This is a story of true love which spans 60 years.
Evelyn and Joseph have been soul mates all their adult lives and when Evelyn receives a terminal illness diagnosis, they make a pact to leave this life at the same time.
We are then told the story of their love and their family in flashback chapters.
A beautiful story.

This book is a testament to a love that has lasted 60 years - when one of the couple receives a terminal diagnosis the oher decides he cannot live without her and so they will take their own lives on a prescribed day. a year in the future. The book then describes the reactions from their children and how the relationships play out over the course of the next year. It was beautifully written and the love between the two main characters is almost palpable. A great love story for the ages.

I'm not sure if I read this book at the right time or if it just wasn't for me.

On paper, this is my perfect kind of book.

This book spans from World War II all the way through to 2002 and is about enduring love and family. Evelyn and Joseph have been married for more than sixty years, and following Evelyn's diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, they decide to live out their final year before ending their lives together. This book is about their relationship through the decades, the lives of their children, and how they are dealing with this decision.

The premise was perfect, and the writing was beautiful, with some really lovely lines written by Neff, and I loved that we had an interchanging timeline that explored numerous historical events from the war to the moon landing, and 9/11.

But the characters fell a little flat to me. This has all the potential to be a heart-wrenching story, but connection to the characters was sadly just surface level, with some plotlines and character feelings remaining unresolved by the end of the story. I felt like a lot of time things were told rather than shown, and I just wished I felt more for both Evelyn, Joseph and their children, and I just didn't which for me, was so important given the subject matter and the promise of the story.

Maybe my review is a little unreliable as I was in a reading slump while trying to get through this book, but it just didn't live up to what I thought it was going to deliver. This book was simply just okay for me.

3 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC copy of this book.

The Days I’d Love You Most by Amy Neff is a really enjoyable read that I would recommend as a great summer read. It follows the lives of Joseph and Evelyn from their shared childhood and teenage years to the present day when they are in their 70s.
I really enjoyed the structure of the story and the use the flashback chapters to build the past of the couple. I also liked all of the characters - their children and grandchildren.
A must read for anyone who loves a family saga!

What a stunning debut novel! I have to say that for the first few pages I was doubtful; but I persevered and was soon absorbed. In fact, I was quickly hooked and found the characters and their situation filling my mind on and off during the days of my reading. And they have continued to do so, with the emotions and deep questions the book raises.
An elderly married couple decide that after many years of marriage, the terminal illness of the wife means that they have decided to end their lives together, after one final year of celebrations. They call the family together to tell them, and the impact upon their adult children and young grandchildren is shocking and strong.
The book tells the story of the many years of being together, from childhood through the war and into adulthood and marriage. This is interspersed with moments of updates as to how the year of celebration is progressing, and how the decision to end their lives together is impacting both their marriage and their individual thoughts. As a reader, I was constantly wondering whether they will go ahead with the plan - or not. I won't spoil the ending, but it had me in tears.
This is a beautifully written book, with excellent plot and well crafted. It's a reflection on grief, on family life, above all on death and mortality. Set on the shores of Connecticut, it pulls the reader into the glories of the countryside, into the deep emotions of love, death and family life, and asks how we will each prepare for our own deaths, whether we know the date or not. And it asks the big question: how to be content with the life you have, not the life you thought you wanted. Read with hankie to hand.

Thanks to NEtgalley and the publishers for the ARC copy of the book.

This has to be one of the most beautiful and emotional debuts I have ever read. From the title of the book you know what you are letting yourself in for but it doesn’t prepare you for the wonderful insight into the characters.

Evelyn and Joseph are teenage sweethearts and have always loved each other. This books gives a wonderful insight into their lives which are far from perfect but they love each other throughout despite deep loss, the hardship of early parenthood and to the present day and a debilitating diagnosis and beyond. The book flips forwards and backwards and is split with some chapters being from Evelyn’s point of view and some from Joseph’s.

I cannot write any more as I don’t want to ruin the emotions that even the readers with hearts of stone (and I am usually one) will melt and soften a little at the authors descriptions of this love story.

What an amazing book, to say that it pulls at the heart strings is a total understatement. Beautifully written and wonderful characters. The story will stay with me for a long time.

This book was heartbreaking. What a gut wrenching way to tell a love story, a life story, through the eyes of someone who is nearing the end of theirs.

What's funny is that throughout the story, the children fixate on how perfect their parent's marriage was, how much they loved each other, how fairy-tale like their lives together were. And then we get to Evelyn and Joseph's perspectives, and their love story is shockingly...normal. Their lives were filled with ups and downs and all of the difficult moments of marriage, the fights and the stressors, the shared grief over losing loved ones, and the moments of uncertainty. It was refreshing to read a book, a love story, that shows how a "great love" still takes place in and is affected by real life.

