This was, as usual from Amanda Prowse, a sensitively written novel with a very sad, very heart-wrenching central event. However I found the unremittingly angry and depressing reactions rather hard work - much as the grief would have been. I felt the book got rather bogged down in the repetitive cycles of emotion with very little to vary the plot or lighten the mood. Definitely a weepie with an ultimately, if rather abruptly concluded ending, but, sadly, not a book I would recommend to start the new year in a positive frame of mind.

This is a deeply moving and emotional book that resonates strongly. No one can imagine what this would be like, but the story gives us a good idea. Beautifully written.

This is another complete heart-wrencher from Amanda Prowse. Rachel and James do seem to have it all but this books just shows how precious and short life can be and what cruel twists and turns it can put in your path.

When Rachel wakes up on a sunny morning on the boat that they all love, she is happy. Until she can't find her son Oscar.

The aftermath of that tragic day is so well depicted in this heart-breaking story. Amanda Prowse has a pure talent for describing the darkness and grieve we can experience when we lose the one thing we live for.

Characters are wonderfully believable and the whole book keeps you going with hope and you have to wonder at the strength of human emotions.

Amanda Prowse's new novel is a difficult read as it deals with the sudden death of a child by drowning. His body is never recovered which leads to a lack of closure for the characters in the book and for the reader. Having experienced two significant bereavements in my life, I was impressed by how well the initial bewilderment and grief were depicted. However, this is not fully pursued in the book and the 'firsts' milestones the bereaved have to navigate (birthdays, Xmas, holidays and so on) were not shown. Instead large chunks of time pass between chapters. The book ends on a positive note and this is probably in the only way the author could have written it, which is a helpful depiction to show the newly bereaved.

All credit to Prowse for tackling such a difficult subject, but I would have swapped the long letters from CeCe for more of the bereaved parents' experiences.

Amanda Prowse gives readers no time to settle into The Coordinates of Loss. Rather, the story opens with Rachel Croft waking up on her family’s boat in Bermuda to what she believes will be another sunny, perfect day with her husband, James, and seven-year-old son, Oscar. Rachel and James lounge in bed a bit, confident that all is well. But when they finally rise and Rachel goes to awaken Oscar, she cannot find him. He has simply vanished during the night. And Prowse plunges readers, along with Rachel, into shock and disbelief. They summon help and a search commences but it is clear from the outset, because of the natural conditions, that Oscar will not be found alive. Surrounded by search and rescue personnel, struggling to answer their questions, and process what has happened, Rachel heard "her husband screaming louder than she had ever heard and in a way that was chilling, desperate. His lack of control and fear only fueled her own. It was in that moment of realization that Rachel Croft looked toward the horizon, weakened, weary and with the certain knowledge that her life had changed. it had changed forever."

Rachel's descent into mourning and depression is swift. Through dark and desperate days, Rachel is unable to navigate her grief. James wants them to lean on each other, draw strength from their love for each other and Oscar, remember, and recover together. But Rachel, knowing that the idyllic and privileged life they shared in Bermuda, turns inward and pushes James away. She blames herself and James because had they arisen earlier on that morning, Oscar might never have vanished. Completely unable to continue living, Rachel leaves James and Bermuda behind. She returns home to Bristol by her self, takes a job, rents a modest apartment, and tries to continue living without her beloved son and husband.

In their beautiful Bermuda home, their housekeeper, Cee-Cee, remains, caring for James and the property. An native of Bermuda, Cee-Cee knows all too well about loss. She adored Oscar and feels his loss almost as palpably as Rachel and James. Her heart aches for James, left alone to manage his own grief and find a way forward without his wife at his side. Cee-Cee begins writing letters to Rachel, relating her own history and the ways in which she copes with the losses she endured. Little by little, letter by letter, Rachel begins to understand that loss can be survived, even though loved ones are never forgotten. She comes to appreciate that Oscar will be with her forever and forgive herself for her shortcomings as a wife and mother.

Will Cee-Cee's willingness to share her own experiences and wise counsel help Rachel and James find their way back to each other? Will either or both of them find a way to reconcile the past, find peace, and feel happiness again? Amanda Prowse confronts those questions in a straight-forward, unflinching manner that propels the story forward and compels readers to keep reading in order to find the answers. The characters of Rachel, James, and Cee-Cee are utterly endearing. relatable, and empathetic because they are well-intentioned, but flawed human beings thrust into circumstances that could befall anyone. The death of a child is the single most devastating event any person can face and Prowse believably and fully depicts and explores the diametrically opposed ways in which Rachel and James react to the loss. There is no villain in this story. There is only a deeply emotional, fully engaging, and richly moving tale of the very different ways that two loving parents and spouses learn to continue living.

I enjoyed the book. It was a sad book but written well. I thought it was a little long but enjoyed the writing style. The character development was good still wonder what happened to Oscar. Wish they had a finish for the story!

As always, with an Amanda Prowse book, emotions ran high while reading The Coordinates of Loss.

This story is completely heartbreaking, moving and dreadfully sad. But there are moments of light and happiness, some humour and lots of love.

The characters are rich and real, the feelings created are deep and raw. This book will make you think, cry, laugh and ultimately feel and appreciate life.

