Beautiful and nostalgic, I was hooked on Holly Seddon's book from the first page. I found myself immersed in the story and characters and was genuinely sad when the book ended. Would highly recommend.

This was such a well written story about childhood friends and relationships. I couldn't put the book down I loved the characters and really enjoyed the storyline.

What an excellent read. I loved how the story was revealed by jumping from decade to decade, telling the stories of the two main characters. This was done so well that I didn’t lose the thread which can happen with time hopping. It is a powerful story and deals with all the many facets of love that one person can feel for those around them. It stirred me, particularly towards the end with the implied threat of some devastating imparting of secrets. To find out whether the story ends in tragedy or triumph, it’s a must read.

Having read Holly Seddon’s ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’ I was expecting this to be a psychological thriller but it’s actually more of a relationship story with lots of character building.

Kate and Paul are childhood friends who have a pact to marry one another when they are 30 if both are still unmarried. This book finds them on holiday in Cornwall with their children Harry, 8, and Issy,2, as they look forward to their 10th wedding anniversary in a few days time.

Kate and Paul have had very different upbringings with Kate being from a well-off family where her mother died young. She spends a lot of time at Paul’s house where they are working class but very kind and welcoming to Kate. A lot is made of these differences in building the characters – rather clichéd at times I felt. Kate’s parents being rich but aloof with Paul parents being poor with hearts of gold. Kate is at a private school, Paul at the local state one. The plot switches back and forth between current day in Cornwall and childhood for Kate and Paul.

Their marriage is now under strain as Paul’s career has taken off and Kate is a stay at home mother. In current day Kate is in possession of a letter which is often referred to in anticipation of containing something momentous. When we finally found out what it contained I was distinctly underwhelmed.

It was well written but not what I expected. I found it slow to start with and I was expecting a twist or two which didn’t happen.

With thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Love will tear us apart. It alternates between the past and the present through flashbacks and looks at family, friendships, love and hurt. A great book that will leave you thinking about love and friendship.

Holly Seddon’s latest love story, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ is not a psychological thriller like her previous book ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’, but there are some similarities. Once again she handles some difficult life events and personal crises with sensitivity and insight. It’s not a typical love story but focuses more on Kate, the main character’s life story, family dynamics and the ‘big stuff’ that moulds and shapes her on life’s journey.
The story is told by Kate at different stages of her life beginning in 2012 when she is on a week’s holiday in Cornwall with her husband, Paul, and their two children. They are both 40 years old and at the end of the week it will be their tenth wedding anniversary. There is a tension in the air derived from a letter she has in her possession, which with some trepidation she plans to present to Paul on their anniversary. But we’re given no inkling as to the contents of the letter.
Rewind to 1981 when they first met at the age of 8, which was the beginning of a long, close friendship, one which eventually leads to a pact that they would marry each other if they were both still single at 30. As we pass through the years of Kate’s life, the eighties, nineties and the early millennium, we learn about the most significant landmarks in her life from childhood, through adolescence, young career woman, marriage and motherhood.
It’s a slow and tantalising build with the chapters alternating between these past events covering so many years and a lot of detail spread intermittently and tortuously over mere minutes of the week’s holiday in 2012, the last day of which we suspect will be some sort of ‘D-Day’ when it arrives. The author captures the decades well and what it was it was like to grow up in the 80s with flashbacks, current affairs of the day and what was in vogue.
A lot of the story feels as if it came from personal experience, so my thoughts were affirmed when I read the author’s acknowledgement that this was the most personal book she’d written to date and meant an awful lot to her. In a way I wish I’d known that beforehand. Even though events and characters have been fictionalised, there is, I’m sure, much of Holly woven into the story and I think I would have read it with more empathy if I’d known that.
Kate’s upbringing had been far from typical, as her parents hadn’t been ‘present’ in the way most of us take for granted, but the author’s portrayal of her feels quite removed. We can only guess at the difficulties she had to navigate without their support, but there is no trace of self pity.
I found this to be quite a moving story because of the way many of the characters bottled up their thoughts and emotions, leading to misunderstandings. It is very well written and insightful in terms of relationships and hard knocks. She also invokes strong emotion about issues relating to the female anatomy, such as unplanned pregnancy, infertility and motherhood. And she writes of specific challenges women can face in the workplace - traps and treachery in a competitive field or a male dominated environment,- as well as low self esteem, burnout and breakdown.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Corvus Atlantic Books and Holly Seddon for the opportunity to read and review Love Will Tear Us Apart.

