In The Light in the Hallway, author Amanda Prowse creates an engaging, bittersweet story, with characters you quickly come to care about as they struggle through the loss of Kerry, beloved wife, mother, and daughter to cancer.

Nick navigates the loss of his first and only love just as his son Oliver heads of to university. He scrambles to do the beset he can for his son, his family, and his community, even as many of the people closest to him find plenty to criticize. 

Shored by his childhood best friends Alex and Eric, Nick finds love again, sooner than he expected. When he finds out that the plant that shores up his small community is going to be sold, he and his friends and new love interest Barbara are left reeling, but ultimately, everyone finds opportunity to grow and thrive in a new reality. 

This is the first book I’ve read from Prowse, and I believe I’ll look for others The story itself was not too ambitious, and included strong, tender and comical moments as well as delving into the topics of love, family and learning how to leap into the unknown (whether forced or chosen) to create a stronger place for yourself in the world. I found myself shoving off other tasks to finish it up, always a good sign as a reader. 

Thank you to Netgalley, from whom I received this book in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.

I read this boom during covid lockdown and found it be a great escape. This is a heartbreaking and yet heartwarming read and I thought the male narration was particularly interesting.

Heartbreaking and yet heartwarming, this book is absolutely stunning in weaving a story that you will find hard to put down!

loved this book, first time reading this author and it just flowed so well and was quite funny from the kids perspective!

Like all of her other books. I loved this. It was such an easy read, a story with a Male narration, about friendship, love, loss and relationships. A comfortable read, with a bit of Ah factor,

The male narration made this book all the more special. A story of love, loss, relationships, friendship and family told in the present and back in 1992. Relatable characters and delicate subject matter.

This is a story of love, loss, relationships, friendship and family and is told over two timelines; the present day and, at the end of each chapter, 1992.

A really emotional read that resonated with me

A touching story of a father who loses his wife to cancer and has to raise his son alone all the while missing his true love. He remembers his own childhood and copes with all life has given him. A great book about love and family.

Prowse makes you feel the emotion of losing love and the journey it takes to grieve. Trying to find your way to happiness when you loved fully once.  Such a tear jearker, but enjoyed every minute of this book.

I loved this book, really easy to read, an emotional storyline, and has you connecting to the characters, and wanting to keep reading to find out more.
Read this book nice and quick. Have enjoyed a few books by this author now. Highly recommend Amanada Prowse.

What a beautiful book of  how to grieve after loss this was. Nick and Oliver have to find ways to pick up the pieces of their life after Kery falls ill and passes away. It is amazing to watch the perspectives that Nick has as we watch his grief unfold. It's very poignant and beautiful. I was tearfilled and happy as I completed this book. It has a wonderful view of how many can overcome great loss with those they love around them. 

Thank you Lake Union and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this great book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. Gentle and such a lovely look into people's families, relationships and dealing with grief. Nick's wife dies leaving him to look after their teenage son.
They both have to learn how to deal with each others' loss and learning to live again.
Set in a small Yorkshire town which seemed so realistic to other Yorkshire's towns I've come across.

I love Amanda Prowse's books, and know exactly what to expect from her reads - a myriad of emotions, a tale of growth and a book that I cannot put down. And once again she certainly delivers. Really enjoyable and one I got through in 24 hours.

The love of Nick's life, Kerry has died from cancer.  Now, he is a single dad raising his son alone.  There are flashbacks to his 10 year-old self, which I felt took away from this story.  This was my first book by Amanda Prowse. I received an advance copy from Netgallery for an honest review.

The Light in the Hallway is a heartfelt story  about love, relationships and bereavement. Nick’s wife Kerry is taken from him through illness, leaving him bereft and in charge of their 18 year old son. While working through his grief, he reminisces about childhood friendships and the ups and downs of married life. While trying to help others in their grief he finds an unexpected relationship that shows him there is life after death. 
This novel feels like a memoir that maps out one man’s life. While reflecting on various relationships throughout his life, Nick comes to realise what is truly important and finds the confidence to fulfil his full potential.

Nick can't handle his own grief, never mind his son's, at the loss of his wife Kerry. But as his son heads off to college not long after Kerry's death, Nick tries to figure out how to navigate life without his childhood sweetheart -- while dealing with his son's, in-laws', and parents' expectations.

Another great book by Amanda Prowse, well paced, with characters I could really relate to.  I was cheering the lead character on by the end.  Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I chose to read this beautifully written novel a month after I lost my mom to dementia. That's perhaps not the best timing on my part because the book opens with Nick losing his wife to cancer following a long battle with the disease. Prowse deftly maneuvers the emotions of watching someone close to you die: the pain, the grief, the rage and the guilt are written with such expertise as to ensure you'll need a box of tissues near you as you read.

When Kerry dies, Nick is left alone to see their son off to college, a son who refuses at first to acknowledge his mother's death. Soon, though, Olly experiences the entire range of emotions and Nick finds himself comforting a boy who is at odds with himself and his feelings.

The remainder of the book delves into moving on and beginning to find pleasure and happiness again. Nick finds a new friend and has to deal with his sister-in-law's and son's feelings about that. Prowse expertly writes Nick's character as a man who is both sympathetic but firm. I love how he handled all of the issues that were thrown at him.

Interspersed in the modern-day story are tales of Nick, Eric and Alex during the summer of 1992 when the three friends truly became best buds. I loved those stories so much that I found myself eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Prowse tidies things up nicely at the end for us. I'm not always a fan of that, but given the heartwrenching and emotionally draining beginning of the Light in the Hallway, I was happy to see where she went with the final chapter of the book.

Four well-deserved stars to this great read.

Many thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing book from Amanda. I laughed and cried with this book. The characters are amazing and you really because invested in their stories. Yet again Amanda has created characters that you not only believe are real, you wish you knew them.

I was a little disappointed with Prowse’s last book and this one even more so. It’s not that it is a bad story, but I found it difficult to connect to the characters; it doesn’t have the heart of some of her earlier books. Ultimately, the story of how Nick and his son carry on after his wife dies didn’t capture my attention and I found it a chore to finish.