A different love story! A story about love, grief and self-discovery; approached in an entertaining and even fun way by the author.
The story of Chloe and how she grieves the loss of her boyfriend, with whom she had all these plans and dreams and hopes with is a story that takes you on a journey with her attempts of finding answers to questions that might never be answered.

In endless could have been’s, and what if’s we enjoy Chloe and Jack’s relationship while she is grieving the relationship she thought was the perfect and final one!

Mix in parents, in-laws that don’t even know her, friends and colleagues, and why not, a new love? The above is definitely what makes this a good read!

This book is the first I have read from the author, and it was very good. It follows the sorry of Chloe, whose love interest Jack dies after whirlwind romance. it follows her as she deals with the grief and always with Jacks family and friends meeting her after his passing. Overall a good story, and much different than my normal rom coms.
Thanks netgalley!

Chloe meets Jack. She enjoys a whirlwind 5 month romance where she moves into his flat before it is tragically cut short. Jack dies in an accident. However, Chloe is the last to know about this as Jack's parents did not know about her. Her first meeting with Jack's parents is at his flat when his Dad retreats their upon finding out the news.

On Jack and Chloe's fridge hang tickets to gigs, dinner and holiday plans. These are a stark reminder to Chloe of the fun and future they had planned together. Chloe seeks out to live out all their plans in an attempt to stay close to Jack. She often finds herself talking to him out loud.

Love, Almost follows Chloe's journey in accepting Jack's passings and all it's difficulties with it regarding their newly established relationship. Love, Almost portrays both the beauty and struggles of experiencing grief; the vivid illusions of hearing/seeing a loved one that has passed away.

Love, Always
Truly beautiful!

This book didn't work for me at all. I couldn't connect with Chloe, and I'm not quite sure why. I feel she was written much younger than her age, and so I felt that as someone in her mid-30s, she should have been more mature. Perhaps that was supposed to be part of her charm, however in this case, it didn't engage me at all.

Unfortunately, did not finish. There are ways to write about grief and loss, and this was just not a way that appealed to me. The beginning seemed callous, rushed, and hurried.

What initially reeled me into this particular book was the emotional synopsis. I went into this book expecting to be gripped with emotion and possibly cry while reading. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Although I did lack any emotional connection to the characters in this book, I didn’t particularly dislike the book as a whole. I would be open to reading more from this author.

The synopsis of this book sounded really good but unfortunately the writing didn’t live up to the blurb. We weren’t given the chance to get to know Jack before his untimely death so could never be fully invested in Chloe’s grief - but there again neither did her family and friends. I question the five month relationship, particularly as they were in separate cities for the first 4 1/2 months. They had only lived together for such a short time that I again couldn’t really believe in Chloe’s grief. Most of the characters (including Chloe) were horrible and therefore I didn’t enjoy reading this book - although I did give it the respect to finish it.

I enjoyed this book wasn’t quite how I would imagine it didn’t quite grip me but was nice.

We have Chloe and Jack in holiday in Bangkok having a lovely time. Then they move in together and after a few months Jack is tragically killed and this leaves Chloe to try and grieve. The only problem Jack never told his family and friends about Chloe. She wonders did he truly love her.

This takes Chloe on a journey to discover whether he loved her or not. She even went on holiday back to Bangkok but that didn’t help her.

Will she find out did he truly lover her?

I should start by saying I'm a sentimental person. I cry at TV ads, and cat videos for goodness sake! But I often find supposedly emotional or sentimental scenes in fiction forced or predictable. Consequently, there are only a small number of fictional stories that make me cry. Fewer still that really hit me emotionally to the point of full on sobbing.

This was in the latter category. At times I was sobbing to the point that I had to go and take a walk. That's one of the reasons why it took me twice as long to read as most books. It had nothing to do with the beautiful writing or the pacing of the story. I was never bored, never struggled with the believability or any of the characters. I was immediately hooked. Immediately invested in Chloe and Jack. So I found myself so emotionally bereft at times that I needed to take a deep breath. Or ten!

Things I particularly liked:
* Chloe was painfully real. Her journey through the stages of grief was so skilfully imagined that it was visceral at times. And, although gut wrenchingly tragic at times, it never felt morose. There were some truly hilarious moments interspersed throughout.

* I also liked that all of the main characters were in their late 30s, dealing with all the anxiety, loss and emotional baggage that comes along with people in this age group who are still trying to find their HEA's.

* I really appreciated that it wasn't predictable. The answers to Chloe's questions weren't all tied to grand gestures and huge, groundbreaking revelations. I can't say more without spoiling some of my favourite parts, but real life isn't like fiction, so this unpredictability added to my emotional investment in all of the character's lives.

Things I didn't particularly like:
* Running out of tissues. Several times!

All that said, If you've ever suffered a huge loss in a relationship (whether that be through bereavement or not; and regardless of if it's a partner, or simply a friend or family member) this is an uplifting and cathartic read. Hayley Doyle's exquisite writing ultimately leaves the reader with hope for the future. And that's all you can really ask for, isn't it?

