I've only ever read one other book by Carroll and that was Meet Me in Manhattan, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Remember, I Love You reminded me why I need to read more from this author, it was absolutely wonderful in every way.

It's set in Dublin, predominantly in local café, the Leesom Street Café and it's where a small community are brought together through their losses.

I love the whole idea of a Bereavement Café, it may sound morose but I think it would be beneficial to so many people who struggle with loss or even the thought of loss, myself included.

The characters are charming and I found myself immediately taking them to heart.

It's beautifully written, will tug on your heartstrings more than once and tissues are an absolute given.

I really wasn't sure what to make of this book when I first started it as I wasn't sure it was for me. However, I'm so glad I read it.

The characters are all so realistic and relatable, all going through the different stages and emotions of grief that most of us understand if you've lost a loved one.

The idea of a Bereavement Cafe was intriguing and one that appealed to me. The participants were so diverse and my heart went out to each of them. My favourites had to be Connie, Luke, Stella and the twins.

The book is not all doom and gloom, especially when the eccentric Lucasta makes an appearance. I loved her.

A heart-wrenching and heartwarming story that had laughter, love and hope running through it.

Thank you Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love it when romance writers shift to more women's fiction, and that is what Claudia Carroll is doing here. This is actually a fun, interesting story about a group brought together by the common thread of the loss of a loved one when they all attend meetings at The Bereavement Cafe. The individual losses are all developed in the book. The losses are different, but all have left common feelings in the patrons of the cafe.

The characters and their losses are all developed in a way that they each have their own story within the overall story. Some stories are sad, some are funny, but they all go to show that life continues after loss and there can be happiness and love again if you just open yourself to it.

I really enjoyed this book from this author and will be looking for more of this type from her. I loved the quirky characters!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ebook. All thoughts are my own.

Despite grief being the central theme in this story, the book was hopeful and cathartic. It was full of great characters and overwhelming sense of community that was so heartwarming.

This was my first by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Unfortunately I can’t give more than three stars for this book as I felt a bit disappointed. I feel like the ending could have been so much better and it felt like it was somewhat unfinished.

Unfortunately I can’t give more than three stars for this book as I felt a bit disappointed. I feel like the ending could have been so much better and it felt like it was somewhat unfinished.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Remember, I Love You' by Claudia Carroll.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Love Algorithm' which I would also highly recommend!
This book has fantastic descriptions that set you straight in the scenes. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly. This book is very well written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.
Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolutely gorgeous, laugh a minute, page turner!! An absolute must read!!!
This has got to be one of the best feel good reads I have read this year!! If you are feeling down or just looking for a book to life you up then pick up your copy of 'Remember, I Love You' today and you wont regret it!!! It is one of those books that are very easy to read and perfect for any reading situations whether you are laying on a beach or curled up in front of a fire. It really does not matter where or when you read it as Claudia will transport you to Dublin and the heart of the story at the turn of the page! How Claudia manages to turn a book that is filled with death and grief into one full of hope, warmth and love I will never know but she manages hook, line and sinker!!! In this beautifully emotive book we meet Connie who has lost her Mum who she was best friends with as they were so close. She has not got any regular income due to being an actor and between jobs so also has to sell the home they lived in in order to give her brother Donald his share of the inheritance. Thankfully she has her other best friend Kate to shine some light on her in these dark times. We then meet Luke and his 6 year old daughter Amy. Luke's wife and Amy's Mum Helen has passed away and Luke is struggling to keep on top of his demanding job and grieving daughter with unsupportive colleagues. We then meet Lucasta who is a novelist and can hear the dead. Also struggling with their own grief are Alex and Lucy who are teenage twins that have lost their Dad. These wonderful characters all end up meeting at a Bereavement Café on Leeson Street in Dublin City Centre where they all build a friendship with each other and other customers at the café. With Lucasta sharing her messages from loved ones who have passed and a community bonded by grief these amazing characters spread their love, joy and laughter sharing the stories they tell each other and the memories they bring alive. Grab your copy of this wonderful book and smile along with them and I can promise that you will not regret it!! With this wonderful author you may even find your new favourite read and/or author!! With a storyline ram packed with healing, hope, friendship, humour, strength and so, so much more what are you waiting for??? This is one of those stunning books that I genuinely could not put down and I was walking around with it glued to my hands. I ended up devouring it in a few hours!! It will definitely be living rent free in my head for a very, very long time!! Claudia's evocative writing skills brought the characters and atmosphere to life ensuring I felt, seen and heard everything going around. I loved the Irish dialogue used which helped to make it even more realistic I really cannot wait to get hooked into more of Claudia's books so I hope she is busy writing her next one!! This is definitely one of those books that will turn a frown upside down and make life seem a lot brighter. I absolutely loved the ending and I would absolutely LOVE to see this turned into a movie. I would definitely be the first in the queue to see it along with her next success!!
Clear your schedules and get the tissues ready for the tears of laughter, this is one book you will be hooked on until you finish!!!
This is one of those books that is absolutely full of characters that will stay with you for a very long time!!! The characters were all an eclectic mix and each one of them were realistic and strong. I was completely invested in them all and they will all stay with me for a very long time. There is fantastic character development throughout the storyline and I loved watching each if the characters personalities grow along with their relationships and friendships changing and developing. It was lovely to see how many of them were so different from when we first meet them until we sadly have to say goodbye. An amazing group of characters that I would absolutely love to meet again in any of Claudia's future page turners!! Pick up your copy today and get to know them all yourselves!!!
Congratulations Claudia on another absolutely stunning, hopeful and addictive page turner!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!! This is why you are on my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂

