Wow, this was an impactful read exploring difficult topics. I thought it would be a light, frothy read but it was very heavy and dark.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Mercer gives the reader a touching tale of a family deeply hurt and still mystified by a thirty-year-old tragedy, then laces it with intrigue, hope and a touch of romance. There are twists and distractions to keep the reader guessing; lies and threats to stir the emotions; and heart-breaking moments and misunderstandings to bring a lump to the throat. Mercer easily captures the era and setting in this moving and enjoyable read.

Wanted so badly to like this book -- the premise of the words that reverberate through a lifetime grabbed me by the throat. However. The story itself failed to grab me. The situations, the characters, the settings, all was overwrought and clunky. Yes, it was sad, but I knew what was coming long before it arrived. Yes, there was serious merit in some of the critical issues that the author went directly into, such as mothers abandoning their children and how those children make their way in the world.  However, it was too much, too overloaded, and just plain unreadable for me.

Using different voices, this book flips backwards and forwards in time to tell the story of unrequited love. It gives the reasons why, when she was so in love with the man she was soon to marry, Jude disappeared, leaving a young child in the care of her older sister. Ella has spent lots of years trying to come to terms with her mother’s disappearance but after reading an advert in the newspaper on her mother’s birthday, begins to research her disappearance. This leads to a voyage of discovery of the truth and her own feelings towards others, which will give piece together all the loose ends which have never been properly explained. By the end of the book, all the characters are free from all their previous misconceptions and we are left with a happy feeling.

I received a copy of Ten Little Words from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  

Ten Little Words was a whirlwind of emotions.  Ella was just five years old when her mother disappeared and was declared dead.  She grew up holding on to the ten words her mother would repeat each night.  I am always with you. I will always be here.  Now, she's 35 and believes her past is behind her until she sees an advertisement in the newspaper that states those same ten words.  She breaks out of her comfort zone to find out what they mean.

The book was so well written.  The character development was on point and made you feel as if you knew the characters.  My heart ached for Ella, Bertie, and Jude.  The story is told in alternating time lines but never seemed confusing.  It was a little predictable in a few places but that didn't distract from the story.  I would definitely pick up another book from Leah Mercer.

“I am always with you. I will always be here”. These are the words that Ella’s mother, Jude spoke to her every night before she went to sleep. But when Ella was four her mother committed suicide and ever since she has drawn into herself and will not commit to anyone, even the Aunt that brought her up.

One day Ella sees these 10 words printed in a newspaper. But if it is not her mother who placed the ad, who did?
The story is told from both Jude’s and Ella’s perspective. Ms Mercer writes eloquently about Jude’s early life and I could see the colour of love that surrounded her. Ella is a complex character and I could feel all of her loneliness and anguish at having been abandoned by her mother as a child.

I loved Bertie. To me, he was the real hero.. A true gentleman who lifted the tone of this novel.

I really enjoyed this book,  the story drew you in and as it played out you felt more and more involved in the story.  Both tragic and uplifting,  this was a lovely book which I would recommend.

This book follows the journey of Ella, after her mum disappeared when she was just 5 years old she’s bought up by her Aunt Carolyn. For years though she clung to the hope that her mum would return - despite her clothes being left on the beach and people seeing her walk into the sea. Her body was never found, and neither was the heart pendant that she’d always promised to Ella. 

When one day ten little words appear in a national paper, ten little words that Ella’s mum always use to say, this hope is reignited. Is Ella’s mum actually still alive? Did she just leave her daughter and then not return? Or did she walk into the sea and leave her? Either way we see Ella struggle with her emotions, hope, anger and confusion rank highly!

I found this to be a slow burner initially and I was a bit confused at what was happening, but about a third of the way in the story seems to take off. The storyline was a bit predictable but this didn’t change its charm at all and you’re still unsure what the ending is going to be throughout. 

My emotions were definitely on high alert as well and the tissues were almost needed at the end of the book. 

In the end I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to others. It reminded me of Cecelia Ahern and JoJo Moyes books.

this is the saddest book on the planet. i cried and cried and i don't want to cry no more. please make it stop. if you want to crya nd love readin g about dead parents, then this is the book for you.

Ten Little Words tells the story of Ella, now 35 and orphaned, and her mother, Jude.  I like the way the story is told, going back and forth between Ella's story in the present and Jude's, in the past. It's a real page turner.  
The end is a bit contrived, but it doesn't make the story any less enjoyable.  
I look forward to more books by this author.

With thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing and Leah Mercer for this advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review. I'm a sucker for a dual time line book, especially when told from the POV of different characters. I absolutely loved this family drama, filled with engaging, relatable characters that I found myself genuinely caring about..

4.5★s
“I couldn’t say I was happy, but then, I didn’t want to be happy. Being happy meant you had something to lose, and I wasn’t about to risk that.”

Ten Little Words is the fourth novel by Canadian-born British author, Leah Mercer. For years after her mother disappeared, Ella Morgan hoped and believed that she would return. No body had been found. Why now, after she’d finally accepted that Jude Morgan had abandoned her five-year-old daughter by walking into the sea, had that haunting ad appeared? “I am always with you. I will always be here” was what her mother had told her every night, and there it was, in the classifieds of The Post, on her mother’s birthday.

The music and the songs had always been inside her, and in the early eighties, all Jude Morgan wanted to do was to go to London and sing: that was where she’d get her big break. For now, busking on the promenade at Hastings could earn her some pennies towards it, at least. But then she met Bertie McAllister, and the dream could be postponed for a while: never forgotten, but being with Bertie seemed more important.

Ella’s hard-won equilibrium, achieved through eschewing connection with others, keeping her heart safe, was now deranged; the nightmare was back and she was making mistakes at work. Perhaps it was time to relent, to talk to her Aunt Carolyn about what had happened with her mother. Perhaps the promised heart pendant was with her mother’s things... The letters were a mystery: a shoebox of unopened letters from someone called Bertie.

Eventually, Ella is convinced to take steps to find Jude: she’d had so many questions, but now “I stared out to sea again, feeling more alive than I had for years. My walls were down. My heart was open – at last. But … I wasn’t full of love. I was full of fury, and I was ready to attack. God, it felt good.” What would she find, if anything?

Mercer gives the reader a touching tale of a family deeply hurt and still mystified by a thirty-year-old tragedy, then laces it with intrigue, hope and a touch of romance. There are twists and distractions to keep the reader guessing; lies and threats to stir the emotions; and heart-breaking moments and misunderstandings to bring a lump to the throat. Mercer easily captures the era and setting in this moving and enjoyable read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.

I was struggling with this book from the get go, but I kept trying so hard to push through. I really don't like not finishing an ARC, but I was just getting more upset and frustrated, so I finally did my mental health a favor and stopped.

Quick break down of the story is that 5 year old Ella's Mother, Jude, used to say ten words to her, "I am always with you. I will always be here." Then one night she waked into the sea, never to be seen again, assumed to have committed suicide. 

She was taken in by her very caring Aunt Carolyn who did everything she could to raise Ella in a warm, loving, nurturing home. Yet, Ella was only growing more angry and distant because her mom left her when she said she'd always be there. Fast forward 30 years, when Ella is 35, she sees an advert in a paper with those ten little words and it spurs her to ask her Aunt Carolyn questions that she'd never wanted answers to, and she finally took a box of her mom's belongings that Carolyn had, but Ella never wanted.  

The story is told from both perspectives: Ella's in the present and Jude's in the past. I had to stop on Chapter 8 because I just could not handle reading Ella's perspective anymore. She is 35 years old and all she does is work, while talking as little as possible to any of her coworkers and never partaking in any events with them, then she goes straight home to her tiny bare apartment with her cat. Her Aunt tries to check on her and have her over, but Ella pretty much wants nothing to do with her. She has no real life, no friends, no happiness. She's full of resentment and has let it take over her entire life.

I'm just gonna put this right out there. For me, she is the most unlikable, whining, ungrateful character I think I've ever read about, and I'm supposed to be feeling sympathy for her, but I just can't. I know what happened when she was 5 was traumatic, but she's 35 years old now. She wasn't tossed around in the foster system. She raised by a loving aunt. So many people have it so much worse in life, but they do something about it. She has made the choice to live the life she's living. 

Therapy wasn't mentioned in the chapters I read, but I I do hope it was mentioned at some point in the story. If not, it's a shame. A perfect opportunity to talk about the benefits of therapy and help end the stigma. Therapy to learn how to come to terms, how to grieve, cope, reach acceptance. How to  love, live, and move on.

