A Compelling Contemporary Read with Plenty of Tear-Jerking Moments

There is nothing I love more than a truly romantic read, especially when I usually read so many thrillers. I was so very looking forward to reading Anna Stuart's first contemporary novel. Anna is no debut novelist, she has written and published a series of successful historical novels under the name of Joanna Courtney, but this is her first foray into writing contemporary romance, and I for one, can't wait to see more.

Bonnie and Stan is a beautifully written novel about a true love that has already spanned the course of 50 years. Stan finally on the verge of retirement and, despite being in their 70's, his ambitious and intelligent architect wife Bonnie is at last breaking ground on their dream home. Something they have planned their entire lives. What they didn't plan on, is Stan getting sick.

Stan is being realistic about his prospects and putting plans into place for when he is no longer around, but Bonnie is determined that they will fight and win. As we walk through their lives with them, we are taken back in time to the 60's when they first met. We watch as a young and naive Bonnie navigates a new world, set against the backdrop of fabulous music when The Beatles had just found fame and the world was abuzz with possibility.

I have to admit that I found it a little slow, to begin with. The emotion was right there from the very first page and I fell in love with Stan, but the pace is a little slower than most. Gentle really, a comforting book rather than a fast-paced action. Despite the story being centred around losing a loved one, it never felt morose or depressing. In fact, at many points, I was left with a feeling of joy and hope.

Stans dedication to his family and his determination to find a new love for his wife (with the help of his grandaughter) really touched the sentimental soul in me. The characters are so well drawn. It is a slower paced but that certainly did not impact on my love for the characters.

Bonnie and Stan is one of those books that you will make you quickly wipe a solitary tear from your cheek as you pretend to have a little grit in your eyes. It's not a full-on snot fest, instead, it is a pleasurable read with raw emotions reminding you of just how precious life and love can be.

If you are looking for a gentle and steady read that will now and again sweep you off your feet with beautiful emotion and raw love, this is most certainly the book for you.

A love story with a difference- I’m not into out and out romance novels(this isn’t- there is far,far more) but this is one unique read. Bonnie and Stan are in their seventies and about to finally build their dream home. Bonnie was a architect and having bought the land many years earlier they can now build for their twilight years. Stan has had to go the the hospital and has some bad news, news that Bonnie is determined to fight. They met in the 1960’s and the book alternates between then and now to tell us the story of their lives. Having been together over 50 years they are soulmates and Stan is determined that Bonnie won’t be left alone so with the assistance of his granddaughter he tries to find a suitable companion for Bonnie for after he is gone. Oh my heart! This is so beautifully written. I almost wanted to meet both Bonnie and Stan they are such endearing characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses who bounce off each other to make a real team.Characters that we maybe all meet once in a lifetime. One real treasure of a read. I loved this and shall remember it for a very long time.

I have to be honest I’m not usually one for contemporary fiction but this book had two things that really appealed to me, first older main characters (Bonnie and Stan are in their seventies) and it’s partly set in Liverpool back in the Swinging Sixties, a decade which I love to read about.

Poor Stan, just on the verge of retirement and building his dream home, he finds out he has incurable cancer. He can’t stand to think of Bonnie on her own so he sets about trying to find her a new husband.

Bonnie and Stan is one of those ‘I’m not crying honest, there’s just something in my eye’ reads. I always find it a little harder to read a book with a protagonist who’s dying, especially from cancer which took my mother ten years ago, but this topic is handled with sensitivity by the author.

The characters are so well written, I felt like I almost knew them. Stan is the more pragmatic, accepting what is happening to him whereas Bonnie is looking for a miracle cure. I think we all have a little bit of Bonnie in us, especially when someone is ill.

My favourite aspects of the novel is when we travelled back to the sixties. The Beatles had just found fame and the buzz of the Liverpool music scene was at it’s height. As I’m from Liverpool myself I have a bit of a fascination with that era, my parents were both teenagers at the time and it just seemed like an exciting place to be. I also liked the attention to detail, like the description of the old Cavern club, which was just how my parents described it, damp and a little bit dingy but still one of the places in Liverpool to be seen.

I have to be honest this is quite a slow and steady novel and frankly I liked the sixties parts better than I did the ones set in the present but of course that’s just my opinion.

Bonnie and Stan is a must read story if you like poignant, character driven stories all about love, life and family.

