Jojo Moyes and Diane Chamberlain fans looking for the next emotional rollercoaster read are simply going to love Kate Hewitt’s affecting, poignant and captivating tale of friendship, family and the ties that bind: This Fragile Life. Packed with plenty of emotional punch, This Fragile Life is a book so moving that it might just end up damaging your heartstrings!

Alex and Martha might be best friends, but they couldn’t be more different. Alex spends most of her life lurching from one disaster to another. She cannot hold down a job, can barely afford to continue living in her apartment and has forgotten the last time she was in a stable, loving and caring relationship. An unexpected pregnancy is the last thing she needs right down. She can barely look after herself, let alone a child she cannot afford. Alex knows that ignoring the problem will not make it go away. But just when she is about to give up all hope the perfect solution presents itself. Have all of Alex’s prayers been answered? Or is she setting herself up for more trouble, anguish and heartache?

Unlike Alex, Martha’s life is on track. She has a great career, a loving husband and a beautiful home. But there is one thing missing in her life. One thing which she wants with all of her heart and soul: a baby. However, even though she and her husband have gone through five rounds of IVF, there is still no baby. When Alex tells her that she has fallen pregnant with a child she cannot look after, it looks like Martha’s dreams might just come true for what would be simpler than for Martha to care for Alex’s baby?

It all seems so simple and straightforward, but the two women soon realise that it is anything but. Giving her best friend the child she is carrying is not as easy as Alex had initially thought and Martha’s picture perfect life may not be as perfect as she had initially thought. One way or another, it looks like their friendship will be shattered irrevocably, but will they manage to salvage their relationship? Or is there simply no going back?

This Fragile Life is a haunting, visceral, emotional and haunting read that will not only capture your attention from the very beginning and keep you engrossed till the end, but it will also make you think about your relationships, your friendships and the curve balls which life frequently throws our way. Kate Hewitt is a hugely talented writer who draws her readers in and keeps them on the edge of their seats with her incisive prose, lyrical writing and unflinching talent for tackling hard-hitting issues in a way that never feels preachy or didactic.

A wonderful read I couldn’t bring myself to put down, This Fragile Life is a book that is as hard to put down as it is to forget.