As a huge fan of this author’s a was excited to read this and this did not disappoint. The story was brilliant and really kept my attention. Lovely characters and location. Perfect!

As a massive fan of Milly Johnson, I can't quite put into words how happy I was to see her recurring newspaper the Daily Trumpet had made a re-appearance. I knew no matter what else was between the covers, that there would be hilarity!

And the small Daily Trumpet snippets almost every time had my snorting with laughter out loud, they are the funniest they have ever been and added much appreciated levity to the story.

Especially as the story itself is about two people who are struggling with grief. And although I was sure I had figured something out quite early on, I wasn't quite right although it was hinted at more strongly a bit further on, which pointed me in the right direction but there were still gasp out loud moment s that I hadn't guessed.

Laurie and Pete, are mourning the deaths of Alex and Tara their almost fiancee and not known until afterward pregnant wife. Both died in car accidents, and both are recommended the same small support group, set in the Cafe of one of Millie's previous books, which is where they meet.

Both have unanswered questions about their deceased loved ones and the are a multitude of parallels in their stories which we are given alternatingly.

Through the way the story is revealed, we get to know their friends and families rather well, in addition to family members of the dearly departed ones families. There are all manner of topics covered in this, both in Laurie and Pete's stories.

I also enjoyed Molly's support group meetings, and the other people in attendance, of whom we also get to know quite well, and spend an enjoyable amount of time with. Oh and there are even moments in this book which has a cynic like me almost believing in the impossible!

Actually there is just a tremendous amount packed into this story, which really is an uplifting read. It is Milly Johnson as her very best, and is a standout book. I was hooked rather quickly and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I love Milly Johnson's books. I am always completely captured by each story and the characters – this is the same.
This is a beautiful and heartfelt story that looks at grief, friendship and of love. It gives us the story of Laurie and Pete, both have suffered a huge loss and just don’t know what to do now. Of course, a connection between them is inevitable. A fabulous array of secondary characters also provide their own little tales. I think Milly always writes characters people can relate to and identify with.
This book feels very special, and I know it will be very poignant for many people. A little different but still brilliant. Milly Johnson is a go to for a fantastic read.

I have never wished for a Happy Ever After more than I did for Laurie and Pete. They were two lost souls floating around in a world they didn’t know if they fitted in anymore. Both of them heartbroken and not knowing which way to turn.

My One True North encapsulates everything you could ever want in a love story in a way that only Milly Johnson can do. Places and characters from my other favourite books of hers made themselves known and I loved my trip back to the Teashop on the corner.

Milly writes as though she’s an artist painting a landscape, every sentence reveals another piece of the masterpiece until you can see the whole scene vividly in front of you. I was torn between wanting to devour every word of this book in one go and limiting myself because I never wanted it to end. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think Milly Johnson is a genius for the way she puts words together, a true wordsmith. This book will play on every emotion you’ve got, heartbreaking, uplifting and sprinkled with Milly’s humour and that little bit of magic.

Apart from the main characters the secondary characters bring about so much love and warmth and humour and I laughed out loud on numerous occasions.

My One True North is a powerful love story written by one amazing woman who has poured her heart out onto these pages.

I know it’s taken me a while to get around to reading ‘My One True North’ but I’m so glad I have now finished it. The queen of feel good fiction has done it again!

I’ve just turned the last page of this beautiful story and feel emotionally wiped out. Laurie and Peter end up going to Molly’s club at the same time after both losing a spouse. This is a group that brings a group of people closer together in friendship and takes them on a journey through unimaginable grief. I fell in love with Molly and everyone else who attends the group.

Milly’s narrative is free flowing and it sucks you into the story so you forget everything else around you. It’s never a disappointment reading a book by Milly and I’ve only got a couple left to read then I’m all caught up! This is a story about love, friendship and massive loss.

