I didn’t get to complete this audiobook before it was archived! But I was enjoying what I’d heard so far! Great narrator too. Pity!

Thankyou for giving me the chance to listen in advance. Heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable. Well worth a listen

I love a feel good story so this was right up my street. All about community and friendship. Yes please!!!

This book is full of emotion, heartwarming characters and leaves you with a smile on your face. Highly recommend.

Well this one is just GORGEOUS. All the happy, heartwarming vibes right here folks!

When Violet has to move back in with her mother to care for her after fourteen years apart, she’s worried that everyone in their village will still hate her for the trouble she caused when she was younger, including her mum Glenys. But as Violet meets the other people in the building, including Tammy, a young woman with learning difficulties, and Adam, the only man she’s ever loved, she soon finds herself feeling at home for the first time in a long time. But caring for people is hard, and means Violet might end up hurt all over again…

Honestly I just loved this book - it’s soppy and joyful and full of the kindest of characters who you can’t help but fall for. But mostly, it shines a really important light on just how hard caring for people can be, and how important it is for carers to have support and friendship. It also highlights so many holes in the care and benefit system so I think it will really open people’s eyes.

There’s also a bit of intrigue about Violet’s past, and some great romance for those who can’t resist a good love story. But the real love story here is in the incredible friendships that Violet builds, and the way she manages to end a lot of people’s loneliness. A really beautiful, moving and uplifting story.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me access to the website to review books and thank you to the publisher and the author for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of this book.

This is a complex story about loss, hardship and grief. I have never read anything from Jessica Ryn before but I fell in love with this book it talks about the complexity of life and how hardships and how you feel about them maybe isn't what others feel as you can never fully know others intent. This book broaches deep-seated loss, grief, self-loathing and family crisis. I think the main character is well thought out and seems very relatable showing examples of anxiety, PTSD and copy mechanisms accumulated after loss. this also contains happiness, healing and learning to love someone with accepting there flaws.

I loved this book overall and would recommend to everyone.

I really enjoyed this as an audio book, and would have equally enjoyed it as a read. Whilst covering some harder issues is was a light heated feel good story and would recommend to all.

The story jumps right in to provide a complete picture of our leading lady's life. Violet is functionally doing okay; she has a job and a hobby, both of which keep her busy. Then her estranged sister drops by to drop a bomb on her. She needs her to play a role in taking care of their mother. Their mother has several issues, all put together means that she needs someone on hand to keep an eye on her and help her out.
Violet is forced out of her cozy bubble, back to a place that marked her and still troubles her. She does not think she can undo any of the mistakes she has made or contribute fruitfully to the community at large. There is a slow and believable progression between an unsure Violet, bent on sticking with the original plan and the one that emerges from that shell.
I must admit that the Anne(of Green Gables) references got a little much beyond a point(Something I never thought I'd say). It was fun and relatable when it happened the first few times, but it happened once too often on audio, pulling the focus away from the story at hand. Some of those occasions did not need a diversion to Anne in the first place!
That said, if I had read the book instead of watching all the eccentric people band together to form a found family, I might not have had the same emotional reaction as I did as I listened to the heart-rending turmoil in each and every character's life. The plot construction was a little loose, but as I listened to some great and appropriate narration, I was not as concerned by any small loopholes that I might have otherwise obsessed about. The story's primary focus (apart from Violet's growth) is on the idea of people who need caregivers and the lives and complications of those caregivers.
I would recommend it to readers who look for found families and families who repair their fractured relationships over the course of the entire book.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience of the book.

Violet has distanced herself from her hometown, her family and her upbringing. She's not a natural open book but isn't standoffish either.
When her estranged mum takes ill, Violet returns home to take care of her, but it's not as easy as she'd like. Can she find her caring side, and even learn to love herself in the process?
A heart-warming story, I loved the wide range of characters from young to old, and it was a great read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to @Jessryn1 and @HQstories for this advanced audio copy of The Imperfect Art of Caring in return for an honest review.

Description 🔖

Violet Strong (or Violet Wrong as the kids at school used to call her) moved away from home in her late teens and hasn’t stepped foot back into the village she grew up in since. She’s learnt to be bright and friendly whilst maintaining a safe emotional distance from anyone in her life.

