Rhys is the only one Susan responds to.  How they both mend is at the heart of this lovely novel of healing and hope.  A good read.

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of How to Mend a Broken Heart.  I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The multiple perspective format of this book helps to convey the story of the main characters, Susan, Kat, and Rhys, especially in regards to how their plot lines intersect.  Susan is a patient in the hospital and Kat is one of her caregivers.  As Susan is selectively mute, it is up to Kat to figure out the connections that the woman has in the outside world.  A phone call changes everything, for Susan and for Rhys, but will the decisions they both make affect a certain outcome?

How to Mend a Broken Heart has a Jojo Moyes type quality to it, as this story is about relationships and how difficult circumstances can have the power to destroy lives.  I did like the book as a whole, but some of the plot regarding Susan's past did not seem all that realistic.  Without spoilers, all I can say is that Susan's backstory has some holes in it.  On the positive side of things, I really like the direction that the author took the characters, as the plot lines unfold more naturally than I had expected.  Readers who like stories about relationships may like How to Mend a Broken Heart and I look forward to reading more by author Anna Mansell in the future.

I really enjoyed this book.  I want to say it was a nice story, but I mean that in a good way.  It was nice and it was touching which made it easy to read and enjoy.

Wow, what an emotional roller-coaster of a read! 
How To Mend a Broken Heart has been on my Netgalley list for far too long so I thought it was about time I bumped it to the top of my list. I am amazed this is a debut novel! Having said that, I knew I was in for a treat as it is published by Bookouture. They have some of the most amazing authors after all.
Anna Mansell has created the most beautifully written, heart-wrenching story here and doesn't shy away from tackling some sensitive and difficult subjects with care and consideration, including suicide, adoption and abandonment. Not to mention the devastating feeling of having your heart trampled on by someone you loved and trusted. 
Kat has just split up from her boyfriend of five years, Daniel. It was his choice to leave and Kat is understandably devastated. However, she is embarking on a promotion at work so is trying her best to focus on that. When a lady called Susan is admitted to her ward after attempting to take her own life, she has no idea where this lady's story will lead. It will certainly help her to take her mind of missing Daniel.
Kat is an instantly likeable character, as are most of the characters in this story. Her fear of being alone forever and her self-doubt where her career is concerned makes her very real and believable. I did enjoy the banter between her and her best friend too. It was quite amusing at times. I was praying that she might give the handsome consultant a chance as he came across as one too good to turn down. Life is too short to waste it on those not worthy of our affections.
Rhys is another character I warmed to immediately and I loved his Mum. I can't even imagine going through what they have both gone through, since losing Rhys' brother, and my heart went out to them on more than one occasion. I imagined Rhys to be quite fit too! Hard-working and easygoing on the whole, but with the weight of the world on his shoulders. A proper decent bloke who has been dealt his fair share of heartache. 
Susan is a tortured soul and I couldn't help but feel for her. She has basically been existing for nearly 40 years, feeling unworthy of leading a fulfilled life, having to keep the most heart-breaking secret for all that time. I can only imagine! Now her parents have both passed away, she feels she has no purpose any more. That is until she has an unexpected visitor in hospital.
The story is told from the prospectives of Kat, Rhys and Susan and it flows perfectly as each chapter has the character's name at the start. I found myself completely invested in these character's and their stories to the point where I found myself thinking of them often when I wasn't reading. I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out if they all got the happy endings they deserve. 
This story has made me smile a lot and cry a lot. It is so full of raw emotion which just oozes off the page. It also has it's lighter and happier moments which make it an uplifting read overall. I have absolutely loved it!
Many thanks to the author and Bookouture for my mobi copy via Netgalley.

I had high hopes for How to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Mansell. 
The story starts of well and I immediately warmed to Rhys. Having lost his older brother to suicide, Rhys is still struggling to come to terms with it himself while also trying to support his mum. With his dad long gone, he’s now the man of the family and takes his role seriously in trying to protect and look after his mum. Kat’s character is well developed; she’s confident but also full of self doubt in her own ability and constantly questions if she’s doing the right thing and if she’s up to the task. She’s incredibly supportive to her patients and her caring nature convinced her boss that she’s more than capable of the position she’s in. 
There’s a will they/won’t they aspect to Kat and Rhys dispite then being completely mismatched. What could be mistaken for loving feelings on Kat’s part are just an example of her commitment and devotion to her patients. 
So, the story unfolded and while the main characters were good, I couldn’t warm to Susan. I didn’t understand her silence and why she had these 2 “strangers” running through hurdles to try and solve her mystery. I felt that her actions were selfish despite her own hurt and pain. I was disappointed with Rhys’ love story but liked Kat’s ending. I was torn with this book but didn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as I thought I would. 