So grab a cup of tea and a slice of cake and settle down with this extra special treat which I highly recommend. I’m very much looking forward to Milly’s next book which I know is going to be a festive treat! I give ‘My One True North’ a massive 5*/5* 😊

I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting.
I flew through it, it was sweet and heartfelt, despite the tough topic of grief. There were some meaningful messages woven in about being yourself and not bending for others. The premise was done so well and I was almost jealous of Laurie and Pete’s happiness,

My only slight complaint was I would have like a little more at the end of the book.

It was my first Milly Johnson and I’ll definitely read more from her now. I’ve also already recommended this book to my mum!

Ok, so I have a confession to make. This is the first Milly Johnson book I've read. I know it's scandalous! I am going to be righting that wrong very soon. I've had this on my TBR pile for a few months. During lockdown, my work decided we should start a virtual book and this was the chosen book.

The beginning of this book really hooks you. It draws you in immediately. The two main characters Pete and Laurie have both recently lost someone they loved. They meet at a bereavement group. It's no ordinary group and I think this is why it really works. This book, while it deals with grief, does so in a light way. It's not a book that leaves you feeling horribly depressed. It gives you a feeling of hope. That even when you think everything has gone wrong there is still reason to have hope.

The bereavement group are something special. I really liked this lot. They have all lost someone they loved. Each member brings something different to the group. I loved that as well as the obligatory tears there was also lots of laughter in this group. Oh and cake. We must not forget the cake!

The story switches between Laurie and Pete's lives. What these two don't know yet is that their lives are more entwined than they know! It was quite exciting knowing something they didn't and waiting for them to find out. I felt so much for these two characters. I was really rooting for them to make it work.

Milly did such a good job of writing about these sensitive subjects. This could have been a very depressing story but Milly manages to make it humorous and light without trivialising the feelings. This is a tough thing to do but Milly does it beautifully.

As I said this was my first book by Milly but I know that I'm going to be picking up more of her books very soon.

Another brilliant read by Milly, a widow and a widower advised to go to a 'councillor' with a difference, an immediate connection between them and their circumstances soon reveal secrets that need answering as to why the spouces where killed in a car accident when they shouldn't have been anywhere near the scene. Families don't seem to be able to help but will circumstances interfere and eventually bring them together for that happy ending?

Milly Johnson has stolen my heart again with her new book, My One True North, an outstanding and heartfelt story about grief, friendship and love. This story tells the story of two lost souls, Laurie and Pete. They have both lost their partners and don't know how to keep going forward. As a last recourse, they join a very special support group and from their first encounter, you can feel a unique connection between them.

I loved getting to know both main characters, but also all the secondary ones. I especially loved the other members of the support group, they had such lovely and warm stories to tell too. I think Milly Johnson made a wonderful job creating layered and easy to connect with characters.

I am big fan of Milly's warm and humorous writing, but with My One True North she has surpassed herself, this is definitely my new favourite book by her. It has a special magic and serendipity that make this story very special, and as a reader, you feel privileged to be part of Laurie and Pete's life.

I would completely recommend this book for anyone looking for an emotional but uplifting story. It made me cry, it made me laugh, but above all, it made me fall in love. Perfect escapism.

There’s romance and then there’s ‘Romance’ and My One True North falls in the latter category, the one I absolutely love. Milly Johnson willed me to see Pete and Laurie together very early into the novel because I could see sooooo clear as day they were meant to be together. The story was perfectly paced and it had a very satisfying build up for me, their surprisingly easy connection wasn’t left too long hanging but didn’t come too quick either.

There were a few mysteries and secrets woven into the story that made it even more interesting even if is not so difficult to spot what is going on. The main thread is still about people having lost their loved ones, yet the comments and the situation the characters were in didn’t make me feel utterly sad for either party. Pete and Laurie are missing their partners but they are not stuck in their grief and both want to move forward with their life at the start of the story. It also helped that I already had a sense of the direction the plot developments were going to take so I couldn’t feel too bad about what I thought was coming.

