Unique, Surprising..
An unusual and unexpected angle is explored in this emotionally astute and keenly observed tale of lives, loves and human nature in all its own chaotic forms. It is true that Linda and Levi will never meet - but through Linda the reader is pulled into the past and into Levi’s own world and, through that, Linda herself experiences her own from of unexpected enlightenment. Heart warming and endearing, unique and surprising.

I’m a fan of Ruth Jones as an actress and have also loved every book that she’s written so far.
By you side Is a beautiful gentle story about how one man’s love can lead to him dying and being totally alone.
I laughed and cried throughout the book as Ruth tells such a touching and emotional story of how one man’s love can change many lives.
Well done on another fabulous read.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fantastic book.

Thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
What can you say. Ruth Jones is a fantastic writer whose writes and real people doing real things. This book was no exception. Read in a day as also being a "Linda " who is the wrong side of 60 and a size 18+ the story totally resonated with me.
The thought of trying to sort through people's life by what is left behind is heartbreaking in itself but obviously it need not be that way if people really care what they are doing and Linda went that extra step. The trip with the undertaker to collect Levi's body was delightfully told and the few days on Storrich which ended abruptly but then turned round was extremely well written. So glad Linda's story had a very happy ending.

"By Your Side" is a wonderful, heart-warming story centred around a mature woman with an unusual job. When a resident of a small, remote Scottish island dies Linda travels with the local undertaker to collect the body and look in to the estate of the deceased. The story unravels the past of Levi, who died alone, but had an interesting past. Along the way Linda makes new friends and discovers more about herself; she can have her own life and it doesn't have to centre around grandson. Hopefully this novel won't encourage too many people to travel to the Scottish islands and spoil them.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Absolutely marvellous...yet again.

Jones manages to create warmth in every single character, of which all are equally pivotal to the success of this story. The island lot are a comical bunch.

And of course how can you not love Linda Standish- what a woman. Unequivocally herself, flaws and all. I felt every moment of her sadness, her anguish, her love, with her, and laughed alot.
Frankly, as I did with Leon too. I rooted so hard for him...

The parallel stories ran seamlessly together, where each motion in time made me desperate to read more from both narratives.

If anyone takes anything from this, I'd say it's the reality of humanity and time. We all make mistakes, time will always be against us, so the best you can do is live.

Honestly, an utterly faultless book in my opinion.

What a great book. It is set in Scotland. Levi Norman is found passed away and the story revolves around his past and why he is alone on a Scottish Island with supposedly no family. He does not mix with the islanders and, therefore, once he is found there is no one who can help with his life. Linda Stanadish is a divorced lady and works for the Council in their unclaimed heirs unit. Linda is taking early retirement, not through choice, and she is given her last case and that is to find out if Levi had any family and if so, find them.. Off she goes to the island with Fergus Murray, the local undertaker . Linda is no happy about her companion he being a thorn in her side at school. Anyway they make it to the island still talking. Linda starts her investigations and this helps her with her own troubles. Her son and grandson are moving away – only an hour away but for Linda it may as well be abroad. The book is a joy to read. It is obviously sad in places but the humour in the rest is glorious. Linda is a fun loving easy going person and this makes life easier when she on the island trying to find out about Levi. She does her job well and finds what is needed including a love interest for her . I could carry on with the story of the book but don’t want to give the story away. Please read it everyone- it is a great read.

This is a brilliant, life-affirming feel-good book. My favorite read of the year. The characters are so warm and the relationships so well written it feels like you are reading about friends. Highly recommended.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all of her previous books I was delighted to get an advanced copy of this one.

By your side is mainly set in Scotland and is mostly about Linda Standish who works for the local authority trying to trace family of those who die alone. This includes going through their belongings respectfully and arranging a funeral is necessary. She is about to reluctantly leave her much loved job and so puts extra effort into her last case, the death of Levi Norman. This involves a trip to the island of Storrich.

This is a more gentle story than the other books but no less enjoyable. It still covers important and sensitive issues, not least that women in their 60s can still very much have an active and enjoyable sex life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, it was much appreciated and very enjoyable.

Selected this book by mistake when submitting review for another book - Review for this book will be submitted closer to the release date

I just love the way Ruth Jones brings her characters to life, I really feel like i know each and every one of them. This is a book full of love and heartache and I would definitely recommend it.

I didn’t realise until I finished this book was by Ruth Jones but should have worked out someone had to live in Cardiff to write so clearly about the place. This book is a beautiful read that ripped my heart into a thousand pieces. I loved the character of Linda who has a very unusual job she looks after and investigates deceased possessions to try and find their relatives and if they don’t have any goes to their funerals and gives their eulogies so they are not alone. When she is given the sad news that due to cost cutting it’s time to retire she is giving one last case on a remote Scottish island of Levi a man who had lived on the island for some years but nobody knows anything about him. As Linda starts to unravel his life she also changes hers in ways she could never have imagined. This is such a great read and I loved the fact Linda was an older woman who refused to be defined by her age, size or anything else and didn’t want to retire and sit at home all day and Levi’s story was so sad along side it that to bring them together was such a perfect read. High praise but I really did love this one.

