I have loved every book Lucy Dillon has written, so was very excited to be approved to read this new release via netgalley. This book follows Tara - a counsellor whose own life is falling apart at the seams as she is struggling with grief over her recently deceased mother, and overwhelm from trying to help the local community rebuild after flooding, and then her estranged father comes back into her life. I really liked Tara as a character. I was rooting for her from the beginning. This, like a lot of Lucy’s books, is more powerful than your average womens fiction title - it explores a range of emotions in the novel. I was hooked though and I read it in 24 hours. I recommend this one.

Lucy Dillon's books always have a common denominator, animals. Mostly dogs. And as a dog lover myself, this always makes me smile.

This story is about long held secrets and lies within a family. Twins, Tara and Toby have recently lost their mother and need to decide what to do with the family home.
Long absentee dad, Keith appears and throws Tara and her world upside down as she comes to terms with what she has lost, what she believes, and how she has judged everyone as a result.
A compelling tale which weaves a familiar family life of modern day blend.

I always look forward to reading the latest Lucy Dillon book, and this latest one didn't disappoint. I thought the ending was rushed. Tara had a lot going on (which at times didn't seem credible, especially given she had lapsed on her own therapy. How good a service was she giving to her clients at this time? Why didn't the centre manager have Tara take some time off?). There was some romance, though it certainly wasn't the main focus. I would have liked to have seen more romance. It was nice to have a cat in this story, as well as the usual dogs. Sybil was funny. I thought Tara to be very childish at times, but that was explained by her past. Her twin, Toby, wasn't very nice. Other than that I liked the other characters. Topical, dealing with the aftermath of a town being flooded. I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good story, believable characters and some family drama thrown in. I'm not sure if the main character would have been a practicing therapist in the real world as she had too many issues that she was not working through herself. However, an pleasant story and easy to read.

I was looking forward to this story, I usually really enjoy Lucy Dillon's stories, but on this occasion sadly, I didn't.

Following devastating floods in the area, Tara, a councillor helps the victims, while dealing with her own problems in life. The centre where she works has a range of therapies and therapists, from the traditional to the further out there variety.

For me, the story dragged on and I struggled to get into it. For some reason it just didn't grab me, there wasn't that pull that had me not wanting to put the book down or needing to find out what happened next.

The story was slow and I wasn't invested in the story or the characters, so for me, it didn't hit the mark at all.

Lucy Dillion is a wonderful writer and her books are a joy to read. Unfortunately I felt a little bit bored with this one- it just seemed to be long and drawn out in places.

A gorgeous story about loss, friendship, love, community, forgiveness and family. I felt so invested in Tara’s story, particularly the difficult story that she has with her estranged father when he comes back into her life, and the loyalty that she feels towards her now deceased mum. This will feel familiar to many readers who have grown up through their parents divorce and the emotions that this brings. Having recently been reunited with my own estranged dad, the story was difficult to read at times, however it was written with such compassion and emotion that it felt that the author has a genuine understanding of broken family relationships. A lovely story that I found difficult to put down. Highly recommended. Lucy Dillon does not disappoint!

I've read and loved several of Lucy Dillon's books before and she has a real gift for illuminating the extraordinary in ordinary lives. After The Rain is no different, Tara is a counsellor who has been helping people affected by floods to come to terms with their traumatic experiences. But she has her own issues behind closed doors, her mother has recently passed away and now her estranged father is back in her life, leaving her reeling as she tries to continue to help those around her.

The magic of Lucy Dillon is in the way she creates her main characters and draws their internal landscapes, messy and conflicted and real, Tara was at times frustrating but always relatable. I really enjoyed her journey and her progress throughout the story, and the message of hope that felt threaded throughout it.

A warm and poignant story about community, grief, family and fresh starts. Absolutely loved Sybil with her glorious side-eye!

I always enjoy Lucy Dillon's work and this is no exception. Engaging characters, warmly written and lovely story. Thank you for the advance reading copy.

I was looking forward to the new Lucy Dillon, so was glad to dive into her latest novel.

It tells the story of Tara, a counsellor who is busy supporting victims of a local flooding incident, as well as dealing with issues in her personal life.

I had to suspend belief a little bit about the volume of issues Tara was dealing with, all at the same time - from her professional working issues, to her issues with her twin brother, father, dealing with bereavement, a relationship and so much more. It just didn’t feel realistic.

