Another blockbuster from Amanda Prowse. I love the way she eloquently covers sensitive subject matter, drawing readers in from the start. Fabulous flow and one I did not want to put down.

This is another solid 5 stars from Amanda. A must read, I just can't put it down,  the story line, the characters are all just mesmerising .

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
What do you do when the person you love has lied out of their love for you? The emotions (anger, betrayal, sadness, grief and hope) are heavy and palpable. Victoria's grandmother, Prim, was the center of her world. The decisions she made centered around Prim. When tragedy strikes and family secrets are revealed, Victoria is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions. Decisions are now made through the blinding haze of grief and anger. Feeling alone, Victoria struggles through some dark times but it is through her own strength and, eventually, her small circle of friends (one that is gun toting) that she is able to see her way to the other side.
Amanda Prowse was able to draw this reader in to care about the main character and most importantly, understand the emotional and, at times, erratic behavior and decisions of someone going through a total upheaval of all she knew. It was an easy read with no real "Gone Girl" plot twists. Just a main character that the reader can connect with and a supporting cast that serves the story well.

18 year old Victoria has been brought up by her grandmother as her mum died when she was a baby. At her grandmother’s funeral a strange woman turns up and claims to be Victoria’s mother.

The characters are well developed and there is a depth to each of them. The rest of the story explores how their relationships develop. There was never going to be an easy relationship between Victoria and Sarah and a lot of explaining needs to take place but I think they could have got to the heart of the deception much quicker - I know I would have asked the “why” question much sooner.  

The book is well written but there were times when I just wanted the story to move on or for there to be some other major twist, but the plot is very simple and straightforward and dare I say it... a bit disappointing? If you want great characters and well developed dialogue,this is an excellent book.  If you’re looking for surprises and plot twists, definitely not.

Victoria has always lived with her grandma Prim, as her mother died when she was a baby.  When Prim dies a women turns up to the funeral claiming to be her mother.  This book is a brilliant rollercoaster of emotions.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

A coming of age novel in which the loss of a beloved grandmother uncovers a long held family secret.  Forgiveness and starting over are key elements to the plot.

I have read a lot of Amanda Prowse and always enjoy her books.  This was an engrossing and believable story which I couldn't put down.  Would recommend.

My thanks to Amanda Prowse, Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of THE DAY SHE CAME BACK.
An intriguing premise. When Victoria loses her grandmother, Prim, she feels totally bereft and very much alone. She believes her mother and father to be dead, but at her grandmother's funeral Victoria spots someone she doesn't know and her curiosity is piqued. This is a story about the past colliding with the future and what happens when everything you believed about your own beginning is totally wrong. Another winner from Amanda Prowse.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 
I was so pleased to receive this latest book from one of my favourite contemporary authors, Amanda Prowse. 
This was a well written book with interesting and developed characters. 
But regret to say that I did not warm to the actual story or the subject matter and I found it quite tough going to start with. Then almost half way through, with the scene set and with the background explained, the story sped up and that helped a bit. 
But overall this book just did not make me feel the usual emotional connection, which I always have felt previously when reading a book by this author. 
It lacked for me that “something special” which would leave a mark on me and make me keep think about what I had just read. 
3.5 stars.

This is one of those heartfelt stories that is so nice to just spend a day with the characters. Very enjoyable read!
#netgalley #amazonpublishing #amandaprowse

#TheDaySheCameBack#NetGalley 
This is the first book I have read by Amanda Prowse.  When Victoria's grandmother passes away, a lady comes to the funeral claims to be her mother Sarah. This turns Victoria's world upside down because she always had been told she had died.   Victoria's life changes as she leads all the secrets, and not always for the better.  It gives you glimpses into all three lives thAt allows you to understand the love behind the relationships of all three generations.  Will Victoria have a relationship with her mother ? Will Victoria let the love for her grandmother overdue the secrecy ? This book is a very emotional read. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the free ARC of The Day She Came Back in exchange for an honest review.

I would give this 3.5 stars. I had never read a novel by Amanda Prowse before and this won't be my last. I really enjoyed this in both print and audio. The author did a great job narrating the audio.

This story pulled me in right away and I couldn't put it down. I think the description of the house and Victoria's relationship with her grandmother were what drew me in, initially. At about the time when Victoria is betrayed, I felt the same, and the pace slowed for me because I did question some of the decisions of characters. It just didn't feel completely realistic. However, I appreciated that the messiness of relationships and the conflicting feelings someone can have for the same person seemed very true to life. Also, sometimes people have to make heartbreaking decisions. This story deals with moms and daughters, love, loss, betrayal, hope, reconciliation, and the times when reconciliation and full understanding are not possible. While the author does tie things up in the end, I appreciated that she did not give the false sense that Victoria immediately overcame her feelings and that she could easily forgive all that had happened to her. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it.