Laurie and Pete meet each other and others too, Maurice, Sharon and Michelle at Molly’s tea club, a small support group that comes together at a tea shop where they chat over cake about the difficulties they are all experiencing. Each person deals with grief but I really appreciate that the author had one character grieve the passing of her dog. It is so underestimated what that does to someone and the important place a pet has as part of the family so I really liked there was attention given to this kind of grief. This lovely bunch of people find friendship and even a few laughs too when they have their meetings, something I hadn’t expected immediately but healing comes in several formats and it made me happy when I saw them dealing with it in such a great way.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in the novel, not only Pete and Laurie are positive and wonderful people (Pete is a firefighter who rescues kittens and dogs in the most touching way, how can you resist him after that?!) but so many others really made this story, from Pete’s father Nigel to Lucy and Griff, his brother and sister in law, to Alan, Laurie’s employer, even Keith Richards and Pong (a goldfish and a cat) had me under their spell.

My One True North is a lovely novel to read, giving hope when you think there might be none to be found again, and truly sends out the message that you can’t waste time and you should be living. It is full of warmth, great friendship and love. It’s contradictory – I do know how it sounds given the subject of the novel – but it really is the truth: if you’re feeling down My One True North will certainly lift up your mood!

Milly Johnson is one of my ‘go to’ authors – I love her down-to-earth characters who not only provide humour and wit but also pack an emotional punch. My One True North had my emotions all over the place …

It’s easy to relate to Pete and Laurie, both a little lost in their own life stories as they try to find their way through personal grief. These two had me on tenterhooks at times, waiting to see which way the compass would point. It really is one step forwards and two steps back as the drama unfolds.

Molly’s Club (in the Teashop on the Corner!) is the perfect informal setting to share thoughts and feelings and oh! what an impact it has on those sharing and building a bond. We each handle grief differently don’t we (despite having to go through the stages) and this is reflected in Molly’s Club. The relationships we have with those close to us (familial and friends as well as romantically) play an important part and on a deeper level, it might be that readers find their own feelings validated and normalised. You can always count on Milly Johnson to give a balanced view taking into account all viewpoints. Nothing is 100% right or 100% wrong.

I love how Milly Johnson has threaded through The Daily Trumpet bringing us new characters to get to know. Talking of new characters, Griff is Tommy Tanner’s next door neighbour 🙂

My One True North was a page turner for me. I loved all the emotions with all their colours. A perfect read to escape with.

Grab your tissue and settle down because you’re in for a treat. Milly Johnson is back with a beautiful and emotional story that will break your heart and warm it at the same time. The protagonists are Pete and Laurie and we meet them at the worst time of their lives. What do they have in common? They both lost their partners in a car accident. They meet at a supporting group where, over cake and tea, people share their grief. Pete and Laurie are drawn to each other, but is their grief the only thing they have in common or is there something more?

One thing that I like about Milly Johnson’s novels is how lovable her characters are. Pete and Laurie feel authentic, entertaining, warm, and generous. Their story is moving and engaging and I loved how the perspectives switched between these two characters. Pete and Laurie are surrounded by a cast of characters that are mostly good and likable and who supported them through their grief. Friendship, family, love, honesty, and loyalty are all important themes in the story.

There is laughter and there is sadness, there is grief and there is happiness. The author describes in so much details the protagonists’ sorrow that I shed a few tears, but then she inserted the hilarious snippets from the local newspaper that made me laugh out loud (and made me shed a few tears of joy).

Milly Johnson is one of these authors I will never get tired of reading and My One True North is a fantastic, absorbing, and refreshing addition to her collection of already brilliant novels.

I would like to thank Books and the City and Simon and Schuster UK for sending me a copy of this wonderful book to read and review.
I am a big fan of Milly Johnson and just love her style of story telling. It's heart-warming and funny. The ideas for the plots are genius and her characters just speak for themselves, they become friends by the time the book closes.
My One True North follows the lives of two people who are trying to come to terms with losing the ones they love. Pete and Laurie find each other during a cancelling group, I adore this group and it has some very interesting characters, that I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to them each time the group met up. Through this group Pete and Laurie get to know each other more as well as learning how to move on in life and start again.
My One True North highlights the importance of friendship, hope and love at a difficult times and a book that is defiantly one to read in 2020.