Until life throws her a curveball. She’s forced to move back home temporarily to care for her estranged mother, Gladys. She quickly learns that being a carer is hard work and she turns to other carers in the community to lend a helping hand and provide guidance. One carer in particular starts to make Violet think that moving back home may not be such a bad thing after all. Violet is given the chance to address some of the mistakes made in her past and she finds that there is hope that she could love herself as much as she is able to love others.

General Thoughts 🤔

I had a suspicion that this book was going to be one to give me all the feels and fill me with warmth and snuggly thoughts and it did not disappoint. This was such a heart warming, fulfilling and in many ways, reassuring book. There is so much negativity in the world, it is sometimes easy to forget that for the majority, communities are full of caring, loving everyday people. The kind of people that were in this book.

Characters 👫👬👭

The characters were truly what made this book so lovely in my opinion. It’s hard to pick a favourite out of them all, but if forced, it would have to be Tammy. This lovely woman made me smile and laugh and also brought me so close to tears. The system didn’t have the capacity to support Tammy with her learning disability but her neighbours and what would become friends did. Tammy was deeply appreciative of this and her own kindness and good hearted nature was enough to make any reader fall in love with her.

Another character I really loved was Chrissie; Violets old English teacher. She wasn’t a carer herself and didn’t need a carer, but she did strike me as being lonely and in need of a friend. Instead of shrinking into herself, Chrissie gave up her time to help others in the village. I thought that she was one of the most selfless and kind characters in the book and anyone would be lucky to have a neighbour like Chrissie.

Writing Style ✍️

I haven’t read Jessica Ryn’s debut novel (yet!) so this was my first experience of her writing and I’m so happy that I got the chance to read her work. The pacing of the story was perfection and drew me in without overwhelming me with detail. I was able to just fall into step with the different characters, get to know them and get to learn their individual stories. She was able to brilliantly combine humour with some heart wrenching moments which pulled out all kinds of emotions in me.

I listened to the audio book of The Imperfect Art of Caring and have to give a mention to the narrator @BexthurstCooper. Her voice was so soothing and fit perfectly with the tone of the book. I could have listened to her read to me for many many more hours.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

I challenge anyone to read this book and not immediately feel like they want to do something good for someone else. It definitely did that for me and I have vowed to pay more attention to the people in my own village, even if it’s just asking “how are you?” rather than a hi and bye in the street. I have to apologise for being so late in reading and posting my review for this ARC but I’m also kind of glad. This was a fantastic book to kick off a new year with.

I loved the write up of this book but unfortunately it just didn’t deliver for me.

I found the narrators voice rather boring so it didn’t encourage me to carry on listening unfortunately.

This is just my opinion but maybe reading the book would change my mind (I think it will!)

The imperfect art of caring was an uplifting book which focused on the topic of helping others both at home and within the community and being a support system for your friends.

The book focused on Violet Strong who hasn't been home for the last 14 years or saw her mother due to something that happened when she was a child. Throughout most of the book we are left wondering what could have been so bad that a town and your own mother would turn against you.
Violet is visited by her sister who tells her she is moving country and needs Violet to look after her mum/ sell the house so that their mum can go to a residential home.

We are then taken on a journey of what it is like to be someone's carer, the obstacles you have to jump not only at home but also financially with benefits for both carer and the individual with a disability.

This book was eye opening to what many people with disabilities and their careers have to go through on a daily basis.

I loved the community in this book and how the carers helped one another.

The characters and storyline of this book reminded me a little of the Switch by Beth O'Leary so if you are a fan of her books you may also enjoy this one.

I listened to this on audiobook and I can highly recommend it. It's very easy to follow and the narrator is very good.

I loved this so much, I just couldn’t stop listening! Violet Strong is bad news, a bad person with no friends, no career, and a mother who hates her. Or has she got all that wrong.....?

What jumped out most to me about this book is how adept and compassionate Jessica Ryn is at describing many people with many caring needs. From adults with learning disabilities to elderly folk with Parkinsons, or a seemingly normal person on the outside who is suffering from mental torment within. Each character has their own unique personality and Ryn writes delicately about each one and their carers and how they deal with everyday life.

I loved that Violet has her own blog, where she puts her book reviews, and I identified a lot with this, as I’m sure many people reading this review will do. What better place is there than loads of reviews, all in one place, from people who like the same sort of things you do!

