I loved both of Emma Cooper’s previous books – so when I saw her third was being published in September 2020 I dived onto NetGalley to see if I could get an advance review copy – and I did!

Here’s the blurb:

“Jennifer Jones’ life began when her little sister, Kerry, was born. So when her sister dies in a tragic accident, nothing seems to make sense any more.

Despite the support of her husband, Ed, and their wonderful children, Jen can’t comprehend why she is still here, while bright, spirited Kerry is not.

When Jen starts to lose herself in her memories of her sister, she doesn’t realise that the closer she feels to Kerry, the further she gets from her family.

Jen was never able to say goodbye to her sister. But what if she could?

Would you risk everything if you had the chance to say goodbye?”



I am gutted – but I didn’t love this as much as Emma’s last two books. Possibly because I totally bloody adored them and so had high hopes – but it just wasn’t quite there for me.

I have to say initially I found this a bit disturbing. Jen’s grief feels really personal – and being part of that felt intrusive. The person I felt most sorry for throughout the whole book was her poor husband Ed – he really was left having to deal with everything.

I know grief is a very individual thing – and I will literally be GUTTED when either of my sisters do pass away – but at the same time, Jen seemed to totally desert her husband and kids though her grief. I am incredibly lucky that aside from the circle of life grandparents passing away, I have never had anyone close to me die – but I have seen a friend lose her child, and another friend her husband. Clearly they were DEVASTATED by this – and still some days are worse than others – but at no point did they totally neglect their still living children and family members. The whole storyline felt totally alien. I guess it’s based upon an individual’s mental health which is completely personal to that human – but as a reader, I found it really hard to be empathetic with Jen at all when she still had her life to live, and her husband and kids to support her and who needed her support.

Jen’s relationship with her sister’s partner, Nessa, also felt odd to me. Initially stilted and forced, to then over friendly and weird. I felt sorry for Jen’s parents who effectively lost both daughters after the accident. The fact Jen was adopted and Kerry wasn’t felt forced into the storyline.

Maybe if there had been some back story to the sisters relationship – as clearly they must have been much closer than regular sisters – it may have made more sense. And I also felt I didn’t know Jen enough ‘pre accident’. However the story very much implied her behaviour post accident was totally different to how she was pre accident.

As with Emma’s previous books it was well written, funny, prompted me to laugh out loud a number of times, and had lots of current themes etc. But for me, it just didn’t quite hit the mark – but as I say, this could have been due to my unrealistic expectations. Possibly if I’d not had these high hopes it wouldn’t have felt like it wasn’t quite right.

If I Could Say Goodbye by Emma Cooper an emotion wringing five-star read. This is my first read by this author but it wont be the last, oh my goodness I adored this story, I started it on a morning when I wasn’t feeling great and just wanted to hide away and this did just that, it sucked me into the pages and held me tightly until the last few pages. Grief affects us all differently the author showed great compassion and empathy when portraying how these characters grieved, I think that’s why I loved this story so much, it wasn’t your usual they lost someone and were sad then life magically got better, the author here shows us grief turns everyone’s lives upside down, and people deal with it differently, it doesn’t affect us all the same way, some don’t feel it as deeply and some it will break. It was refreshing getting Jennifer and Ed’s POV that brought something to the story, it added extra layers that made this a deeper story that spat me out at the end feeling hung over but feeling better.

I have never read a book by Emma Cooper before, but requested this as the cover caught my eye as did the premises of the story.

To start with I found it slow and I struggled to get in to the story and engage with the characters. As the story moved on I found that I enjoyed it more, I can't say that I was fond of Jen the main character, I mostly felt for her lovely husband and children.
Overall the book did keep me guessing until the very end and I did enjoy reading the book.

On the strength of having read Emma Cooper's previous books,I request this title.
Surprisingly,I didn't warm to Jen and got impatient with her self absorption ,however understandably.
Ed and their children on the other hand,had my full sympathy, as his wife and his world slowly disintegrates.
As time went on I did feel more for Jen as grief overcomes her and she did portray convincingly the effects of guilt so often associated with death.
The second half of the book held my attention more as the different ways of Jennifer Jones death which I found irritating, didn't feature.
A raw study of the affects of 'complicated ' grief.

Firstly a huge thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. I read Emmas last book and loved it so was very excited to read it.

What a heartfelt beautifully emotive story. Emma is a expert of her craft , making magic with words.

