. A fast paced, well thought out novel, about family, friends and forgiveness. Marcy, Claudia and Jasmine are escaping Claudias abusive husband, but don’t foresee the consequences of this action

As someone who has been in an abusive relationship I was keen to see how well this book would be written and I was not disappointed it is wonderful but true
This has so obviously been well researched about one of the main points of the book. Loved it, one of the best reads I’ve had this year.

Restorative Justice was a very, very difficult concept for me to accept as my mind said the perps deserved the greatest punishment and not forgiveness for their crimes.

While reading the story, I realized that it was not about that. It was about getting to understand where the perp came from and probably seeing them in a different light so that forgiveness could help the victim not lead their lives in bitterness. Still a difficult pill to swallow.

Claudia, her mum, and daughter had escaped an abusive husband and set up a new life in a new close-knit town. Life was good for them until someone lit a fire to their home, thinking it would send a message to all three of them, not knowing the grandma had come back.

Then started the anguish for all three, mostly for the grandma, who was burned on the left side of face, hand, and torso and needed multiple surgeries. The perp was arrested after his own mother gave the information to the cops. The Restorative Justice team came into picture, and that started the writing of letters from Archie, a nineteen year old boy, the perp, to Marcy, the grandma who was burned and now disfigured forever, the victim. Would forgiveness happen?

Susan Lewis had written a heart wrenching where at first I was so angry with Archie for committing such a heinous crime as being a doc, I hated burns and knew how difficult it was to save the patient. I got to know Marcy’s trials at each step of her surgeries, her pain and anguish poured through. I stood in the sidelines with tears down my face as she hated her face and the arm which didn’t work well. I could feel her deep pit of anger and need for revenge. I was completely on her side. I wanted vengeance.

But as Archie’s letters came through and I got to know his tough life and circumstances, my heart starting melting at how children were abused to the point they turned to crime. I condemned his act but empathized with him. All I had to see was if Claudia and Marcy could forgive him. Would they? Should they?

The story was beautiful in its treatment and amazing at the way a perp caused my heart to soften with pain and understanding for him. My words might not do justice to this tough way of the project. But I understood that forgiveness was essential for the victim.

All the characters stood up well to the circumstances that presented to them. The author could sway my emotions in all directions. The story swept me away completely with the power of its words.

A few minutes after finishing the book, I had to ask myself again if I believed in Restorative Justice. The first answer was still a resounding NO. So I leave you with a question.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?

Susan is phenomenal - I have genuinely no idea how she writes so consistently well so often and hasn't run out of ideas. Although I have not read all of her back catalogue, I am yet to read one that I have not enjoyed. I found Forgive Me to be really well plotted out - whilst I enjoyed how the story unfolded there was always a little bit of unease at the back of my mind worrying for Claudia and her family. I thought the concept of writing a story around restorative justice was excellent. It is perfect for a book club to discuss and leaves the reader with plenty to think about long after the story is finished. I don't know that I would have made the same choices as those in the book, although of course I hope I will never be in that situation. Forgive Me is a story which takes some very difficult themes and makes a great story which I think will be widely enjoyed. There are some familiar places and characters within which is nice for those who have read some of Susan's other books - if you have not it really won't matter as it stands alone perfectly well.

Susan Lewis is one of my favourite authors, so I was excited to be asked to join the blog tour for Forgive Me.

Claudia Winter is about to start a new life with her mother Marcy and daughter Jasmine. She is running from an abusive past where her violent husband controlled everything. With new identities they arrive in the seaside town of Kesterley hoping that they have left the past behind and with hope to find solace in a small community where no-one knows them. However, just as the women begin to relax and make new friends, a tragedy happens, which rocks their world.

Susan Lewis is an expert at writing compelling family dramas with warm, relatable characters. The three generations of women are supportive and share a deep family bond.The subject of Restorative Justice was new to me and bought about some deep thinking. It is a subject which can be seen from many angles and promote serious discussion. I loved the mystery element of letters written between chapters which added intrigue and the suspense built throughout the story, as Claudia constantly looked over her shoulder.

Another page turner from Susan Lewis, beautifully written and intricately researched, as always.

This is the second book I read by this author who's becoming a favorite.
A life affirming, poignant and heart warming story that moved me and kept me hooked.
Excellent character development and storytelling, a tightly knitted and well thought plot.
I can't wait to read the next book, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’m a huge fan of this author so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for this fantastic book. Once again the author has written a highly emotional, gripping and compelling read which was hugely enjoyable.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book who were all strong, relatable ones that I found easy to empathise with. I especially liked Claudia for having the strength to start a new life despite how difficult it would be. The character’s definitely go on a huge journey and I found it very interesting to follow them throughout the book. Some of the characters really got under my skin while others I fell in love with and I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I always think it shows great skill by an author to make you care that much about their characters.

