This book moved a little slow for me but I kept going because of all the positive reviews it got. Ill give it 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this completely blind, not even reading the blurb before starting as I know when I get a book by this author usually its going to be a cracking read and this one was amazing. 

I was totally engrossed in Ella and Jude's story. I loved the fact that it's told from dual point of view and that you hear the back story which lead up to Jude's disappearance. 

It was so cleverly written that I was constantly asking questions throughout the story and just when I thought I had it sorted another slight twist would happen and I was left guessing again. If I have one cristism about it is that maybe, just maybe, things were solved a bit too easily and I wanted Ella and Bertie to maybe hold Jude to account more at the end but even with that this story stuck with me. 

This is a story of fear, trauma, hope and a love story that spans a long time. It is also a story that will stay with you long after it has finished. Thank you to the author and Net galley for letting me read this amazing story.

The ten little words in this book played through a theme that builds into an amazing story.  It pulls you into the lives of the characters - just when you think you understand them - moving deeper into an understanding of what molds their life and decisions in surprising ways.  The author does an excellent job of encouraging you to open up your own mind and to recognizing that perhaps our destiny is not quite so set after all.  

I enjoyed this book so much that I went back and looked up others by the author.

This is a beautiful, yet heartbreaking story of love, heartache, fear, trauma and resilience.
Jude walked into the ocean one day when life became unbearable and did not come out. 
She is survived by her five year old daughter, Ella, her sister, Carolyn, and a man named Bertie who truly adored her.
How do you choose and decide that "life" is too hard and to abandon your family?

How does a little girl ever accept that her mum has deserted her?
 Ella learns to survive and to not get truly involved with anyone. It is safe and so much easier to depend only on oneself.
The world begins to change on the day of Jude's birthday when she sees an advert with ten little words that Jude always told Ella.  
 Could it be? Who placed this ad?
The search begins!
Well written, and truly kept me reading to find out what was happening for Ella and praying that she would learn to trust and love.

Thirty years ago deeply troubled Jude Morgan disappears and is presumed dead. She leaves behind a five year old daughter Ella, who is raised by her Aunt Carolyn and her husband Rob. This story is told in different timelines by Jude from the 1980’s and by  Ella in the present day. Ten little words refers to two phrases her mother always said to Ella which remain of utmost importance to her. 

Ella’s perspective is the most absorbing as it examines the devastating psychological impact of the loss of her mother. Her mum made her feel safe, so Ella wraps herself in a cocoon, which she then surrounds with impenetrable walls and lets no one in, not even her aunt who loves her dearly. She’s solitary because that’s safe, her only comfort is her cat Dolby. Her job is interesting as an archivist at a music museum in Hastings and through this she is also able to keep herself to herself. The Jude sections are interesting but less engaging although as her story unfolds it all starts to come together and sympathy builds. The characters are well portrayed, clearly depicting their personalities, capturing their moods especially Ella’s growing anger. I really like the setting too - I can never resist a seaside environment! There are some interesting elements to the story too, there’s mystery around Jude which deepens as the story progresses, there’s some intrigue and tension, and a strong love element. Although I think parts of the story are a bit predictable, such as the ending, I do like it even though it’s tied up a bit too neatly with a bow! I think we can all use some optimism and a happy ending at the moment. 

Overall, an enjoyable, easy read. I especially like the reawakening of Ella and her shedding of armour against potential hurt and finally embracing life. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the arc.

Ella believed since she was 5 years old that her mother walked out into the sea.  But 30 years later, she sees a post in the newspaper with the ten words her mother said to her every day before she disappeared into the sea.

Ella starts to wonder if her mother really died or if she’s still out there.  She finds letters addressed to her mother from a man, love letters written as if she had never died.  She goes to Bertie and learns things about her mother.  Along her journey, she gains this new confidence and no longer believes that she has to live a life all alone.  But is her mother really gone?

I love books with two or more points of view. The chapters go back and forth between Ella and her mother Jude. You learn pieces of Jude’s history before she leaves Ella.  You watch Ella gain confidence and learn to trust others.  You see a one of a kind love story from the beginning to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced e-book copy!  Keep your eye out for this one when it publishes in June!

