Just finished this wonderful story by this fabulous author. Whenever you pick up an Amanda Prowse book you know you are in for an emotional ride and this book is no exception.
I highly recommend this book. It will definitely stay with me.

Whenever you pick up an Amanda Prowse book you know you are in for an emotional ride and this book is no exception.

Amanda brings her characters to life through the pages of her books and writes with such empathy for all her characters, making them so realistic.that you feel you really know them.

This is a story of family, friendships, lies, grief and forgiveness.

Another winner from the Queen of family drama.

This story was an emotional rollercoaster of an 18/19 year old girl. This poor girl life is complicated enough with all the extra layers she had to face.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At almost nineteen, Victoria is not sure where life will lead her. She is looking forward to traveling and advendures with her best friend instead of rushing off to university as her peers are planning. When her grandmother dies unexpectedly, her life is upended. Victoria uncovers some surprising family secrets while working through her grief. As she is growing into her adult self, Victoria must decide if some lies are justifiable. Amanda Prowse explores grief, guilt, love and forgiveness in this tender story. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This truly was an amazing read. Amanda Prowse never lets you down and this is one of her very best yet, and that’s saying something after the number of first-class novels she has written.

This story tears at your heartstrings, evokes so many emotions and is just one of those stories that will stay with you for a very long time. Each character makes an impact, is memorable and relatable in some way. There’s so much to this story, it’s truly captivating from the beginning; the main character, Victoria, at only 18, has led a kind of different life having been brought up by her grandmother and has no other family. As we meet them, Victoria is about to explore the world and reach into her adulthood by travelling the world with her best friend. But tragedy strikes pretty early on in the book, and from that moment, life is nothing short of a rollercoaster for Victoria.

Victoria has to grow up fast, but she gets a chance to be a child again and grow a real relationship with someone she never thought she would, and although it’s impossibly sad, both parties have to come to terms with a lifetime of sadness, loss and lies, but it only makes them stronger for it.

In true Amanda Prowse style this book is wonderfully engaging and fills your heart with sadness, warmth, love and loss - like only one of her books can. The journey we go on with Victoria has it all, a Mother who selflessly gives up her child, dealing with addiction, loss of a beloved family member and teenage anxiety, not to mention the topic of boys and virginity... you name it, it’s in this book!

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I read this story, what you want the outcome to be, and at times Victoria really messes up and almost loses her best friend and her self-worth. She is not alone, despite feeling like it, and manages to pull herself through the anguish and toward her new future. I don’t want to give anything away, but you will finish this book genuinely satisfied with the outcome and you won’t be able to get the characters and storyline out of your head for quite some time.

I love all of Amanda’s books, however I have to say they get better and better and this one is up there with one of my all-time favourites.

Thank you to NetGalley and as always, the author, for the chance to read this ARC.

Another fab read from Amanda Prowse, she just keeps giving. What a powerful thought provoking read, would highly recommend this

Victoria is a naive 18year old, who lives with her grandmother, Primrose (Prim), both her parents having died when she was a baby. Her grandmother dies suddenly, and this sets Victoria off on a rebellious path, especially when it appears her mother could still be alive.

This book started slowly but was really nicely paced in the second half. It is well written, and the characters have depth. There is a nice weaving of the feelings between Victoria, Prim and Sarah, the reasons for the deceptions that have angered Victoria to almost self destruct nicely laid out in a series of letters. The scenes between Victoria and Sarah are beautifully written and realistic. However this feels as though it is aimed at the young adult demographic, rather than general adult fiction. I also probably shouldn’t have read it having recently lost a close relative. But I’d certainly read this authors work again, but this one was not for me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review,

Amanda Prowse has a wonderful way of making quite ordinary, normal believable characters come to life on the page.

This book is about Victoria an 18year old who has been brought up by her larger than life Gran, Prim after her mother died when she was a baby. Then Prim is taken from her. Victoria doesn’t know what she will do and how she will cope without her.
Then at Prims funeral a strange woman turns up and will things ever be the same again? Victoria’s world is turned upside down.

I really enjoyed the book, the characters are believable and I like the relationships between them interesting and relatable.

A wonderful family drama that is a lovely easy read.

An enjoyable read despite being somewhat predictable. I like Amanda Prowse's style of writing having read, and enjoyed, several books of hers in the past dealing with relatable modern family issues. I liked most of the characters and their development throughout the book but couldn't quite take to Victoria the main character which was unfortunate. I thought she was a little too wallowing in self pity with a high degree of anger and lack of sensitivity for others, which given her background, was not totally surprising just a little repetitive at times. A good read none-the-less and up to Amanda's standards

Amanda Prowse always writes beautiful stories about human life.

The Day She Came Back is about 18 year old Victoria who is being raised by her maternal grandmother, Prim, after her mother died when she was a baby. Victoria arrives home after going to the shops to find her beloved grandmother dead in the gardening room. At Prim's funeral an unfamiliar woman is lurking in the background. When this stranger speaks to Victoria it is to relay a terrible secret - what will Victoria make of this secret?

