It is a long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as this. It is beautifully written and the subject matter so thought provoking. The characters are people I want to meet and get to know they are so well portrayed. I certainly did not want the story to end.

This is my fourth Susan Lewis book and I’ve enjoyed most of them so was looking forward to giving this one a go, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Forgive Me is a gripping psychological family drama that follows a family who are trying to build a new in a town where no one knows them.

Susan Lewis is a very talented author and I really like the way she writes her book. You can really see the amount of time and effort that has gone into the research for her books, and this one is no exception. I really enjoyed the way this book is formatted and written, I liked how the chapters are intermixed with letters from an unknown character, who we learn about as the plot unfolds.

There are some great twists that I enjoyed and wasn’t expecting while at the same time there were a couple that I figured out, and the biggest one was the ending.

Lewis has once again done a great job in crafting well developed characters, that are very relatable and in most cases reliable.

In the past I have found pacing to be a problem in some of her previous books but this time I thought it was much steadier and I enjoyed it.

Forgive Me was definitely an enjoyable read and would definitely recommend to anyone who likes reading about psychological family drama’s.

I would like to thank Rachel Quin at HarperCollins UK for getting in touch and send me a NetGalley eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I have followed this author for years and never been disappointed. This was a well written book, beautifully told and I felt as though I knew all the characters personally.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book and thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book took me a while to get into.especiallyy as I wasn't sure of the point of the chapters being told by one character. However after about 40%, the story became clearer and was so much better, so I ended up really enjoying it. Very apt title

The main theme of this book is forgiveness. Sometimes the people most affected by a situation are the first to forgive while others close to them find it harder.

Claudia and her daughter Jasmine have escaped to a new life leaving behind an abusive husband and stepfather ,who is in prison for money laundering. Claudia’s mother Marcy joins them to build a new life far away from their old one. But can they truly leave the past behind? Or will it catch up with them in a terrifying way ?

The restorative justice scheme was something I had heard of before but never really thought about. The exploration of it in the book was very thought provoking and made me wonder how I would act if I were in the victims shoes.

To hold on to bitterness is definitely bad for you and to gain closure on events is what is best in the long run, something we all know but may struggle with! This book will stay with me for a long time. The storytelling and characters are so well written and the plot is painstakingly researched. I love Susan Lewis books, each one is very different but the common denominator is a well written, page turning, enjoyable read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this brilliant book.

Overcoming Adversity.... Can Forgiveness Bring Out The Best of A Bad Situation?... An Emotional Family Drama 📝

Forgive Me starts with Archie giving you a brief on his life as it is now, his inner thoughts on his life as though talking to you, rather than a narrator guiding you. Rewind and we're taken back in time...
Claudia and her Mother Marcy and daughter Jasmine, have had to flee their homes and start afresh with new identities, to escape a toxic marriage. All is not rosy for long and Claudia feels unease like something is about to happen. Everything seems to be going okay, and then one night everything changes...

It's told mainly from Claudia's perspective, the highs and lows of past and present, remembering abuse she wants endured and too afraid to give her trust too easily. Claudia's life for some tragically relatable. An emotional rollercoaster of a read, I found it a little slow to start, but overall a thought provoking read of overcoming adversity.

A new author for me, and one I would happily read from again! Enjoyed the book, realistic characters and an intriguing plot line. I would recommend it to friends. The author managed to achieve a balance of tone and ensured that I looked forward to picking up the book and becoming absorbed in the next chapter- sometime I find my interest is lost if I have to read it in stages due to life taking over, this was not the case here! Thank you.

A very interesting informative, inspirational read. Claudia and her daughter Jasmine along with Claudia's mother Marcy have escaped. Escaped from their past life- they have changed their names and moved to another part of the country making up a new history for themselves. Behind them is an abusive husband who is now in prison for insider information and money laundering but they fear recriminations as they have some important documents which could infer others in the case. After a while and beginning to make new friends and lives for themselves Claudia and Marcy independently tell the police as there is a search on for them as missing persons. They know that they have nothing to do with the case but are aware that there may be repercussions. I enjoyed this- its a well crafted and cleverly thought out plot. I liked Claudia and shuddered at her hearing the abusive voice from her past. This is about restorative justice- something I only partly knew about. Wow! What a powerful and interesting way to put this across. For those not in the know this is where, in the right circumstances(very much analyzed before hand), the victim(s) of crime meet the perpetrator with the end goal being that there is benefit and closure for both parties- a controversial topic of conversation Im sure- but this story does show how it can very much be used for the good and from personal experience I can see that it would, for me, have brought some closure and possibly healing. This made me smile and it made me cry. One of my 5** reads- about 10% of what I read in a year ( about 220 books ) only earnt by the very special ones and this one deserves it in spades. Loved it .
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

This really is a gripping book from Susan Lewis and certainly makes the reader think about another, seamier, side of life. Quite traumatic in places but heart warming in others so a real roller coaster of a plot. It was a little slow at first but once all the threads started to come together it was really powerful. covering some very difficult subjects but underneath there is humanity and compassion. This is a book which I think will resonate with the reader long after it's finished