Thanks to NetGalley, Anna Mansell and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I could not get interested in this book and did not finish it. However, I do appreciate the opportunity to read a review copy of the book. Thank you.

This was a heartfelt story that I couldn't put down. I felt connected to the characters and wanted to find out more. I couldn't put it down. It takes a look into issues that are so real in this world but are often brushed under the carpet- depression. One to recommend to the book group.

Kat was a nurse and had just been dumper by her boyfriend of five years that she thought she would marry. Kat is also acting as acting Ward Sister. Kat was also dealing with the break up and has to find her way and place in life not that she is single again after so long. Then Kat gets Susan as a patient and she won’t say a word. Susan had been hit by a motorcycle and ended up in the hospital and as Kat’s patient. There was some question if Susan had been attempted suicide, Susan was a broken lonely woman of fifty six who had lived with her parents until recently. When going through Susan’s purse they saw a piece of paper with Rhys’s  number on it  Rhys was the only person they could find with any kind of connection to Susan.Rhys is a plumber an Rhys’s  brother David  had committed suicide over six months ago and Rhys is having problems dealing with the loss and why David decided to kill himself.. Rhys gets a call from the hospital and was told by Kat that they had found his number in a purse of the patient. Rhys  thinks his mother got hurt and rushes there. Susan had given up until she sees Rhys. Rhys sees a lom=nely lost woman when he sees Susan and Rhys felt if he could help Susan maybe he could find some answers as well as closure. All three people are suffering from heartaches, loneliness and loss. As time goes on they learn from each other and start to heal.
I did enjoy this book but it did have a lot of pain and loss so I am not sure if enjoy is the right word. I am very happy I read this and it kept my attention all through the story’ I did choke up at times. Many emotions are portrayed in this book. There was so much covered in this book: Loss, adoption, suicide, love, and forgiveness to name some. I felt this was fairly realistic. I didn’t want to put this down. I liked the plot but didn’t really care for the ending. The pace was a little slow for me at times but not enough that I didn’t want to finish the story. I am glad I read this. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

How To Mend A Broken Heart by Anna Mansell was a delightful story.  I enjoyed it very much.  

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a brilliant, memorable story. I really enjoyed it. The storyline deals with heartbreak, isolation and bereavement. All heavy subjects but dealt with beautifully, sensitive way. To make lovely light reading with characters to fall in love with.

A beautiful story of love and loss. Written with feeling, characters are there to feel for. A fantastic story.

This book was very touching and compelling, romantic yet heartbreaking. I connected with the characters greatly.

I don't know what I was thinking... I'm not really into romance. I may have requested it without thinking it through. Overall not bad story, I got through it with minimum effort, tho', truthfully, not much interest. I know lots of romance novel readers, however that are going to enjoy this story told from various persons points of view. I thought that was rather interesting in itself as I've not encountered too many stories told that way! The characters were interesting and had a lot development; that's always a perk! And I like the way everything ties together at the end.
Overall not a bad read!

A thoroughly heart-breaking and thought provoking emotional story.

n accident sets in motion a series of events which lead to secrets that have been kept for years.

Kat, a nurse recovering from heartbreak, finds herself caught up in a mystery when a woman is admitted to her ward after a serious accident. The woman hit by a car is mute and seemingly alone in the world. As it appears that this woman, Susan, may have actually intentionally walked into the traffic, Kat feels it is urgent to find someone to whom Susan belongs. Seeking information about the woman, Kat stumbles across a name and contacts the person.

Rhys is surprised to be contacted by the hospital about a woman that he only knows because he and his brother did a plumbing job or two for her. Dealing with grief of his own and feeling sympathetic about Susan's circumstances he visits her and quickly become entwined in her life. He feels that if he can help her in some way it might help him to come to terms with the earlier suicide of his brother; something for which he just wants answers. 

What starts as a simple good Samaritan act quickly become complicated as secrets become unraveled and people's intentions are slightly more complicated than they appear to be on the surface. 

It was intriguing story and it was good that often the unpredictable happened which kept me engaged with the story. I did take a while to warm up to the characters especially Rhys which made it difficult to become entirely sympathetic to pieces of the story. I did like Kat and it was interesting that the author decided to play out her portion of the story in a very different way to what might have been expected. 

While I am not giving it glowing reviews I do think it was a story worth giving a read particularly if you are looking for a different kind of chick lit book - it does try to take this genre in a more complex direction.

