Well, I must say this provoked more emotion than I thought it would.
Heartbreaking and extremely through provoking. This has got to be one of the hardest things a parent will ever go through. Once or twice I became a little confused because the narrative jumped back and forth, but if you go with the flow all becomes clear. Rick was the only character that I couldn't get on with.
What're you waiting for? Read it. It's very good!

It took me a while to get into the story but am glad I kept going. Sam a teenage girl has died and the story is the impact this has had on her parents and sister told through Sam's mother's letter writing and time going backwards. The third thread is confusing until the end when it all makes sense. I couldn't stop reading this book and am sad to have finished.

Ever since I read and fell in love with Time To Say Goodbye, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of S. D. Robertson’s second novel, If Ever I Fall. Going into this book I had very high expectations and I’m delighted to say that it was one that more than lived up to them. Everything about the book from the stunning cover to the words written on the pages were beautiful and it was a pleasure to be reunited with the author’s writing once again.

The story within If Ever I Fall is told through three very different narratives from Maria, her husband Dan and Jack. With Maria’s narrative being presented to us in the form of letters what quickly becomes apparent is that both her and Dan have suffered a terrible loss in their lives which ultimately resulted in the break-up of their marriage. Meanwhile Jack was a man who suffered from amnesia and only knew what he did thanks to Miles, a retired Doctor who he stays with.

One thing that I’m finding is that it’s quite hard to write this review without giving too much away to readers which I desperately don’t want to do as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Whilst the way in which the story’s told does require a fair amount of concentration in order to keep up with and understand what’s going on, this wasn’t something that prevented me from enjoying the book. It was great to become involved with the lives of the Maria, Dan and Jack, accompanying them on their journey and seeing how everything eventually came together in a way that took me by surprise and was completely unexpected.

Throughout the book S. D. Robertson has blended several topics together in what can only be described as a truly special way. Firstly this book introduces the reader to the subject of OCD, a condition that I’ve heard of but never really read that much about before, giving an insight into exactly how those with OCD behave. What’s more it also gives a heartbreaking insight into grief, particularly that which parents go through if they lose a child, highlighting the very important fact that people handle grief in different ways. There’s also the subject of amnesia, something which I found both fascinating yet scary to read about in equal measure. All the different themes blend together in an effortless manner, proving that S. D. Robertson really does know what he’s doing when it comes to writing.

The only way to appreciate this book, is to read it and I highly recommend that you do for it is a true gem with a story that will stay with me for such a long time yet to come. S. D. Robertson is an author whose writing I truly adore and I hope we’ll be treated to another book written by him in the future.

How does a family cope with the loss of a teenage daughter? All the way through the book until almost the end, the reader wonders who Jack is? Why is he at a farm and where is it? has he been kidnapped?? . I didn't know whether to sympathise with the father, the wife or both??Difficult to put down, this novel is really well written. I shall be watching out for more from this author.

A wonderful read full of pathos. Dan's life changes through a tragedy and he ends up away from his wife Maria and child. Maria also gives up to her grief and writes letters that are never answered to help her through it. Their little daughter is trying to understand what is going on with her parents. Meanwhile Nick is recovering from some accident in the care of Miles and cannot remember how he got there or where the time goes as he keeps having flashbacks of another life. It will make you laugh and cry as these characters reach the conclusion of the novel.

Sob! Sob! What a beautiful book! If you only read a few books this year, make this one of them!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a family torn apart by grief, though this is not immediately obvious. The story unfolds through 3 characters: Maria, who is writing her thoughts down in the form of letters to someone called Sam, Dan, Maria's estranged husband, and a third person, Jack, who has lost his memory and is living with a retired Doctor in North Wales. The story of the tragedy that has happened to the family gradually emerges. I found the narrative a bit slow in places, and I guessed the likely ending, but it is an interesting read, and I would recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

It's the sort of book that arrests your interest immediately and initially I was convinced it would be a good read. Sadly it wasn't for me. I didn't like the format of first person for Jack and Dan and Maria via letters to her dead daughter and third person at another stage. The timeline of everything confused me - so disjointed. April/May 2017? There were however some interesting sub themes which were handled sensitively but I thought there were too many serious issues which caused overload - amnesia, dementia, family dysfunction, bullying, social media, suicide, grief, infidelity and OCD. I found it all depressing. I also failed to like the characters despite their awful predicaments.

I thought I was going to love this book but by halfway through I was bored with the same things being said over and over. I guessed the ending well before the end which was in itself very rushed and the reader left wondering what eventually happened.