Overall an unputdownable, unique, gorgeous book filled with strength, hope, humour, friendship and so much more!!


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What a wonderful read
Had me from the first page
What a emotional heartwarming book
Did not want it to end
Can’t wait for her next book
Thank netgalley

Out-of-work actress Connie misses her mother every day and now her brother is making her sell up the family home where she still lives.
Architect Luke is struggling to cope with his demanding job as well as the care of his six-year-old daughter after the death of his wife.
They both go along to a bereavement session at a Dublin café where they meet a diverse group of people all dealing with grief, including bestselling author Lucasta, who can communicate with the dead.
This was another heartwarming story from Carroll with a mystical element but the last part seemed a bit rushed and we had to make a hasty goodbye to the characters we’d been enjoying getting to know.

A beautiful touching funny book that I devoured in a couple of days. A novel filled with hope despite the subject.

Remember I Love You is another wonderful read by Claudia Carroll. Each of the main characters have lost someone close to them and they each form a close bond when they start to attend weekly get togethers at a cafe on Leeson Streer in Dublin City centre. There they are given the opportunity to talk about their loved ones. Whilst this may sound like a sad read it’s not all that , yes it’s emotional at times but there are plenty of laughter throughout the book as well. I loved all the characters and I felt the author described them all so well. In spite of the characters having lost someone close to them I also found this to be an uplifting read at times and it did put a smile on my face in places .

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

This beautiful and uplifting read follows a few characters who have recently lost someone special in their lives. Mostly strangers at first, they come together and help each other come to terms with their grief.

Luke has recently lost his wife, but with a little girl and a high-flying job is struggling to keep on top of everything as well as allow time for grief and himself.

Connie is missing her Mum, and with her brother forcing the sale of the family home is trying to work out the best way forward for her future, but then she suddenly receives an unusual phone call.

Will they find a way through their grief? What is in their future?

This was a wonderful, beautiful read, and it was uplifting with all the support the group of new friends provide.

I love how the chapters go through the different characters, so you get to see what is happening with each one. This helps not only build the storyline, but makes you want to hear more next time their chapters come around.

There is an element of their loved ones trying to reach out to their grieving family, which not only adds to the storyline, but supports their healing and adds a few laughs along the way.

Overall, a beautiful and uplifting read, where a group come together to support each other through their time of grief.

Well I absolutely loved this book, what a charming read and not what I expected.
The main characters ‘rubbed along’ so well together and their characters developed with each chapter.
Not at all gloomy, a wonderful uplifting read. As I was reading, it very much reminded me of Maeve Binchy. Loved it 5 stars from me.

What do an out-of-work actress, a struggling single dad, and a psychic octogenarian have in common? Grief. It’s a heavy subject. It can wrap you in a fog that feels impossible to cut through. But what if you could view it through a slightly different lens that combines humor with heart? That’s exactly what Claudia Carroll does in her latest book set in Dublin, Ireland.

We embark on a journey with a cast of characters, each grappling with their own version of heartache. They stumble into the magical Bereavement Cafe, a comforting place like that quirky friend who always knows how to lighten the mood.

This book is filled with delightful charm. It doesn’t shy away from the rawness of grief but instead wraps it in a lighthearted tone that resonates with anyone on a similar path. We see the characters begin to heal through chuckles and shared laughter. They find ways to connect not only with their own pain but also with each other.

So if you’ve faced loss, this book might just be the companion you didn’t know you needed. Through laughter and tears, you’ll find comfort in the shared experiences of others. And who knows, maybe you’ll even find a little bit of hope along the way.

Thank you to Ms. Carroll for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

No one expects a book where the central theme is death and loss and grief to be warm and funny and not at all depressing, but that is exactly what you will get when you pick up Remember, I Love You by Claudia Carroll. If you ever wanted a book to remind you that life goes on, this is the one for you.

