This book was so so sad
The plot was a bit predictable but enjoyable
I liked all the characters
An enjoyable read

Sian O’Gorman’s Life After You is a heart-breaking but ultimately uplifting story about grieving, healing and renewal readers won’t forget in a hurry.

Milly has lost everything. In the space of just a couple of weeks, Milly lost both her beloved father and her boyfriend. Losing her father had ripped the fabric of her family apart and completely and utterly devastated her; whilst losing her boyfriend had made her give up on life and love. Feeling as if she has nothing left to live for anymore, Milly’s life begins to spiral out of control. When her life gets back to an even keel, although Milly still carries the scars of her heartbreak with her, she feels stronger and able to put one foot in front of the other once again. However, just when Milly felt as if she normality could resume and that everything was falling back in its place, a familiar face returns to Ireland which once again threatens to tear her life apart. What will Milly do? Will her resilience and her strength see her through yet more upheaval? Or is this one setback too many for Milly?

Milly thought she was happy in her new life. But is it enough for her? As she begins to revaluate the choices she made and the decision she took, Milly begins asking herself questions which she should have asked herself a long time ago. With her happiness at stake and everything to lose, will Milly find a place she belongs? Can she find somewhere she can call home? Is this life enough for her? Or is there another path out there which will lead her to the happiness and the fulfilment which she so desperately seeks?

The time has come for Milly to take a chance on herself, but will she take it? Or will she continue to second guess herself and her choices and forsake the happiness that is hers for the taking?

Sian O’Gorman has the storyteller’s gift and in Life After You has written a book that is inspiring, emotional, captivating and thought-provoking. Life After You is a brilliantly crafted story about what happens when you lose everything and how you manage to pick yourself up when all seems lost that is stirring, poignant and affecting.

Milly is a wonderfully rendered heroine readers will relate to. She is a character who is easy to understand and empathise with and one who is sure to strike a chord with readers everywhere who have, at some point in their lives, surely felt similar emotions.

Sian O’Gorman joins the ranks of Irish women’s fiction royalty like Marian Keyes and Cathy Kelly with a book readers will want to tell their friends and family about: Life After You.

A bit soppy throughout. and the heroine stays fixated on being downtrodden and totally mired in grief that it does get tedious after a moment and you want her to pick herself up and go at life again. Then she does do that, and the rest is a heartfelt tale of family and friends and building yourself up at any point in your life

A funny, clever, relatable book that was a nice easy read.

The perfect rainy day read.

The characters were likeable and believable and I was left with that warm fluffy feeling that can be expected with a book of this genre.

This was quite a good read where Milly was just drifting through life as a corporate lawyer and living with an overbearing boyfriend after her father's death.
But life threw a curveball, and soon she started discovering her family and her passion for her work. The book was a cute amalgamation of characters, some likable and others not so much.
My first book by this author, I liked getting to know Milly. It was endearing to see her enjoying life again and finding herself. Overall a good read.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Milly is just filling time and space. Oh she works very hard, in fact she is a workaholic Corporate lawyer who is a junior to the only female partner. She has a boyfriend- sort of- but there is no commitment or passion and he has an overbearing manipulative mother. It has been this way since her dear father died, her family drifted and her former boyfriend took off for Italy when she needed him most.

But like the springtime after a harsh winter, life seems to return. Her family finally reconnects after a health scare. She helps a client who reminds her why she took up the law and she rediscovers her passion. And the wandering love of her life returns. There are so many changes, not all good, but all necessary. She goes through many a trial and tribulation but by the end of the book, she has found the happiness that seemed to vanish when her father died.

While not as evocative of the changing Irish society as Maeve Binchey, there were times I felt like I was reading one of her books. It is filled with characters in whom the reader can be invested. Even when we want to yell at them, it is because they seem so real and we are living the story with them. They are definitely people with whom you would want to spend time as they learn and evolve. It was a highly satisfying read.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Sian O'Gorman creates a cast of witty characters that the reader can't help but like. Milly is an attorney who struggles with anxiety and overall low self-esteem. After her dad dies and she loses the love of her life, Milly turns to an egocentric man who doesn't treat her very well.

Quirky and entertaining, Life After You is a woman's journey to find herself after losing herself in what seems to be an ideal life until circumstances derail her. I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this unique book.

