fantastic – such a brilliant and upbeat lady. I had mixed feelings about Jack…I didn’t particularly warm to him at first, but then he starts helping Heidi and they seem to start developing feelings for each other and so I warmed to him….and then went off him again, and then liked him again….it was a bit of a rollercoaster!

Overall this is a fantastic story which will really make you think. It made me think about things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise – like the struggles people with amputations or disabilities have when going on the tube, or at train stations. I felt all the emotions she was going through and felt so proud of her when she was successful in her challenges. This book will have you thinking about your own life and how grateful we should all be for the things we take for granted each day.

This really is a great read! Absolutely recommended by me!

Five Steps to Happy is an uplifting story about a stroke of really bad luck with huge consequences and getting up from the ashes after it all. Heidi has a life-changing accident while jogging, passes out and wakes up with an amputated leg and not a real idea about what happened and how her life now seems to be in shambles. She is faced with the reality of having to re-learn almost everything she took for granted up to that point, and figure out what to do with her life from that point, and how to stand up both figuratively and physically. However, not everything is all bad – Heidi ends up making a lot of new, different friends and making a place for herself in this new world all on her own.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

5☆ Uplifting, Poignant, Powerful, Inspiring Must Read!

Five Steps to Happy is a powerful, Heart Warming and Uplifting story that touched my heart.

What also stands out is not only is this a debut novel, it's also based on Ella Dove's True Events, which makes this even more special.

Heidi was on her way to becoming an actress until a freak accident left her a devastating blow!

Heidi finds herself awake in hospital in agony but with the feeling something isn't right.
Heidi learns that she had to have her leg amputated due to it being starved of oxygen and they was unable to save it.

What follows next is Heidi's battle with coming to terms with her disability, coping and finding ways to become independent and learning to love and accept.
Her whole life has come crashing down.
My heart literally broke for her.

When Heidi checks into rehabilitation for amputee patients she meets the Charasmatic and loveable Maud who is to share a room with her.
Maud is a breath of fresh air and is just what Heidi needs.
Even more so when Maud's handsome Nephew Jack visits and he helps her see a new side to life.

Five Steps to Happy is truly an inspirational and Uplifting story that touched my heart.
It's hard to believe this is a debut novel.
The Characters are very relatable and so well written.
It's a beautifully Compelling and Poignant Read with a subtle dash of light hearted humour, about Strength, Determination, Friendship, Acceptance, I guess it's also about starting over and new beginnings.

Would I recommend reading this Gorgeous Book..... Without a Doubt! ...... I can't recommend it enough!
I'm excited to see what Ella Dove writes next. She has definitely been added to my watch out for list!

Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours and Trapeze Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton for the invitation to take part in the tour and to the publisher for the review copy via Netgalley.

Five Steps to Happy is inspired by real life events which happened to the author and what a wonderfully inspirational and uplifting story it is.

32 year old Heidi is doing her normal morning run when a freak accident results in life changing consequences. It is hard to believe that a simple stumble can be so devastating.

After time spent in hospital, she is moved to a rehabilitation recovery unit. This is where the hard work really begins both physically and mentally as she tries to come to terms with her injury, be fitted with a prosthetic leg and learn to walk again – and also to do the simplest of tasks that most of us take for granted, like being able to make a cup of tea and prepare a meal.

Her roommate is Maud, an elderly amputee and although they are decades apart in ages, they form a deep friendship which sustains them both through the early part of their recovery. Maud was so much fun and a great character. Maud’s grandson Jack also plays a part, helping to create a ‘bucket list of 5 things’ for Heidi to focus on.

Heidi’s story is told in an honest ‘warts and all’ way, without mawkish sentimentality or overdone misery. There is the agonising phantom pain of the lost limb, the guilt and anger she feels, the days of despair and then those times when she can see some light and hope and the realisation that she can do things. Will be able to do things. It just might take a little more time.

It also focuses on the fact that it’s not only the patient who is affected – their loved ones and close friends are also suffering emotionally however it can be harder for them to put into words how they feel.

Five Steps to Happy made me smile and it also made me cry – especially at the reading of ‘that letter’ towards the end. Ella Doves writes with such warmth and in such in engaging way, that you can’t fail to be moved and humbled by Heidi. It’s a wonderful story and one that I am so glad to have read. Do put it on your reading list. You won’t regret it.

If you want to read more about Ella’s story, here is a link to an article in Good Housekeeping.

