Readers who enjoyed Dear Mrs Bird are going to love Clare Swatman’s emotional, uplifting and delightful new novel, The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright.

Beth’s had quite a rough couple of years and she cannot help but feel down in the dumps. Forced to move out of the marital home and into a dilapidated cottage, Beth has nothing to look forward to other than a mountain of dust and months and months of DIY. With her children far from impressed with their new home, Beth doesn’t have much cause for optimism – until she makes an unexpected discovery: a box of letters from agony aunt Evelyn Wright offering her sage and practical advice to those in need.

Although the letters are decades old, the advice is still as relevant as ever and Beth beings to feel as if she has found a kind friend just when she needed one most. But just who was the real Evelyn Wright? Why were these letters hidden? And how did they come to be in this untidy and unkempt cottage? As Beth begins to look deeper into Evelyn’s life, she quickly realizes that there was more to the agony aunt than sound advice and a cheery disposition. Determined to find out more about this woman who has inadvertently changed her life, will Beth find a way to thank Evelyn for everything she’s done for her and give her the peace she so desperately needs? Or might it all be too late?

Clare Swatman’s The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright is a wonderful story full of warmth, hope and heart that I found moving, compelling and so brilliantly readable, I couldn’t bear to put it down. A terrific tale about starting over, never giving up and finding the courage to pick yourself up and keep forging on, The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright is a witty, astute and involving read from Clare Swatman readers will adore.

The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright is the eighth novel by British author Clare Swatman. Recently-divorced mother of two, Beth has had to move from the family home in Banforth, to a dilapidated cottage fifteen miles out at Ecclesthorpe. She’s not used to living in a village, and has to commute to the high school where she teaches science.

Her ex, Rob has installed his mistress, her seven-year-old daughter’s teacher, in the family home and, even though she has custody, Beth is worried that Olivia and five-year-old Jacob will prefer the familiarity and space of their old home to sharing a room in a still unlovely little house. Making it habitable is a lot of work, and while her children are away, she’s finding the nights lonely, despite her exhaustion.

Then she comes across a bundle of magazines that look to be at least fifty years old, with the agony aunt page bookmarked. The Dear Evelyn Wright column is a fascinating look at the problems that people of the era faced and, while some of Evelyn’s advice is rather dated, much of what she tells her readers is sound and still applicable in today’s world.

Reading those letters sets off a series of events for Beth. The idea of helping people the way Evelyn did sees her setting up an agony aunt website while Evelyn’s idea for keeping children entertained and for making new friends leads to an addition to the household and succeeds on both counts.

Meanwhile, the website increases in popularity and brings a new man into Beth’s life. With that and the other challenges in her life, Beth keeps finding Evelyn’s advice helpful, even as she begins to feel confident in relying on her own instincts to answer the letters.

Swatman prefaces each chapter with a letter to, and a reply from, Evelyn Wright. Some of the issues she and Beth deal with are age-old ones, others on which Beth is asked to advise are much more topical.

The author would likely be disappointed with the inaccurate, misleading blurb, which reads like the person who composed it read only the first two chapters of the book, then guessed at where the plot would go, and got it spectacularly wrong. Ignoring that, this is a fairly enjoyable read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Clare Swatman’s "The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright" is a beautifully crafted tale that weaves together love, loss, and the lingering power of words. When Beth discovers a series of letters to and from a former agony aunt whilst she is redecorating, she embarks on a heartwarming journey to unearth secrets and reconcile the past whilst forging her own way forwards. Swatman’s vivid storytelling brings both Beth and Evelyn’s inner turmoil to the fore.
The characters are relatable and endearing, making readers invested in their journeys. The themes of memory and connection resonate throughout, reminding us that sometimes, the answers we seek are hidden in the stories we’ve left behind. Highly recommend for fans of emotional contemporary fiction!