I defy you not to love this book. I read her first book and enjoyed it but felt it lacked something. This is totally wonderful. The story is good. I loved the characters and it has everything. No spoilers as I think you should buy this!

A love story with a difference. Paul and Kate meet as children and are best friends, who make a pact to marry each other at 30 if neither of them get married before. This book is told in two parts some chapters are when the are growing up and some are when they are married. Paul had always been in love with Kate, but unfortunately Kate thought he felt sorry for her as her life wasn’t going so well when they married. I enjoyed the book but I felt it dragged a little in places which is why I gave it 4 stars.

The story of two childhood friends who make a pact to get married if they are both still single when they are 30. The story is told in “current” time and back when they became childhood friends. I love the descriptive way it’s written and it’s easy to visualise their childhood!

3 Stars

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Corvus for letting me read this book.

I liked Holly's other book "Don't Close Your Eyes" a lot more than I liked this one. Although this was a good read I felt as though I still had a few un answered questions at the end and thought that the ending could of been a lot better. Having said this though I was hoooked and I did keep asking myself throughtout "What could that letter say?"

I am still a fan of Holly's but I do hope that when the next book comes aslong it is more gripping.

A slow story and one that is an ok read but not one of the books that I have read recently

Kate and Paul are the very best of friends. Then, just before they turn thirty, they honour a vow made long ago - to marry each other. Ten years later, on their tenth anniversary they must face truths long concealed. Can friends make a good marriage?
Oh I adored this novel! I was unsure as to what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to fall instantly in love with the characters and the story of their life. Seddon tells this in flashbacks, detailing their shared history and how they got where they are. I adored all the sections of this terrific read.
This made for very intriguing reading to see where they are and slowly learn about what occurred to get them there; this makes for compelling and irresistible reading. This is highly emotional to read, Kate and Paul have so much sorrow in their lives. Words cannot describe how well Seddon captures the highs and lows, I loved everything.
A book such as this really would not work without the right characters; Kate and Paul are certainly this. They are so realistic and carry the plot effortlessly. I enjoyed getting to know them and following them, I could really imagine them and feel their emotions. Seddon has captured a very realistic situation perfectly and does it justice.
'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is a gorgeous, stunning read that perfectly captures a love situation. Truly sensational reading. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for an advanced copy.

I gave up half way through this one. .When I see the other reviews I'm clearly in the minority, but no point me pretending I liked it when I didn’t.

Plot: Childhood friends Kate and Paul make the stereotypical promise of young friends: if they’re not married by the time they’re 30, they’ll marry one another. We enter the story just before their 10th wedding anniversary where it’s clear that marriage and friendship aren’t as clear cut as they seem, with secrets and miscommunication an issue. Delving back through their past alongside their present, it becomes more obvious the path their relationship has taken as they strive to pull it together.

My thoughts: I was expecting this to be a pretty light and fluffy read of a chick lit, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was definitely deeper than that and had me hooked. I really enjoyed the characters – how different they were in their past and present forms, and how their relationship had morphed into something entirely different. And I enjoyed the hint of the secret throughout the story that there was something hidden beneath the surface that we didn’t know about. It was a slow builder, but one that wasn’t boring in any way. I loved being thrown into the past which seemed hazy with memory and nostalgia, then back to the present where life was very different – it was well written with the two styles being very clear. I wouldn’t say this would normally be the kind of book I’d pick up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A perfect holiday read. Entertaining, but with a dark side. Strong believable characters and situations. Not as predictable as you think it may be. Read and enjoy.