Heidi is out jogging one day when she trips and falls on a canal path and dislocates her knee so badly, that she ends up having to have her leg amputated. A freak accident, this story is actually inspired by what happened to the author, Ella Dove.
Divided into three parts, in part 1 we see Heidi’s devastation at the accident and her trying to come to terms with what has happened. After leaving hospital she goes to the Amputee Rehabilitation Unit in Lambeth where she must learn to walk again with a prosthetic leg. Part 2 is about her starting to come to terms with what has happened to her. With the help of her friend Jack, she writes a list of things she wants to achieve to help get her life back on track and calls them her “Five Steps to Happy”. Part 3 begins as she leaves rehabilitation to start living independently again.
What an inspirational story! This book certainly leaves the reader with a sense of the strength and willpower that is needed to overcome such an injury, seemingly all the more tragic because of it happening to someone in the prime of her life. I’m not sure how much of the book is based on Ella herself – from what I understand, the accident and medical diagnosis are very similar. I’m sure Ella must have drawn on her own experiences of what it was like in hospital and rehabilitation and the guilt she felt for being a burden and worry for her family and friends.
Thought provoking, it made me much more aware of the obstacles that face disabled people every day, something I must admit I hadn’t given much thought to before. Things like using the London Underground which has very little provision for disabled people and the impatience of people when someone is in their way.
It really made me realise I shouldn’t take my life, mobility and health for granted. This book is sad but ultimately uplifting and is an inspiring and moving story. A great debut and I hope Ella has more stories to tell as I want to read them!

Firstly, I have to apologise. I’m a couple of days late with my stop on the blog tour for this book due to a technical hitch. The book was worth the trouble though, as it’s a truly inspiring and heartwarming story which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Heidi is out jogging, when she trips and falls. Hours later she wakes in hospital to find she has had a leg amputated due to the severity of her injury. An out going and active woman, Heidi must relearn how to walk and build her confidence ready to face the real world again. But she is haunted by the man who saw her fall that day and didn’t stay to help her. If he had, could Heidi have avoided the situation she now finds herself in?

The most touching thing about this book is that it is based on the authors real life experiences. Who would ever have thought a fall while out jogging could have such life changing consequences? Five Steps to Happy explores the emotions and feelings experienced first hand by the author, making it extremely honest and raw at times. Heidi’s feelings of resentment towards other patients in the rehab center who were there through lifestyle choices, her guilt at the pressure and effect on her family and friends and her anger towards the man who left her come straight from the heart and voice of experience.

Yet despite the awfulness of Heidi’s situation, this is an incredibly positive and uplifting book. Yes Heidi experiences grief at the loss of the person and future she expects, but she faces the path she now finds herself on with determination and strength. Life not be as she thought it was, but she is going to enjoy it with goals, achievements and challenges tackled head on.

Ella Dove writes with warmth and humour as well as honesty, and I’m really glad I got to read this book. Five Steps To Happy really is an inspiring book, and just shows that we should never take anything for granted because in an just an instant everything can change. This is definitely a book I’d recommend and I guarantee you too will fall in love with Heidi.

Using her own personal experience as an amputee, Ella Dove has created a beautiful, modern fable for our times. Introducing Heidi at the very moment she falls could be seen as a risky move as without the buildup from who she was, to who she becomes after the accident, it could be suggested that it removes the reader from the sense of loss of who Heidi is.

However, I absolutely think it is a brave move, and highlights the originality and focus of the story. As you experience, right from page one, the most awful and nonsensical event which sidetracks Heidi's entire life. The accident which changes everything, the person who leaves her there and how she recuperates is the focus on this wonderful, life-affirming and uplifting book. As you read, you go through the grieving process with Heidu, grief for her missing limb, the life she had, the future she has lost as she struggles to navigate a world not made for people with disabilities.

Coming from a place of understanding, as Ella does, she shines a light on not only the casual difficulties that disabled people experience -such as travelling on escalators-but also the discrimination, lack of representation and understanding of what they are going through. Missing a limb does not make you less of a person, however there is a massive lack of understanding about the processes that a person who has lost a limb has gone through.

In her recovery, Heidi has to face her perceptions of what disability means , as well as building a new future for herself and her family. This one accident has ripples and repercussions from accepting her new body,redefining her place in her family, learning to walk again and in doing so,Jack, the grandson of her recovery roommate Maud, provides a cornerstone when Heidi feels at her absolute lowest ebb.

''This was a battle I'd fight for the rest of my life-confusion,explanation and sadness.''

He shares something he was once told, a piece of paper he was given with a phrase on that helped him keep going and in doing so, he sparks an idea in Heidi about goals for her future when she feels day to day living is grinding her spirit down. She creates a list, her 5 steps to happy, (there is another link to the 5 steps in the book but I am not going to spoil it for you!). These become the backbone of her recovery and also the basis for a great idea to encourage amputees to get moving and keep moving.

