Dawn was a young teenager when she fell in love with Billy; Billy is not a reliable boyfriend. Heartbroken her mum tells her to come to the pub where she works and she meets Rob. Rob is definitely not her type; but Rob falls head over heels in love with Dawn. Dawn finds herself pregnant; Rob wants to love and care for Dawn and the baby despite not knowing who the father is. This is the story of their life together. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

The Imperfection of us follows Dawn as she navigates her relationships from the teenage years to middle age and has to choose between wild and exciting Billy and loving and dependable Rob. As time goes on she starts to doubt herself, did she make the right choices for herself and her daughter?

The book covers quite a long period of time and, as it progresses, reveals the potential impact of Dawn, Billy and Rob's childhoods on their life choices. I became quite invested in the characters towards the middle so was a little disappointed when the time suddenly sped by in the second half but understand why!

This is an emotional rollercoaster but an enjoyable read.

Moving, poignant and well written.. It moved me and me smile, made me root for Dawn and Rob but also for Bill
It surprised me, kept me reading and enjoying the plot and loving the well rounded characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am surprised that I managed to read this book, for the first few chapters I nearly gave up. But I quite liked the way the story was told from two sides, through the main characters marriage. By the end I enjoyed the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of The Imperfection of Us by Nick Alexander. This is a story about Dawn and Rob and how childhood trauma and young adult choices can alter our paths. This story is told from two points of view and based on whose perspective is shared, the reader can easily see how things went awry or came together. Both characters were highly relatable and I really enjoyed the forays into “what might have been” and how much the reality is far from the fantasy. Definitely a good read.

This book was a difficult read. But, all the same, it was beautiful. Poetically human. Incredibly unassuming and real in a way that hurt. Nick Alexander, you did what you set out to do, and then some.

It wasn’t meant to be a happy ending. This book was meant to be about the humdrum and lackluster parts of life together. It was honest and refreshing. Dawn and Rob don’t have a perfect story. But they have each other. And even saying that feels too cheesy for how meaningful this book is. It’s a story about family, how messy it can be, and how we can still choose each other. But it’s more than that, too.

Like I said, this was a difficult read. There’s teen pregnancy. There’s infidelity. There’s a lot of heartbreak and sweeping feelings under the rug. None of it surprising and all of it so realistic that it made me take a hard look at how I define love. This book is a gem, and while it’s certainly not one that everyone would enjoy, I am glad to have read it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Nick Alexander for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think Nick is fast becoming one my favourite authors. Yet another great book. I loved the flow been the two story tellers and felt connected to their story

The first chapter was enough to put me off reading this novel with its references to raunchy behaviours, but having read Nick’s previous book Perfectly Ordinary People which I enjoyed, felt it was worth continuing.

The story flows freely from one life event to the next covering three generations from the 1990s up to the time of Covid. The characters are real enough with differing temperaments, starting with a tear away teenager through to a calm, caring and sensitive young man. The novel is basically about the tipping points in long term relationships and with perseverance wounds can be healed and love reignited. An enjoyable, true to life story written with understanding and love.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this e-copy.

This will tick a lot of boxes for many readers. It’s entertaining, well written and has plenty of details which make the whole very interesting but I found it a little bit predictable and almost preachy. I think the fault lies with me, however, and this will be a matter of taste.

I love Neil Alexander books and this was no exception. This follows the lives of Dawn and Rob, when Dawn falls pregnant at 17, Rob does everything it takes to woo her, even if he isn't the father of her baby.
Every chapter alternates between Rob and Dawn while we follow them throughout their lives and the ups and downs that they have experienced. It deals with difficult topics but it is dealt with so well throughout.

Really enjoyed the characters and their authentic personalities and relationships.
Not the romance I was expecting, but a refreshing plot and very easy page turner.
The pace was good and the dialogue authentic.

Absolutely adored this book from start to finish!
Dawn, Rob and Billy such great characters all so very different but intrinsically linked!!
Nick is fantastic at writing about totally relatable scenarios and portraying the emotions, feelings and idiosyncrasies of daily life particularly for married couple with children, realistic and down to earth.Depicting how relationships grow change and develop over the years from those first initial crazy lust filled moments through the mundane and eventually a comfortable acceptance!
Add in pregnancy, unrequited love, extramarital affairs, illness, addiction, and lockdown to name but a few and you have a great read that will keep you interested from start to finish!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

A very relatable tale of a relationship with all its ups and downs.
What worked very well was the story is told from the POV of the two main characters so we see the relationship from both sides.
It takes you from the heady days of teenage love through a long term relationship with its trials of family life and the static less exciting times, how you can drift apart or stay together. It will resonate with so many readers bringing memories of that first love or striking a chord with those in a long term relationship all the way through to how Covid had an impact on all our lives.

Sure to bring out the tears and the laughs, this book paints a picture of how flawed people can overcome challenges to have a marriage that endures. Dawn and Rob are totally relatable characters with their depiction of everything that makes for a realistic long-term relationship.

“The Imperfections of Us” took me back to my teenage years. Oh, to be 17 again, madly in love, not only with another human, but with life itself!