Milly Johnson has done it again! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the twists and turns and how Pete and Laurie were brought together by an unfortunate twist of fate. A wonderful story that kept me desperately turning the pages to see how it all ended! Absolutely wonderful

I have enjoyed a number of Milly Johnson's previous books and this latest one, My One True North, is yet another great offering.

Milly's writing is quite simply marvellous. Despite the book focusing on the sobering themes of loss and grief, it nevertheless manages to be an uplifting story. Certain parts of the book caused me to well up with tears imagining Laurie and Pete's heartbreak and loneliness, and in the next moment I would find myself laughing out loud at the antics of the Daily Trumpet reporters.

The characters are well done. I was particularly fascinated by Alex and Tara. Two people who were on the brink of causing so much heartbreak and yet the author has been surprisingly generous in her characterisations and I found myself having some sympathy with their situation, despite the hurt they have left behind. Whilst Laurie and Pete are great protagonists, both warm and generous and absolutely deserving of happiness, it was some of the supporting characters who really caught my attention, from the awful Reid and Cora, Alan the editor of the Daily Trumpet and Griff, Pete's twin brother - the author introduces the reader to a range of appealing and believable characters.

I enjoyed the book very much. It is a heartwarming, entertaining and uplifting tale of love, secrets and loss, truly a love story with a twist.

Big thanks to Sara-Jade at Simon and Schuster UK for providing me with a copy of My One True North.

Laurie and Pete don't know each other but fate has it planned for their paths to cross. After losing both their partners, they meet at a small counselling group run by Molly where, over tea and cake, those two and some other people who are grieving, try to start live again. Even though finding a new partner is absolutely not an agenda for them, they find themselves drawn to each other, enjoying their company. But some awful secrets and lies are going to see the light of day that may destroy their new friendship, and more.

It is grief and sadness that is a catalyst for the story but no worries, guys - yes, the book has some very poignant moments, but I wouldn't call it desperately sad, no, because there is this lovely, overwhelming feeling of hope, and you keep hoping, together with the characters, that no matter how bad it is at the moment, it's going to be better. And Milly Johnson has smashingly captured it in her newest story. And let's not forget it - the articles from the magazine Laurie works for were absolutely brilliant!

Milly Johnson can for sure write feelings and emotions, taking her readers on a rollercoaster journey of experiencing them all together with the characters. I loved the way she has shown us that grief has many faces, she has made it so real and human.

There were twists and turns aplenty in this novel, and while I enjoyed them, I also felt desperate for the author to finally bring the two characters together. It is also full of lies and secrets and it was a real joy to slowly disentangle all the threads, to peel off the layers and to have confirmed this what I thought has happened.

But now. Milly Johnson has already proven so many times that she can write great characters, and while they are really well developed in this book, I didn't like what she has done with them. We were practically forced to like or dislike them. If the character belonged to the "good ones", they were put on a pedestal, they didn't have any flaws, they did all the right things. On the other hand, and it hit me right at the beginning, which confused me a little to be honest, because I thought we were supposed to like the victims of the accidents, the author immediately started to hint at things that put the characters in bad light, which means I didn't like them. What I mean here, the author didn't give me choice and chance to make my own mind about them. It was the same with Tara's sister - the author has painted her in such a wrong way, making her a laughing stock, and it was the same with Pete's dad's girlfriend and Laurie's boyfriend's parents - right from the beginning they were made looking bad. And I think that such author as Milly Johnson doesn't have to forge such moves in describing her characters, she can do much better, leaving the readers more room for imagination and making their own minds.
I also had a feeling that the book is dragging on and is repetitive, especially when the characters recounted the same events to each other. And we were so obviously pushed towards the end, towards this what is unavoidable to happen, and really, I was glad when the book has eventually ended and we really arrived to the conclusion. Don't get me wrong, it was a lovely read, I love Milly Johnson's stories, but the last third of this book felt so chopped, so abrupt and so long.