Milly has had to deal with the death of her dad and her boyfriend packing up a week after the funeral to go abroad.
Five years after this happened Milly is working hard and is in a relationship .
When her ex boyfriend returns to Dublin setting up a wine bar just found the corner from her.
This is not just a book about dealing with grief and loss.
This is about Milly looking at her life and deciding what she wants.
A great book
Thanks NetGalley

Grief is such a personal and varied experience, and yet there are commonalities that we can all relate to as humans. This was very well written and explored love and grief, right up until an ending that was just a little too neat and tidy.

This is a beautifully written and heartfelt novel about Milly’s journey to happiness…

Things in Milly’s life just aren’t quite right. She has a good job, a lovely but disjointed family and a nice boyfriend but she doesn’t feel that it’s enough. She wants to do something meaningful with her qualifications; get her family back together after the death of her father has shattered them and find someone that she truly loves…

These are some bold goals for someone who suffers with anxiety and confidence issues like Milly does. Can she overcome the barriers she has set for herself and find life after her father’s death and her own disappointment?

I really enjoyed reading about Milly’s journey. She is a realistic and raw character that is easy to empathise with. The book also had a lot of important points to make about grief as a journey and the ways we can cope with the death of a relative. I don’t really feel it’s fair to say this is a “trigger” point in the book as it is so delicately and beautifully handled, I honestly think this book could bring comfort and hope to someone who has recently lost a loved one.

This is my first read by this author but it is such a lovely book, I’ll be sure to check out her other books!

When Milly loses her father she is devastated but when her boyfriend Darragh packs up and leaves her for a new life in Italy a week later she hits rock bottom. Five years later she has still not really come to terms with her grief but she has a good job in as law firm and is dating Ryan when her world is turned upside down again..... Darragh is back and has opened a wine bar just around the corner from her flat!

A lovely story with great characters, although not all good........ she definitely needed to get rid of Ryan and his poisonous mother! I loved her highly efficient boss going to pieces after having the baby that she thought would not have much of an impact on her life!

I really love this author’s books and I was really looking forward to reading and reviewing this latest one.

There are so many things that I love about this book. Firstly, the characters. They are so real and are characters that you really invest in, and feel that you know. I loved Milly, and also Catriona, her boss.

The storyline itself is so well written. It touches upon grief and mental health, but it’s far from a sad or gloomy read, it’s touching and humorous and an absolute pleasure to read. I found myself so caught up in it, once I started to read I just kept turning the pages, and couldn’t stop reading it.

The setting of Dublin, my home town, was such a joy to read about, as I could picture it all so well in my mind. She has captured the Dublin sense of humour so well too.

This sparkling and touching novel will bring a smile to your face, and maybe even some tears to your eyes at times. It’s an absolute pleasure to read and I heartily recommend it.

Milly is going through a really rough time. Just weeks have passed since she lost her dad and her boyfriend. If her dad's death wasn't distressing enough, the fact that her boyfriend packed his bags and moved to Italy afterwards was just the bitter icing on the cake for her.

I felt her grief immensely and the novel captured my interest even more with it being set in Ireland and especially Dublin where I have family. The backdrop of the beautiful city and the love in this book made me feel warm and fuzzy despite the overall sad plot of loss and abandonment.

I was proud of how Milly worked to build herself back up and face everything and just wanted to hug her. Having experienced the recent death of a family member myself, I felt her grief and sadness even more deeply.

Some parts were predictable but the novel was overall very well written.

A novel that shows you must not be afraid to move on after the loss of a loved one no matter how hard it is. If the title is not heartbreaking enough, the plot is more. Yet Life After You is not a book you will want to miss.

Thanks to Siân O'Gorman, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

Despite the fact that grief and loss dominate this book, it is nevertheless an uplifting story which focuses on family and friendships. Moving on and looking forwards are important themes and you see though the actions of Milly, her sister, mother and colleagues that they have to adapt to changing circumstances whilst never forgetting the past.

There were some amusing parts to the story, particularly Milly's boss and her reaction to becoming a parent. Milly learns a lot about herself as the story progresses. She discovers her vocation and also realises how important her family is to her. It is a warm and uplifting story which introduces a wide range of likeable characters and which takes you with it, right to the end.

