Member Reviews

This book seemed very ‘P. S. I Love You.’ The writing was well done and flowed throughout Chloe’s journey through grief. Parts of it seemed so strange, like the fact that they had only been together for a short time period, she was very grief stricken, but his family had never even heard of her. Even more strange than that was that she wasn’t at all angry that no one in his life had heard of her when they lived together. Overall just seemed like it was missing the mark slightly.

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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book.

Chloe and Jack have been together for 5 months before Jack is tragically killed in an accident leaving Chloe with endless memories and a broken heart. As she begins to come to terms with his passing, Chloe realises that Jack’s family and friends truly do not know how much of an important and special role she had in his life due to the limited time they were together. This leaves her lonely and afraid as she struggles to grieve and cope with the question of how do you look to the future when your reason to live is taken away from you?

Over the course of the book Chloe decides to complete the things that Jack and her had planned as a way to remember him and relive the memories they made. Hayley did a wonderful job of showing the raw and organic emotions and experiences that one lives through as they learn to rebuild their life after the loss of a loved one. I have read numerous deaths in books and the impact it has on the loved ones but I found that as Chloe grappled with her new found challenges, there was no shying away from the difficulties and frustrations that she underwent. Overall it was an emotional read, one that shows you the way trauma and love can profoundly change someone in the most unexpected of ways.

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This book nails it with dealing with grief. I felt all the aches and pains that Chloe did. However, I felt like something was missing! I felt as if the book was slow and dragged on. It was a beautiful story but it just left me wanting something more for Chloe.

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Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Chloe and Jack have a whirlwind relationship for 5 months and then he is killed. Chloe has a hard time dealing with this tragedy living with the fact he was in her life for such a short but life changing time. She has to find closer to move on. This book was pretty good. #lovealmost #hayleydoyle #Jan2021

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This is the 1st Book that I have read by the author and I really enjoyed this book.

This Book tells the story of Chloe and Jack, Chloe and Jack are in a relationship not long after Chloe moves into Jack Flat , Jack is run over and killed and this story tells of how Chloe is copying after Jack dies and also about telling people who she is as even Jack own parents .

I really enjoyed this book and would give it 4.5 stars, With thanks to Netgalley & Avon Books for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review.

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A sad thought provoking book. A first for my by Hayley. Will definitely be looking out for more. Definitely recommend.

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Love, Almost is a book about a whirlwind but serious romance. Chloe hasn't been with her boyfriend long when he is tragically killed. As well as having to cope with the sudden loss, Chloe has to deal with the fact that none of his friends and family seem to know who she is and nobody on her side is taking her grief seriously. This is a refreshing change from typical 'chick lit' and I found it really well written and thought-provoking. It's quite a sad book but I'd definitely recommend it.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Chloe has found the love of her life only to lose him before their relationship can develop into a lifetime together. She is understandably distraught and then has to handle the fact that the players in Jack’s life don’t even know about her. The book details her fall into depression and feeling lost and her climb out of that hole to find meaning in her life moving forward.

The book for me was an easy read, and the writing style was enjoyable. The characters were well developed and relatable. I did have a hard time understanding why Chloe was still so aimless in her 30s as not a lot of time had been spent on her life prior to meeting Jack. The middle third of the book lost me and it took quite a while for me to press through. I became committed again in the last third but felt there were many events happening that weren’t fully explored — no spoilers but the get together with his parents and the introduction of the 2 new characters never really seemed to take off.

The book was a light read, but had heavy subject matter at its core. Because of this, I feel it struggles some with its identity— much like our heroine. An interesting weekend read. .

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3/5 stars

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Love, Almost follows Chloe, a woman in her mid-thirties from Liverpool whose just moved to London to live with Jack, her boyfriend of five months. Chloe and Jack are in the beginning stages of their relationship and the well-known honeymoon phase, and Chloe feels like she’s starting to fall in love with him. After a tragic accident, Jack passes away and the book details Chloe’s journey through grief and loss.

