This one life by Amanda Prowse is such an emotional read, I really enjoyed it. It follows Madeleine, who grew up in a poor family. Madeleine is very ambitious, she has ​​a good career and is about to move permanently to Los Angeles.
Then everything changes as her mother becomes ill.
The book was very thought provoking and I enjoyed it very much. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This book is a complete exploration of identity, personal growth, and the complexities of human relationships. It touches on many topics of love and loss and finding yourself.

I didn’t love the fragmented way the story was told, but I think overall it worked and the story and the characters stuck with me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of This One Life by Amanda Prowse.

Madeleine is a woman with ambitions, who is just about to reach the height of everything she ever wanted. However, when her mother gets ill, it all comes crashing down, and now she has to help her mother take care of her daughter, who her mother has been raising for the past seven years. Is Madeleine going to let go of her dreams, or say farewell to her birth daughter and family? What is the right choice?

I'm not entirely sure what the author was trying to say when she wrote this book. A lot of people in the reviews found Madeleine to be unlikeable for her decision not to raise her daughter, but I take issue with that. Madeleine wanted to giver her daughter up for adoption, but her mother insisted that she keep the child in the family. They made firm agreements and boundaries, so I actually feel like her mother was the unfair one for guilting Madeleine into staying close. To be honest, I didn't like Madeleine much either, but not because she wanted to remain childless, every woman is free to make that choice.

This is a slow moving, dialogue heavy book. It wasn't necessarily bad, especially if you enjoy books with nuanced and complex discussions. I just don't think I vibed with whatever message the author was trying to convey, and I especially didn't enjoy some of the boundaryless interactions between mother and daughter in this book.

I enjoyed this story, at some points I felt it was slow, but It was nice and gentle.
I liked the message of you only live once. And some of it resonated with me and my current situation.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This One Life was interesting in that I truly disliked the main character, Madeleine, but I really liked the supporting characters in the novel. Madeleine's struggle in the novel is told come to terms with her life choices: an unexpected pregnancy, letting her parents raise her child, a fractured relationship with her former best friend.

I really loved Madeleine's mother and felt like Madeleine was truly awful to her. Perhaps being a mother myself made it harder for me to find sympathy for Madeleine, but like many people she never stopped to contemplate her mother's life outside of being a mother, which was ironic since Madeleine gave up her child to focus solely on her own dreams.

Overall, I like how Prowse examined the different relationships and tried to help explain Madeleine's viewpoint. I liked the novel, but I wish Madeleine could have been a bit more likable.

This One Life by Amanda Prowse was a beautifully written book, Every book I have read by Amanda have been a wonderful read and I just love the way she writes, and she always writes from her heart, this book was no different. I ended up reading it all day, a great way to start the New year off......But, you will need tissues. lots of them.

I loved this book and I highly recommend This one Life.

Madeleine's about to move to LA to advance her career when her mother falls ill and past choices come to haunt her.

This was a story about choices. Madeleine had made a life-changing choice seven years before that had her distancing herself from her former life. Her mother's illness had her confronting everything head on.

She came off as unlikeable at times but had her reasons. Everybody's different. I loved that those close to her made the effort to try and understand her as she did them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 4⭐
Steam level 1.5🌶️ Closed door

Hard to get into it first, but it definitely gets better the more you read! I recommend! Also, it was the first book i read from Amanda Prowse so i am pretty happy with the flow of the story i read!

Sorry it took me long, i had some personal issues to take care of!

In This One Life by Amanda Prowse, Madeleine grows up in a warm but financially struggling household and aspires to build a better life for herself by working hard and dreaming of owning her own business. However, life takes unexpected turns, forcing her to face choices that challenge her ambitions and relationships.

The novel is praised for Amanda Prowse's ability to write realistic, raw characters and emotional narratives. However, some readers found it hard to connect with the characters, especially Madeleine, or their decisions. Themes of personal sacrifice, stepping up in difficult times, and navigating complex relationships resonate throughout the book. It’s a thought-provoking read for those who enjoy stories about complicated, unconventional relationships and the consequences of life choices.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This One Life by Amanda Prowse was another heartfelt fiction that moved me deeply. The story was full of emotional decisions and consequences. It was a novel that made me pause and struggle. What would I do?? And could I do it? It was well written and heartfelt.
Thanks Lake Union Press via NetGalley

I’m a big fan of Amanda Prowse and this novel doesn’t disappoint. The main character, Madeleine, is determined to escape her poor economic upbringing and seems to be leaving the people she loves behind as well. But eight years later she is forced to confront her choices when she realizes what is really important for her life. I wasn’t entirely sympathetic to the character, but became more so later on the book.

As always Amanda Prowse brings us all yet another a fantastic unptdownable novel This One Life.
I loved absolutely everything about this book.
The characters in this book are so relatable to me.
And the writing is just fantastic.

