One Long Weekend by Shari Low.

Poor Val, she lost her husband, now she's lost her beloved rings, his being one of them. what an awful way to start her trip.

Alice McLenn had her life blow up with the scandal her husband caused. She could have left him but she did not. She is not happy with her life right now.


Then there is Sopie who misses the man she almost married and Rory who wonders about the person who let him down.

This book connected all of these strangers, it was emotional and yet uplifting.


The author writes characters who feel real and who you can like and care about, you really root for them to succeed.

I know once I start one of her books I will almost always finish it in one sitting, and I usually enjoy the characters and circumstances, how real they all seem to be, more than just a story, they could be your neighbors.

I liked how the people were so kind and how friends and family, the bonds and ties were so strong in the book.

4*** highly recommended


Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley

I adored this wonderful, charming, heartwarming, and lovely book! I enjoy Shari Low's writing, her characters, and the warm and support relationships they form with others. In my opinion, one of her strengths as an author, in addition to her beautiful writing, is creating characters that readers care about and want to spend time with them. The characters in One Long Weekend find themselves in heartbreaking and stressful situations which they handle them with realistic emotions, leaning on others for support, and trying their best to help others.

In [book:One Long Weekend|203098329, four individuals will find themselves in heartbreaking situations while also finding support through the kindness of strangers. Val lost her most valued possessions; Sophie took a chance and decided to travel in hopes of meeting up with the man who once proposed marriage to her; Alice suffered a life changing scandal thanks to her husband and sees an opportunity to start over; and Rory finds himself out of a job and a marriage on the same day. Each character is dealing/coping with major life events and experiences stress due to their situations. They find themselves connected through the pages of this book. I enjoyed each of the characters and rooted for all of them.

I felt for the characters, I rooted for them, I worried for them, and I cheered for them. I adored how the author showed the strength of friendship, family, and acts of kindness Although, the characters go through many things in this book, this book is hopeful and positive in its essence. I appreciated them for taking chances, being supportive, making sacrifices, and being present. Once I started this book, I did not want to put it down. If you have not read a book by Shari Low before, you are missing out!

Simply wonderful!

Val, Sophie,Alice and Rory all meet over one long weekend. A small velvet bag of four lost rings draws them altogether.
This is another really good book by this author. The characters and life situations are so real. It’s a hard to put down book.

Loved!

This was a wonderful book. If you read the preface, you'll know that the story was influenced by the author's own experience, which made the book even more meaningful. It was so nice to meet and hear mention of beloved characters from other books, like Val, Josie, Sophie, Ash, and so many more.

Beyond the story of the missing rings, we have the intricacies of two marriages, a lost relationship and lifelong friendship, all intertwined. Of course, the different bindings become evident as the story progresses, so you don't get it all at once. I think anyone who has enjoyed a book by this author in the past should run, not walk, to go buy it!!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Didn't realize when picking this one up that it follows upon a well-established world with characters galore all enmeshed together. Thus found myself very lost in this plot, not recalling whos' who (and the notes at the start didn't make it easier to distinguish them - in fact, it confused me further). I also didn't know when I picked this up that the characters would be so much older than 30s-40s. I don't mind reading about older characters sometimes, but had I known this one was mainly about an older character, I wouldn't have chosen to read this... So the rating is really my fault, for not knowing better going in - it wasn't my cup of tea at all, unfortunately

In One Long Weekend, Shari Low continues to charm with her indelible wit and profound empathy, crafting a story that's both a balm and a delight. Initially, I approached this book with trepidation. Val, the protagonist who recurs in Low's oeuvre, had previously grated on my nerves. In her earlier appearances, Val's overwhelming presence could be quite off-putting. Yet, in this narrative, due to the nature of the story, her character was more palatable and far easier to digest.
The foreword penned by Low tenderly sets the stage, offering glimpses into her personal connections to the characters, including the revelation that Val is inspired by her grandmothers. This admission cast a new light on Val for me, infusing my reading experience with a touch of guilt for not liking the character yet enriching my understanding and appreciation for her role.
This book unfolds over the course of a weekend, encapsulating moments of raw human emotion and the intricate dynamics within a group of well-drawn characters. Each character steps out of the page, vibrant and compelling, contributing to a tapestry of narratives that are as entertaining as they are touching. Shari Low masterfully balances multiple storylines, weaving them together with a deftness that feels both effortless and finely tuned.
The core of the story—its heart—is resonant and poignant, offering a comforting narrative. The journey to the conclusion is satisfying, tying up loose ends with a grace that invites reflection.
As I turned the last page, I couldn't help but feel a personal connection to these characters and a strong desire to revisit them in future works. Their development and resolutions were so beautifully handled that it's hard not to wonder where they might go from here.
In sum, One Long Weekend is a testament to Shari Low's ability to evolve her characters and engage her readers with every new book. It's a lovely, heartwarming read that proves once again why she remains a favourite for so many.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This heart-warming story follows a few characters all over the same weekend. Val takes a trip to see family but whilst travelling she loses four rings from loved ones that have passed away. She is devastated and tries to hunt them down.