I also liked that the children's' POVs were included, and that their feelings on Evelyn & Joseph's decisions were fully explored.

Did I agree with Evelyn and Joseph's big decision? Not particularly. And that frustrated me as I was reading. I agreed with the kids the entire time. I also wish that the author had immersed us a little more into the time period that E&J passed through as they were thinking back on their lives together. With the exception of the war when Joseph & Tommy enlisted, everything could've taken place in 1950 or 1990 and I wouldn't have noticed much of a difference.

Overall a lovely book and simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking.

I really enjoyed this book, even though I found it hard at times to remember all the characters. It's a heartbreaking story, but one that is filled with love. The obstacles life puts in front of us make for an interesting and fluent read. The only thing I found a bit tricky was the fact that the writing style was the exact same throughout the book. I'm guessing people in their seventies use different vocabulary and have some different ideas on life than let's say someone in their twenties. So overall really nice read that might have caused some tears towards the end.

What a beautiful read. Joseph and Evelyn have been together since they were teenagers raised three children and had grandchildren but when Evelyn becomes ill they make a pact that they will never live without each other.. The story is so poignant and beautifully written full of warmth and charm but you will need tissues, the ending is perfect and the family they have created together all gel perfectly.A 5 ⭐read and a fantastic debut novel

I absolutely adored this book, it brought waves of emotions during this book. I would definitely recommend this book and for book clubs

You literaly need a box of tissues! Struggled with this book as it was so emotional. However ao stuck with it and loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

This was a truly emotive read that shares the highs and lows of a lifetime together. The writing is so beautiful and rich in description. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the dual timeline between present day and moments through their shared past.

I really found myself within these pages, especially Evelyn with two young children yearning for a life that never happened.

This is a poignant tale of love, family, grief and longing for a life that you haven't lived.

I highly recommend for anyone to read this who is looking for a heartfelt and relatable book.

Don’t you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa
By far one of my favourite books I've read this year… I loved every minute… I laughed out loud so many times!!… And loved every moment happy and sad. Adorable!

What a beautiful and insightful look into the complexities of what it really means to be in love and for that love to span a lifetime.
The Days I Loved You Most is so accomplished it's hard to believe this is Amy Neff's debut novel. From the wonderfully descriptive passages of the coastal seaside resort the main characters Joseph and Evelyn live in, to the evocative way their relationship is portrayed it is a book full of big emotions with a plot that holds them up with its craftsmanship.
The story follows their lives and those of their family and deals with a massive range of issues like terminal illness, marriage breakdown, single parenthood, drug addiction, not to mention the 9/11 disaster! It is heartbreaking at times but also incredibly wholesome and healing, perfectly encapsulating the cost of loving along with the joys of a lifetime of love.

I will be watching Amy Neff's writing career with interest and look forward to what she does next.

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for a review copy of this book. With a beautifully rendered narrative this is a book not for the emotionally fainthearted. I am one of those, it seems because I had to stop so many times because I found it so wrenching to read. The novel centres around a couple, Joseph and Evelyn, who are in their later years of life and gather their children and grandchildren around them to announce the decision that they made regarding ending their lives. Evelyn has a very aggressive form of Alzheimer’s and since Joseph can’t live without her they will end their lives in a year. The ensuing novel explores their life together, from the time they were children, their summer houses next door to each other, falling in love before the second world war and the struggles faced after. Their story and the impact of their decision is threaded through different viewpoints, so the reader is able to see all sides to this terrible question of their right to decide when they die and if it is indeed, when the time comes, something they will do.

A powerful book, told in a moving, sensitive manner it captures the reader’s attention while leading them through a rollercoaster of emotions and perhaps a greater understanding of the issues raised.

Oh my goodness - this is what you call an epic love story! I really found myself invested in the story of Joseph and Evelyn, as well as all their children and grandchildren. The story has a very natural development which I enjoyed. It was nice to see there doesn't need to be huge explosions or car crashes etc. that come out of the blue in order to propel the plot forward. In particular I liked the past storyline and catching up on them every few years, but the present day timeline had plenty of action to keep you gripped as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

This book was just perfect, the highs and lows of a lifetime of loving each other and where this is going to take them.

Such an emotional journey and worth every moment!

What a beautiful tale, full of emotions, life and the journey the characters make along the way. It will definitely make you smile and cry, but definitely a worthy read

Oh my heart ❤️ a deeply moving love story. Beautifully written with such visual and colourful characters that place you in the book so you feel everything.
You’ll need your tissues at the ready and be ready for your heart strings to be pulled throughout this book as you realise how deep love can be.
A tale of families, loyalty and devotion. How love can shape and mound us- shaping your choices and decisions.