Violet discovers her true self towards the end of the book and realises that perhaps she isn’t bad news after all and maybe there is hope for the future.

I’d highly recommend this book as something to warm the cockles of your heart when you need something happy to dip into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review an ARC of The Imperfect Art of Caring by Jessica Ryn.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Jessica Run for an audio ARC in return for an honest review.

The Imperfect Act of Caring - written by Jessica Ryan and narrated by Rebecca Cooper.

I think this is a heart warming book which highlights the significance an act of kindness can make. The characters are loveable and relatable. The plot is a little slow-paced in the beginning but picks up about half way through. It is a lovely story which I thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend.

Although I didn't feel too gripped into the story until about halfway, I think it gained new energy after that, and I couldn't stop hearing it until the end. It is such a lovely story and I absolutely loved the characters, especially Violet and her struggles. Highly recommend it, thanks for letting me access this ARC.

Violet and Tammy are great main characters demonstrating some of the difficulties surrounding being a carer and also being cared for. It took a while to warm to Violet, but once I did, I was hooked. A beautifully uplifting read with a brilliant narrator.

This was a lovely story - I especially enjoyed the characters of Violet and Tammy. Violet has to come back to the village she left 14 years ago to care for her mother who she has a very difficult relationship with - Being a carer is hard work, especially to someone who you are related to. Violet helps to bring the village back to life and she helps Tammy, along with others to live an independent life.

A good insight to caring for a family member while trying to maintain your own life and dreams.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, this book shone a light on the difficulties of being a carer, especially a first time one, which I hadn’t thought about before. Between the very likeable characters of Violet and Tammy, plus a well-rounded and beautifully drawn cast of supporting characters (Chrissy in particular), this delves into loneliness, community and new beginnings, handling these common themes of post-lockdown reads well. As I listened to the audio book version, it was particularly comforting experience in the uncertainty of the pandemic, with fantastic narration – her voice is relaxing but engaging, especially with the satisfying ending. It would be nice to see a follow up on what happened to them next, especially Tammy as she tackles her big new world

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's heartwarming and uplifting (although there are a couple of sadder moments too).
It's a tale of forgiveness, acceptance (personally and of others), community and friendship. It's about the importance of human contact which seems incredibly important in the current climate when some people have been experiencing extreme loneliness.
I think it also covers the struggles that carers can face in a respectful manner.
Most of the chapters are told from the perspective of Violet who has returned to the village she grew up in to care for her mum after be estranged from her family for many years.
My favourite character was definitely Tammy. I was really rooting for her & loved the chapters from her POV.
Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook to review.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was really excited start this one especially after hearing a lot of good things about her debut last year.

I loved Violet Strong! She was a very humbling character and I often felt that I wanted to swoop in and give her a massive cuddle. Violet didn’t have a very high opinion of herself and and I couldn’t help but be a little annoyed at her sister for leaving her so quickly. Whilst Violet hadn’t been around for so long there as obviously a very good reason for it. I didn’t think it would of hurt her sister to stay a week or so to show her the ropes.

At the start things were very tense with Violet and Glenys. I felt so much sympathy for both of them because, whilst Glenys was horrid, I could imagine it was very humiliating having your daughter care for you so closely. I was proud of Violet for sticking with it and trying to make the best of an awkward situation.

It was clear from the start that Violet didn’t want to return to her home town and I was very curious to find out why. She clearly blamed herself for a lot and I couldn’t understand why she thought so little of herself. As the story progressed it was great to see her settle into her life with her mum and get more involved in the community. Once the secrets were revealed my heart broke for Violet. It felt like everything she had achieved was starting to crumble and I really hoped things would work out for her.

Whilst Violet was a brilliant main character I also loved a lot of the others. Tammy was an angel in disguise! Whilst she would say that Violet helped her and cared for her a lot I don’t think she really understood what she did for Violet. She was another very humbling character who just needed a helping hand. In all honesty the whole cast of characters were all loveable and each one was a hidden gem.

Jessica Ryn has written another incredible story that will leave it’s readers with a smile on their face. One minute I was filled with so much joy, the next I was reaching for the tissues. I am very excited about what she writes next!