An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

"I am always with you. I will always be here"

These ten words 5 year old Ella's mum, Jude would say to her each night at bedtime. That is until one day when her mother walked into the sea, never to be seen or heard from again, leaving Ella to be brought up by her aunt, Carolyn.
Now 30 years later those very same ten words have appeared in the announcements of a national newspaper, on her mother's birthday no less.
This pushes Ella to delve into her mother's past, to find out what really happened, what made her mother walk into the sea that day.

Ten little words by Leah Mercer is an enjoyable book, with dual perspective, across alternating chapters, making it a very easy read. The time difference between Jude and Ella's points of view, works well and the storyline very heartfelt.
I went through all the emotions with this book, I loved reading it so much.

5/5 Would definitely recommend.

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my review. I wish to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read & review this book.

This book wasn't really what I was expecting. The beginning was a bit of an emotional punch, and I both wanted to see what happened next, and was afraid to read more. I felt like some parts of the book really went fast, kept the pages turning. But then it would slow down and I'd consider not finishing it. Not really a good balance. But I';m also not really a fan of books told from various POV's and time lines, as this was, because it can be confusing. And, for regular readers of thrillers and domestic psychology thrillers, it was a bit predictable. But not a bad read.

Review of eBook

Despondent, Jude Morgan walks into the sea, leaving her five-year-old daughter behind. Raised by Jude’s sister and her husband, Ella finally relinquishes her belief that her mother will return one day.

But ten little words in a cryptic classified advertisement throw her life into uncertainty. Is it possible that her mother is still alive? Determined to find an answer, Ella sets out on a trail of discovery that promises to change everything she believes.

Told alternately by mother and daughter, the unfolding story juxtaposes Ella’s present with Jude’s past as it reveals the effects of life’s vicissitudes on each of the women. Filled with emotion and angst, the story keeps the reader involved as it explores how a family, caught in the turmoil of grief and loss, deals with the consequences of the choices and decisions they’ve made.

Nuanced, believable characters populate the narrative, but readers will find little suspense in the telling of the tale. Unfortunately, the narrative’s denouement seems to fall into place far too easily to feel credible. Although readers may find Jude’s rationale for her actions rather insubstantial, it is important to note that the larger story is in the relationship between characters and in the ways in which lives are touched by trauma, betrayal, resentment, trust, hope, and love.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley

<i>I am always with you. I will always be here.</i>

Those are the ten little words spoken by Jude before she walked into the ocean and never came back... Jude has been declared dead, but her 5-year-old daughter, Ella, never believed it. How could her mother leave her? Didn't she whisper those ten little words and promise to always be there? Now a 30-something-year-old woman, Ella has a job...and that's about it. She is barely living, distancing herself from her aunt Carolyn, her colleagues, and any other person in her life. No social connection. No love. No emotion, period.

Told in two interwoven storylines, Leah Mercer reveals fragments of Jude's youth as an aspiring singer while capturing Ella's inner turmoil in the present. We initially get hints of the darkness Jude was battling, in Ella's fuzzy reminiscence of her childhood, yet mostly we see her joys, dreams, and romance. So what drove her mother to abandon a helpless daughter and walk into the ocean, disappearing without another word?

Though Ella is hesitant to admit it, she has never given up hope that her mother would return. And one day, a newspaper advert appears with those ten little words, renewing her hope that her mother is still alive after all. With languorous prose and heavily used metaphors, Mercer explores the internal battle waged within. Ella must confront herself and the unanswered questions about her mother. Mired with the whole gamut of emotions—bitterness, sadness, anger—<i>Ten Little Words</i> can get a little repetitive in its introspection and indecision. I started disliking the alarming rate at which Ella vacillates between wanting to track down her mother and not doing. Nearly every chapter, Ella claims that she is "done" chasing Jude, and by the umpteenth time, I just stopped believing her. Though I could understand the motives of Jude, I had much less sympathy for Ella, who steadfastly treated the loving aunt who raised her coldly and heartlessly.

As for the payoff, the ending felt inevitable and cliched, unable to redeem the many pages of internal struggle. One of my greatest pet peeves is when a story is constructed almost entirely of huge misunderstandings, and unfortunately, that is the biggest blemish on <i>Ten Little Words</i>. To read a whole book and predict the ending, with characters that never fully manage to break away from two-dimensional molds, leaves a disappointing taste in my mouth.

This is a bittersweet story about Ella and her mum Jude told from both perspectives - Ella now and Jude 30 years ago. Jude struggled to be a mum to Ella due to the circumstances of Ella’s conception, feeling Ella would be safer if her Aunt Carolyn cared for her Jude walked into the sea and was never seen again. Sadly Jude’s actions had a huge impact on Ella leaving her unable to get close to others and resentful of her mum. A newspaper advert that appears on what would have been Jude’s birthday sparks a desire in Ella to learn more about her mum’s disappearance.

I thought both viewpoints were told really well, the differences in personality between the two and their experiences and emotions wonderfully portrayed. I really felt for Ella never coping with her mum’s disappearance and clinging on to the ten words she told her every night and the conflict it caused within her.

