An intriguing premise. Lily and Charles are about to have their divorce finalised and Lily thinks it's a good idea to bring the family together in their summer home at Lands End. Can you just imagine the potential for catastrophes and angst!
It is captivating with fascinating characters with their own flaws and troubles. It explores family dynamics, secrets and relationships struggling to find new paths.
I found it a great read.

I loved every one of Roisin's books and this is no different. I love the way she writes about individual people who have their own personalities that shine through. They are 3 dimensional. She is so good at this that you find yourself liking, loving or detesting them. Chloe, especially I found myself disliking.

Thank you so much to Roisin Meaney and Hatchette books for this opportunity. This book was just wonderful. I love Roisin and this book is one of her best. Based around a family home and it's fractured and often dysfunctional members, it is really relatable. Each character has their imperfections and personalities that you can relate to and you get to know.

Totally recommend

I do love this author's books.
Such a great storyteller and always characters that are very believable.

Sorry, just not for me. Very slow, Maybe just wasn’t in the mood for this type of story. The book was well written.

The Anniversary by Roisin Meaney was a great book. I devoured it in one sitting.
It centres around three couples and how one weekend will change their lives forever. A great book to read this summer.

Thank you for providing me with a copy of the book. I did struggle with this, and found it a bit slow and boring. Not for me I'm afraid

The cover for Roisin Meaney's new book The Anniversary is simple but so inviting. I love books by this author and have always felt she is vastly under-rated and deserves much more attention. This story drew me in from the very beginning and I read it in two sittings. It centres around three couples all closely connected and how one weekend will change their lives forever but will it be for the better or worse?

Each chapter is told from a different characters perspective, sometimes I find this confusing and that it can jar the overall development and pace of the book but here it worked seamlessly. We were presented with each characters viewpoints and opinions on the situation unfolding and it allowed the reader to get inside said characters head. When reading Lily's perspective for example, I found myself forming firm opinions based on what she was saying and thinking but then then in the next chapter if it was based on Poll, I found myself swaying more in her direction.

It's clear this weekend away as organised by matriarch Lily will provide a life changing experience for all involved. It's time for everything to come out in the open whether people want to hear certain things or not. For too long the characters have been stuck in a rut of silent contemplation, of simmering tensions and resentments. Words, opinions and feelings that need to be out in the open fester away silently until perhaps boiling point will be reached. Will everything explode in one big outpouring of release or will the weekend away in a place that means so much work its magic and bit by bit slowly ever so slowly secrets will spill forth as in a trickle where everyone can absorb the change at a pace that suits them?

Lily Murphy is the principal of a secondary school. She is efficient and respected but not very much liked by her staff. Her marriage to Charlie had broken up several years before and her children Poll and Thomas are now adults and more than capable of looking after themselves. As we meet Lily, I felt the author had totally nailed her job as she describes the day to day tasks involved and all the flack that goes with being a principal and running a school. Lily wasn't there to make friends she was there to do a job to the best of her abilities. But Lily has more on her mind than her job, she is returning to Land's End for a long weekend with her family. She has something to impart to them and she feels they won't like what they are about to hear. Initially I thought she was talking about Land's End in England but it soon became apparent that Land's End is her family home on the coast of Ireland in a secluded setting. Lily was raised there as was her mother who never left the family home until the day she was brought to a nursing home.

Land's End is clearly very important to all the characters. It holds a special place in their hearts and many memories have been created there over the years. The house and the surrounding area became like a character in itself the more the story developed. It's like the characters were drawn here for everything to finally come out in the open, to seek peace, resolution, clarity and forgiveness in order to move on with the next stage of their lives.

Lily was hiding something throughout much of the story. I sensed that a big reveal, some earth shattering news would come but for me that moment never did appear. I felt slightly let down in this sense but on reflection it was more subtly woven throughout the story that the ending didn't really need fireworks so to speak. Throughout the book there was a pervading sense of calmness, a slow and steady pace and for everything to go boom would have ruined the overall tone that I felt was being established. There was a real focus on character development and getting to know what makes them tick providing vary perspectives on the same developing situation.

Going back to a house that holds so many memories for Lily is very challenging and I think she arrived there with some clear set down intentions of what she wanted to achieve from the weekend. But she didn't take into account the thoughts and needs of others. Her mother had recently died and I don't think she was thinking straight, and with ex Charlie bringing the younger model that is Chloe to stay that will surely set the cat among the pigeons. I did find it odd given how the breakdown of their marriage occurred that Charlie was still very much a part of family events, I wouldn't have let him near Land's End at all considering the damage he had down. I was fully on Poll's side with the way she felt towards Chloe. She had ripped apart a family unit and the fact she was so much younger than Charlie and that at one stage she had been his student at music college didn't do much to endear me to her at all.

Poll to me seemed disturbed and tormented, she had no confidence in herself. She was a brilliantly written character and the demons and voices she has running constantly through her head just made me feel for her all the more. It's hard for someone who hasn't felt like Poll to identify with her but the author did such an excellent job of conveying Poll and her approach and viewpoints on life and romance. Poll is afraid of love and relationships, she feels she doesn't deserve happiness or love at all in her life. As soon as things go that little bit deeper in a relationship she is out of there as fast as she can. It's confusing and upsetting but there had to have been a reason behind it all. Pottery and the heads she makes are her salvation but boyfriend Aidan hopes he too can become her rock, support and strength but will the fear strike again and Aidan will be pushed to the side? Poll was plagued and pestered by the feelings of doubt and I just wanted her to allow herself to be happy considering how much she loved Aidan.