Overall rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Heat rating: 🔥🔥
Emotional rating: 😭😭😭😭😭

“P.S. I Love You” meets “Eat Pray Love” is the best descriptor I can think of for this book. The premise of the book sounded appealing and emotional to me, but unfortunately, it fell flat in my opinion. I never felt any attachment to the characters and didn’t know Jack well enough to feel sadness or remorse after his death. None of the characters stood out to me as memorable or particularly likable. A few times throughout the book, I thought of DNF-ing because I wasn’t invested enough to care about the characters’ outcomes, but I wanted to see it through because I still appreciate the ARC. Overall, I would give this book 2.5 stars.

A really sweet book about finding love, then losing it. The book is about Chloe whose boyfriend of 5 months (Jack) unexpectedly passes away in a traffic accident. Life gets a bit awkward for her because she didn't really know much about Jack and hadn't met his family or friends (except his brother very briefly) and she feels she can't share her grief as no one in her life knew Jack either. She then tries to move on by ticking off all the calendar items they had planned together. The storyline was lovely - thankfully never having lost someone like Chloe did, I couldn't relate to her whirlwind choices but I could imagine how grief would prompt you into making crazy choices. The characters were well written - I really liked Beth and Kit and I kinda want a tin of broken up easter eggs for emergencies now... This book is definitely about loss and moving on from it and I think the author did a good job with it.

I thought this was going to be a really good read because it got off to such a good start. However, very soon it just became totally unrealistic and hard to believe. Chloe and Jack have been together for 5 months when Jack dies suddenly in an accident. Chloe, for some bizarre reason, finds it hard to tell people Jack has died, and makes up all sorts of excuses. His family, and all her friends and family all seem to be totally unbothered by the fact that Chloe is grieving and don't even really acknowledge their relationship. I was also really irked by the authors constant use of the word 'me', as in 'me father', 'me mother' etc etc. I'm from Liverpool, and I think the author is too, but believe it or not, some of us can actually use the word 'my'. The word 'Babes' started more or less every sentence uttered by Chloe's friend, Beth. Totally annoying. I wouldn't recommend this book. The story seemed to me to be just words to fill pages, and I was glad to finish it.

This was a beautiful book and reminded me of one day which if you loved you will certainly love this. This was such a poignant and beautiful read to start the new year with and so much more than a love story a d conveys the message life is so precious so make sure make memories and live each day like it's your last as you never know what's round the corner.

I was not ready for Love, Almost by Hayley Doyle. Such an emotional, heartbreaking and heartwarming read. Chloe and Jack are in happy and ready for a life together, when tragedy strikes. Chloe is left lost and grieving and without the future she had imagined. Now she finds herself looking at what her future now means. What follows is her journey and how she works through the grief and finding herself. It was both sad and hopeful and I enjoyed it.

Happy reading!

A beautiful story of love, loss, grief, mourning and trying to figure out how to move forward. Chloe and Jack were in love when the unthinkable happened. Chloe is heartbroken and while trying work through her unimaginable grief she is dealing with her family and friends not understanding why she is in such pain. According to them “she was only with him for a few minutes”. Apparently to them the time allowed to grieve is commensurate with the length of the relationship. Chloe is left adrift as she mourns heir five months together, but the loss of their future . She loved Jack and truly believed in her heart that they’d have a lifetime together. Even Jacks family is dismissive of her. We get a birds eye view of her figuring out how this smart young woman tries to navigate her new reality. No one should ever judge who and how we love or grieve. Its an emotional, but beautiful read. Be sure to have a big handful of tissues at hand while reading this heartwarming and heartbreaking story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon UK for this wonderful book.

Chloe Roscoe was a bit of a butterfly when it came to jobs and men. Now she is 36 and finally thinking about settling down as she may have found "The One". However, when Jack is suddenly and unexpectedly killed she starts to drift again as she tries to understand who Jack was since her view seems to differ from those of his family and old friends. The story is about Chloe's journey of self-discovery and finding herself a life after Jack..

Thanks to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Chloe and Jack are in their late 30s, have been dating for five months and have recently moved in together. All is well until Jack dies in an accident. The man Chloe loves is gone, now what will she do? Did she know the real him?

I read the synopsis and thought this could be a tearjerker with an uplifting feel good end. I'll admit I didn't get teary eyed once and I felt very little about Jack being dead because I never got to know much about him. I think if a few chapters had been dedicated to before his death I could have felt Chloes loss.

The side characters are all mostly awful except for Chloes brother, brother in law and neighbours. If my best friend acted the way hers did it'd be friendship over.

3 Stars

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Grieving after losing someone (or even something, such as a pet) can be incredibly difficult to deal with and everyone deals with it in different ways. It does not matter if it is a loss from a long relationship or a short one as the loss is still tremendous. Last year I read and greatly enjoyed The Happy Ever After Playlist, which takes the subject of loss and illustrates how you attempt to move on. This novel sets out with the same goal as our character tries to figure out the next steps to move forward. One key difference is that Playlist is written about a character’s loss after a long-term relationship and Love, Almost features a character’s loss after a much shorter one. Is there a difference for how grief affects you if you have not even been together long? This novel sets to find out the answer as our character journeys to heal.