I enjoyed this book. Family based drama with well written characters. My first time reading this author. Would recommend.

'I am always with you. I will always be here."
Ella's mothers promise to her, but one day Jude walks into the sea and doesn't return, her body is never recovered, so she is pronounced deceased. 
Ella is to be raised by her aunt Carolyn. 
Moving to London helps Mia start to mend, she is still hurt and angry but begins to rebuild her life. 
30 years on Ella sees something in a newspaper that throws her. The same 10 words her mother used to say to her are written in an anonymous ad, bringing Ella's memory flooding back to her mother's disappearance. She wonders if her mum is alive, if so, why did she fake her death and leave her.
I thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the Author Leah Mercer for allowing me to review this pre-publication novel.

A family based drama with a bit of mystery. The story is told through the different viewpoints of Jude (the mother) and Ella (her daughter). This worked well as the reader often had information that Ella, as the central character did not. You could feel the seething resentment behind Ella's detached facade and feel the change in her as the book progressed.

An enjoyable book, kept me entertained for a few hours during lockdown. I like books that are told from different perspectives.

A story about finding family, and the challenges that lay along the way. I was drawn in to the story by those ten words, and became more and more intrigued as bits and pieces were revealed. A novel that uplifts and gives hope.

This was a very enjoyable book overall. I liked the characters and it was an intriguing plot that kept me interested the entire time. It was also well-written, and I enjoyed the rotating points of views/time periods. This book did a great job making the reader empathize with the characters - it was hard to choose a "side" as both of the main characters went through so much, and the author did a great job making you really feel their hardships. I did think that some areas of the book were a little predictable, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment as it was fun to just take in the story and the way it was all weaved together. I loved the ending and would recommend this to anyone looking for something somewhat light, quick, and interesting!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. A really good book.  The story is told in alternating characters and I love reading books like that so that was a huge bonus for me.  Would recommend

Ellla's mother disappears and is later presumed dead after promising in 10 words that she will never lave her. Ella is then raised by her aunt Carolyn and moves to London. Music and moving to London help Mia to feel slightly less angry and resentment from how her mother left her until she sees something in a newspaper that shocks her. Those same 10 words appear in the paper and bring Ella back to when her mom died. But is her mom really dead or did she fake her death?

I like that this story shifted between Ella and her mom, Jude. You learn about Jude's younger years leading up to her disappearance. There are many twists and surprises in this book but I feel more empathy for Ella than her mom. It was well written, emotional and a page turner. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/7/20

My review contains spoilers.

"I am always with you. I will always be here."
Jude broke that promise to her 5-year-old daughter when she walked into the sea, abandoning Ella to the care of her sister.
Her body was never discovered and she was later declared dead.
30 years later, Ella finds an anonymous ad in a paper containing the ten little words her mother always used to repeat to her...
Is Jude still alive? As Ella discovers the truth about her mother's disappearance, little does she know that her life is about to be changed forever.

The story follows Ella's point of view and is entwined with Jude's recap of the events leading to her disappearance.
I admit this was not my usual go-to story, but nevertheless, I quite enjoyed it. 
The story focused on emotions, instead of a fast-paced thrilling sequence of events, but it offered bits of mystery as well. 
As the story progressed, I found myself drawn into it with the question of whether Jude was indeed still alive.
However, I must say that the reason she had for leaving her daughter didn't seem to provide enough justification for her actions, and therefore I failed to feel sorry for her, even despite the fact that she was a victim as well.   
The ending also fell flat for me, it felt too cliched, soapy and too much of a "happily ever after".
Overall, it was a good read, and I'm sure it will find a lot of fans, so I recommend you give it a go.

I saw this book on bookstagram and knew I wanted to read it. I absolutely loved it. It drew me in and I didn't want to take a break. Definitely did not disappoint!

I really loved this! I love the dual story line. I loved that it showed the effects of trauma (whatever the situation was for each character) and loss for every point of view. I almost wish that it showed the consequences for another character that I won't talk about. Each character was real and heartbreaking in their own way.

This was my first by this author, I'll be looking into another.

I very much enjoyed this family drama. The plot was well crafted and the characters were people I could relate to and empathize with. Definitely recommended.