'Recovery was a marathon not a sprint.And I was only at the starting line.'

Her sense of self is fully explored; her outrage at this , her role within her family, her sexual identity...everything is explored in a way rarely brought into the mainstream.It made me laugh, gasp and brought me to tears as well as teaching me about the process of recovery, using a wheelchair, a prosthetic limb and how, when life seems to have completely turn upside down, permanantly , there are those amazing people around who will fight for you, fight with you and keep you going.

A superb book I would absolutely recommend, it is an engrossing and surprisingly quick read as you flip page after page, investing heavily in Heidi and willing her on to master each of her five steps!!

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful, moving and inspiring debut novel this is! It’s so nice to have a positive story that shows what living with a disability can be like, instead of the doom and gloom we usually see. It’s made all the more poignant as it is based on the real life events that happened to author Ella Dove, so you know it comes from a place of true authenticity and understanding.

Five Steps to Happy tells the story of aspiring actress Heidi who suffers a life changing accident at the age of 32. Her whole world falls apart as she struggles to come to terms with what’s happened to her. Her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers in the rehabilitation centre where she has been sent to recuperate.

Heidi misses her life, her independence and her flatmate, slowly sinking into despair at the realisation that nothing will ever be the same again. But then she meets Jack, Maud’s grandson, who comes up with the idea of making a list of all the things she’d still like to do that will help her on her road to recovery.

With Jack at her side, Heidi begins to realise that although her life is no longer the one she envisaged having, she still has so much to live for. But is Heidi brave enough to take that first step back to happiness? Or does life have even more surprises in store for her?

Five Steps to Happy is a beautifully written and poignant book that I fell in love with from the start. The author’s real life experience and understanding of the difficulties people with disabilities face on a day to day basis shines through with every word. The larger than life characters Heidi meets in this book are a true delight and felt very real to me.

It’s a story that swept me along on a tidal wave of emotions, making me laugh one moment and burst into tears the next. It painted a vivid picture of what it must be like for your life to change in an instant. The devastation and despair Heidi feels after her accident are palpable and I felt every emotion right along with her.

As the parent and carer of a young woman with a lifelong disability, I couldn’t help but feel a personal connection to this beautiful book, even though my daughter’s circumstances are very different to Heidi’s.

It was so inspiring to finally read a story where having a disability didn’t have to mean the end of the world, but could very well be the start of a brave new one that is filled with endless possibilities.

I can’t recommend this beautiful, moving and uplifting book highly enough. A stunning read that will stay with me.

Every once in a while a story comes along that moves you. This is one of those!

When a tragic accident changes everything as she knows it Heidi’s world falls apart. With the help of her family and some new friends, Heidi finds a way to get back to being herself and adjusting to her different life for herself and for the people around her. This beautiful novel made me laugh, cry, cheer and feel inspired all in one.

Even though I know some of the story is fiction, the honesty, poignancy and emotion oozes from every page and I felt myself take every step of Heidi’s journey with her. I honestly couldn’t pick out which events are fiction and which are factual because the whole thing is written with such honesty.

I adored the character of Heidi and all her flaws. Determined and focused but also real, she is one of the most inspiring characters I have ever read about. It’s hard not to feel her frustration, anger, self pity and jubilation at points during the story and I spent the whole time cheering her on.

Despite not always appearing likable, I feel the other characters is the book are a strong resemblance to how different people may react and deal with a situation like Heidi’s. This book really teaches not to be judgmental to wards different people and their coping mechanisms, despite how selfish they may seem on the surface.

I cannot recommend how beautifully heartwarming and uplifting this novel is. I guarantee if you read it you won’t be disappointed.

This was a truly uplifting and inspirational read which I will be recommending to everyone! The thing that most makes this book is that it’s based on true events which makes the story more powerful.

The story follows Heidi as she comes terms with losing her leg and how much her life changes afterwards. It was heartbreaking to see Heidi’s life fall apart but very impressive to see how she rallies to make the most of things with the help of the fabulous Maud and her handsome nephew Jack. She has a lot of new skills to learn, with even the smallest task being difficult at first as she learns to become independent and accept how things are.

There are some fabulous characters in this book which are all very well developed and relatable. My favourite was Maud, Heidi’s room mate in hospital, who is so funny, loveable and charasmatic which made me warm to her instantly. It was really lovely to see how Heidi and Maud help and support each other through this difficult time.

This was a brilliant read which will stay with me for a long time. I liked how the author manages to make it both heartbreaking and heartwarming with a touch of humour in it too, which when combined makes for an incredible story. This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Trapeze books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.