This one is written in dual time frame and it revolves around the mother, Eleanor ane her mother grown up daughter Rachel. They have always had a tricky relationship and despite the clear love and respect for each other , there is also clearly a few tensions and feelings of awkwardness that have never been addressed.

As you move through the story we learn that Eleanor is a very talented and famous artist whose career escalated after her first exhibition and from which she has always been very much in demand for portraiture. Born in the swinging sixties. We learn she is married to husband Charlie and together they had waited sixteen years for the birth of Rachel.

Rachel, is an odd character for me, one who has always felt that she lives her life in her mother’s shadow, never good enough to be alongside her famous mother, it comes across as being partly jealous and partly confused as to who her mother really is. However, Rachel clearly adores her father and every photograph her parents had ever taken featured her with her father; her mother obviously being the photographer.

As the story starts Rachel has been jilted by her fiancé Claude on the morning of their wedding and with nowhere else to go has been forced to return to her family home. At this point the distance between mother and daughter becomes evident. As the Summer progresses those tensions and feelings of awkwardness intensify until one night when her life changes forever, nothing will be the same again or as she has ever known it.

For me, this was quite the read. I loved how the story was told from two sides, the author not interfering in how you felt about either character, almost letting you decide before throwing a plot twist right into the mix.

I enjoyed the themes, the ending was brilliant and if you like a good story that captivates you for hours, then this will tick those boxes.

This is one of those books that I did not want to end. The story was beautifully written, sad, poignant and hopeful. It made be smile and it made me feel like crying. The characters were very believable and most, excepting Claude, very likeable. I thoroughly recommend reading this book.

This is the story of Rachel and her mother Eleanor who are going through a very difficult time. Both mother and daughter are mourning the loss of Charlie, Rachel’s father and Eleanor’s husband, who died six weeks ago. To make matters worse, Rachel is jilted by her fiancée on her wedding day.

Told over two time periods - the present day and 1960’s London the novel covers Eleanor’s life before she Rachel was born and explores the difficult relationship between mother and daughter.

I found the book to be very sad in places but there were moments of humour; Eleanor’s sister Agnes was a great character.

An enjoyable read although I did find it took me a little while to become fully engaged with the story, after which I became fully engrossed with the well drawn characters and plot.

This is the story of two women: Eleanor and Rachel. They are mother and daughter but they struggle with their relationship, all of which is complicated by the fact that they are in mourning for Charlie, Eleanor's husband and Rachel's father. Rachel is also trying to deal with being left at the alter by her fiancee who has disappeared and isn't answering his phone. Eleanor and Rachel deal with their losses in different ways and both lament the things that they never said to Charlie...and just what is Eleanor hiding?

Taking place across two different era's - 'now' being present day, and 'then' being Eleanor's youth following her leaving home, going to university in London and falling in with an eclectic crowd of artists, photographers and poets in Soho's social scene. She is desperate for new experiences and to break out of the cloistered life that she had been living and is most peeved when her mothers friend asks a young writer called Charlie to keep an eye on Eleanor and report back.

I found the pace of this story to be a little bit too slow for my liking. I kept wanting to skip ahead to find out what the big secret was. It's interesting how it leads you down a couple of different paths but the conclusion felt a little too predictable for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself looking forward to reading a bit more. I definitely got caught up in its world! Having said that, I found some of the characters rather frustrating and the ending did feel rushed. I still can't decide if I find the ending satisfying or not! But a very lovely book, definitely check it out.

A beautiful story of love, loss and relationships. Well told and a joy to read : 2 different eras spanning the life of Rachel’s parents as well as the time after their death.. How many of us wished they knew more about their parents when it is no longer possible to ask then

Three and a half star rating.
A family and their relationship. Eleanor and her daughter Rachel aren’t particularly close, rubbing each other up the wrong way most of the time. She feels inadequate in comparison to her mother who is a successful artist. This story is told from both their points of view - London and the swinging 60’s and a village near Oxford today, Eleanor was a selfish girl and a cold woman and her daughter was a bit of a whinger, full of self pity. I thought most conversations were stilted. Despite the above, did still enjoy the book and loved the literary connections.

This book was a wonderful journey with rich descriptions full of nostalgia, love and memories of what it means to be home.
I enjoyed the dual timeline descriptions of the characters that portrayed a rich depth to each character from the perspectives of past and present.
The vulnerability that was written was very touching and I felt a deep connection throughout the stories to Eleanor and Rachel. I absolutely adored Agnes who is just brilliant throughout and deserves her own novel I feel.
It was a heartbreaking, life-affirming, empowering read showing how grief and tension can carve our lives in to different pieces and taint our perspectives of people and memories. It explores what keeps friendships and families close throughout the years.

I picked this up on holiday after seeing some fantastic reviews and I can see why this book has captured people.

Rachel has her dream wedding ripped from under her feet and stays with her mother Eleanor whilst trying to get back on her feet.

This book will break your heart as the lovely Rachel keeps fighting to overcome obstacles that life is throwing in her path. It is a story about determination to uncover her mother's past to help her heal and feel whole again.

A brilliant book that will have you reading late into the night as the past and present come together to give Rachel the answers she has been looking for

Eleanor and her daughter, Rachel have a difficult relationship. They are mourning the loss of their husband/father. Six weeks after her fathers death, Rachel gets jilted at the alter. There is nothing else she can do but move back into her family home. She has always lived under her mother's shadow. Eleanor is a famous artist.