Thomas was the most vulnerable of the characters. He seemed lost and just plodding along in life working in a café run by Freda. Thomas was hiding something big that could tear the family apart if it came to light. As a reader I thought what he was feeling was complicated and wrong. There was something else right in front of his eyes that he should have gone for but maybe the weekend away will change his viewpoint for the better and steer him away from the direction he was veering in. The incident in the car on the way down was shocking and perhaps gave him the wake up call he needed. As for Charlie and Chloe, I really didn't like either of them. Charlie seemed very much led and dictated by Chloe, I couldn't understand how he would have broken up his family for her.

Again another incident in the car as they travel to Land's End occurred but god it was just bizarre to say the least and I don't think it even needed to be in the book at all. I know I was meant to feel some sympathy and a wavering of my strong viewpoint that I had formed early on of Chloe as we discover what is forcing her to act the way she does but I didn't at all. I thought she was rude, self centred, obnoxious and I couldn't understand why Charlie pandered to her and made excuses for her carry on. She created a lot of the tension at Land's End with her retorts, barbs and wise remarks thrown back and forth particularly between herself and Poll. I wouldn't have blamed Lily for thinking why did I bother bringing everyone together in the first place when all it has created in discord and anger rather than peace and acceptance.

The Anniversary provides the reader with an astute observation of a family gathering over one weekend. The timeframe is brief and concise but the author does pack an awful lot into those few days. I thought the journey to get to Land's End to have all the characters to arrive took quite some time to occur but in a way it did provide an insight into each character. By the time they arrived we knew their stance and their situation but I just wish this had been curtailed a bit so more focus could have been given on the time at the house. The last few chapters felt slightly rushed and it was a pity given all the brilliant development that had occurred up until that point. But pushing these issues aside I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed The Anniversary and that Roisin Meaney has once again done herself proud and written a book that should feature on many people's reading lists for this summer. Will the weekend destroy already fractured relationships or will Land's End allow all involved to finally find what they have been searching for? You'll only discover the answers if you do yourselves a favour and buy this book.

Lily & Charlie have separated after 26 years of marriage. Charlie is now with much younger Chloé and Lily is engaged to solid, dependable Joe. Following the death of her Mother, Lily gathers the family, her daughter Poll, son Thomas together at her family home, Lands End to break some news to them.
The weekend is filled with drama and amidst it all, they’ve forgotten that it’s also the weekend of Charlie & Lily’s anniversary.

As a long time fan of Róisín Meaney, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Lily's mother Kitty has died after a battle with dementia and Lily has decided to sell Land's End, the family home by the sea. On the verge of finalising her divorce from Charlie after 26 years of marriage and with a wedding to her new fiance Joe in the offing she decides to invite the whole family to Land's End one last time for the May Day bank holiday. Her daughter Poll and her boyfriend Aidan, her son Thomas, Joe, Charlie and Charlie's girlfriend Chloe. The weekend was never going to be easy, not when Chloe is only one year older than Poll, but the tensions are ratcheted up by a series of random acts of violence and shocking revelations.

How to rate this? First off, I have to confess I clearly didn't read the blurb properly and/or wasn't paying full attention to the start of the book because I was convinced this was set in the USA, clearly it is set in Ireland. Second, these intense multi-generational family novels aren't really my cup of tea.

Having said all of that, I enjoyed this. Watching family dynamics, the way that 30 year old adults revert to being children when surrounded by their parents and siblings. The way that a 59 year old man and his 27 year old girlfriend interact and who pulls the strings in the relationship. The way in which different people deal with grief. Unpicking the memories of childhood and the associations with a special place, good and bad.

However, I thought the epilogue was a bit rushed, 12 months later and everything has changed - maybe the long weekend was a catalyst for seismic changes for all concerned, but it felt like each of the characters underwent a significant change in their lives between the end of the book and the epilogue and I kind of felt that I had been cheated out of their emotional journey from the end of the holiday to the epilogue.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

An easy summer read but unfortunately I found this book quite slow and a bit boring at times . I really don't like saying this as I've read every single one of Roisin Meaneys previous books and have totally loved them all . Sadly I just didn't get the same enjoyment with this one .

This is a lovely gentle read. For me it was a bit of a slow burner but I soon was page turning to find out what happened in the lives of the beautifully written characters.

The novel centres around Lands End the old summer home of lily and her family. Lily and her husband Charlie have separated after 26 years of marriage and lily is newly engaged to Joe and Charlie has continued his relationship with Chloe his young girlfriend who’s affair led to the breakdown of his marriage.

Lily organises a last weekend at Lands end with Joe, her children Poll and Thomas and her ex husband Charlie and Chloe. She plans to break some news to them which she knows may not come with their approval. All this happens on what would have been her thirtieth wedding anniversary.

There are many secrets lurking under the surface of each characters lives. Poll struggles with commitment can her happy relationship survive? Can Thomas overcome his own struggles? Chloe is also struggling with her own decision can she go through with it alone or share it with Charlie?

The story was beautifully written exploring family relationships. It underlined the fact that things happen in our lives which can change things forever. The importance of memories and experiences all shape our lives and finding happiness is important no matter what life has thrown at us. Relationships are ever changing throughout our lives .

I found this book very true to life and it left me with a lovely warm feeling. I will be looking out for more Roisin Meaney books. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this beautiful book .

Have loved all of Roisin Meaney's books and this one doesn't disappoint. Perfect holiday read.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

A good solid summer/beach read that kept me intrigued about what was going to happen when everyone got to Lands End for the weekend. In my opinion, the lead up to the weekend at Lands End was a bit too much detail of background information and not enough action and I found myself skim reading in places but the second half of the book really kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. I enjoyed the fact that the chapters were written from the perspective of different characters.