I'm not saying the tragedy was something to sneeze at. My maternal grandfather committed suicide when my mother was 12, leaving her to care for her older and younger brother while.my grandma worked 2 jobs. My own "step" children (in quotes because I don't see them as anything but my other kids) had their own horrific experience of losing a parent this way and at a much more difficult stage of their life than age 5. It is a horrible thing for anyone to go through, whether their parent committed suicide or abandoned them. But when you're an adult and still blaming what  happened to you as a child  as the cause of all that's wrong in your life, no, I can't connect or sympathize. As C.S. Lewis said, " You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." 

As I appear to be in the minority on my thoughts on this book, it's probably worth the read if you like stories about flawed characters making poor choices, and their consequences. Many people felt a connection to, and loads of sympathy for Ella, so I'm sure it's just about perspectives and life experience. 

Happy reading!

Content Warning: Rape

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing, UK for the e-ARC and the opportunity to share my thoughts. to share my thoughts.

This is outside of my usual reads but I liked the pretty cover. I enjoyed the story and the uncovering of the mystery. I felt something for each of the characters (not always nice emotions if they annoyed or frustrated me with their behaviour) which is a mark of a good book, in my opinion. Recommended.

Not much I enjoyed about this book. While U see lots of others really enjoyed it, I found the characters shallow and self absorbed. The writing wasn't bad, but it took the long way around to get to the point and was really slow in spots, and I just kept rolling my eyes and thinking "move on already!" . I knew how it would turn out really early in the book. I was sad I didn't like it more.
Trying to rate this one was a struggle. Ended up 3 1/2 stars, 3 since we cant do half stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Leah Mercer’s words captivated me from the very first page! It was a gut-wrenchingly, slow, mysterious burn, that will drive you crazy with anticipation and will literally blow your mind with its startling revelations.

Ten Little Words was an emotional roller coaster that had me feeling broken, angry, sad, and torn at the dark undertones of rape, suicide, abuse, and male supremacy. Leah Mercer is a brilliant writer whose raw words elicited every single emotion I possess and by the end, I couldn’t help but close the book smiling with my heart nearly bursting. I felt hopeful and inspired by the power of reinvention and forgiveness. 

Ten little words is told from the two perspectives, a mother (Jude) so broken by her horrific past that her light started flickering away, day after day, until eventually she was consumed by the darkness of her memories and a daughter (Ella) so broken by her mother’s betrayal and abandonment that she shuts herself off from emotions and distances herself from any social interactions.  Jude is so tainted and mentally ruined that she could not even bear the sight of her shining hope- her daughter Ella. She often wondered, "How could you love your daughter but not want to be her mother?” 

The simultaneous inner monologuing was extremely clever as it highlighted the harsh decisions of parenthood and how those decisions can scar children, who then grow into emotionally stunted adults. As we chase the ghost of Jude’s past, we see her decisions in a whole new light as the missing pieces finally start slipping into place. As Ella’s walls start crumbling, can she let go of all the hurt, anger in the face of the truth? Can she lower her well-built defenses and let in people who love her instead of pushing them away? 

My favorite lines were:
“The Past wasn’t behind us, and it could never be laid to rest. The past was within us.” 
“Gradually, I was learning. Every day, I was becoming more fluent in the language of life.”

Ten little words, teaches us many life lessons and highlights how one decision can impact multiple lives. It teaches us not to be afraid of the hard conversations in life and the importance of communication in a relationship. It provides a harsh lesson on the value of appreciating and loving the family you have instead of the one you lost or wished for. Most importantly, you must fight for the life you want to live.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Leah Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.

Ten Little Words is a slow-moving story that details Ella's journey losing her mom and trying to find herself in the process. As a young girl Ella's mother whispered ten little words to her every night until one morning Jude, Ella's mother, seemingly walked into the ocean and drowned. Never getting passed her mother choosing to leave her, Ella struggled to bond with her mother's sister-Aunt Carolyn. Aunt Carolyn and her husband took in Ella and treated her as their own but Ella was unable to reciprocate.  

Years later Ella sees the ten little words in an advertisement in a newspaper on her mother's birthday. From there the story, told in dual timelines and perspectives, takes off as Ella searches for her mother's past and possibly future. The first half is slower, without much action and dialogue however Jude's chapters move more quickly. It felt repetitious at times even though the premise and unfolding events are interesting enough that the repetition is more superfluous than literary tool. The second half of the story that really dives in to Jude's past with Bertie, returning home to Hastings and Ella's journey is the best part of the book. 