This story develops at a great pace and there is always an underlying feeling of tension as the reader wonders whether Claudia’s past will catch up with her. It’s definitely an exciting story which is full of mystery and with lots of twists that kept me in suspense until the end. Some of the events in this book are quite harrowing and it was quite emotional to see them unfold. However this isn’t just a sad read, I felt that the underlying message was actually one of hope and, as the title suggests, forgiveness.

Overall I thought this was a fabulous read which I will be recommending to everyone. There are some important issues explored in this book which I found very interesting to learn more about, especially the concept of restorative justice which I had heard about but didn’t know how it worked. It was interesting to see it in action and I can definitely see how it could work in some situations. I think this would be a great book club read as there would be lots to discuss.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Fiction for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

This family drama gets off to a very dramatic start when Claudia leaves her home and her abusive husband to start a new life with her mother and daughter in the small seaside resort of Kesterly. She does this with such trepidation and fear that the tension is palpable and with her husband’s threats ringing in her her ears, Claudia is determined to get clean away even if that means changing her identity. Making a new life for herself and her family isn't easy and Claudia discovers to her cost that disaster is never going to be very far away.

What then follows is a dramatic family saga which has all the trademarks of this author's fine writing skills. She certainly knows how to crank up the tension and there were several times when my heart was in my mouth wondering just what was going to happen next to this lovely family. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, especially the alternate chapters which were told from the point of view of a character who we only get to know by his letters and at first I wasn’t sure how these would tie in with the outcome of the story. I needn’t have worried as the author does an excellent job of bringing together all the loose strands in an engrossing story which captured my attention from the very first page.

I wasn’t overly familiar with the concept of restorative justice but I found this part of the plot to be utterly fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed how the author threaded this concept of forgiveness and giving someone a second chance into the story.

Forgive Me is a beautifully written family drama which is filled with just enough tension to keep you turning the pages but there’s also a lovely sense of hope over adversity and a recognition of the importance of the restorative power of love and forgiveness.

An intriguing plot of a mother and daughter who are able to start again with new identities far away from their unbearable situation. The characters are complex and the writing powerful Just when life is beginning to look up a devastating event occurs. This is the second book that I have read that uses restorative justice. A thoroughly good read.

Another excellent book by Susan Lewis. It follows the lives of a Mother, daughter and granddaughter. The Mother helps the daughter to escape an abusive marriage. They all set up a new life with new identities. Its not long before the past catches up with them but then they realise that they have made true friends in their new lives who will help them to deal with everything that happens.

Like all of Susan Lewis's book this book had me from the first chapter. I would highly recommend this book and it will be top of the list for our book club. A great read for all age groups.

Susan Lewis is a relatively new author to me, but having enjoyed her previous book, Home Truths, I was looking forward to reading this one. And it did not disappoint - Lewis writes family drama very well, and always seems to explore some well researched and thought-provoking topics.

The story of a woman who escapes her abusive husband, and together with her mother and daughter creates a new identity and new life for herself, the book revolves around the theme of forgiveness, and explores restorative justice, something I knew little about but was fascinating. With well developed characters, and a plot that makes you reflect on how you might handle such situations yourself. Heartbreaking at times, but ultimately heartwarming, it is a book that draws you in and keeps you reading to the end.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Claudia Winters is hoping that fleeing to Kesterley with her mother and daughter, they will finally be safe for thenfirst time in years. But the past can't stay hidden forever.

Claudia, Jasmine and Marcia are trying to build a new life for themselves after Claudia had escaped from her abusive husband. Claudia and her daughter, Jasminego live with her mother, Marcia. The plotline is interesting but it's also a bit predictable. The story is told in the form of letters to an unknown person and from the characters perspectives. Theres also so,e characters from a previous book. This is a heartwarming book about forgiveness.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and the author #SusanLewis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a story, even though I have finished it I have still been thinking out it. The book highlights a few things including an abusive relationship, Restorative Justice and recovery and rehabilitation. I was hooked a powerful read as I said i still play in over in my mind so well written great plot loved characters I recommend to you all fab book

I’ve been reading this book for two days straight. Firstly because I had a fall a few nights ago so I’ve been recuperating from being very sore and bruised. Secondly, once the story started to unfold I found it hard to move away from. The concept of forgiveness is one that has always fascinated me and confused me in equal measure. As a child brought up in a religious household it was a requirement of Christianity, rather than a choice I could think about and there was no discussion about the understandable negative feelings surrounding it - anger, bitterness, hurt - because those were wrong too. As an adult I’ve had to talk myself out of this blanket approach to forgiveness and give myself permission not to forgive. I’ve also had to think about when holding onto that anger and bitterness might be more harmful to me than the other person - ‘holding onto anger is like holding a fiery coal’. I also had to learn that just because I forgive an action, doesn’t mean I have to keep that person in my life. Forgiveness does not always mean everything neatly slots back to the way it did before. This is something the characters in this book come to learn and it is Marcy who ends up with the most to forgive.