I missed ‘the girl in the corner’ but now I have it on my tbr list as this novel was wonderful. A young emotionally  vulnerable but so  perfectly human teenager,  Victoria, meets a woman at her grandmothers funeral.  Victoria’s parents died, so why is this woman claiming to be her mother?  Dealing with the onslaught of grief for her beloved grandmother, Prim, can Victoria trust this woman, let alone love her?  You tear up, you smile and you feel the emotions down to your toes.  Couldn’t get enough of this wonderful character Victoria.

Oh I do love an Amanda Prowse novel! Her writing always finds a way to reduce me to tears (snivelling wreck!) and I always end up with a smile at a satisfying outcome. There is always a sense of humour and her characters are relatable. Lovely- read it!

Rating:   5 glowing stars

Amanda Prowse, where have you been all my life?   Thanks to a review from a Goodreads friend, I decided to request this book from Netgalley.  My friend Sandy posted a glowing 5-star review, and I completely agree with her assessment.  In “The Day She Came Back”, Ms. Prowse has written a fantastic book about family interactions, and how secrets always seem to find a way of coming out.

Victoria is only eighteen when her grandmother, Prim suddenly passes away.  Victoria thinks that she is now alone in the world.  She has no siblings and both per parents and grandfather had already died.  Imagine her surprise when her mother showed up for Prim’s funeral!  Victoris did not believe who she was at first because her beloved grandmother had told her that her parents had both died of drug overdoses.

That is the launching point for this family drama.  It is a drama without ever being overly dramatic.  The characters are written with such precision.  I would like to meet any of them in real-life.  They are not perfect, but who is?  Victoria struggles to wade through her grief about the loss of her grandmother.  She is also trying to come to terms with the lie that she’d been told all her life.  She is struggling to move into a self-sustaining adulthood without a whole of support.  Luckily she has a best friend, Dashka.  I loved that she had Dashka to rely on.  Everyone needs a bestie like that!   

Victoria struggles to trust this new woman, Sarah, who says that she is her mother.  Slowly, they work on forming a new relationship.  Prowse poignantly delivers Sarah’s story.  How she fell deep into the valley of drug abuse, and the effort it took to climb out of that valley.  She shows how hard it is to try to regain what had been lost.  It is not a happy-go-lucky story, but it is oh so good, and it felt so REAL.  Please do not pass this by as being just as another ‘been there done that’ drug abuse redemption story.  This is so good on so many levels.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good book.  That is it.  Read this if you love a good book.  Now I am off to read more of Amanda Prowse’s prior works.  I think I have some real treats in store for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.  These are my honest thoughts.

Victoria is devastated at the loss of her grandmother. She is thrown for a loop when a women, claiming to be her mother attends her grandmothers funeral even though she thought her mother was deceased. As she continues digging into her grand mothers past she is now learning that there are some big secrets her grandmother has been keeping. Deciding if these are secrets she wants to uncover is her biggest question.

Amanda Prowse is a new author for me. The Day She Came Back is a family drama involving Victoria who was raised by her grandparents after the death of her single mom. She is extremely close to her beloved grandmother, Prim. When Prim unexpectedly passes away, 18-year-old Victoria is devasted. How will she survive all alone?? Or will she???? I will say that the author provides a twist that made this book more appealing to me. The characters and their relationship with Victoria proved to be another plus for me. All in all, this was a solid family drama.
I received an arc from Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review.

Amanda Prowse has once again written a beautiful moving novel.I was drawn in by the characters the story as with her other books I shed a few tears.A book I will be recommending.#netgalley#amazonuk

Victoria has led a very love filled relaxed life in Epsom, Surrey brought up by her grandparents after being told her mother, Sarah and father, Marcus are dead. Prim, Victoria's grandmother, will never speak of Marcus, blaming him for causing her daughter's death by introducing her to drugs. When Victoria comes home one day and discovers Prim has passed away her world turns on its head and she is left alone, the closest she has to family now is her best friend Daksha, who rallies round as best she can, always with the offer of a cup of tea not far away. On the day of Prim's funeral a woman turns up, claiming to be the mother that she thought was dead. Victoria cannot understand why Prim, the one woman she thought she could trust, would lie to her, but to ever be happy again she needs to find out why. Can she ever trust anyone again?

This was another amazing read from the author, with my emotions on a roller coaster. Amanda Prowse at her best!

 My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher / author for the ARC copy, in return for an honest review.

Amanda Prowse has done it again. I so enjoy her books, I haven't read them all (yet) but the ones I have read have been about ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances and how they cope with the changes those new circumstances bring to their lives.  This is in that same mold.  The protagonist, Victoria, is a bit younger than her main characters usually are, and I did have to remind myself of that at times when her actions or reactions seemed a bit over the top.  Not so unusual for a teen after all. The backstory is told through a series of letters between Victoria's mother and grandmother, and Victoria's struggle to come to terms with what she sees as her betrayal by both women is at the heart of the story.  Beautifully written, and I was able to listen to much of it on audiobook, also beautifully narrated by Amanda Prowse herself.  
My thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing a copy for an unbiased review.