Tess thinks she is happy in her relationship; she goes along with whatever he says; moves into his flat, goes to dreary functions where she is decoration; and one day she realises this. She also realises she is pregnant. Unsure of how she feels she hesitates before confiding in anyone and stops to take stock. What does she want – not sure; and the weeks pass? Then he springs two surprises on her over Christmas – the first he has been offered promotion (in New York) and the second is his proposal. At last she reveals the pregnancy and he says it is the wrong time.

Tess is somewhat estranged from her mother but has a strong, emotional relationship with her grandmother, Iris, who is suffering from dementia and lives in a care home, and it is to Iris she reveals her secret pregnancy.

Gigi is married to Richard and is sad when she realises that she is unhappy in their relationship. She loves her eldest son and his wife and child, and her daughter away at university. But the light of her life is her younger son. Gigi is a busy midwife but has an extremely close relationship with her father-in-law, James, who is also a resident at the care home where Iris is a resident.

What follows is a beautifully told tale with secrets at the heart of it. Letters to Iris refer to the war and her parents and her brother Tom but she never shared her secrets about that life. Why was Tess’s mother so distant with Tess; she never explained. Tess confesses her feelings in her own letters to her growing baby.

This is a beautifully written story of secrets, but more importantly, of love and self-discovery: acceptance of others wishes and different perspectives. I loved it, it made me cry. The plot was well constructed and the characters finely drawn. I loved Gigi and her youngest son, Oliver and can only agree with her assessment of her daughter-in-law – a true treasure. Tess, thankfully, woke-up and found what she wanted and needed. Gigi’s husband, Richard – bless him. I did worry about him for he was not a bad man, just got it a bit wrong. Actually, upon reflection, no baddies in this book. However, there are an awful lot of good things that will make your heart warm and your eye weep.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This really is a story of women's relationships: Tess's grandmother is dying and her absent mother doesn't seem to care. Gigi's father-in-law is dying and her husband doesn't seem to care. The men are pretty much sketched in with all the characterisation going to the women. The men seemed to be comic-book style heroes or duds. I liked the way the lives intertwine but I found the timescales irritating - everything happens within 9 months! I will probably be alone but I found Tom's story completely irrelevant, and an annoying diversion from the main story.

This is one of the loveliest books I have read recently. The quality of writing makes it difficult to tear oneself away from the story. Tess, her wonderful grandmother, her slightly scatty mother, are all portrayed with understanding and love.
I don't believe that a review should be solely retelling the story. Suffice it to say that Tess goes through a gamut of emotional experiences that include restoring her relationship with her mother (beautifully written), leaving a relationship with her lover, becoming pregnant and finding the love of her life.
It is a delightful book and I want to read more from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.

I absolutely loved this book and so didn't want it to end! The attraction for me was the comparison with "Letters to My Daughter" by James Patterson however in my opinion "Letters to Iris" isn't very similar to this however just as brilliant. The two main characters, Tess and Gigi are both going through momentous life changes and are drawn together at the care home for looking after relatives, one of them being Iris, Tess' grandmother. As the story unfolds they are gradually drawn to each other. I didn't understand the relevance of the prologue until towards the end of the book and it made me quite teary once it was clear.
I will definately be buying at least one copy of this for a friend and would certainly recommend it, its a lovely poignant read with characters that stayed with me after I'd read the last page.