In short: Second chances
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

Milly is still dealing with her grief, five years after the death of her father. When her boyfriend, Darragh, packed up and went to Italy a week after the funeral, it caused even more pain. Milly is trying to fit in and belong, so she is working crazy hours at her law firm and dating a businessman who deals in acquisitions and development. The problem is, she is not happy with her life. When Darragh moves back to Dublin and opens a wine bar around the corner of where she lives, her feelings are all over the place. It is the catalyst she needs to take stock of her life and figure out what she really wants.

I enjoyed this story. If is quite realistic, and had my emotions all over the place. Milly's family were all dealing with her father's death in different ways, but when they finally talk about it, there is healing for all of them. Milly was a wonderful character. I loved her right from the start. She was such a wonderful friend, a caring person, a hard worker and a smart cookie in most areas. The one downfall she has was trying to be someone she was not when with her boyfriend Ryan. I cringed every time she changed her plans for him and had to spend time with his vicious and nasty mother. The supporting characters were also well-developed and all played an important role in her transformation, even the evil Carole. I absolutely loved her boss Catriona. She was the humour in this story. She was a workaholic lawyer that had to figure out how to live and work after having a baby. Her character had many things that I identified with. This was a wonderful story about life with many relatable characters. Dealing with grief, finding yourself, supporting one another, developing a backbone and dealing with everyday issues all played a role in this story. Make sure you have tissues handy when you read this one, but I definitely recommend it

Sian O'Gorman brings readers the beautiful soul that is Milly. I found it easy to engage with Milly and her family and friends, which I believe is testament to the author's complex character portraits. The story itself is entertaining, though it does explore some rather dark subjects. I appreciated that the secondary characters were well drawn as well, and that the dialogue is first rate. Sian O'Gorman writes with humor, and that made the story flow quite well. Life After You is a gentle read, but a very worthwhile journey.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Life After You was the perfect read after a slew of thrillers. Set in Ireland, Milly is a corporate lawyer, spending her days climbing the male dominated law firm while settling into a low demand relationship with a property developer. Five years ago, Milly and her sister Sarah lost their wonderful father. In the same week, love of Milly's life, Darragh, left for Italy right after the funeral. Bereft and heartbroken Milly tried to put the pieces back together. Swimming along the currents Milly is thrown for a loop when she runs into Darragh who has moved back to Ireland and opens a wine bar not far from Milly's apartment. This forces Milly to confront the grief she pushes down, the unhappiness she feels in a misogynistic work environment and the fractured familial relationships. Heartwarming, humorous at times with a cast of characters to root for Life After You is a winner!

This is my first Sian O'Gorman novel and will not be my last! The characters are well developed and Milly is a wonderful protagonist-flawed but realistic, down to earth and relatable. There is a proper blend of humor with sadness with supporting characters that stand out. Fantastic read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I’m writing this review right after finishing the last page of Life After You with tears in my eyes. What a great book. The plot line, characters, writing style – everything was beautiful. Now, in my humble opinion, there are two different types of beautiful. There is the beautiful poetic writing style which is admirable but can sometimes be difficult to understand. On the other hand, and this is the case with Life After You, there is the “human beautiful”, where I was moved by the people and their stories.

Speaking of characters, they were all great in Life After You. Unsurprisingly, Milly was my favourite, mostly because I saw so much of myself in her. I also found her to be the epitome of strength: surviving grief, rebuilding herself, overcoming anxiety. But she was not the only one. We also had Aunt Angela who has been the rock of the Bryne family, Sarah who pours herself wholeheartedly into nursing, and Catriona, who fought the stereotype of what a mother and a partner in a law firm should be.

But, you know, while Life After You was pretty emotional, it was also inspiring and funny and an overall enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book, set in Dublin. Milly lost her father five years prior, and at the same time her long time boyfriend fled to Italy. Milly has been trying to cope with a high pressure job as a corporate lawyer, her panic attacks, and the direction of her life. Many of the supporting characters added to the story, like her boss Catriona, previously a shark lawyer until she has her first baby. Milly’s family members, her Mom, Aunt Angela and sister Sarah, are also trying to move on from heartbreak. An optimistic and hopeful novel, I recommended this book and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

A sweet yet slightly sad book that looks at family and the people we surround ourselves with in life. It was good but written in almost a wispy/sad tone. Like the person speaking has had a bit of a hard go of it.