Absolutely loved this book and all it brought. The emotion was real, the characters were great and it was such a rollercoaster along the way!!

The new novel from Ruth Jones is a brilliant reflection of human nature, a poignant reminder of our own fallibility, and full of wonderful dark and light humour around our very human condition.
The story evolves around Linda who has worked for the local council in Scotland for many years moving departments until for last few years she has done her best to find the relatives of the deceased and departed that may have no one. On her last case, she is taken to a remote Hebridean island to try to discover some clues for the heirs to the Welsh man Levi Norman who had kept himself to himself for the last few years.
Fabulous characters abound, both in the present time and the flash backs to tell the stories in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Evocative and atmospheric both in Wales and Scotland, the writing takes you there.
I love that death is so normalised, and the vulnerability and sensitivity around the central lives are beautifully depicted and described.
This book gives a lot to be thought about, it’s real, it’s hilarious but also moving and had me in tears at a couple of points.
Hugely loved and to be recommended.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam books for the early read, I loved it!

I love the premise from the very outset- Linda's job is a fascinating one and her determination to send off each unclaimed person is beautiful. The characters in the book all have fantastic voices and the setting lends lots of potential for the slightly outlandish, maybe- a -little -eccentric people Linda meets on her last mission.
A great read that could translate fantastically to a short series!

Oh this is lovely. This is the story of Linda, who is about to retire from her job in the council’s unit for unclaimed heirs. She attends funerals and reads eulogies for people who have no one and she packs up their houses and possessions. Her job is full of compassion and consideration; respect for the dead.

As retirement approaches, Linda takes on her last job, that of packing up the home of Levi Norman, who lived alone on the remote little Hebridean island of Storrich.

Linda travels with her nemesis, Fergus, a local undertaker, and together they uncover Levi’s story.

And what a story it is.

This is a beautiful book, full of well-rounded characters, drawn with much care and often deep affection.

Levi’s story is heartbreaking but also heartwarming and Linda helps bring understanding and closure to it whilst building new relationships for herself.

Full of humour, empathy and emotional intelligence, I loved this book, it’s glorious and I can’t wait for it to be published so I can buy a copy or two for my friends.

I’m a bit sad that I can only award it 5 stars.

Absolutely loved this book and did not want this to end. This book was so moving and engaging. I loved all of the characters but especially Levi who has left a little place in my heart. Such a lovely character with so much love to give. I have loved all of Ruth's books but this by far is now my favourite!

Who doesn't love a novel by Ruth Jones? Having devoured all her previous books I was so pleased to be lucky enough to read this before the publication date. The main character in this book is Linda who works for her local council tracking down relatives of tenants who have passed away, before she takes early retirement she has one last case to resolve, will she manage it?

You know that it is a good book when you are disappointed to see the short amount of time left along the bottom of your Kindle screen!
As always, Ruth Jones has not disappointed. A beautiful, funny, sad, romantic and everything read with likeable characters that you are always rooting for and of course an obligatory villain.
Linda, a 50 something grandmother, works in her local council office, dealing with the properties of the deceased who have no known next of kin. Through sleuthing through their personal effects she helps to find closure for them. When she has to find family for Levi, the whole story opens up ...

Absolutely fabulous book with utterly delightful characters to emphasise with. Certainly warm hearted with plenty of humour but also a lot of sadness. Told from a number of voices, some over several years and mainly set in Scotland. It features a myriad of family interactions, relationships and friendships together with community closeness. I just loved it and think it's probably Ruth's best novel.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

I requested this book as I had read Ruth's books before and enjoyed them very much. I was a bit apprehensive though when I started the book as I couldn't seem to settle into it, and was hoping that it would get better. After a few chapters the book seems to get into a better flow and the story took over and the rest of the book was very enjoyable.

Linda work for the council as part of the unclaimed heir's department, she is called in when a person dies with no family around and tries to find someone who cares enough to claim their personal belongings. She goes above and beyond for her clients, and also gives eulogies at their funeral, which is not a requirement of her job. Approaching retirement, she has one last job, an old man named Levi who lives on a remote island in Scotland. Whilst looking into Levi's life, can she find the way forward with her own.

Moving back and forth between Linda and Levi's lives, this touching story is about love and regret.

I would recommend this book but if like me and you struggle at the beginning, keep going to discover the beautiful story in the pages of this book