This story is told in a dual timeline. I liked the way the haracters developed throughout the story. It's well written and emotionally charged. The parts that are told in the past are of Elanor when she was a naive young girl. This is an emotional take that deals with the pain of loss. The characters are true to life and well rounded. A beautifully told story. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Emma Kennedy for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Rachel has been jilted on her wedding day and has returned to her mother's home. Her relationship with Eleanor has always been difficult, and they are both mourning the loss of Charlie, Rachel's father, who has recently died of cancer. The story is told in 2 time frames. Eleanor went to London in 1964 to study Art. There she met and fell in love with Jake who introduced her to the hedonistic lifestyle of the time. The descriptions of the swinging sixties are colourful and exciting. As Rachel tries to put her life back together, tragedy forces her to look in to Eleanor's past. I loved the characters in this book and I recommend it as a good read. Thanks to NetGalley copy.
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I thought this was a fantastic book. A beautifully crafted piece of work, that tells us about love, relationships, family, and the consequences of what can happen to all of these when things are left unsaid.

This tale was an absolute joy to read - set in two time frames much of the story was taken up with the difficult relationship between Eleanor and her daughter, Rachel. Both women are mourning the loss of a husband/father, Charlie but are unable to comfort each other. There is much truth in the difficulties portrayed in their relationship, neither feeling free to bridge the gap between them. Rachel is more bitter and less forgiving. The tale is a fascinating one with some emotional sections. Much of the time I found it difficult to like Eleanor from her youth - her selfishness and rush to leave home and restrictions.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Emma Kennedy/Random House UK, Cornerstone for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I cried, a lot. This novel is one emotional journey, which will enlighten every aspect of your being. Kennedy has created a piece that will stay with you, a piece that you can read time and time again, and enjoy. What a beautiful literary construction.

Lovely book: the two main characters (plus Agnes, a minor but very important character) are finely delineated, both with their own sadnesses to manage. Somehow, I don't feel for Rachel as much as I do for Eleanor, even though her losses were more and closer together. Still, I'm only three-quarters through and I am still waiting to find out what Eleanor meant to tell her daughter. Maybe that will make me feel sorry for her at last. Recommended.

A well executed novel written in dual time that gradually unfurls and explains the tensions that have existed between Eleanor and her daughter Rachel. An exploration of how the past can mould the present. Eleanor and Rachel are both artists but Rachel feels she is overshadowed by her mother’s success and Eleanor dies suddenly leaving the legacy of a previous secret life but one she had reconciled herself to share with Rachel but time ran out for her.
A thoroughly enjoyable read with a blend of modern and bohemian characters to embellish the storyline.

A great read, somehow sad but not sad; full of intrigue and love. Very enjoyable and well written, a book I couldn't put down and wanted to get to the end but was sorry when it was finished

Rachel loses her father, is jilted at the altar, then loses her mother, all in rapid succession . Before her death ,her mother wanted to tell her something, but Rachel is too bound up in her grief to make time to listen. After her death, Rachel finds a letter telling her half a story, and has to find out the rest for herself. She learns so much more about her mother's life in the swinging 60's, her parents meeting, and their life together. Really well written, the characters come alive .

What a year for Rachel. Six weeks after her dad’s death it is her wedding day. When she is jilted by her fiance at the altar she has no option but to move back into the family home with her mother Eleanor. They have had a difficult relationship with Rachel feeling that she has always lived in her mother’s shadow. Eleanor is a famous painter who emerged in Soho in the Sixties and has lived a life where she associated with poets and photographers before marrying Charlie and settling down.

It takes a dramatic event to make Rachel realise just how much her mother has done both for her and with her and for Rachel to come to terms with the losses in her life. Its hard to say any more without giving away a good chunk of the plot.

Kennedy uses a dual perspective to craft this wonderful story. Eleanor’s voice is that of a naive young girl leaving home in the Sixties. Finding her feet at her new Art College in Chelsea, discovering her true self and meeting the love of her life. Rachel’s story is set in the present day and sees her searching through all of the gems she discovers to piece together the lives that her parents led before she came along.

It is a poignant and touching tale that deals with the pain of loss and isolation. The characters are vivid and electrifyingly real. Learning to grieve and to move on is one of the hardest things that we ever have to come to terms with and this book is all about love in every possible aspect. Seeing the differing perspectives makes for a beautiful story of family and belonging.

Supplied by Net Galley and Random House UK, Cornerstone in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication Date: Kindle Aug 01 2019/ Hardback Aug 22 2019. 416 pages.

#TheThingsWeLeftUnsaid #NetGalley

Rachel has recently lost her father, her husband-to-be and her job, she finds herself living back home with Eleanor, her artist mother who she feels estranged from. Told from the viewpoints of Rachel now and Eleanor back in the 1960s this is a beautifully written book about love and the choices we make. It is incredibly poignant and you cannot help but feel for both Rachel and Eleanor as Rachel searches her past to shape her future and for Eleanor who has loved twice but still suffers the pain of her first love. With wonderful characters and great emotion this is a story that stays with you after the end, I highly recommend it.