This book seriously took me a very long time to read. I just found it so sad and depressing and hard to read due to the subject of a couple dealing with the death of a child. The writing was good as I really felt for Rachel’s loss and her trying to come to terms with it over a long period of time. It’s hard to judge grief because we all feel it so differently but admittedly, I wanted her to be able to move past what I saw as ruining her life and her relationships. But this is so unfair of me as I have not experienced a loss of a child (thank goodness). I would read a few pages and put it back down and would pick it back up with dread but at the same time I felt it was worth finishing because it was a compelling story. I gave it 4 stars as I think it was a good book. My enjoyment was more like 3 stars. Thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Rachel and James have the perfect life in Bermuda until one morning on a boating vacation, they wake up, and their 7-year-old son, Oscar, is gone. Rachel completely falls apart, refusing to acknowledge that Oscar is dead. Eventually, she chooses to go back home to England because she can't handle being on the island anymore. Cee-Cee, their housekeeper, also knows the pain of losing a son, and she writes letters to Rachel to try to help her.

I do not have a child and so have never felt the exact pain of losing a child, but I have lost other close relatives, and I could completely related to Rachel's grief. However, I did not care for Cee-Cee's part of the book. Rather than getting drawn into her life, I felt like it just took me out of the story I was reading, and I just wanted to get back to the main plot.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The plot was believable and you were made to care about each character that was in the novel. The ending surprised me. I am still thinking about this novel. What if something like that had happened to me? I have four children and could absolutely relate to the mom's feeling of sorrow and pain. This author does an excellent job writing The Coordinates of Loss. I would recommend The Coordinates of Loss to everyone who is interested in reading a novel that explores relationships and loss.

A poignant and heart warming story about two ladies dealing with lost of their precious ,young and innocent child. Cee Cee shares her in depth pain and heart torn feelings with Rachel who is going through that grief.
The support and encouragement from Cee Cee is an exceptional character to have around.

So glad Rachel finally finds peace and comfort for herself.

There are sections of tearful moments and maybe some tissues at hand.

Worth the read!

A book about the grief of losing a child. The book well written. The description of the guilt and regret that was felt my the mother was tangible. However the subject matter did not make an easy read for me.

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Steamy?: No
Cliffhanger?: No
Can be read as Standalone?: Yes
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

***COMPLIMENTARY COPY PROVIDED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW***

I think Amanda Prowse just isn’t for me. This is the third book I’ve read by her and the last two have taken me much longer than necessary to finish. My struggle does not come from the quality of the writing or story, as Ms. Prowse writes beautifully about realistic, gripping topics. I just find the stories to drag on and on without ever really going anywhere. In this story, the beginning and end were enjoyable but the middle was a vast valley full of repeated thoughts, feeling and emotions that never really transported us anywhere. I get that the intent was for us to FEEL the loss but all I felt was BORED during the middle 70% of this book. Instead of the story moving along, it kind of stalled. (And I seriously don’t see the purpose of adding Cee-Cee as a major supporting character… I didn’t see where she added any real value to the story. Maybe it’ll come to me at a later time….).

Again, this isn’t a knock against the authors writing capabilities (she clearly has it in spades)…. This may just come down to “it’s me, not you”. I may try another book in the distant future.

I received The Coordinates of Loss by Amanda Prowse as an ARC from NetGalley. This is the first book I have read by her but now I want to go back and read her other books. The Coordinates of Loss tells the story of Rachel and her husband, James, and how the tragic loss of their son affects their lives. This is a heartbreaking story but well written. I would recommend it to others.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a hard book to read at times because it dealt with the loss of a child. A seven year old boy who died on his parents yacht in Bermuda, who went to bed one night and wasn’t seen again. He disappeared when his parents were sleeping and after they had made love, he wasn’t in his room.
It is how the parents and the housekeeper, CeeCee, mourn his loss and how they managed to live a day at a time.
It is a sad story and hard to read but then so is the reality of losing anyone you love.
Recommended

Another stunning book from Amanda;I honestly don't know how time and time again Amanda manages to create such amazing work. Reading this was effortless and a joy. Great characters, a heart wrenching and also walming read.

I knew I shouldn't have read this on the beach!! Another heart wrenching story from Amanda Prowse about love, loss and forgiveness. Tissues needed

Having been a grief counsellor and helped several people who had lost children, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read this book. Often when I read an author's perception of 'what it's like' I get angry and frustrated and put the book away. However, I decided that, as I trust Amanda Prowse to research fully her subject, I would read it. She didn't disappoint! Her characters were full and rounded and handled their grief in a way similar to the stories I have heard from my clients. Somehow, even when I wasn't actually reading, the story was still in my head and wouldn't leave me.
The emotions in the book are hard hitting and real.
Exquisitely crafted, this is a traumatic story, very well researched and told.

Having had lost a child myself I was reluctant to read this book. But when a friend suggested it I drove in.

Rachel and James Croft had a loving marriage and along with their seven-year-old son Oscar the perfect family. Living in Bermuda and surrounded by water James had convinced Rachel to get a boat for the family and while packed up for the weekend tragedy strikes. Rachel wakes up on the boat and Oscar is nowhere to be found.

As the hours, days, weeks and months go by Rachel battles her grief and shuts herself off from her husband, friends, and family. With no answers as to what happened that night while they were sleeping Rachel struggles with letting go and accepting Oscar is gone. It’s only through the words of understanding from their housekeeper Cee-Cee that Rachel finally begins to heal.

As I stated having had lost a child myself I could so relate to Rachel and through her, I too healed some. This was a wonderful book full of emotions.

This book is amazing! As a mother, I related to the main character. I felt for her when her child went missing. The characters are very relatable. I would highly recommend this book.