This is a life affirming tale of grief first and foremost. But not just the grief for the dead but for what its done to the living.

You can feel the pain the family are experiencing. I loved having the double narrative to gain a richer understanding of both Jen and her husband.

This got me right in the heart , a powerful read but also filled with humour and romance.

Published September 17th and I wish her every success with it.

What a powerful, heart breaking read but there also some real laugh out loud moments too. Emma portrays not only grief but parenting in a refreshingly honest way. I desperately wanted to help Jen & Ed!
This is the first book I have read by Emma Cooper and I will definitely be reading her other books.

I found this book quite difficult to enjoy reading - I didn't really believe in the characters and found that it was a bit odd to be almost making light of grief... I get that this isn't a literary book, but then there are so many other non-literary books out there who have created great stories based off the back of grief... this one just doesn't 'do' it for me...

When Jenny's sister Kerry dies, she is thrown and doesn't know what to do with herself... I thought this kind of story would be very powerful, moving and make me think about life, my own thoughts, what I would do if I lost a loved one... but actually I didn't, instead I kept thinking "Would she REALLY do that?" or "I wish we'd got to know more of Kerry before she died..." It didn't quite work for me, unfortunately.

The story was OK, but just not the best from this author as I've read her work before and preferred her other books.

I'm really torn with this book. I thought the premise of sibling loss and complicated grief was so interesting, and reading a more lighthearted take on it is something I haven't read before, however, I really didn't gel with the writing style. In parts, it strayed into cliche, and lots of the characters were one dimensional. I think either Ed's chapters should have been much more in depth, or they should have been scrapped altogether. I think we also should have spent more time with the sisters before Kerry's death - or have their relationship explored more via flashbacks - to be more invested in their relationship, and fully empathise with the protagonist's grief.

What a beautiful story. When Jennifer loses her sister her life changes and her grief overwhelms her as she tries to deal with what happened. The story tells of her struggles to get through it and how it affects her family as she can't let go of the memories of what happened and she blames herself . A love story that tugs at your heartstrings and a family trying to support her.Tissues needed at the end of this fantastic novel

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I found the story of this book really heartbreaking, dealing with loss and grief and how these feelings do turn your life/world upside down.

Very well written.

I’ve s not all full of gloom, does have some funny/humour bits but still emotional.

Recommend it.

I have never read a book by Emma Cooper before, so was unsure what to expect.

This heartbreaking story deals with grief and how it turns your family upside down.

Truly well written by Emma, told by the POV from husband and wife Ed and Jennifer.

A powerful and emotional read but does still have the humour so it's not full of gloom.

Highly Reccomended you pick this one up.

Thank you Headline and netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this.

Having read Emma Cooper's other two books (The Songs of Us, and The First Time I Saw You), I was very excited to get my hands on her next one. Without giving too much away, If I Could Say Goodbye follows Jennifer Jones as she struggles to come to terms with her sister's sudden death, and how she navigates the various waves of greif which threaten to tear her, and her family, apart.

Emma has an uncanny knack for writing fantastic characters who appear to leap off of the pages and act out the story infront of you. They make mistakes, they love, they laugh, they cry and they grow before your eyes, and you find yourself going through the motions with them. You are sucked into the story right from the start - I certainly found it very difficult to tear myself away and ended up staying up late to finish it.

If I Could Say Goodbye is beautifully written, and showcases once again just how well Emma crafts her characters and plots. Stunning. (I would reccomend having some tissues handy, however...)

Jennifer feels guilty that her little sister died and not herself as her sister saved her from being hit by a car. The novel is poignant, sad and shows the deepest kind of grief that takes over your whole life. I was rooting for Jennifer throughout the whole book and hoping she would make it. I really felt for the characters and it gave me an insight into the destruction of lives and families caused by trauma and grief.

A really well written story about grief that was an easy read - which isn’t the easiest thing to do about such a sad subject. Would definitely recommend!

Jennifer Jones was always a faithful, older sister to Kerry. However, when Kerry dies in a sudden accident, her whole world turns upside down. Despite having the support of her devoted husband, Edward, and her two children, Jennifer struggles to come to terms with the sudden loss of her sister. She turns her grief inwards, blaming herself for Kerry’s death and wishing the accident had taken her life, instead of her sister’s.

If I Could Say Goodbye, is an honest portrayal of the many facets of grief and it’s reverberating impact on one family. It explores grief openly and honestly, and for that alone it deserves praise. Jennifer becomes so consumed by the memories of her sister, that her mind convinces her she is still there. Kerry is reborn in her imagination and experience of grief as she loses herself in memories of the past.