Nevertheless, this is Milly Johnson's 17th novel already, and picking her book you can be sure that you are in safe hands, as her stories are always compelling and complex. "One True North" is about friendship, love, betrayal, grief and joy, and many more, all the feelings seamlessly weaving through the pages. Sadness is perfectly balanced with humour, the characters, especially the secondary ones, feel deep and fresh. The author isn't shy of writing about heavier and thought - provoking issues, telling things how they are. It is heart - breaking, but it's also uplifting and warm. Sadly, it was not my favourite read, but Milly Johnson stays at the top of my favourite authors list.

I have loved Milly Johnson's books since I discovered them a couple of years ago. I am working my way through them, but this book, due out on 5th March 2020 is the most incredible story of love, loss, truth and hope, and it is the best story I have ever read by Milly.

I fell in love with all of the people attending the bereavement sessions at the cafe. All grieving in different ways, by sharing their experiences they were able to provide one another with strength and support they felt unable to seek in other aspects of their personal lives. It was fascinating to see the growth in all of the characters and not just Pete and Laurie.

Although the focus is initially upon loss, humour shines through the pages, particularly in the misprinted newspaper articles and apologies that are so uniquely 'Milly' and so incredibly laugh out loud funny. It's no wonder the newspaper needed a regular lawyer helping them out of tricky situations!

There appears to be symmetry within the losses Laurie and Pete experience, and you may suspect that you know exactly where it is going, but just when you think you have it all figured out, BOOM, you will be completely side-swiped!

Laughter and tears, and even laughter through my tears were a huge part of my experience reading this unputdownable book, it captured my heart and will stay with me for the longest time. This is Milly Johnson at her absolute best, and you simply cannot miss this! Tipped already as one of my favourite books this year, this book is sheer perfection and a very easy 5 stars.

I absolutely adore Milly Johnson's books. Each time I read one, I feel completely caught up with the story and the characters and this one, you'll not be surprised to know, was no exception!

The book starts with an unimaginable situation when Pete loses his wife in a tragic accident. Six months later at a counselling session, he meets Laurie who has lost her partner. Both having lost their partners so young, it is perhaps only natural that they feel a bond and understand each other. But they both have also discovered things about their partners which suggest that they have been keeping secrets from them. As they start to try to find out just what has been going on, it seems that they have even more in common that they thought.

This is a real 'Sleepless in Seattle' type story about two people just meant to be together. It would make a wonderfully romantic film and if only Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were British and about thirty years younger, it would be a perfect film for them. i just adored Pete and Laurie and thought Milly Johnson wrote about their situations so insightfully.

The book isn't all about grief and sorrow though and there were plenty of lighter moments. It was lovely to meet again with the women from Here Come The Girls on the cruise ship Mermaidia as they, and some other characters from that book, made a cameo appearance. The Daily Trumpet newspaper continues to provide some memorable bloopers to make you laugh out loud - it really is a hoot!

I always think that each Milly Johnson book I read is her best yet and my new favourite and yes I'm going to say that again about My One True North. It's a brilliant story with pulls you in and doesn't let you go till the end. You can rely on Milly Johnson to tell an irresistible story, as surely as you can rely on a compass to point you in the right direction.

Well I'm just wiping away my tears having finished this book in basically one sitting. I just loved this story so much. I am a huge Milly Johnson fan and I have so enjoyed everything she has written but this book is just something else; Queen Milly just took it to another level. And that cover and that synopsis just doesn't give any of what lies within the pages away!

