This was an incredibly relevant read about life for the many who now find their wage just doesn’t quite meet basic needs, who’ve found themselves losing loved ones and careers during the pandemic or are at the mercy of landlords who have such high demand for properties they’re priced out of the most basic options. As you can imagine this is so relatable for many that the first quarter of the book is a bit hard going simply because it’s so real. I’m glad to say that through a mixture of kindness and unexpected friendships there’s a lot of uplifting moments in this but the core messages in this book stay true throughout making it one of the most honest books I’ve read in recent times.

Three and a half stars.

Like many people in the pandemic Jamie Matson lost everything. The travel business she loved, her best friend, her home. Now she is stuck making minimum wage stacking shelves at the local up-market supermarket where the owner/manager is a petty tyrant. Added to her woes, her talented son Bo also suffers from serious breathing difficulties which necessitate frequent visits to A&E, lost work hours, and expensive Uber rides. As a consequence, Jamie isn't keeping her head above water, she's got an emergency credit card which is crippling her with the interest and she is forced to resort to the local food bank to feed her and Bo. Words can't express the shame that she feels to have fallen so far in such a short time.

Then one day Jamie and Bo go to the food bank mid-morning, instead of sneaking in at the crack of dawn to avoid being seen. To her surprise she sees the lovely A&E nurse Kath also in the queue. Kath knows another woman in the queue, Bonnie who is setting up a local hairdressing kiosk. Bonnie and Kath help Jamie to realise that she isn't the only person with a full-time job who can't make ends meet and their burgeoning friendship gives each of them the courage to dream of more.

This is such a difficult read to categorise/rate for me. On one hand, it shows just how easily events outside our control can overturn our comfortable lives. It also highlights the distressing fact that in a wealthy country like the UK there are people in full-time work who can't feed themselves because their salaries don't cover the bills, or there are other circumstances which drain their money. It shows how society wants to label people and put them in neat boxes, rather than letting people be themselves. It also preaches the message which we hear a lot these days that a career for life is no longer a reality for most, people may have many different careers during their lives, radically changing who they are and what they do. All of these are really important messages and really worthwhile to see in the context of fiction. However, there was also a little bit of a fairy-tale quality to the novel because ultimately most of the characters get their first steps towards a new life as a result of the generosity of an elderly couple who open their home to those in need. However, there was also the message that it can be impossible to do it alone, you need help and support from those around you , it takes a village and all that, to get you back on your feet again.

So I've made it sound a bit depressing and worthy, which it absolutely isn't. It's a book about hope and friendship and new beginnings and I really enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.