Chloe Purdue is in her mid-thirties from Liverpool. She is currently a drama teacher after many career paths, including acting. She met Jack Carmichael while attending a performance at a theatre in January. The two of them hit it off and soon became an item. Soon after meeting, they even found themselves on vacation together in Bangkok, Thailand where they had the time of their lives and even reckoned they loved each other. They also found themselves so happy in their relationship that they soon decide to move in together. Life together was bliss until one day Chloe finally meets Jack’s parents and it is not for a happy first meeting. Jack has unexpectedly passed away after an accident. Chloe now faces the bewildering idea that she is now without her significant other and how to move forward. They were only together five months and they had endless possibilities in front of them so how can she figure out what to do next alone when the future of what to do in the future as a couple was unknown. Readers journey along with Chloe as she tries to find the next steps.

The story is written very organically as it starts slower as Chloe is in the initial shock of the sudden loss of Jack. She goes through all the stages of grief in her own time. The author balances Chloe expressing her own feelings on the matter while integrating outsiders’ perspectives. To those outside the relationship, they have a difficult time understanding Chloe, as they believe that she should not have been as devastated over the loss of a five-month relationship. It is very well done in this story as there is no timeline for how much grief can affect you as you could be devastated by a loss of a one-day relationship equally to a fifty year one as each person is different.

As Chloe and Jack were in their honeymoon phase “bubble,” they never fully had a chance to introduce their relationship to others. Even Chloe and Jack’s parents had not met the other yet. Their respective friends had not had the chance to fully meet yet. How can you create a proper network of support when those that knew Jack have never heard of you? This was an extremely well done aspect of the story as you can feel Chloe’s frustration yet she also understands that they cannot really relate to her feelings if they never knew she existed. It was nice to see Jack’s friends and family try to move on and how it all relates to Chloe.

Overall, the story does have a lot of heartbreak and sadness, as it is a story of grief. There are additional themes of friends and finding yourself, which are nicely, weaved together. The supporting characters were great, although I absolutely could not stand the amount of times Chloe’s best friend said “Babes” in this story. If I took a shot of alcohol every time the word was used, I would have been in the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Aside from this, Beth was a good friend to Chloe and it was nice to see how she was there for Chloe even though she was going through a lot herself. It is a great storyline as it illustrates how even though a tragic loss occurred, life still goes on with both the good and the bad. Although the story does have a conclusion, it is not one that wraps up everything fully and that made it very relatable as the journey through grief never fully concludes. The story was great read and I would gladly read more by this author!


**I give a special thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC to read and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.**

The 2nd Hayley Doyle book I’ve read in the last few months. First thing I need to say is : I’m officially her biggest fan.

‘Love, almost’ is a fantastic story about (almost) love, loss and how you move forward after losing the person you (almost) love. I have nothing bad to say at all about this book. It took me just over one day to read because I was so invested in Chloe’s world. I loved the use of ‘me’ to emphasise Chloe is a scouser. I found myself reading ‘me’ even when ‘my’ was written!

You won’t be disappointed.

5 stars. Amazing.

Instagram : @Raena_Reads

"I reckon I love you" - Jack and Chloe meet and journey on a whirlwind romance which seems to be blossoming. After 5 months of dating and as Chloe is just about to move into Jack's flat, Jack is involved in a road accident and is killed. We then accompany Chloe on her journey to process the news and cope with the loss of someone she thought she had a future with, and continue to live her life without him. Should she just forget about him? Should she carry out the plans she made with Jack without him? Can she accept he is gone?

This is an unapologetic and touching story of a person dealing with sudden grief and loss. We witness all the stages of grief that Chloe goes through: denial, numbness, anger, anxiety, sadness, bargaining and acceptance. We also see Chloe face questions of whether she is entitled to grieve given how short her relationship with Jack is, but it's really interesting and compassionate to see Doyle deal with this topic and highlights that there is no judgment to grief/loss. Everyone deals with it in different ways - it is very personal and those feelings are valid. This is also highlighted through interconnected stories via Chloe's close friends and family. I think anyone reading this book who has encountered grief or loss (in whatever shape or form it may be) will find this read relatable, and will connect to Chloe's story. While this is a story tinged with sadness (especially when you realise the meaning behind the title of the book), there are many humorous points dotted throughout the book to lighten the mood!

In the initial chapters, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book as I felt Doyle did not provide the relationship between Jack and Chloe enough foundation to reinforce the bond and connection between them despite the short time they knew each other. However, I see that Doyle slowly reveals the stories between them as well as the individual lives they both had prior to meeting, which fills in the gaps from the early chapters.

Readers of books such as PS I Love You will enjoy this one!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for letting me read this advance copy.