This One Life by Amanda Prowse is a convoluted story of a woman who reaches for the life she wants and doesn’t want to give it up when she finds it, despite the fact sometimes it hurts. Edith-Madeleine is raised in a poor home, but one full of love. Her mother had definite ideas about things and her father never raises his voice or loses his temper. She asked him once and it turns out he grew up in a home where his father drank, hit, and yelled and he swore he would never be like that. Her parents loved each other and she saw that but it wasn’t for her. She would rather live in an apartment with three others than live at home. At one point, that was taken from her, but, she left again as soon as she could, leaving people in her wake.

It was an emotional story, parts of which most women will identify with. The time was a little different; independence gets easier all the time. Her parents always stood by her, despite the fact they didn’t understand her at all. She had hurt a friend, and that broke her heart. She judged people on the surface and didn’t always remember to look further. It was an all-consuming story, confusing sometimes, but always interesting.

I was invited to read This One Life by Lake Union Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #LakeUnionPublishing #AmandaProwse #ThisOneLife

Happy Pub Day!

Madeleine grew up in a loving home but financially struggling. She wants more for herself and works hard to achieve her dreams of eventually owning her own business. Then life happens.

Amanda Prowse is a go to author for me. Her writing is top notch and characters are raw, realistic and relatable. It’s easy to get lost in her stories. This story, however, didn’t totally work for me. I couldn’t connect with most of the characters or their choices. I felt that they walked on egg shells around Madeleine. I appreciated how they stepped up. Yes, sometimes we need to put our wants and needs first, but we also need to step up when faced with the consequences of our actions. This book really makes you look at things from another point of view. If you like complicated, out of the norm relationships, this book is for you. I look forward to this author’s next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fabulous book.

We meet Madeline, who didn’t have a lot as she grew up, but she did get so much love from her parents, who did whatever they thought was right for her.

As she got older, she thought about what she wanted for her future, which was a lot more than she has now. So she decides to move to LA to do what she’s dreamt of.

But, her mothers is taken ill and all that Maddie has done till now to change her life, even the decision she made years ago is now making her think whether moving away is really the right thing to do.

It is a dual timeline story, what happened eight years ago and what is happening now, we read about the decision she made then and how that impacts her life now.

The story will have you turning the pages.

I highly recommend this book.

After years of hard work, Madeleine’s life is very nearly perfect. She’s about to move to LA to pursue her dream job, and her beginning romance with Nico has potential. However, when her mother has a heart attack, Madeline begins to rethink her past and a decision that she made seven years ago. Madeline reflects on whether she did the right thing for herself and for her family and friends.
Told in two timelines, eight years apart, the story tells the events that led to Madeline’s reflection on her life. This book packed plenty of life into the chapters, and I found myself hoping that there would be a positive outcome for Madeleine and her family, as well as her seemingly sweet romance with Nico. An interesting read that will keep you thoroughly engrossed.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book. I DNF at 11% twice. I enjoyed the first chapter both times but could not get into the others as the story wen on. I am sorry I could not finish. I will definately check out other books by Amanda Prowse but I guess this one wasn't for me.

Thank you Net Galley, Amanda Prowse and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to preview this title.

I did not post my review to my socials as I did not want to negatively impact the book's release.

Madeline grew up in a household where money was tight. Bare necessities were met, but there was no thing left for anything extra. She made up her mind that she wanted a challenging and well paying career. And she'd achieved it. Madeline was very happy with her life. She was about to move to Los Angeles permanently.

A family crisis has upset the order of her life and she has had her eyes opened to a number of things that she's missed. She's not upset with any of the choices that she's made up to now, but maybe her life isn't exactly what she wants going forward.

This is a book that highlights the decisions that women made about how they lead their lives. I have made decisions not all that different from Madeline's and like her, I've been happy with my life. The book might cause readers to reexamine their own lives.

I did find the first part of the book confusing because of similar names. But keep on going - all is explained.

I can't think of a better way to start a new year than with a new book from Amanda Prowse. I've had This One Life on my kindle for a little while but I knew I was going to struggle with reading and focus through December, so I decided to wait before starting it. I can never read Mandy's books with anything less than clear focus. They deserve that, at least.

So I picked up my kindle on New Year a Day and instantly fell into Madeline's story. Mads is a complex and conflicted character, and I really felt for her; so torn between worlds. My emotions were all over the place. Marnie and Dougie tugged at my heart with their tender love. Jimmy had me swooning. Trina and Mads reminded me of me and my childhood bestie, Nicole, with their bond like sisters. And then there's Edith. How could anyone not fall head over heels in love with Edith? She is everything I ever dreamed of having.

The tension and drama in this book is a little higher than most of Mandy's books, but that is in no way a bad thing. It made it hard to put down. But there's still every single ounce of the family, love, and heart that you expect in an Amanda Prowse book.

What a start to my reading year!!

A very big 4.5⭐️

Set in dual timelines, it felt a little slow to come together but when it did I was anxious to see where it went. This will definitely stir the emotions, tug at the heartstrings. What would you be willing to give up for the perfect life? And, can it really be perfect knowing what you gave up? We have a few clues at the end of the book but, I wish there was an epilogue fast forwarding a year or two and tying it all up in a neat little bow.