👩‍👧Book Review 👩‍👧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is a story of redemption, second chances, young love, growth, friendship & family love - above all else maternal love.

It is a cozy, light hearted read with beautiful, rounded characters at its heart. Beth Morrey’s style of writing gifts you the feeling that you know Delphine, Em & her small cast of characters instantly well.

It is at turns uplifting & earnest - a sincere portrayal of what life can be like when you parent on your own. Delphine - a former ace student - is buffeted & blown along in life by the consequences of her pregnancy & child …. until she is not.

Beth Morrey’s message screams off the page: make one small change, then another step, then another, it’s not too late.

This dual narrative is of the present & Delphine as a 16 year old. For me the present day parts were the most absorbing. The beautiful, colourful characters who spin around Delphine add a powerful aspect to the book.

This is a predictable book but I don’t think it lessens the charm. A safe book to cuddle up with bursting with all that it means to be a mother.

What a lovely, hopeful story. It is full of second chances, relationships with friends and family and the wider community. It has a great message about making the most of what you have and appreciating everything, no matter how small, but also striving for more in life.

The characters are a delight. All in all, a fantastic read.

Em & Me is the second novel by best-selling British author, Beth Morrey. The audio version is narrated by Pearl Mackie. It is nothing like Delphine Jones had envisaged when she was a stellar student at Brownswood Academy: living in her father’s basement flat, working for an awful boss in a low-paying, dead-end job, raising her pre-teen daughter as a single mother, sharing a tiny damp bedroom and bed. A better life for her and Emily looks a long way off.

Delphine dearly loves her daughter and her father, but so much is missing from her life: the music and French language she shared with her late mother; the love of language nurtured during childhood by her still-grieving father, much withdrawn from life since his wife’s death, and the chance of a career centred on literature. And a man? Well, she doesn’t have time for that!

And then an incident with a spiteful rival sees her losing her job: could things get any worse?

Life, though, and her sometimes-devious daughter, have other plans. They conspire to drop opportunities into her lap. Delphine is hesitant at first, but with encouragement and support from newcomers in her life, Delphine convinces herself to grab them with both hands.

It’s not without hiccups but, over a period of months, Delphine finds a job she enjoys, with caring employers, a chance to reconnect with her mother’s native language, the prospect of singing in a band, and possibility of completing the education she abandoned when she decided to keep her baby. And a man, but she still doesn’t have time for that… does she?

As Delphine approaches each new chance at her dreams, her thoughts are also plunged deep into her past, gradually revealing to the reader just how her life changed from her happy and loving childhood to the dissatisfying fog she inhabits at twenty-eight. And as she emerges, so, eventually, does another significant person in her life.

This is a story that abounds with literary references, so those well-read or at least familiar with classics will find their enjoyment much enhanced. Morrey fills her novel with characters that capture the heart and stir up the emotions. She saddles them with realistic problems and challenges that will have the reader cheering them on to a satisfactory resolution. A story that demonstrates the vital importance, in a young person’s life, of a good teacher, Beth Morrey’s second novel is inspirational and uplifting.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK

EM & ME by BETH MORREY.

Delphine’s life is in a pretty grim place. She lives in a small damp flat with her father and her daughter. Her job is going nowhere and a run in with an old school ‘friend’ causes her to lose, even that crumby employment.
For Delphine, this is the point where she takes stock and starts to look back at her life. She had been a promising student until she found herself pregnant and had to give up her education. Delphine is also fluent in French, thanks to her late mother and is also a gifted singer.
Opportunities begin to come her way, that will bring these forgotten skills to the fore and help Delphine build a better life for herself and her family.

Em & Me is just the sweetest read. I loved the relationships between the characters, especially Delphine and her daughter Em.
I also loved the range of characters. They are multi generational and all with their own sparkle.

This book is beautifully written. The words flow effortlessly through the pages and into the readers heart.

This has to be five glorious stars from me for this truly heartwarming read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audio narration by Pearl Mackie, who does a wonderful job of really bringing the story to life.

Available now on all formats.

With thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsUkAudio for an audio arc of #Em&Me by #BethMorrey.

I think this book was well structured. I liked the relationships between the characters. Although a bit predictable, it was entertaining and easy to relate to. I liked the memory flash backs, and the optimism about the future.
I listened to this as an audio book and found the narrators accents really good. She actually brought each character to life with the accents she gave them.
Good chick-lit read.

This was a lovely easy audiobook listen for me. The story centres around Delphine Jones who is a single mother to Em. Delphine had Em when she was 16 and the story highlights the struggles Delphine encountered along her journey. Now in the present day, she is still single and taking care of her grief stricken father and still striving her best to find a way to give Em a better life so she has a lot on he shoulders. I loved the narrater Pearl Mackie - she gave Delphine her ‘voice’ and made the story truly special! I really enjoyed this one and i really didn’t want it to end! So a big thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for my gifted copy.