Sophie is travelling to Glasgow for the weekend, to try and track down the love of her life, that she let slip away.

Alice discovers a chance to finally be rid of her husband after an unhappy marriage, involving her husbands’ scandal. Her son Rory also finds his life is turned upside down all in one day.

All four, have their heartbreak and have the weekend to try and change their lives forever.

Will Val find her rings? Will Sophie track down her love? Will Alice leave her Husband? What is in Rory’s future?

I have read a few of this authors books and they are always so heart-warming but sometimes heart-breaking at the same time. Each character has their own heartbreak which they are trying to find a way to escape.

I love how this book is split out with each character taking turns with their own dialogue of what is happening over the weekend, and the fact it is set over only three days increases the longing for everything to work out for them all.

The way the storyline entwines with all of the characters is amazing, and it makes the storyline that even more heart-warming and shows how working together as a group of friends makes life that little bit easier.

Overall, a heart-warming story, where four heart-broken people have one weekend to change their future.

I absolutely loved this book. Read in one sitting, starting at 11pm and finishing now.... no sleep!
I couldn't put it down.
I usually struggle with books written from different peoples perspectives, but this was really easy to follow, and each story melted my heart, but for different reasons.
I fell in love with Val. She is an amazing character with such warmth, and my heart broke for her at times whilst reading this.

Rory, well, he was a little sweetie that was definitely dealt a bad hand.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion
The story was so relatable and believable, and I loved how everyone's stories had meaning to others
Fabulous book and will recommend

One to be savoured and enjoyed!

Val Murray has lost her most treasured possessions - and, of course, she blames herself; however, her family will leave no stone unturned to try and get them back. Sophie Smith is travelling to Glasgow in the hope of finding the love of her life - will she? Alice McLenn has suffered so much humiliation due to her husband but has stood by him; can she now find the strength to walk away? Rory Brookes was forced to cut off his parents to save his marriage, but now that's gone by the wayside anyway, is it too late to turn back the clock?

It's no secret that I adore all of this author's books and this one is stupendous. Four separate stories which, over three days, overlap and become entwined - you just wouldn't believe how much is going on. For me, the icing on the cake was the personal touch from Shari, details of what inspired the story. With her trademark humour sprinkled amongst everything else going on, this is a cracking read and another I will be recommending to all and sundry. Absolutely fabulous, and an easy decision to award this one all five sparkling stars. The fabulous cover merits a mention too!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This was my first book by this author and I'll have to say that she may be moving into my top ten. At first, when the book started out with each chapter being an introduction to a new character, I thought I was going to have issues keeping track of of them. Then it hit me that each chapter and character had some sort of link to the previous ones. I loved how Ms. Low made that work. It was like there were curlicues going throughout the book.

The characters were very well developed and felt like real people to me. I felt the pain and the joy right along with them and their heartaches were my own. I absolutely loved how all the characters and all of the separate storylines merged at the end. What a great read!

Thanks to Boldwood Books for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

Another fabulous, emotional rollercoaster of a book by this author! Packed full of the most loveable characters, the most hideous villains and a plotline that makes it impossible to put the book down! Once again, I loved how old characters from books passed pop up and are just ass fabulous as they were in previous books!

I always enjoy Shari Low and this was no exception. She writes with humour and pathos and I was swept up in the story not wanting it to end. Highly recommend.

When Val Murray's beloved Don passed away she was distraught. Agreeing to leave her home in Glasgow to visit relatives in London for two weeks, Val was stressed, upset and grieving. When she discovered the mementos from Don and others she'd lost, were missing, she searched. They all searched. Then Carol activated her social media followers to help. Meanwhile Sophie wanted to find her lost love, heading to Glasgow for the weekend. But fate saw her cross paths with a grumpy taxi driver..