This was a beautiful story. While it did hunt at some tough subjects, the author handled it beautifully. I recommend this book, and I will definitely be looking for more from the author!

Ten Little Words follows the journey of Ella and her believed-to-be dead mother Jude deciphering how the past always remains within us.

I am always with you. I will always be here.

These Ten Little Words mean so much to Ella and Jude. Ella clings on to these Ten Little Words as she learns to comes to terms with her mother’s sudden disappearance. These words come to haunt Ella when she randomly sees them in an unclassified ad in the newspaper and chooses to follow them. Ella begins her journey of self-discovery as she confronts her past and fears in search of her Mother. Along the way she meets characters all bound together by these Ten Little Words.

Laura Mercer steadily creates suspense as the novel develops. One minute I was certain on what at happened…the next minute I was shocked to learned I was wrong. Short and snappy chapters make this is a quick-read. Chapters alternate between present-day Ella living her life followed by a narrative of the life that Jude (Ella’s Mother) had. This worked well as it allows the reader to learn more about Jude and may justify her actions.

Laura subtly deals with topics such as suicide, feelings of abandonment, rape but ultimately focuses on love. Ten Little Words is powerfully demonstrates the power of love and will touch the hearts of readers affected by loss of a dear loved one.

Reading this made me so angry because of the abandonment. Of course once you get into the storyline you’re able to see that there’s way more than meets the eye. I don’t want to spoil anything but I forgave her mom a little.

Ten Little Words by Leah Mercer Reviewed on June 9, 2020
I am always with you, I will always be here.
Ella’s mother left these ten little words with Ella when she was five years old.

Everyone knows the saying… “You can’t judge a book by its cover”.
However, I love a great book cover… and this is a good one.

I did view a few reviews and thought I would like this.
I did like it but didn’t LOVE it.
Story it told is told from the POV in different time lines, Jude, Ella’s mother in 1980 and Ella now 35 yrs. old in present day.
Ending was worth hanging in there but there were times I thought… Hmmm? Why leave if you will always be here????
Story is a bit of mystery more emotional. It was a 3 star for me but I am sure it will find readers who will love it!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing, UK for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 7, 2020

I’m not quite sure about this book. It does grab your attention in first few pages. It just seemed a bit far fetched to me. I’m not saying I didn’t like the book, it did have a interesting plot. But, the amount of years the mother stayed away? It just seemed unrealistic that after all that time, she’s received with open arms and all is forgiven.
Leah Mercer is a new author to me and one I’d like to read more from.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the arc of Ten Little Words in exchange for my honest review.

Ten Little Words is a decent read. Ella's mother disappeared when she was five, long be,wives to be dead. Ella built a wall around her emotions, remaining aloof from people. Until her birthday when she sees an ad spouting the same ten words her mother used to say to her. Her aunt gives her an old box of belongings that puts her in touch with her past, with a man that holds the key to many answers. The writing was good. I don't really care for Jude, who I thought was completely selfish. I felt sorry for Bertie, who had been robbed in so ,any ways.

Ten Little Words is an engaging story with a dual plotline which is perfectly executed. It has strong and likable characters which keep you invested with the plot. A really well crafted and enjoyable read.

I wanted to love this book but I just couldn't really engage in the characters. The duel storyline and time jumps worked well in this instance, but the ending seemed a little too unrealistic for me. Jude comes back and immediately all is forgiven? Given all the emotions that Ella has for Jude throughout the book, I felt the ending was a little too happy ever after. As well, I had a difficult time believing that Ella would change her behaviour and suddenly take off for Scotland in the first place. This book didn't really work for me but I didn't hate it, either.

When Ella was 5 years old, her mother walked into the sea and was presumed dead. 30 years later, Ella has still not forgiven her mother for abandoning her, especially when she always said "I am always with you. I will always be here." Ella has grown up shutting everyone out of her life because of her mother's betrayal. One day she comes upon a newspaper with those same ten words, she refuses to believe there is a chance her mother is still alive, but she cannot ignore it and decides to find out once and for all.

I felt the book moved pretty slowly and there weren't really any surprises that I hadn't already figured out, however it was a nice story and I appreciated the way everything wrapped up.
Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC of this book.

I am always with you. I will always be here.

Ella’s mother would say those words to her ever night until one day she walked into the sea, leaving her when she was only 5 years old alone in the world. Ella has spent her life angry and wondering why she would say those words to her and then leave her. Then one day she opens up the paper to find the exact words printed in the classifieds. This leads her on a journey to discover what happened all those years ago.

Along the journey, Ella unearths pieces of truth that she patches together. Ella is surprised to learn the true meaning behind those words. Now that she had bright sunlight on the situation will she now be able to love and be loved? Will she be able to live with what she has discovered?

This was a very thought provoking story. Although it was not what I was expecting I truly enjoyed it. I think it highlights that words matter, especially when that is all you have to hold on to.

Thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary copy. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

After promising Ella in ten little words that she would never leave her, Ella’s mum Jude is dead. For thirty years Ella has felt betrayed. Even though she was adopted by her Aunt Carolyn she still feels there’s no place for her in this world. She lives alone with her cat, has the same lunch every day at work and never socialises - merely exists. But everything changes one day when she opens a paper and sees a ten word advert in the classifieds. She refuses to believe her mum is still alive but feels compelled to find out exactly what happened all those years ago.

This book is well written with likeable characters and I found myself easily drawn into the novel. Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author for the chance to review.

This is another hard book for me to rate because I have such mixed feelings about it. I think Mercer did an amazing job of capturing how much pain the characters were carrying, so much so that it was actually painful and frustrating to read at first. I really didn't like Ella at all even though I knew she'd had trauma I just thought she was kind of horrible. The writing style was clear and accessible making this an easy book to get lost in and I was invested in it. I did find though that in the second half everything felt a little too easy after starting out so painful. Overall a decent read.

Ella is a tortured soul. Her father died when she was a baby and her mother committing suicide when she was five, she has never been able to get past the grief and allow the world to come and let her live a happy life, holding everyone and everything at arms reach. She has lived with her aunt and uncle who have done the very best they could for her, but her almost savage belief that her mother was still alive meant that the love they showered upon her was rejected. Now she is 35 years old and living a life devoid of emotions and people, barely a shell of a person, until the day, the anniversary of her mothers birthday when she sees the classified advertisement in a national newspaper with the words “I am always with you. I will always be here” – the very words that her mother would say to her before she fell asleep every night. After so many years of suppressing her feelings and desire for her mother to be alive, hope rises again. And then some letters addressed to her mother find their way to Ella’s keeping, which leads her to Bertie, who lives in Edinburgh but is afflicted with Alzheimer’s, meaning his memories are sometimes muddled. Bertie is a link to her mothers past, as he was, is still in love with Jude and wonders even now, over 30 years later, why she left him suddenly with no explanation. Interspersed in the chapters of Ella we read the back story of her mother Jude, the factors that lead to her life decisions that will have ramifications for everyone she leaves behind. And the question that the reader cannot help but ask, can Ella make peace with her troubled past and find a new way to live a fulfilling life in which she welcomes people and love back in her life?

This book is sold as women’s fiction, which generally means it has a happy ever after ending, and this book follows that rule to the end. There is the happy ever after, but it leaves the reader with a glow that things work out the way they are meant to and our main character has some closure and life renewed with hope and contentment. Ella is well drawn in her shadowy self; we feel her hurt that she carries everywhere with her, we feel her loneliness. We also have the story of Jude and understand her happiness with the love of her life Bertie and then her horror at circumstances that separate her from Bertie forever, and the grief she spirals into before the fateful day she walks into the sea and drowns herself. All of it wraps around itself neatly and makes for an engaging story that will leave the reader satisfied.

Trigger Warning - Rape

This is the story of Ella and her mom Jude - Jude is the pier singer at hastings and is just waiting to go to London for fame and fortune as a singer. However she meets Bertie and London then takes a back berner, she moves to Scotland with him and is due to get married. A chance to go on tour with an up and coming band stops all wedding plans and Jude goes on a tour of all tours where she is noticed to be a star in her own right.

Ella was left with her aunt when her mom is believed to have walked into the sea. Ella is feeling she cant let anyone in and should lock the world out as she is not worthy. She has her dream job, but does not socialise with any of her work colleagues. Even her neighbour doesn't know Ella. All she wants is her mom to come back, but knowing that won't happen is eating her up and making her a bitter person. Then there is a personal message in the classified which says the 10 Little words Ella’s mom used to say to her.

What follows is a pure fantastic book which explores the emotions of family and what can go wrong when secrets are kept. The description of places is so good you can feel yourself on the beach front or in a cottage in Edinburgh. The characters are so lovable you want them for your family. I can honestly say I loved every page of this book and will be looking for more books by Leah.

"The past wasn't behind us, and it could never be laid to rest. The past was within us. We could barricade ourselves from the outside world as much as we liked, but it would still be there, lying dormant, just waiting for a chance to break into our lives again."

I finished this book within a day, I just couldn't put it down. In some ways Ella reminded me of "Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine": she has a regular job and is happy on her own, she doesn't like to have to deal with people and enjoys to stay in and read. She tries to live a normal life without having to think about why her mother left her when she was just 5 years old. Her mother went into the water, but Ella rejects to believe that she died. After years hoping her mother will come back to to keep the promise of "I am always with you. I will always be here" Ella starts to give in and accepts her mothers death to protect herself from being hurt over and over again. But seeing an ad in a local newspaper saying the exact ten little words her mother always told her shook the foundation of her world. Could it be, that her mom hasn't died after all and tries to reach out? Asking her aunt about the details of her mom's disappearance leads to discovering her mother as an authentic person and not just the ideal she had of her in her mind all those years. I loved how the story deals with loss and how it haunts you years, even decades later. It was a beautiful story and I can't wait to read more of Leah Mercer's work.

Thanks netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.