After her abusive husband is arrested and held on remand for dodgy business dealings, Rebecca decides to take her daughter, and her mother Marcy, and relocate somewhere totally new, leaving no trace. She goes as far as to change her name to Claudia and her daughter’s to Jasmine, dropping their Huxley-Browne surname. Marcus Huxley-Browne was a controlling bully, who had slowly sucked all of the confidence and joy out of Claudia over several years. He met her when she was a vulnerable widow and his kindness led her to trust him. Then once they were married all that sensitivity and care seemed to melt away. Then slowly he took a chisel to every part of her personality and chipped away until she started to doubt who she was. With a lot of help from Marcy, they take the opportunity of Marcus being remanded in prison to flee to the coast. There, in a flat by the sea, the three of them feel able to breathe again. Away from the constant criticism, Claudia finds she can make friends easily and even starts working again as an interior designer. She sees an incredible coach house for sale that would make a wonderful forever home for the family and she sets to work. The world seems to finally be opening up for Claudia and her family. However, will Marcus ever truly let go of them?

A terrible event does occur in the book that no one could have foreseen. It’s here where the theme of forgiveness, as a possible part of the restorative justice process, comes into the story and I found this part really interesting. Restorative justice is about victims and offenders communicating within a safe and mediated environment to talk about the harm that has been caused and finding a way to repair that harm. It gives the victim the chance to talk about the impact the crime has had on them directly to the offender. It gives the offender the chance to relate the crime they committed to an actual person and see how the victim has been affected. It also holds them accountable for their actions in a way that doesn’t always happen in the normal court process. Government research demonstrates that restorative justice provides an 85% victim satisfaction rate, and a 14% reduction in the frequency of reoffending. Here the author gives us both sides of the process by showing us in stark detail the effect of the crime on the victim, but also the background of the offender. Here and there through the narrative we read letters from the offender - how the restorative process begins- that detail his home life, the brutal hold of a family member on him and his mother, and a life of crime forced upon him from a young age. We know that this person is really the bottom of a long chain, a criminal subcontractor hired by someone powerful to do his dirty work. Essentially he is expendable, simply there to carry the can. Although in this case, the crime is much worse than was planned or expected.

This was a really engaging read. I quickly became invested in the family’s story and found myself very worried that their past would catch up with them, especially since a couple of their new friends started to work out who they really were. When there is a confrontation I found myself holding my breath, wondering what retribution would follow. I loved Marcy’s new romance with Henry and the fearless way she throws herself into the relationship. She was by far my favourite character and her story the most moving. I was imagining this funky, ballsy grandmother as Helen Mirren. It was a bit of a shock to hear one character to describe her as like Emma Thompson - I can’t imagine a world where Emma Thompson is old enough to have a 17 year old granddaughter! However, in terms of Marcy’s intelligence, beauty and grace it really made sense. Next to her, Claudia seems a lot quieter, cautious and sometimes invisible - something that’s not surprising given the experience she’s gone through with Marcus. It’s wonderful to see her come to life which tends to happen when she’s working on a project, especially The Coach House which is an incredible labour of love. I always feel on safe ground with Lewis. I know I’ll get a good read and I love that a lot of her heroines are women in middle life, dealing with their own problems, while supporting teenagers and parents who often need help. Far from being uninteresting and invisible, it’s women in mid-life who are often holding everything together while trying to hold down a job as well. But we’re also resilient, brave and ran out of damns to give a long time ago. I like that Lewis writes this mid-life characters and gives them strong, complex storylines like this one to get our teeth into.

This will appear as part of the blog tour this week.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Wow what an absolute brilliant book by Susan.

Claudia, her daughter Jasmine and her mother Marcy up sticks and move across the country to go into hiding following the imprisonment of her husband. They start to rebuild their lives when a tragic event starts them thinking about whether they made the right choice to go into hiding. A great book about abusive relationships, family and friendships.

This is a contemporary emotional story focusing on crime, domestic abuse, family and forgiveness. From the beginning, you aware that someone is seeking forgiveness, but alongside this runs the story of three women, a mother, daughter and grandmother who are seeking a new start. The connection, if any between the two stories, is not immediately apparent.

The characters, especially the female protagonists, are well written. The familial relationship is powerful. This is a story of forgiveness, healing and love. It demonstrates the importance of these in all relationships in a way that resonates.