Grief is something we all experience at some points in our lives, but obviously in many different ways. Emma Cooper manages to explore how Kerry’s death takes a drastic toll on Jennifer’s mental health, from her feelings of guilt, responsibility and regret that follow in the wake of Kerry’s death. Jen finds herself talking to her sister more than her own family. This experience of Kerry being somewhat alive in her imagination, serves as a comfort to Jen in some ways, but ultimately, she realises the need to say goodbye is what will set her free.

“I turn my back on the sea and the cliff, on the grief and guilt that I’ve been drowning in, and break into a run: my life is about to begin again.”

This is a refreshing and realistic portrayal of grief told through Jennifer and her husband, Edward. In having this alternative perspective, Cooper conveys how grief can have a snowballing affect on the ones we love. Ed has to pick up the pieces of their life together, as he struggles to maintain their relationship and family. Jennifer’s family and her children become more distant as her experience of grief consumes her in more ways than one. Intertwined within this exploration of grief is a tale of love, friendship, relationships and family.

Although I thought this was an excellent representation of experiencing the loss of a loved one, I found the book itself hard to read. There was no real structure, which I guess could be part of the point, in being like grief itself, however, it made the reading experience more difficult than it needed to be. Although I engaged with the leading characters, Jen and Ed, I felt it didn’t have a ‘hook’ to keep me reading.

The writing is beautiful and very well structured, which allows for the impact of grief to be explored through many angles, however, the lack of structure and plot is what let it down for me.

For someone who has recently gone through the death of a loved one, this book was harrowing and hard to read in places, but nonetheless essential for its honest depiction of grief and loss. It was comforting in this respect and something I would recommend to others.

If I Could Say Goodbye is a story of grief. Not the usual story of the death of a spouse/partner, parent or child, but that of a younger sibling. The parents’ grief being secondary to Jen’s.

I’ll be honest, in the early stages the book didn’t grip me, my mind did wander. Please don’t let that put you off. I can’t remember at which point this changed, but very soon I was racing through the book, completely absorbed. Literally fitting in reading a few pages here and there whenever I could, as well as reading chapter after chapter in a reading binge when possible. I genuinely didn’t know where the book was going, what would happen next.

Each person’s experience of grief is very personal and individual, and the effect it can have on their mental health. Initially I thought Jen was using adrenaline to make her feel alive, and possibly struggling with survivor guilt.
Mental health is being talked about so much more openly currently, thankfully. Sadly there is still judgement for those who struggle from some people, as Jen experiences.

If I could Say Goodbye is a heartbreaking and raw story of grief, and how far it reaches into the lives of all those affected.
I strongly recommend this book, and if, like me, you aren’t initially drawn straight in, keep reading. It’s worth persevering for.

I am a fan of Emma’s books and I know they are always full of emotion. This is no exception.
Navigating the unpredictable path of loss and grief, we see how the lives of a family are changed from two perspectives – Husband and Wife.
It’s powerful and emotional; how we the reader have an insight into what is happening before they even realise it. It was interesting to see how Jens husband handled things, how he was changed and impacted by not only his own grief but his wifes.
Moments of humour gave the book some good light and shade, stopped it from being overwhelming and added to the human, family feel.
Emma Cooper is a wonderful talent, her beautifully written words bring a tear to eye but provide us with hope, love and some humour. Dealing with a sensitive topic cannot be easy but I believe she had handled this with compassion and understanding.
I highly recommend you read and judge for yourself

Such a heartbreaking story about living with grief. Very warm and touching. It had me laughing one minute and reaching for the tissues the next. I would highly recommend.

This was the first book that I have read by Emma Cooper and I found it to be a very realistic portrayal of grief and the impacts of grief on your family and on your mental health.

The story is told from both the wife and the husband (Jen & Ed) about the traumatic loss of Jen's younger sister. It was quite refreshing to read a spouse's perspective on what it's like to watch your partner struggle with grief and the emotions surrounding that. I think for me, the impact on their daughter watching her mum falling apart pulled at my heartstrings the most. I felt for that little girl.

I really enjoyed this book and struggled to put it down. I was very engaged with the story and the characters and wanted everything to work out for all of them.

I'm glad to find a new author and will up her other books as I enjoy her realism and her writing style.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.