This book deals with grief, not the most cheerful of topics but it is what gives this book its heart and soul and so you instantly sympathise with all of the characters and the situation that they are in. We get to meet a grief counselling group that meet at a cafe that Milly Johnson readers will be familiar with. I loved the crew that meet here and their cakes and their banter. They each come to grief from a different direction and bring a new perspective and they each have a little something extra either bringing them more pain or more joy in their lives. I loved meeting them and I so enjoyed being entertained by as well as crying with them throughout the book.

The main characters that this story follow though are Laurie and Pete and this is pretty much a narrative that switches between their two lives and the stories that they each bring to the book. Their stories are so intertwined right from the beginning, beautifully and cleverly so but they just don't know it yet. I LOVE when you, as a reader, know something that the characters don't know yet. The pleasure of not knowing when or how they're going to find out. It keeps you turning the pages and ensures that you're ultra invested in these characters.

Both Laurie and Pete are incredibly easy to love. They just have so much heart and such optimism in the face of tragedy, you can just tell that they are full of love and yet Milly throws so much at them you really hope that they're going to come out the other side unscathed. Laurie works at a solicitor for one of Milly Johnson's other famous characters, the Daily Trumpet and Pete works as a heroic fireman with an equally heroic and hairy twin brother-what is not to love about these two. It was a joy to spend time with both of them!

Obviously this book does deal with grief in many different forms and so care warnings should be exercised here but it is just such an integral part of the story as well as the fact that we don't always know what is going on in other people's relationships. This is something that this writer deals with so well in so many of her novels, but this is in no way an 'issues' book. I loved the sensitivity with which all of the things that the various characters are dealing with are woven and written into the plot and I defy anyone to call this novel anything but uplifting and hopeful.

If you are a long time reader of Milly's novels, some familiar faces come out to play in My One True North and it was such a joy to see them. If you are new to this authors works then you picked a great place to start because this is the best one yet!

I'm finding it very hard to believe that this is my first Milly Johnson book, but according to my records it does seem to be. Although I may have arrived late at the Milly Johnson party, I have certainly made a grand entrance arriving with My One True North. What an amazing, emotional and heartwarming book this is; I have never laughed and cried so much with one book, it should come with a pack of tissues attached. I feel like I hopped aboard the crying train when I picked up My One True North, travelling through tears of sadness, pain of heartbreak, despair of misunderstandings and peals of laughter.

What I loved most about Milly Johnson's writing is how she takes a serious subject such as grief and spins it on its head, without belittling the subject at all; from being lost in the sea of despair to soaring hope from seeing a lifeboat appearing on the horizon. After they both lose their partners, Laurie and Pete meet at a lovely little counselling group in a teashop. Over tea and the most amazing sounding cakes (I was actually drooling over the butterscotch cake), the newcomers are drawn to each other and find that talking to each other and learning to laugh again is the best therapy.

I'm trying to say very little about the plot which had me gasping in shock one minute and snorting with laughter the next, so I'll just say a little bit about the two main characters who are both grieving after the sudden loss of their partners. Pete is a firefighter and I loved reading about his work, especially rescuing local bad boy, Juice, from his various hilarious scrapes. Laurie is a solicitor who has most of her time taken up with lawsuits against hysterically funny errors printed in the local paper. Honestly, the newspaper excerpts had me in kinks; I was giggling and chuckling for ages after reading each one.

My One True North is such an emotional rollercoaster; it's laugh out loud funny, heartachingly poignant and completely perfect. I guess I could describe this book very much like life: filled with love, laughter, joy and sadness. Who would have thought a novel predominantly about grief would have provoked so many emotions? Like the sun coming out on a rainy day, I went from barely able to contain my tears as blow after blow struck my heart to grinning through my tears as my heart burst with hope and joy.

An absolutely gorgeous story of love, loss and laughter with a twist of fate. Who needs antidepressants when you've got Milly Johnson? My One True North is guaranteed to make you smile and what a wonderful gift for Milly Johnson to give her readers. A definite 5 stars and I can't recommend it highly enough, so much so that I plan to read it again and again to reexperience the magic!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.