This was a really good story. At first I had my doubts as it seemed so realistic and not all good stuff, cheating husband, struggles starting over, divorced life and loneliness that I worried whether it would also be enjoyable or just a story where you feel bad for what the main character is going through. I think for divorced mothers this story can be even more of an emotional read as they can relate to having to share their kids and their kids not being with them 7 days a week and some of the moments especially with Olivia really made me sad. I was even moved to tears at one point and realized how invested I had become in Beth’s story. I enjoyed the agony aunt side of the story and the letters from the past, but for me Beth’s story of starting over after her divorce, making new friends and perhaps even getting involved with a man again and above all her relationship with her kids was the most important part of this book for me. A good story and one that is definitely very believable.

I'm so sorry this one just wasn't for me. I tried several attempts to read it, but I couldn't get in to it. I don't feel right leaving low stars as I didn't finish, so am leaving 3.

I wanted to like this more than I ended up doing. I have read one other book by the author and liked the writing style and the vulnerable central character in that and this seemed to be similar in style.

The one thing I had no issues with is the writing itself. I enjoyed the author's writing style, would recommend it and definitely try another book written by the author. It was the plot itself that I did not enjoy.

We have some agony aunt letters that our protagonist finds in her new home. They trigger in her a need to be helpful, and she decides to start an online forum in a similar style, mostly to redirect her attention away from her personal life. She's struggling with helping her children's interest as her ex keeps making things harder by spending more money on them when they are together.

There's also the mystery of why the original letter writer vanished one day and left her daughter behind. This was quite an obvious twist and I was not happy with the way things turned out in the current timeline also. Most of the main characters did not behave like they ought to have given their roles. The vilifying of the ex and the constant arguments were not fun to read, neither was the new love interest.

This was definitely a me problem and I hope the next book I pick up from the author, I will like!

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience

A nice read that told the story of Beth, who was separated from her husband. Through dealing with setting up on her own, becoming a single parent and finding love again, this book follows the ups and downs of Beth’s life.
A good, easy read.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning, Beth is a lovely lady and I was rooting for her from the start . Her new friendships are great to read and follow. A must read

I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down.

I want to find an agony aunt to ask questions to. I loved the way they gently explored the history and how it all linked together. Really well done.

3-3.5 stars.
Feeling utterly demoralized after her divorce and moving out of the family home into a cottage sorely in need of some fixing up and love in a town new to her, Beth finds herself alone and deeply missing her two children Olivia and Jacob.

When beginning on one of her DIY projects to prepare the children's room, she finds a hidden box of letters written by agony aunt Evelyn to some of her petitioners. As Beth reads these letters, she begins to heal her broken heart, as Evelyn's voice is serene, consoling and kind.

Beth decides to not only take some of the advice to heart, but decides that if Evelyn helped her, maybe Beth can help others. She creates a website and decides to continue Evelyn's efforts, by soliciting similar appeals for help and posing as Evelyn. Beth also adopts a dog, begins making new friends of people in town, and answering online questions addressed to the new Evelyn.

Meanwhile, her ex does all he can to bribe his children's love and does his best to put down Beth, while taunting her with his shiny new life without her.

Beth makes numerous mistakes while rebuilding her new life, including setting herself up as an agony aunt without any sort of professional qualifications, sharing private information about one of her new friends, Catherine, with another, Charlie, without Catherine's consent, and getting both Catherine and Charlie to also masquerade as Evelyn (they also have no professional qualifications to advise people). These show lapses in judgment, and that Beth still had some work to do on herself, in addition to all the other work she was doing to grow and change. That these lapses were used to propel plot and significant other changes to the lives of Beth, Catherine and Charlie were a little uncomfortable, especially as I really enjoyed the way Beth's life opened up and became better.

That Beth's ill-advised choices led to positive changes in her life isn't great. I also wish these choices had not been so important to the trajectory of this novel, or that they resulted in a feel-good ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This author is one of my all time favourites and love how they write from the heart and with emotion about real people and relatable issues and take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster and the lost letters of Evelyn Wright was no exception.