Chloe tries to move on with her life but everyone from her friends, family, and coworkers to Jack’s own friends and family don’t seem to get it. None of them acknowledge her relationship with Jack and frankly, I was most put off about this from Chloe’s inner circle. Beth is one of Chloe’s good friends but she doesn’t support her in any way through her grief and is annoyed by everything — that in turn, just made me annoyed by Beth.

If it wasn’t said early on in the book, I would’ve assumed Chloe was in her mid-twenties rather than her mid-thirties. She’s never been in love and she is fickle about her career as well as her hobbies and interests. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it was very relatable for Chloe to be trying to figure out what she wants from her life. The synopsis compared this book to P.S I Love You but while I was reading I kept comparing Chloe to the character of Bridget Jones.

The book felt like it dragged on at times and I felt like the overall plot would’ve been more impactful if Chloe and Jack were in a long-term relationship rather than focusing on the “what if” of a short-term one. I liked reading about Chloe but I don’t think this book was for me.

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This book. THIS BOOK. I don’t think I have the words to describe how emotional and impactful this book is, but I’m writing a review so I’m going to try 😅

Chloe Roscoe and Jack Carmichael have been together for 5 months when Jack is unexpectedly involved in an accident and passes away. How do you move on from the person that was the beginning of the rest of your life? The book follows Chloe as she learns to navigate a life on her own that was intended to be shared.

I have never read a book that made me cry so much. The way that Chloe experienced her grief was so relatable to me. I know that grief is not the same for everyone; people experience it differently, and it is never neat or linear or convenient. But I’ve read a few books where characters lose a loved one, and never have I read one that was so honest and scary and heart wrenching but ultimately hopeful.

I’ve seen this quote already in other reviews but thought I’d share it as well: “So, word of warning for anybody who- like me- has fallen into the habit of taking photos of a rainbow salad; two glasses of wine by candlelight: feet on a beach: don’t. Take photos of people. You will never, ever, ever care about your toes painted neon pink on the sand, ever. But you’ll wish you had more photos of the person you loved. “

I can’t properly articulate how much I loved this book, so all I can say is that I loved it and I encourage everyone to read this when it is released.

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As the blurb states, definitely one for fans of PS I Love You - but this is a really different romance novel - it's laugh at loud funny in some places and as a Liverpudlian - I really loved hearing(seeing?!) the accent written down and with no big deal made about it!

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I have never read anything by Hayley Doyle, but was intrigued by this book as I am a big fan of the movie, P.S. I Love You. I really enjoyed this book, even if it was depressing at times. I think it's a great story of how you can overcome whatever life throws your way and celebrate people, even if they've passed away.

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My poor heart! This was an engaging, heartfelt story. Well worth the read, but keep tissues handy....

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From the moment I started this book I was hooked! I’ve not read any of Hayley Doyle’s books before but was intrigued by the premise which is a slightly different take on coping with the loss of a partner as Chloe and Jack have only been together for five months when he is tragically killed in an accident. I ended up reading this in two sittings and couldn’t put it down. As Chloe herself acknowledges they have no real history and have not shared many normal things such as Christmas and her birthday and for that reason many of the usual anniversaries that people who are grieving face are not the same for her. She decides to create her own memories by completing things that she and Jack were planning on doing together but never gets the chance - like learning to ski, seeing a stand up comedy show and revisiting Thailand where they had holidayed together. As she completes these tasks she struggles with her relationships with her family and friends and at times I found Chloe and her best friend a little annoying - particularly in the middle of the book where it all seemed a little rushed, however the story picked itself up again and had a satisfying ending. It didn’t tug on my heart strings as I thought it might, and there is little expressed grief from Chloe, although her behaviour tells of her internalised grief. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and will now always remember to take regular photographs of my loved ones.....

