Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

As many other readers around the world I've read Fresh Water for Flowers and I had high expectations for this. Although it didn't live up to my expectations it's still a 4 star read. The characters were human and still different, not in a bad way. For me it was just a bit diffcult to connect to them.

Valerie Perrin just gets to me every time I read one of her books. 'Fresh water for Flowers', 'Three' and now this.

An evolving and complex story of friendship and hidden memories of the past, it is beautifully written and emotionally devastating. This was Perrin's first book, and it's easy to see how she has evolved from this into the writer that she now is. Just sublime.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Forgotten on Sunday is a wonderfully written novel about love and war and the sad inevitability of growing old. A gorgeous but devastating tale of life full of hardship and loss, ultimately this is a tale of love and hope.
I would recommend to fans of historical fiction, this is truly a beautiful novel.

Another beautifully written book by Valerie Perrin.Emotional moving characters that come alive enjoyed the story from beginning to end.A book I will be recommending.#netgalley #europabooks

Valérie Perrin is an enormously successful French author. Her first book to be translated into English, Fresh Water for Flowers, is an international bestseller. It was the bestselling book in Italy in 2020 - it was dubbed “Italy’s favourite lockdown novel”! It’s the only one of hers I haven’t read yet, but I have a copy (story of my life 🎶 😅).

Back to this one. Forgotten on Sunday is actually Perrin’s debut novel, first published in France in 2015 and only now translated into English. It’s a story of how the past shapes the present, family secrets and lies, and is based around an unlikely friendship between Justine, a young woman working in a retirement home in a small French town, and Helène, a 100 year old resident there.

Perrin is the queen of the slow reveal, unknotting mysteries and writing stories with unexpected twists and turns. While this one didn’t have the drama of her recent novel Three, and the two stories didn’t coalesce in the way I had anticipated, the book had a compelling quality to it that made it hard to put down.

It was also a case of right book at the right time for me - after overdosing on Irish literary fiction for much of August, this was a breath of fresh air.

Her writing is imbued with warmth and gentle humour, and her books are immersive and comforting. I think if you enjoy Isabelle Allende’s books, you might enjoy Perrin. 4/5⭐️

Thank you to the author and publisher Europa Editions for the opportunity to read an arc via @netgalley. Forgotten on Sunday is available now.

Two intertwined and beautifully told stories! This was a really wonderful read and was full of emotion.

Valerie Perrin is undoubtedly, one of my favourite contemporary writers. Her stories never fail to strike the right cord because they are always rich in beauty and humanity.

In Fogotten Of Sunday, we meet the 21 years old Justine, who works in a retiring home taking care of the senior residents' physical and mental well-being. Here Justine meets the 96 years old Helen, who will tell her the story of her life during the war and her greatest love for Lucien. Justine and Helen’s lives alternate in short chapters, bringing the readers back and forth in time and allowing them to discover how important it is to stop and listen to each other.

Poignant, Complex, Touching.

A while ago I was sent a copy of Fresh waters for flowers by Valérie Perrin from Europa Editions publishers. At the time I hadn't heard of the author. I absolutely loved it so when I saw Forgotten on Sunday by the same author on NetGalley I knew I had to request.

I loved Héléne, I think I could sit and talk to her about her stories for hours. She had such a poignant and at times complex life story.

This book is just over 250 pages with very short chapters. It is clear to see Justine's caring nature throughout the book.

I enjoy the authors writing and as soon as I started the book, I was transported to France. It was a 4 star read for me.

Thank you to Valérie Perrin, Europa Editions and NetGalley for a gifted copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

*Many thanks to Valerie Perrin, Europa Editions, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
My third novel by Ms Perrin and it feels a little different although there are some connecting elements to her next novels such as deep hidden mysteries and early life influencing the subsequent events.
I enjoyed the several layers of the plot and the story of Justine's, a young sensitive woman looking after the senior citizens, was moving indeed despite the fact that the mystery surrounding her was rather easy to predict. Overall, a good and promising read which formed a steady introduction to Ms Perrin's writing career.