This was a story of hope and second chances and of finding happiness and how sometimes fate intervenes and that everything happens for a reason and also explores the themes of loneliness and relationships and how making a fresh start can become easier with the help of new found friends

I loved how as an aside from the story of Beth we had the intertwining story of Evelyn which I don’t want to say to much about here and spoil for others but this side story was just perfect and added to the enjoyment of reading. I feel so sad to have just turned the last page of this book as I didn’t want it to end. I would love a sequel to see how Beth and her new round friends lives continue to blossom and grow.

Beth, in her new small town, is starting to make a new life for herself and build a new community. But it isn't always easy going when it comes to starting over.
This was a sweet story that I enjoyed. I will be looking forward to future releases from Swatman in the future.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

I think this book promised more than it delivered.

Beth moves into a new home after a bitter divorce and finds a box of letters while clearing out her children’s bedroom. The letters are from agony aunt Evelyn who dishes out seasoned practical advice. Beth is fascinated by what she reads and it takes her mind off her own problems. Beth then decides to take on Evelyn’s mantle and the process of helping others leads to new beginnings.

An easy read even if the characters weren’t particularly believable.

As I followed Evelyn Wright on her journey of uncovering hidden letters that reveal the secrets of her past, I found myself utterly engrossed in the narrative. Swatman effortlessly blends the past and present, weaving together a tapestry of emotions that kept me eagerly turning the pages. Swatman's prose is both elegant and evocative, painting vivid landscapes of both the heart and the mind. The way she explores themes of love, regret, and the enduring power of hope is nothing short of masterful. Each letter discovered by Evelyn feels like a treasure unearthed, revealing layers of emotion and truth that resonate long after the last page is turned. It's a beautifully crafted story that left me deeply moved. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone in search of a captivating and emotionally resonant read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you so much!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read this book.

This story is told by Beth, who has recently been through a divorce after her husband cheated on her. She's had to move out of the family home, and the only house she can afford is a rundown old cottage with a wild garden. While tidying, she finds a box of letters and magazines focusing on an Agony Aunt column. Due to the massive upheaval she is going through, she finds these letters a great comfort. They also lead her on a new journey and help inspire her to make changes that help her find her feet in her new life.

This story is well written and interesting. My heart broke for Beth when dealing with the emotions that came from having to watch a new woman take her place with her husband, children, and house. I can only imagine how earth-shattering that sort of situation is, so it was lovely to read along and watch Beth find her confidence again.

3,5* rounded to 4* I liked a lot some of it, not so much some other parts...

Beth's life has been turned inside out: she's divorced and trying to rebuild her world, moving to the country, renovating an old house trying to transform it in a cozy home, fighting for custody and every aspect of parenting with her cheating husband and working hard to lessen the change burden for her children.
Most of the days she ends up drained and crying alone; then she discovers a packet of old letters hidden by the past owner of the house: they're agony aunts letters and she finds some relieve reading them.
That's how she ends up opening a website and turning to an agony aunt herself: what if from all this dread she can turn things by helping others? Be the one who listens and lessens the burden.
That's how she turns up being a little more positive, knowing new people.

This book is deeply emotional, Beth goes through real life issues with an honesty it doesn't even feel fictional sometimes: the way she felt, how she handled things with her husband and kids, the loneliness, the overwhelming sense she gets from the big changes in her life, they were heartbroking but very well written.
Then there's Charlie, i have mixed feeling about how the author handled this part of the story: while it helps getting things lighter, it felt a little forced.

Thank you netgalley and Boldwoods Books for providing this book as an arc in exchange of an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Lost Letters Of Evelyn Wright' and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to others. Clare writes superb fiction with characters that you can't help but take to. I will definitely be reading more of Clare's work in the future.

The whole book moves quickly from moment to moment with little time for characters and readers to process, but it has themes I enjoy and some fun moments.