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I enjoyed this book! I liked the writing style as well as the story. It was so well told. This book was so real and the pain Chloe felt was so raw. Watching Chloe grieve was heartbreaking and watching her grow from losing her boyfriend was inspiring. The self discovery in this book was wonderful

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This book started off so promising, with a major death. It was quite sad and i felt for the main character. Unfortunately, after that, i found that it just didn't work for me.

The plot is, the main characters boyfriend of a few months dies unexpectedly and then she goes a little crazy, going off on holidays they were supposed to go on together, to try and stay connected to him?

Personally I think that if they had been together longer, i would have empathised more and engaged more with the book. It took a while to read, there were some good parts but overall, its not really the best plot.

The author does have a good humour though, there were quite a lot of funny parts!

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Interesting premise, but not much my thing. Loosing your boyfriend while his parents don't know you can be a bit traumatic, and makes Chloe's perspective in life a bit askew. It's more of a coming to terms with loss and death of a loved one then exactly a romantic novel.

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I'm sad to say I couldn't finish this book. I rarely give up on books but I just didn't gel with Love, Almost. I think it might be best read in a certain frame of mind and this just held too much death focus in it for me. I was constantly getting frustrated with what Chloe was saying and doing and the use of 'me' instead of my really started to grind on me. I was looking forward to reading this as it's my usual genre/style of book so it's a real shame I didn't enjoy it. This isn't a bad book but it just wasn't one for me.

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At first I thought I was gonna read some heartbreaking story. It's still heartbreaking but not the way I expected. But then I realised I prepared myself for tears, rebellion and pain but it's not how this story built. So I just let myself go in this book.

Chloe has a boyfriend, or she had. When Jack died in a tragic accident, Chloe tries to cope with the loss of her love. Only for five months knowing/dating him, she's convinced she found the one. But his unexpected death makes Chloe question every single moment with him. Was he really the one?

I liked Hayley Doyle's writing style. This is the first book I've read from her. For me personally, the real message in this book is finding your own happiness in your life even when you thought you hit the bottom. When Chloe did the bucketlist of her boyfriend -plans they'd do if he was alive- she only did them for Jack. It didn't make her happy, in fact everything she did on the list just made her sadder. When she started to do normal things like teaching or seeing some neighbours, she slowly let him go in a natural way.

Maybe I couldn't say everything I wanted to say, but I'm really happy I read this book. I want to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for sending this book and giving me the opportunity.

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Could a book can be so sad but also so promising, inspiring at the same time ? Ye, it can. Just like this one!

Grieving after losing someone who really matters to you is a tremendous, ugly process it never leaves you in your whole life! Sometimes it lessens. But at the most vulnerable times of your life, a smallest thing makes you remember that person and in the meantime you feel like the small glass pieces stabbing you deeply. You never stop bleeding. You never stop caring or crying. But in some ways you learn how to handle it without making a scene in front the crowd or dragging your soul to the darkest place you never want to visit!

In this book Chloe spent only five months with Jack before losing him forever. Nobody in her life including her family, friends and of course Jack’s own family couldn’t empathize with her grieving process. They thought she didn’t know him enough to suffer from losing him.

But falling for a person is subjective experience. You can fall at the first sight, first look, first touch, first smile, first talk! Or it takes too much time which prevents you to differentiate between the time you fell in and the time you completely fell out.

Chloe doesn’t only grieve for a man she lost after 5 months of relationship, she grieves for the chance of lifetime long relationship they can build, the holidays they can spend together, dreams they can achieve and realize hand in hand. She longed for their common future that is taken away from them.

Chloe is a teacher, decisive about her life choices. She believed in Jack was the one. Her guts , her heart agreed with her mind. After losing him, she realizes it’s time to find her true self.

So this is a moving on with your life and facing your grief bravely story. It’s sad, emotional, moving, thought provoking but it’s truly well written, motivational.

Overall: I’m giving four learning to love yourself, tear jerking, heart wrenching stars!
It’s not a romance but with its P.S. I love and Forever Interrupted vibes, it’s a great women’s fiction novel!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this review copy with me in exchange my honest review.

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