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin
This novel by the author of the brilliant Fresh Water for Flowers is a sad but beautiful novel. It is a multi-layered story of Justine who works as an assistant in a care home for the elderly. She forges a relationship with Helene, who is nearing the end of her life. She determines to record Helene’s story before she dies and we discover a moving story of tragedy and love.
Justine lives with her grandparents and her cousin following the death of both of their parents in a car crash. Gradually Justine’s history is revealed and her story is told alongside that of Helene. We also have the mystery of who is making the phone calls to the care home telling relatives that their loved one has died. These are the ‘Forgotten’ whose family no longer visit.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this novel and would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

this was okay, but read a little juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

Not as easy to get into as the "previous" ones but since this is actually Perrin's first novel (if I'm not mistaken) it does make sense. Still really enjoyed it, and I'm not sure if everyone else saw the ending coming but for me it was a pleasant surprise. I'm still thinking about it. Valérie has become one of my favorite authors and I'll read anything she writes.

Having read the stellar Fresh Water for Flowers and Three by the French author, Valerie Perrin, this, I was over the moon that her stunning debut has finally been translated into English. It is not a long novel, but I guarantee you will not forget it, it is a beautiful blend of the joyous, the melancholic, the intimate and the magical with its themes of family, the celebration of life, love, loss, grief, memories, relationships, secrets and getting older. It is bursting with charm, wit and humour, set in the small French town of Milly, where 21 year old Justine Neige lives. Justine has been raised by her suicidal Gran and grumpy Gramps, along with her cousin that she regards as her brother, Jules, and unlike most young people, she has no dreams of leaving Milly. Justine loves music and the elderly, enthralled by the stories they have to tell, more than willing to work unpaid hours in her job as nursing assistant at The Hydrangeas, caring for its elderly residents.

Justine has a particularly special relationship with 96 year old Helene Hel, whose life she is writing up in a journal for her grandson, Roman. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, Helene was born twice, in 1917 and on the day she met Lucien Perrin in 1933, who opens a wondrous and thrilling world that had been denied to her, including being able to read novels, when he teaches her Braille. We follow her life, with her and Lucien living and working at old Louis's cafe where Charles Baudelaire is a regular customer, the harrowing experience of WW2, the hardships, her fear of the Boche, and the testing challenges she must face at the end of the war. As Helene's personal history emerges, Justine has to come to terms with the secrets within her own family and wonders who is the mysterious caller who rings elderly residents relatives who refuse to visit them on Sundays, falsely informing them they have died.

Perrin has a remarkable gift in being able to burrow subtly beneath the surface of life, of her all too human and flawed characters, their key relationships, memories and the twists and turns that life throws at them. Helene and Justine's connection shines, they are different stages of their lives, Helene's is in the process of coming to a close, at which point her seagull will depart, whilst Justine is so young, so distrusting of love, oddly repeatedly linking up with what's his name. Fans of Perrin are likely to adore this, and I have high hopes that those who encounter her here for the first time will love this novel too. Hugely recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Forgotten on Sunday
by Valérie Perrin

Since being captivated by Perrin's poetic, intimate and shrewdly witty "Fresh Water for Flowers", I have been drawn to translations from contemporary French for quite a while, so when I noticed that this, her debut novel, was about to be published in English, I practically fell over myself to get an ARC.

From the first sentence I knew I was going to love this story, her writing and the sensorial adventure of living, albeit it temporarily, la vie francaise.

21 year old Justine works in a retirement home. She has a wonderful rapport with most of the residents but she has a soft spot for Helene, who is approaching her 100th birthday. The story opens with Justine buying a notebook in which to record Helene's memories, and through her meticulously captured vignettes of Helene's life, Justine experiences love in a way that she can't seem to find in her own life. Great love, borne of kindness and understanding, a love that can't be extinguished by war, incapacitation, separation or time.

But life as a carer is not just about holding hands and storytelling. It's a tough job, mentally and physically draining. One of the most difficult aspects being the knowledge that come Sunday, many of the residents will not have any visitors. Family members busy with their own lives, or despondent through apparent lack of reciprocal interest from their elderly parents or relations, drift away, until one mysterious person finds a way to whip up renewed interest and suddenly visitations are on the rise. The method is unorthodox and gives Starsky and Hutch, the local gendarmes, a case to solve and Justine an idea to track down information on her parents' tragic death when she was just 4.