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm going to rate this one a 3.5 out of 5.
This story is well-written (employing a monologue style of writing), has an interesting, eye-catching premise, and is told from multiple points of view, which I like. 
It started off well, but  I found that there was a lot of repetition of internal thoughts and a reliance on many of the standard story-telling tropes - so the characters didn't seem fully fleshed out and real to me.  After a while, those ten little words got a bit grating.  The reason that Jude left, and then stayed away for so long, seemed a bit shaky.  She needed help.  She loved her daughter, but couldn't stay and rationalized her decision to disappear for good.  
I love a good HEA, but I'm getting a bit tired of the "find a love interest and that will solve all your problems" solution. Alas, love does not conquer all - but it IS  helpful to have the support of family, friends, and/or a partner during difficult times.   I prefer novels where the protagonists admit that they have a lot of work ahead of them to reach self-acceptance and peace after a serious, traumatic or life altering  illness/experience/event.  And we all know that mental illness does not magically disappear because a man or a woman enters your life and gives you unconditional love, etc.  I prefer a more realistic approach to problem solving, and I don't need my endings wrapped up in cotton wool or sugar coated. 
A good light  read for these COVID  Times, as I have come to call this period of history.

EXCERPT: I aimlessly flipped through the pages, running my eyes over articles on the latest summer trends and celeb weddings. Reading this newspaper made me feel like an alien from another planet. Who were these people, and why would I care? I was just about to fold it up and push it away from me when a tiny box advert in the classifieds caught my eye. The text leaped out at me, each word hammering my eyes.

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

My heart pounded and everything inside me went cold. The words echoed in my mind, growing larger and larger until they pressed on my skull. Images of my mother holding me close each night as she whispered those same ten words clawed and scratched at my soul, demanding entry, and I shoved the paper away from me.

I sat frozen for a minute, forcing air in and out of my lungs as I batted away those memories. Then I let out a little laugh. God, how silly was I? It was just ten words.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: I am always with you. I will always be here.

This was the promise Ella’s mother betrayed thirty years ago when she walked into the sea, leaving her five-year-old daughter alone in the world. Ella’s been angry ever since, building up a wall to protect herself. But that all changes the day she opens a newspaper and finds those ten little words printed in a classified ad.

Ella refuses to believe her mother could still be alive—that would mean she did want to live, just not with her daughter. So she throws herself into finding out exactly what happened all those years ago, determined to extinguish even the tiniest flame of hope—for Ella, hope is torture.

But rather than settling things once and for all, what Ella discovers shatters her world. As she pieces together the truth behind her mother’s disappearance, she learns that the words are not what she thought.

Now she knows the truth. Is it possible that Ella can allow herself to love—and be loved—once again?

MY THOUGHTS: In Ten Little Words author Leah Mercer addresses the issue of abandonment and it's psychological effects on those left behind.

Ella's mother Jude, suffering from a severe depression following a traumatic event, walks into the ocean when Ella is five and is never seen again.

Told over two timelines from the perspectives of Ella in the present and Jude in the early 1980s, we discover what led Jude to abandon her small daughter to the care of her childless older sister and her husband, and the effects of that abandonment on Ella's life.

Ten Little Words is a story that grew on me as I read. It's a quick and easy read, with a little mystery and romance and, although it is a tad predictable in places and everything is tied up rather neatly at the end, it is a satisfying and enjoyable read.

😊😊😊.7

#TenLittleWords #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Leah can't remember a time when she didn't love writing. From creating fake newspapers to writing letters to the editor, scribbling something was always on the agenda. Even the rejections she received after completing her first novel at age 13 didn't dent her enthusiasm.

So it makes sense, then, that she pursued a career in anything but writing. Public relations, teaching, recruitment, editing medical journals -- even a stint painting houses -- until she finally succumbed once more to the lure of the blank page.

When she's not being jumped on by her young son or burning supper while thinking of plot-lines, Leah can be found furiously tapping away on her laptop, trying not to check Twitter or Facebook.

Leah also writes romantic comedies under the name Talli Roland.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Ten Little Words by Leah Mercer for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

I was given this ARC by netgalley and publisher for honest review and opinion 
Interesting story about a girl whose mom has left her by drowning herself 
Than she finds a quote in a newspaper with the same saying her mom used all the time
She becomes to want to know is her mom still alive? Only way to find out is to get out of the walls she has built around herself and embrace others.