The story follows a group of people in Dublin who are all dealing with the loss of someone close to them, whether it be a parent, spouse, fiancé or something else. Anyone who has lost someone important to them knows what a struggle grief is, how lost and alone it can make you, how desperate to cling on to anything to stop you from drowning in the pain. This is where the Bereavement Cafe comes in. It is a place where people can gather and talk about their grief with people who understand, and it becomes a lifeline for this disparate group who are trying to make sense of their lives after loss.

But then famous author, Lucasta Liversidge, arrives in their mist, and there is a possibility that she might have the power to bring them messages from their departed loved ones. But is this a hope that any of these lost souls should cling on to? Does she really have the power to change their lives for the better in their darkest hour?

This is a book about holding on and letting go, about remembering the people we have loved and lost, but living life to the fullest in the aftermath of grief, about forging new relationships whilst honouring the ones we had. It may seem impossible in the moment, but with love and support it can be done, and anyone who has been in this situation will be able to relate. This story is so honest and will really resonate with anyone who has been in this situation.

All of the characters in this book feel like real people to the reader and my heart broke for all of them. Luke, trying to hold his life together for his daughter when his wife is gone, Connie, whose whole life is collapsing with the death of her mother, and the twins who don’t seem to have been brought together by their shared grief. It is all so sad and, yet, this book contains so much hope when people come together to support and care for each other. That’s the uplifting message to take away from the story.

The author writes with such tenderness and understanding of people and of grief, but also manages to insert a thread of humour throughout that stops the book sinking too far into the maudlin which keeps this book in the vein of a light read, which is unusual and fresh when dealing with this subject. I felt like it hit the perfect tone and, as someone who has dealt with a terrible grief, the book left me feeling uplifted and upbeat, which was wonderful.

Don’t shy away from this book because of its subject matter, it is a fantastic read.

Though this book covers the topic of bereavement, overall it was a light hearted read and filled with a variety of characters in different relatable situations (e.g. single parent, grieving child). It had slight supernatural elements to it which I enjoyed, though some of them ended a bit to abruptly for me. I felt the ending was also rushed and I would have liked to know what happened with the supporting characters that featured in the book.

I finished this just in time for Publication Day tomorrow - 12th Feb and want to you thank Claudia Carroll, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this early release copy.

It was a joy to read, from start to finish. I have always been a fan of Claudia Carroll books (Eventhough she’ll always be Nicola to me) and this was no exception.

She opens our eyes and hearts to this idea of bereavement cafes / grief cafes (and I was glad to google that these have started to pop up across these shores), a safe space for people wherever they are in their grief journey to find solace, share stories and heal together. There’s no dramatics, unrealistic expectations, just the raw realities we face whether as as a child, spouse, sibling etc, with a seance or two thrown in for good measure!

Definitely recommend and if you didn’t manage to get it on NetGalley it’s only €2 at the moment on Amazon, which is mad for a new book! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remember-Love-You-Claudia-Carroll-ebook/dp/B0CRR7HR8Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=16FUKNCO3K0ZA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.S8VXv0drpRwN387kFs5k205scXlI2N6o3TBQkV2BIZWDDCjQGiZeKDWVo6t4X7Z02V6Lxb41RtJuyDfjvWxjZfLGotBSixTf3iFVFL1azYg.ZfCKXLZ-mMU5ZYtlcfdn3MN1kYkBn68O7SqULf737SY&dib_tag=se&keywords=remember+i+love+you+claudia+carroll&qid=1739278619&sprefix=remember+%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1

I loved the synopsis and couldn't wait to read it
. I enjoyed the book but felt it dragged in the middle and then everything seemed rushed at the end.

Claudia Carroll's Remember I Love You - at first I was wary as I had never read Ms Carroll's books before but I don't know what has taken me so long.

The book was poignant and heartbreaking, yet ultimately uplifting.

Carroll has struck gold with her creation of Lucasta Liversidge , a fantastical creature who leaps off the page, who listens and hears the pleas of the dearly departed loved ones of her fellow Bereavement Cafe attendees. Can she help Connie who talks to her dead mother through and old Nokia phone, or make Luke listen that his late wife Helen is worried sick about him and their beloved daughter Amy?

Deftly written intertwining tales of cotemporary Dubliners all dealing with their own personal loss which fans of Laura Pearson might enjoy.

An uplifting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad story about loss, grief, friendship and family. A group of people grieving meet in a cafe in Dublin and their lives intertwine with a famous writer that can speak with the dead. Through the story they help each other and their lives turns out better for all of them. Thanks to NetGalley and the ARC they provided. This is my honest review.