Its the Summer of 1990, Dawn is 17 and ready to embrace everything that life has to offer. When she meets Billy, a musician and the coolest guy around she believes he is the ONE! When Rob meets Dawn, he is instantly drawn to her, but how can he, a boring electrician who takes life seriously, compete against someone like Billy?
When Dawn is in need of Billy the most, he is no-where to be found and it is Rob who is there to pick up the pieces.

I’ve said it before, but Nick Alexander is a master at writing about relationships. The story is told from both Dawn’s and Rob’s POV. The powerful and insightful dialogue is like a template of a marriage’s ups and downs! It makes for interesting reading when each side relates the same scenario but from their perspective. You really get a sense of how they are feeling, their emotional negativity, the holding of grudges and the hostility that is created. Not only did these words instantly draw me in but they allowed me to visualise the whole scenario.

Dawn and Rob, Rob and Dawn, these two names are ingrained in my mind. I was really routing for their marriage to work. Both are not without flaws. Dawn has always wondered what life would have been like if Billy had stuck around and Rob always considered himself to be second-best.

I must mention Dawn’s mum, she is such a wonderful character, she comes across as really easy going but my god when her girl needs her, she is their with open arms.

As with every one of this author’s books, I have lived and breathed every single word. Emotions have been wrung out of me and tears have never been far away. Nick Alexander’s portrayal of this couple and their marriage confirms what I always believed that he is, without a single doubt, a master storyteller.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.

This is another of the authors that I discovered when I bought my first kindle. His 50 Reasons To Say Goodbye was the 10th book I read on it back in April 2011. I swiftly caught up the rest of his back catalogue and have been devouring every new offering as it has been released. And I have loved every single book.
So... this time we meet Dawn and Rob. Married with two kids their lives are barely ticking along. They have hit a bit of a rut. See, if you go back to the 90s, when she was 17, Dawn was with Billy. Sparks flew in that passionate relationship I can tell you! But the light burned too bright there and Billy left, leaving Dawn pregnant. Rob was the safe option... the fall back... no sparks, but dependable... and he loved her... and that's been ok up to now...
Meanwhile Billy made it as a rockstar...
And that's all I'm saying... suffice to say, the author smashed it out of the park once again. Trampling over my emotions along the way as I followed avidly what was going on with Rob and Dawn within and outwith their relationship. To be honest, most of the way through I wasn't sure who I was going to be rooting for. Until I got to a certain place and that decision was completely clear.
It's a wonderful story and, I would imagine, not an uncommon one, being played out by many married people across the world. First love is not always remembered for the right reasons... Marriages need work, they have ups and downs. They do not always follow the same paths. People are not perfect.
As with most of his books, the characters lead the narrative. This guy really knows how to write characters that feel so real. By the end of his books, I have usually grown so close to them that I am saddened at having to say goodbye once I turn the past page. That's how powerful they are. But stick them in a crackingly plotted and perfectly executed story and, well, they really shine...
I could bang on and on about how good this author is, how great his characters are, how well he writes excellent stories without the need for padding or waffle, but, you know what... just do yourself a favour and give him a go. You know it makes sense...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was a book i didn't enjoy very much. The way it was written made me uncomfortable. I finished it and was glad to reach the last page. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

I enjoyed this story of relationships and how they change over time. This is the first time I've read the author, and I was quite impressed. I was fully engaged in the story and cared about all the characters. The dialogue felt realistic, and was relateable.

Well done.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

'The Imperfection of Us' takes the reader from 1990 to present day and examines how a variety of characters lives and lifestyles differ and looks at the danger and harm that keeping secrets or misleading loved ones can have on peoples lives. There are some very sad and moving parts to the story and the author makes several valid comments on life. This is the second book I have read this month that referenced the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects on society - a subject many authors have tended to omit. A most enjoyable read, the first book I have read by Nick Alexander and I am grateful to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book in return for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Storm Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Imperfection of Us’ written by Nick Alexander in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is the sixth novel I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed by this amazing author and ‘The Imperfection of Us’ is no exception. It’s the wonderfully moving story of Dawn and Rob who are your normal everyday married couple but are anything but perfect, but are so likeable and endearing that I loved them for their unpretentiousness. There’s Rob, a kind and gentle man who had a traumatic childhood and couldn’t believe his luck when Dawn married him. Then there’s Dawn who at sixteen was swept off her feet by would-be rock star Billy but over the past thirty years has never forgotten him and how he made her feel.

I loved this story from page one as the characters so inveigled themselves into my heart that I couldn’t stop reading as I wanted to know more about them and their lives. As the story progressed into 2020 and the start of the Covid pandemic they brought back memories of my own experiences as we struggled through lockdown with no parties or meeting family members, and we all wore face masks for fear of catching it and passing it on. This has been a wonderful experience to be able to read such a fantastic novel so beautifully written and although I couldn’t wait to reach the epilogue to learn how things ended for Rob and Dawn I’m sorry that I’ve finished and there’s no more to read. Thank you Nick Alexander for such a delightful story and I can’t wait for the next one.