Alice had had enough of her life; the husband she thought she loved she now despised and she was trying to work out how to leave him. She'd cut her son Rory off from them a year ago, both to save his relationship and save him from his father. Stoically and determinedly, Alice continued on her course.

One Long Weekend is my second read by Shari Low and I loved it. Set over three days, mostly in Glasgow, the closeness of the friends, the devastation of losing her most precious possessions, the wonder of technology and hope; never give up. One Long Weekend is entwined with an event in the author's life, and what gave her the ideas for this book. Fascinating, heartwarming and delightful - Val was a pleasure to listen to; to chat with. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I always get excited when a new Shari book comes out, I love the stories so much I almost inhale them! This one was no exception, the story surrounding these well written characters comes full circle to the most amazing ending and will hopefully carry on in the next one

When I read that a favourite character from previous books suffers a heartbreaking life changing event I was not sure that I wanted to continue reading, as it brought back painful memories.
However, luckily like Val I continued on and as the mood of the book lightened, the laughter and jokes crept in and hope and friendship flourished.
Shari Low has a knack of writing about real life , real events and great characters and maybe that is why the reader connects with the characters so well.
I love your writing Shari, thank you for making me laugh and I forgive you for making me cry!

One Long Weekend by Shari Low is a powerful contemporary novel that I loved. For a few hours I immersed myself in the world of the novel as I joined for characters for a weekend.
The novel is set in Glasgow and told in the first person from four alternating points of view. These seemingly unconnected lives find themselves intersecting over one long weekend. The reader spots the connections before the characters do, as we become intimately acquainted with them all.
A moment in time is all it takes to alter four lives. Lives that were balanced on a knife edge find that life looks very different on a Monday afternoon compared with Friday morning.
We meet a character who is struggling with the loss of three people very dear to her heart. Each loss has merely heightened the previous losses. Four rings have symbolized three lives and when these rings are accidentally lost, a character is bereft.
There is the importance of family. Family will move mountains to support others. We witness sacrificial love as we see several sets of parents and grown up children who will do whatever it takes in order to protect those they love.
There is character who has suffered verbal abuse for years. We see the bravery it takes, just to keep going each day.
A character travels an ocean to search for a lost love. The end of the weekend produces some surprising results.
The modern phenomena of social media is a powerful tool. When used correctly, there is the wealth of power at the touch of a button as many can search for what one has lost.
I thoroughly enjoyed One Long Weekend. The characters were all well drawn. They elicited a variety of emotional responses from me. This was a powerful novel showing how four strangers lives interconnect over the simplest of things.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I love everything Shari Low writes. This is a part of her One series but any of these books can be read as standalones. I read this in one sitting. The author has a way of writing that makes you feel that the characters within the pages are friends of yours. This book was based on a true experience that happened to the author which added to the intrigue. I needed to know how the story ended and could not put this book down. So many feels! Thank you to Netgalley, and Boldwood Books for the eArc and for Shari Low for writing such amazing books.

Another fabulous read from Shari Low, all the emotions, bring tissues! A real rollercoaster of emotions as we follow a cast of relatable characters this long weekend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

As always, Shari has written a beautiful and emotional story which really resonated with me.

It doesn't matter if this is your first Shari Low book, or your tenth, because within minutes you will feel as though you are already friends with each and every person going living their lives within these pages.

This author never puts a foot (word!) wrong!

Oh, I love this author's books! This is a standalone book, but is also sort of part of a series. It can however be easily read without having read the other books! The book draws on experience from the author herself, and we begin with one of the main characters, Val Murray losing a set of rings on the way to the airport which are very important to her. This then results in a culmination of different characters stories all linking together in a quest not just to get Val her rings back, but to solve the other characters problems too!

As well as meeting Val, we also have the stories of Sophie Smith who has gone to Glasgow to find the love of her life, Alice McLenn who is planning to leave her husband, and Rory Brookes whose wife has announced she is leaving him. I love how this author writes so that all these different characters have their own storyline, but then they all entwine with each other as well as the book moves on! The characters are all so likeable and I didn't dislike any of them (with the exception of Alice's husband!) I went through differing emotions as I read this book and found myself with tears in my eyes on more than one occasion! Whilst the characters individual storylines are so sad, the whole book was heart-warming and uplifting leaving me happy by the end of it!!

I absolutely loved this book and didn't put it down until I'd finished it. It was filled with so much family, friends, love and laughter, and was truly sparkling! This author is definitely one which I will always push to the top of my To Be Read list! Would recommend!