Despite his actions, the antagonist draws reluctant empathy from the reader, which increases, as the story progresses. Not all the characters are likeable, but they are authentic and play their part, in this family drama with a moral dilemma.

This story is addictive and hard to put down. The protagonists are admirable and human.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Forgive Me is the latest offering from Susan Lewis, is more a family saga than a thriller, it’s a book that will touch its readers hearts. With dark and uncomfortable themes such as domestic abuse, victims of crime, and restorative justice at its core you would be forgiving in thinking this maybe a depressing read. But this book is also one of hope, love, family and forgiveness.


Claudia is married to Marcus, their relationship is one filled with violence when her husband is arrested she flees, along with her daughter and mother.
With new identities they begin a journey that promises peace, and happiness.
Unfortunately their past catches up with them in the most horrific way and life changes for all three will be changed forever. The characters are well drawn and an interesting combination,Susan Lewis reveals their personal struggles, which evoke many emotions including sadness, anger and disbelief, to name but a few.

Although I found the ending slightly predictable and clear cut I still really enjoyed Forgive Me. I especially enjoyed learning more about restorative justice and learning about the reasoning behind it, and how it can help both the victim and the perpetrator. It gives the reader food for thought, and I’m sure will find yourself debating to the right and wrongs of such a system. As I mentioned earlier this is more family saga than thriller, so it didn’t keep me ‘on the edge of my seat’ but it made for an enjoyable, quick read.

A unique and well written story of a woman starting over with her daughter and mother after escaping an abusive husband. In a quiet town full of wonderful and welcoming people her helping begins. Meanwhile a young man writes letters to someone he hurt bad. As he tells his story we begin to understand the healing that can happen with acceptance of your actions and how letting go of anger and hate can heal you and change your life. It's a great story with characters you love and want to just give a big helping hug!

Forgive Me is a compelling and deeply emotional mystery from one of the best writers of psychological suspense in the genre. The story opens with 19-year-old prison inmate Archie writing a letter, seemingly in the name of restorative justice, to someone he wronged in the past. Claudia Winters's second husband, financier Marcus Huxley Browne, has been on trial in London for the past five months for insider trading, money laundering, fraud and other shady goings-on, and before his arrest had threatened Claudia never to even think of leaving him as with his long reach and many nefarious connections he claims he would find her pretty swiftly. Despite this Claudia musters the strength to leave her marriage of five years and takes their 16-year-old daughter, Jasmine, and mother, Marcy, with her deeming his incarceration the perfect opportunity to evade him. Together the family flee from West London to Kesterly-on-Sea in the West Country, where they have bought a beautiful seafront Victorian villa to inhabit, to both escape Marcus's criminal misdeeds and dangerous gangland connections but also the abuse and controlling behaviour he inflicted on Claudia for far too long.

To free themselves from their nightmare they go to great lengths to become inconspicuous by changing their names, appearances and even identities. As we follow them going about their new lives Archie and Claudia's family are unwittingly on a collision course and what they have taken with them, Marcus will never let them keep... This is not only a thoroughly enjoyable, compulsive domestic thriller but it also is emotionally impactful in that it explores the issues present within a troubled marriage, Britain’s vast criminal underworld and the sheer terror women can feel when they decide to leave an unhappy home. It is such a relatable story, and I found it was easy to engage and empathise with Claudia as a character; she is one of the most beautifully developed and genuine characters I have come across in the genre in a while. It’s difficult nowadays to find original thrillers but this was refreshingly so and it really nabbed my attention andhad me hanging on every word. Compelling, full of mystery with some exciting and unpredictable twists and stunning reveals; Lewis manages to keep an air of mystery right through to the end. High recommended.

I loved this book, both happiness and sadness running through it. Cleverly written and tension filled it holds your attention all the way through. A great story.

I’m not sure where to start this review, I have just finished reading this emotional rollercoaster and am mentally drained, surrounded by tissues!

This book started off as an easy read, even though it was dealing with some horrific issues like domestic abuse. My interest was engaged by the main characters of Marcy, Claudia and Jasmine and their plight.

Now I’m not going to give any plot spoilers away, but to say I was gripped is an understatement! I thought I knew where it was going - enjoyable but predictable - how wrong was I! So many developments that I hadn’t seen coming (along with some I had) I was there living the story alongside the characters and could clearly visualise the variety of settings.

Throughout the book there are letters from an unknown character which adds to the intrigue & got my head into trying to work out who it was and what was going on - brilliant!

The plot delves into the Restorative Justice system, which is both fascinating and eye-opening from both sides of the argument.

The climax of the book took me a lot longer to read than anticipated, as I had to keep stopping to put myself back together - difficult to read through teary eyes! I now feel bereft to leave all these characters behind.
I loved it! Definitely 5 stars from me!