Forgive Me by Susan Lewis
I give this book 4.5 stars
I can’t forgive myself. Not after what I did. Could you?
Claudia, her mum and her daughter have escaped their old lives and fled to the small town of Kesterly Here, she hopes they can be safe for the first time in years.
But the past can’t stay hidden and one disastrous night changes everything forever.
A heartwarming,powerful family drama.Susan Lewis is such a talented storyteller,with well developed and varied characters and a strong researched plot line.You are drawn into the book which is told through letters written by someone (we later find out who and why) and Claudia and Marcys story. It has it all ....a life changing event,family,justice,courage,resilience,support and forgiveness.
I am a big fan of this author and would highly recommend Forgive Me as a thought provoking read!
With thanks to Netgalley,Susan Lewis and Harper Collins for my chance to read and review this.

I’ve read a few of Susan Lewis’s books in the past and this one I was super excited for. Although I’m not usually into crime style thrillers, this book was really good. Family drama where three generation of ladies change their identities to escape Claudia’s husband, as you can imagine not all goes to plan.

I found this book to be a slower start than Susan's previous books but what an amazing story it turned into. It is both heart-breaking and heart-warming, raising the question - could I, would I ? I wanted to get to the end to see how it would finish but at the same time I didn't want it to end. It is worth far more than the five stars I can give.
Susan Lewis does it again !!!

I loved this book from start to finish. The whole family took a decision to disappear together for the safety of Claudia and Jasmine and Marcy was happy to give up everything to be with her daughter and granddaughter.
If only they could have known what would happen and the traumatic things they would go through. It’s an amazing thing for Marcy to go through the restorative justice programme.
Great read and well written with great detail.

This book was more of a family drama than a crime drama which is not ordinarily my cup of tea as there was no real suspense or surprises and at first I was not entirely sure if I would like it. However it turned out to be a good read.

Claudia, her daughter Jasmine and Claudia's mother Marcy have left there home for a new life and new identities in Kesterly after leaving her abusive and criminal husband mid trial. They are, as you expect found and no spoiler from me, but there as a further crime on the family that takes over the storyline but they have remarkable support from the residents of Kesterly. The degree of forgiveness by the family for the perpetrator of this crime was, a little too incredulous for me and I am a very forgiving person myself on the whole but this does not detract from it being a good read.

Thank you to netgalley UK, the author and the publishers HarperCollins UK for a free arc copy of the book for a true and fair review.

Oh, Susan Lewis, I do love your books!
A woman stifled by her overpowering husband finally finds a chance to escape a life of misery, with her daughter, and sets herself up with a new identity and life far away.
New names, new looks, new home, new friends.
But that fear never leaves...
I loved the way this book was written with the chapters of the story interspersed with letters from someone who obviously wronged one of the main characters.
I don't want to say too much for fear of giving away too much of the plot, but I was totally drawn into the whole plot, and there were twists. Oh, were there twists!
I was left guessing for most of the book, on a lot of points, and all the guessing ensured I continued reading.
Definitely a recommended read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read with a different narrative to the norm. We get to see the reverse side of crime and the effect it has on people.
The story kept my interest throughout., I did suffer a large degree of coach house envy, right down to the citrine drapes!
Great characters who blend together rather well.
To be a little picky, I did find the story a little bit saccharine as each member of the group managed to find a life partner in very quick order, which felt just a little too convenient fir me However it did not detract from the story

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoy Susan Lewis' books so was pleased when the publisher contacted me to review her latest book. I found this harder to get into than some of her others, but enjoyed it and got more into it as it went along. The characters were well written, especially Archie - Lewis' skilled writing created real sympathy and emotional investment in him.

An enjoyable read and not really what I had expected. It does give a very good insight into looking at other people’s point of view. Things are not always black and white and this book certainly shows that plus as it looks at the issues from more than one persons point of view and demonstrates that people can and do see things differently. The characters are believable and the tale enjoyable.

I confess I often reflect on what it would be like to start again - to reinvent myself. Although content enough with my lot it intrigues me thinking what I'd change about myself, circumstances and location. What decisions would I make? That's how this book left me after reading it. Thought-provoking and quite daunting in some ways. Susan Lewis is a superb writer with her handling of intriguing themes, characterisation, but mostly the suspense she skilfully creates. Will the family escaping from an abusive situation succeed? A gripping emotional rollercoaster - excuse cliche. All seems to turn out well, perhaps too neatly you reflect you suspect. Their support team was fascinating in its detail. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins.

I recived this ARC through netgalley and the publishers.

I loved returning to Kesterley, and catching up with much loved character as well as meeting Marcy, Claudia and Jasmine who are trying to escape Claudia's ex husband.

Lots of twists and turns which I really enjoyed, I raced through this book as it was such an easy read.