This book started off really well and had my attention with the story but i'm sorry to say it all went down hill from there.
The story line started to go really weird and things weren't making any sense, which i found out the reason for in the end but it didn't make me like the book any more and also without giving anything away there were certain aspects in the book that i found went in to too much detail and i felt they droned on and could have been kept shorter, it made me end up skim reading it just to get to the end of it and get back to the main story.
All in all the book was not for me, If the author had kept the book simple and had not put such a weird twist to the whole story i think i would have liked the book but it was just too much for me and not the type of books i like i'm afraid.
As this was my first time reading a book by this author i cannot say if all his books have the same sort of twist to them or not but it may be worth checking as he is well written.
I do thank the Author, publishers and netgalley for allowing me the chance to review the book, i'm sorry it wasn't more to my taste.

Three stories that are all interwoven. I found it a bit confusing at times but it all worked in the end

This really took a lot of reading and it really shouldn't have. Written in different time periods and different voices I had to really concentrate to know where I was. I also felt that too many difficulties were being shoehorned into one storyline. Sorry. Not for me

At the heart of this book is a mystery. The mystery unravels slowly through letters Maria is writing to Sam. We also meet Jack who is being looked after by a retired doctor. Jack is suffering from amnesia and only has flashes of memories. He is not sure whether to trust the doctor or not. Although this story is a sad one about love, family and loss it did not make me cry. I thought it was a beautifully written story.

I hate to leave negative reviews but this book simply held no delight for me whatsoever. The plot had promise and had a start that engaged me but very soon I lost all interest and I was glad to come to the end.
I won't give the plot away as I know lots of people will read it and judging from other reviews I have read will enjoy it immensely. I found the whole thing far too contrived. The characters were not at all likeable and although the idea of telling the story on multiple levels could have been clever instead it seemed clumsy and in particular the letter Maria was writing was simply a lazy ploy to get the facts across. No seven year old would say some of the things Ruby said and no mother would write a letter with those details in to her daughter. Lastly whilst I know very little about OCD I suspect the author knows even less so poor research too.

Weird, till I worked it out but compulsive reading tho s bit disarming the ending. Not sure all the backwards and forwards worked tho I understand why.

I was enjoying this book and found it interesting engaging and intriguing... BUT as the threads started to come together I found it just didn't work for me.

The ending was too contrived with too many loose ends... very disappointed as until about 80- 85% it was looking like a 4* book.

Others have loved it, but it just didn't float my boat.

I enjoyed this book it took me a while to connect the dots. Through the book you learn about the family's individual relationships and thoughts about Sam. It's the father that stays strong for the family and about him letting go. Lovely book

I was looking forward to reading this book after reading the blurb but I'm sorry to say it didn't live up to my expectations.
Dan, Maria and their seven year old daughter Ruby are experiencing a bereavement which none of them are coping with. Maria has asked Dan for a trial separation and he has to leave the family home.
This is very upsetting for Ruby as her family is falling apart. Maria is also coping with OCD which escalates when she is under stress.
Later we meet Jake who has bumped his head and lost his memory. He is being looked after by a retired doctor, but is he all that he seems to be? And just who is Jake?
This book started well and I was enjoying it for quite a few chapters. I thought it jumped back and forward too much. We had, after the death, before the death, and all different befores and afters in between.
The story of Jake and the Dr, Miles was very gripping in parts and kept me turning the page. The rest of the story was told by Maria in letters that she writes to someone who will never read them. Maria is the reason that Dan is finding life so hard as she takes her grief out on him.
Some chapters seemed quite repetitive and then I reached the ending. That was when I became disappointed and I cannot tell you why. If I told you I would be giving away the whole storyline. I can tell you I felt quite annoyed with what transpired.
I haven't seen any reviews of this book yet as when writing this it has not been published. S.D Robertson's first book Time to Say Goodbye [which I haven't read ] has great reviews.
This is only my opinion. It is billed as a tear jerker and you may love it.
I would love to know what you thought if you read it.

A wonderfully written heart rending story of relationships, loss, and a father and daughter. Not a jolly read but a super one. You want to keep reading, to know more, characters become important to you the reader.

I'm not a fan of different timelines but this worked for me and kept my concentration going with three different threads running through the book. At first this was confusing but did not spoil the enjoyment too much. I did not reach for tissues as has been suggested but I loved the depth of it.

This is a book I will give to friends for a present, most will relate to something in the book, it might even make them need the tissues.

This book really does get you in the heart. The lives of the three lead characters take you on a journey filled with emotion in all its forms. A wonderful read.