That said I loved the whimsical elements of the book with her colleague, snd the funny descriptions of the work of some of the other counsellors in her practice.

It took me a long time to read this, so it’s a bit of a slow burner but overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't put this book down. It was warm, engaging and a lovely story all round. This book is a joy to escape into.

Loved! Tara is a counsellor, and she’s helping the residents of the recently flooded Longhampton as much as she is able to. But who is helping Tara - she’s emotionally drained and dealing with the recent loss of her beloved mother, as well as still coming to terms with the father who left their family when she was a little girl who has suddenly returned. Tara herself needs saving but she’s too busy saving everyone else. A lovely reflective story, I really enjoyed it.

Slow moving book, mostly about feelings . Told from Tara's point of view, it is set in a place in the South of England where floods have recently caused damage in the town. Tara works as a therapist/ counsellor. She does, however have issues in her past and present life which she has to come to terms with. Gradually these issues are revealed and explored.
At times I found the pace of the book too slow moving and also that it stretched the bounds of credibility. On the whole a reasonable read though . Despite the exploration of feelings and relationships, the relationships with boyfriends and others were handled too quickly.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I am a fan of Lucy Dillon & very happy to have been able to read & review her new book ‘After the Rain’

Tara works as a counsellor at a wellness centre however has some deep rooted issues of her own, her Dad left the family when she was a young child & there had been no relationship since, her mum has recently passed away and her twin brother is living in America.

The book centres around Tara as her Dad makes an appearance & a new counsellor at the centre is becoming very popular with clients.. this throws Tara off centre as she navigates through complicated thoughts and feelings.

I have to say, I did struggle to warm to Tara, very immature and generally annoying! However the supporting story is strong & Lucy Dhillon is a great writer!

3.5 stars for me.

As a huge fan of Lucy Dillon, I waited with great anticipation for this book, and upon beginning to read I initially felt a different kind of writing style from the author. This book felt a lot deeper and more of a ‘realistic’ book, rather than a fairytale, happy-ever-after. By no means was this a negative, just a very different style than I remember from, admittedly, Dillon’s earlier writings such as ‘Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts’.

I believe it took me a third of the book to settle into the tone of it and get a good grasp on the main character. She was so realistic and had many human faults that were very relatable! As the threads of the novel began to weave together, I felt myself becoming more and more interested and unable to put it down!

The characters develop slowly in this book, with an almost real-life quality to it, but this makes it all the sweeter. Another fabulous novel by Lucy Dillon- someone who always manages to bring her story-book animals to life and leave a place in your heart after reading!

After a catastrophic flood, Tara Hunter is looking to heal Longhampton's bruised community spirit. Just as she is coming to terms with the loss of her mother, plus a breakup, a new man arrives at her therapy practice and confuses everything. Then, her father - last seen when she was ten years old - arrives back in her life. I love Lucy Dillon, particularly One Hundred Pieces of Me and Unexpected Lessons in Love, and this was another sweet page-turner.

Tara is devastated when her father leaves home with the babysitter, leaving her and her twin brother, Toby behind. Her Lab Branston is her only solace. Once she is grown she finds it difficult to emulate her adventurous brother and finds herself staying home to care for her mother and drifting into counselling. The trouble is she has never really explored her own problems which are exacerbated by the unexpected return of her estranged father into her already chaotic life. This is all set against the backdrop of the consequences of the severe flooding in Longhampton and her attempts to help the community. A very well written and engaging book.

Usually I love Lucy Dillon's book, but this one was not as engaging as usual. It took me ages to get through it and I have to say, I was a bit bored.
The main character, Tara, wasn't interesting to me, so I found it difficult to care too much about her story.
The therapy centre workers were great characters and a bit more of them in the book would have livened things up!

I’ve read quite a few of Lucy Dillons books and have really enjoyed them, this one began with bursts of humour which I really appreciated. I liked Tara‘s descriptions of the therapists and her sliding scale of sensible to the downright kooky. However, I’m now 30% of my way through the book and I’m just not really enjoying it. Frankly, I’m bored.

I feel that there are not going to be any huge surprises and if there are, I’m not particularly invested in the story or the characters to worry about continuing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.