A poignant read but ultimately with a feel good factor.

Victoria has been raised by her grandmother, Prim, after her parents died when she was a baby of a drug overdose. When she is 18 Victoria and her friend, Daksha, are planning a trip to figure out what they want to do with their lives. One afternoon she comes home from an errand and finds her grandmother has passed away sitting in her chair in the garden. Prim is alone with no family and then a strange woman, Sarah, shows up at the funeral claiming to be her dead mother. There were times I wanted to smack some sense into Victoria. She had good friends and people to help her but she was so angry at the lie her grandmother told that she lashed out at everyone. She hooks up with Flynn, a boy she had a crush on in school, and things go very badly. Finally she begins the process of healing and reconnecting with her mother.

There were times when I did not like Victoria but she was acting out of character for her but at the same time her emotions were predictable. Sarah's strength and sacrifices were remarkable and I liked the slow building of their relationship and the bonding between them. Everyone should have a friend like Daksha.

The setting of her home with Prim, Rosebank, sounded wonderful with turret rooms and stained glass and I can picture the "old lady" decor with all of her mementos. I could almost smell the flowers she kept around the house. The setting in Oslo was likewise appealing with the cold and crisp air, people walking and biking everywhere, the warmth in the coffee shops and the spare decor of Sarah's and Jens's apartment.

The author takes on a difficult topic and family drama but never crosses the line into being maudlin. This is the second book I have read by this author and I look forward to many more.

A beautiful story of three generations of women in the same family as they learn to love, to forgive, and to heal.

Victoria is an 18-year-old woman who experiences the sudden loss of her beloved grandmother, Prim, her only remaining family member. Having lost her parents at a young age, never getting to know or meet them, she is shocked to find a woman approaching her at Prim’s funeral, claiming to be her dead mother, Sarah.
Lies are torn down as Victoria and Sarah get to know each other through letters and stories of the past. This is an amazing story about two generations of women who sacrificed so much for their beloved little girl, to make sure that she grows up to be happy and healthy. It is a story about lies, and betrayals, overcoming loss, getting to know a parent, once thought to be dead, understanding drugs and addiction, and the story of healing, forgiveness, and the strength to move on, even when the world seems to rock with uncertainty.

Through a woven web of a beautifully crafted story, this book is a stellar read that will keep you reading…and keep you crying.

I loved the premise of this book but when I started reading it soon became very predictable. I understand what happened to Victoria (losing her grandma and mom coming back) is traumatic and shocking but my goodness, she just kept repeating how she felt over and over. It was just a bit much, but besides that I did love her friendships and how the book ended.

Another brilliant book by Amanda that I couldn’t put down. I don’t know how you manage to churn them out, all as brilliant as the ones before but please keep doing it. I can’t wait for the next book

The day she came back. She should of stayed gone. This was not a book I would recommend a very shallow book Can’t come up with a good review

I adore the way Amanda writes, it's so descriptive and you really feel like you are there.

This is a sad story of a found 18 year old girl, whom has been brought up by her grandparents. And when she finds her adored Prim has passed away, her whole life is shattered.

Not only is she grieving, she has to decide what is the right way to turn. As she's the only family left, or is the mystery woman at the funeral about to make her life even more complicated?

Really enjoyed and highly recommend

This is a really beautifully written story about families, secrets, lies and forgiveness.
Amanda develops her characters with what seems like such ease, as when you read about them you feel instantly connected to them. Although this was a really lovely story, I didn’t feel quite as drawn in as I have with many other of Amanda’s stories, but nonetheless, I still really enjoyed it and really loved the ending.

This was my first Amanda Prowse book and it won’t be my last!
The Day She Came Back filled me with a roller coaster of emotions that I didn’t want to end.
Eighteen-year-old Victoria loses her dear grandmother suddenly and without any other family is left with only her best friend Daksha. That is, until a woman claiming to be her mother turns up. A story of secrets, love and friendship that will make you laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time).
I fell in love with all of the characters, even when I didn’t want to. Each one has been so carefully thought about and portrayed in a way that makes you understand their actions and sympathise with them. The relationship between Victoria and Prim is so beautifully written, it makes it such an enjoyable read. This story captivated me from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down. Despite the raw emotion of the book there are some light-hearted moments that made me smile, although I was in tears at final chapter. Such a heart-warming story that I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Whilst I enjoyed the premise of this, I couldn't help but find it a tad predictable and not surprising in any way. I love Amanda's writing and characters, but the storyline fell short for me

Another good offering by Amanda Prowse, who is the queen of writing about family life and the difficulties and dramas that touch ordinary people. In this book Victoria discovers that she has been told a lie for her whole life, and the story follows her as she tries to reconcile why this decision was made and if she can forgive her family’s actions.
I did very much enjoy this story and I thought the characters were well written, however for me personally the story didn’t quite reach the quality and depth of previous books I have read by this author. That is probably due to my high expectations as I always eagerly await Amanda’s books so putting that aside I rated this 4⭐️ and would recommend.