At just 256 pages it's hard to believe the scope of this novel, yet it doesn't feel rushed or glossed over at any point. Crammed full of love and romance, elicit, improbable, forbidden, stolen, obsessive and deadly. A lifetime of memories from 1917 to 2017. An anonymous caller whose chaos breeds life. An annoying suitor who won't take a hint and a seagull that binds and protects. This book made me smile from ear to ear.

English translation Publication date: 27th July
Thanks to #netgalley and #europaeditions for the ARC

Thanks to Netgalley & Europa Editions for my digital ARC in exchange for a review!

I don’t know what it is about Valérie Perrin’s writing and Hildegarde Serle’s translations but damn the two combined make for books you can’t help but devour! Everything about the style just flows so easily, yet it’s not simplistic. Forgotten on Sunday follows two narratives - Justine, a 21-year-old care worker who lives with her grandparents and cousin, and Hélène, an elderly woman whose story Justine is writing down.

In the end, I preferred Hélène’s story, a woman who learns to read braille from a blind man’s son since she had no education, later marrying that son only to have their lives derailed by World War Two. There’s barely any detail about the war itself, which honestly I appreciate, the focus is on its aftermath - devastating for Hélène but not in the way you’d usually expect.

Justine’s narrative… went to some places I was not expecting, and found a little too… scandalous? Melodramatic? Soap opera-ish 😅 But I did love the passion she had for her work at the care home - the title refers to those folks in care homes who have no visits from family on a Sunday, and Justine does her best to afford them the respect and attention they deserve. Perrin writes with lovely tenderness, but then the ~big secret~ that is revealed towards the end put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. She did a similar thing with Three - puts in a huge twist which just seems overdone and put in for shock factor.

Although neither this novel or Three have come close to the brilliance that is Fresh Water for Flowers, I can’t deny that they are addictive reads! Perrin creates great atmosphere, her characters pop, and her style is smooth - I just resent the over-the-top twists!

3.5 stars

Forgotten on Sunday is Valerie Perrine’s first novel.

In this novel, we meet Justine, a young girl working in a retirement home. Left orphaned by a terrible car accident when they were little,

Justine and her cousin Jules we're brought up by their grandparents, two very cold and distant people with a lot of secrets.

Justine’s favorite thing in the world is listening to stories her patients tell her about their life. She is particularly fond of a woman named Helene Hel. Helene’s life story is incredible and Justine decides to write it down, especially after meeting the old woman’s grandson, a very handsome young man with blue eyes to whom she promises to give the notebook in which she writes down Helene’s story.

While writing Helene’s story, Justine starts to discover some deeply buried family secrets that threaten to ruin her fragile family forever.



Valerie Perrin is a queen of melancholy. The characters were not written with too many details and yet, she perfectly portrayed them with her short sentences, but so full of meaning and depth. I loved the writing. Although you can sense that this was the author's first book, I still enjoyed it immensely. Fresh Water for Flowers is still my favorite, but this book and Three have my big recommendation.

This was emotional and beautiful and the characters really came to life. It was a shorter read, but still thoroughly enjoyable. The split timelines worked well to weave the story together.

Valerie Perrin is establishing her own niche in writing through stories that are melancholically beautiful with a sense of surrealism. Forgotten on Sunday was her first novel in France and for the first time is now in English following the success of Three and the wonderful Fresh Water for Flowers. This new publication is a multi layered tale that follows the life of Justine who works as a care assistant in her local town. Justine lives with her grandparents and cousin following the deaths of their parents some years before. Justine has an affinity to connect with the residents and begins to write down the story of Helene one of the care home’ s residents. Helene’s story is beautiful but is filled with tragedy and love. Parallel to this part of the novel is the exploration of Justine’s own life and desires and a hidden family secret. Hildegarde Serve’s translation captures the whimsical and heartbreaking tone of Perrin’s writing and this novel should certainly become another firm favourite of the growing number of fans of Valerie Perrin. A hypnotically beautiful book

It took me a while to get into this book, but I'm so glad I did.
The split timelines always worked well, and each of the stories interesting, and different.
I was definitely more invested in Justin's family and its history.
An enjoyable read, and a few unexpected moments.