I found myself intrigued by the characters in this novel.  I am sorry that I read other reviews before I read it, which I usually strictly prohibit for myself whenever I read a new novel.  A review that I read mentioned that there was very little by the way of romantic relationship development between the characters, which is usually a key element in the stories I prefer to read and caused me to have a slower start.  However, I found that this was not really necessary for me to enjoy the book.  As I write this review I am tempted to refer to the book as 'stories' due to the fact that it really is a compilation of three character's stories intertwined together.   I do however think that David's story could have been a little deeper.  By the middle, I found myself very much invested in the characters although the connections between them were a little predictable.  However, by the conclusion I was very much invested in the novel and I read to the very last page...acknowledgements included!  My thanks to Anna Mansell for this opportunity.

I can safely say I didn’t expect this story from this book. Looking at the cover I expected a simple romance story – nice and easy to read yet I was pleasantly surprised by the contents. This book is nothing like what I first thought and I loved that!

I received this book from NetGalley, if I am honest I am not quite sure what drew me to request this read but I am glad my subconscious took over and selected it as it was a very enjoyable read. Oh and it got me out of my book slump which is always a win!

Plot:
We follow three characters, Kat, Susan and Rhys, all of whom are going through a difficult time. Kat is going through a break up with the man she intended to marry,  Rhys is trying to get his life back on track after the loss of his brother and then theres Susan, who is a mystery as she refuses to speak. All three characters are experiencing a pain like no other, in different forms and there stories all intertwine with each other.
Are they able to mend their broken hearts?

My Review:
Well what a debut from Anna!
As mentioned previously, I did not expect the story that greeted me on the inside. Like many other’s, I expected a nice and easy chick flick read. Instead I found a heart wrenching story inside. Following three individuals whose tales intertwine at pivotal movements for each character, all fighting something deeper from within. Safe to say you experience the pain of each character as if it could be your own. An eye opener in my opinion, regarding topics which are not talked about enough.
We start of by meeting Kat, a nurse who has just come back from her ‘holiday’. I say ‘holiday’ as she actually spent it pining over her boyfriend who unexpectedly dumped her after 5 years. She comes back to work to find Susan, who is now in her ward after an unfortunate accident, however it appears she has no living family or the ability to speak. The only number she has on her is found in her diary belongs to Rhys, her plumber. Rhys is also going through his own troubles, having recently lost his brother he is still trying to make sense of it all and trying to find his way again.
As you can see, this book dives into some serious topics and although it is a nice and light read, the content is not. Heavy storylines draw you in and you cry at the thought that people can be that lonely, that sad. Yet in hind sight, this is what happens all around, just people are really good at hiding their pain. I mean, its not often you look on social media nowadays to find that the status’ are full of peoples real stories and not just the good sections.
Anyway – I digress…
I enjoyed this book, I loved how it was so easy for Anna to intertwine the stories and their thoughts. You see, you saw each chapter from the view of a different person (Kat, Susan or Rhys) yet you still got the whole picture. I didn’t find myself getting lost at any point with the characters and it was nice that you saw their opinions of each other.
I like this book as it showcases something which isn’t showcased that often. It also highlights that kindness from a stranger can make all the difference. An enjoyable read for me, although be warned it will bring tears to your eyes.
I will look out for more reads from Anna, excited what they should bring.
Massive shout out to Netgalley, Bookouture and Anna Mansell for the opportunity to read this book. I can confirm this is my honest review and all views are my own.
George x

I adored this book! I was hooked straight away to see how the characters were connected! It's hard to say much without giving the plot away, but the story is well written and the characters held a depth that is hard to find in many books these days.

Wow a debut novel and it's this good!! I started reading this thinking it was going to be a predictable light hearted read but boy I had I got it wrong. I have to say I couldn't put this down after half way and household jobs were left fir another day!
This book is sensitively written but with a dash of humour making it a great read. The main characters Rhys, Susan and Kat are extremely likeable and I like how alternate chapters were told from their point of view. The storyline didn't bore me at all moving along fairly fast and not staying too long at a certain point. I also liked how the ending wrapped everything up nicely, just enough to make you wonder what happens next but with a strong sense you've got it right. I dint want to go on about the storyline as I dont want to spoil it but it did leave me with a tear in my eye at the end.
I would like to thank netgalley and bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book thinking it was a light hearted read in which I could predict the ending. Yes the ending was predictable but the story was deep and covered quite a few topics. Kat is a nurse who has lost the love of her life, (well she thinks he is) and she has just got promoted at work where she is a nurse, a very good nurse who sometimes suffers from a lack of confidence. Susan is one of her patients who had tried to kill herself. She has a book with only one number in it, Rhys is her plumber and doesn't understand why she would have his number. Rhys is grieving as his brother David committed suicide. Rhys feels he should have saved him, now he feels he must save Susan. The story weaves a thread between all 3 of them with a few other people along the way. A lovely story that shows we cannot be who we are without others. Be that good or bad.