Bonnie and Stan is Anna's first contemporary fiction, yes, I'm shocked too because she ticked every single one of my reading boxes, from creating lovable characters, a hard hitting situation and a series of events that you can't help giggle at, although your heart is hurting! I'm not going to lie, I'm getting the lovely rush of emotions right now as I write this, but isn't that an indication of a great read? When it can still emotionally affect you days / weeks / months after finishing it. I fell hard for this book, and I don't think i'll ever get over it.

Let's start with the absolutely gorgeous characters, especially the main man himself, Stan. He's like a husband / granddad / father that you wish you had, he's kind hearted, funny and very much an old fashioned gentleman who has been told that he hasn't got long left to live. Most of us would grab our bucket list or shove our head into the sand of denial. What does Stan worry about? Leaving Bonnie behind to live the rest of her days in loneliness (I'm not crying, you're crying!!) How utterly loyal is he! Anna has written Stan and Bonnie as three dimensional characters with depth and heart. You get drawn into this captivating read by your heartstrings and get drowned out with tears and love.

The narrative occasional flicks to Bonnie's past; Liverpool 1963 to be exact, as a way to help the reader develop her character. She's quite naïve, finding herself being part of Liverpool's party scene at the same time The Beatles rose to fame. This flashback really works as it develops the foundation for the present day storyline. Anna penned a perfectly crafted contemporary fiction read that will stay tucked up in your heart, where your thoughts will flutter now and again. The storyline of a decades old marriage and the ending of it on the horizon is tissues on hand heart-breaking, but Anna has incorporated in ease flecks of uplifting and humouring aspects that will get you smiling between the rain showers.

The constant theme throughout is "If you truly loved someone you had to want the best for them, whatever it cost you" I think that's where Stan's head is at as he goes on these highly hilarious dates with men he's met online, with Bonnie in mind. I think that Bonnie and Stan would make a cracking rom-com cross tear jerker cinematic film. This is my request for that film! The dialogue includes an air of mystery as we get glances of Bonnie's past, the trials and tribulations of love and what is left behind when someone involuntarily leaves a marriage. An amazingly brilliant read that I'll be raving about for a long time to come! Thank you Anna for writing such a poignant alluring read! *Hands over a bucket of stars*

Bonnie and Stan are in their 70s. They met back in the day when he was in a Liverpool band and she was an architecture student. Many years later Bonnie is building their dream house, but Stan is dying of Cancer. Stan is so worried about leaving her alone, that with the help of his Granddaughter, he starts ‘dating’ men to find one to replace him when he dies.

Sweet, funny, happy, sad, and with a wonderful backdrop of Liverpool in its musical heyday. The Cavern, The Beatles and all the best music in the world.

Loved this book 🎶🎵

I loved this gentle book, it sweeps you along in family life while the flashbacks to how Bonnie & Stan got together were lovely vignettes into 1960s Liverpool. As a fan of the music scene at the time I definitely had an internal soundtrack as I read. The premise of the story, and the modern scenes were a little bit 'rose tinted' but I still got involved enough to be weeping at certain points.

Oh wow what can I say about this book, I absolutely loved it, it made me laugh and cry and was just such an emotional love story. I read it in two sittings as once I started it I didn't want to put it down. I have recommended it to all my friends.

3.75 stars

I'm not old enough to have lived in the 60's,but I'm old enough to understand all the references,and they made me smile rather a lot. Who hasn't read about the Cavern,the Beatles? Cilla?This book fleshed them out.
This book wasn't quite what I expected it to be,the dating is secondary to the love of the family,and mostly the main couple.
Sweet,charming and rather heart warming.

This was a lovely read. A sweet, moving story about a long lasting love, a marriage that has lasted all Bonnie and Stan's life, a love that refuses to be eclipsed by his impending death.
I started crying a few pages in, and every chapter had the power to make those tears flow.
Cancer is horrible, and the author has really captured the dreadful futility you feel when either dealing with it, or watching your loved ones go through it.
Stan stood out as an amazing character who loves his wife so much, he wants her to be happy after his death, and is determined to "date" potential suitors for her after he is gone. Bonnie is a light in the novel, her teenage experiences and juxtaposition of her adult maturity bringing home just how powerful it can be to fall in love over and over, until you find the one you'll love for as long as you live.
Recommended for anyone that loves a good tearjerker, a happy ending (in the non traditional sense), fans of Marley and Me.
Five stars.