This book was ok but to be honest it disappointed me a little. I found it very slow to get started and it didn’t keep my attention. Wasn’t a bad read just not really my cup of tea

I enjoyed Holly Seddon's previous book so I was pleased to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately it didn't really live up to expectations as I struggled to really 'get' what this was all about.

Kate & Paul were both lonely only children who discovered each other during the school summer holidays. As they grew up they talked about the future & what it might bring.They decided that if they hadn't found the 'right one' by the time they were thirty they would get married.

The book switches timelines from the pair of them ten years into marriage and also throughout their childhood & adolescence. I loved Paul's mum, but struggled to make a connection with the other characters. Overall it was a bit disappointing for me.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This is a beautifully written book, with great characters that you hope will work it out.
Found myself eager to finish to find out what the letter says, wasn't disappointed!
Looking forward to reading more of Holly's books.

The premise of this story is somewhat genre cliche - long time platonic friends make a pact as teenagers to marry each other if they're both single by the time they are 30. This always leads you to believe they might secretly be in love with each other or perhaps one of them is in love with the other but it's not reciprocated. This book followed the same idea, it made you feel that Paul had feelings for Kate while she was oblivious although this didn't become clear for a while.

The story starts out as the couple, who did indeed follow through with their pact, are away for the week at a cottage in Cornwall to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. They have two kids and they made it to ten years so far, so it seems their pact paid off... Except, immediately it is made apparent that there is a secret dwelling between the couple and it seems to be an unhappy and loveless marriage on the outside.

As the story progresses, the couple are trying to enjoy their week away and it is all leading up to their anniversary meal at the end of the week. Kate, who is the narrator, is continuously reflecting on their decades of friendship so the story flits between the present and the various stages of the past.

The couple first became friends at the age of 8 and we gradually learn about many ups and downs of their friendship as well as their family lives respectively. I noticed a stark contrast between the couples' relationship when they were just friends, which was an easy, deep and meaningful friendship, to the present when they are married in which they are cold and distant. 

I really enjoyed reading about the dynamics of their friendship and how it changed over the years and how different life events that they both experienced made the relationship mould into something new each time. This book was an examination of their relationship, primarily as friends and then as husband and wife. 

This story was more about friendship than it was about love and that's what I really enjoyed about it. I thought it was a realistic reflection of life's ups and downs and the way events can have long lasting impacts on relationships we hold, whether that be positively or negatively.

It was a slow burning story as it was mostly character driven but this is the type of story that appeals to me. There was a bit of a pace lift towards the very end of the book which I didn't expect and it didn't really fit with the rest of the book but it worked well in the end. Overall an interesting and captivating read even with the unrealistic premise of the couple making a pact to marry and following through. Do people actually make pacts like that let alone actually go through with them..?

This is not a Joy Division's song but the part of the book is actually set in the early 80s and yes love can tear you apart.
I finished this book ages ago, read in a weekend when I did not feel too great and enjoyed it but it has taken me a long time to write this review. Well this is the well told story of Kate and Paul who have been friends since childhood and are now married. When the book starts they have been married for ten years. They did not get married after having being teenage sweethearts, nothing like that. They were actually friends who had made a pact that if they did not find anyone else by the time they were 30, they would get married. Although they were very closed as kids, they came from different backgrounds. Kate's family was rich and absent while Paul's was not very well off but they were present and affectionate.

And married they are. the plot alternates between the past and the present when Kate and Paul are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in Cornwall. But the atmosphere is tense and they both have secrets that are about to be revealed.

I have never read any book by Holly Seldon, although I own a Kindle book by her, she write well and can create credible characters that are easy to relate too. The book is easy to read and while it asks some questions (can friends be lovers and can lovers be friends?) it is entertaining with a bit of mystery at the end.