Book Description:

Imagine you get home one day… and waiting for you on your doorstep is a gift.

It is wrapped beautifully, and inside is a notebook, its pages empty. There is no message.

But its sender has a story to tell.

About a secret. About the little girl you once were. About everything you know about your family.

The gifts keep arriving. But when tragedy strikes – leaving your beloved only daughter fighting for her life – the person who has been sending the gifts will have no choice but to come forward. And to finally tell the truth…

A heartbreakingly beautiful novel about motherhood, loss and family secrets, for fans of Kerry Fisher, Susan Lewis and Jodi Picoult.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'What We Leave Behind' by Anna Mansell.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 29th September 2020

This is the first book that I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing and beautiful cover and interesting sounding blurb. I also wanted a change from my typical genre of crime fiction and this looked perfect. I was also drawn to the fact that the blurb stated for fans of Jodi Picoult and Kerry Fisher. I am a bug fan of both so it will be very interesting to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 83 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so ideal to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is written in first person perspective with the protagonist being Lisa. I enjoy books written in first person perspective as as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.

This book is based in the UK. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times.

Wow!!! Where to even begin??? What an absolutely fantastic and gripping book!!! Very well written and such an easy read. It was written in such a way that I was completely drawn in and felt like I was in the middle of everything.

Absolute roller-coaster ride of emotions!!! The whole book was just rammed with so much going on that my heart really went out to Lisa!! As a mother myself my heart was racing on so many occasions throughout and I went from devastation to happiness, shocked to anger at some of the comments from some of the character. It was an absolutely fantastic read that had me flying through the pages and filled with suspense.

I absolutely loved the main characters who were all so down to earth, realistic and strong. I loved reading how the relationships grew between some of them and the family bonds. I loved the fact that Anna Mansell brought mental health into it as I believe this is such an important subject for people to be made aware of and it was done in just the right way as well as being researched.

I must say that I have definitely found another favourite author to add to my list and have just added all her books to my wish list!!!

Overall a heart wrenching and emotional page turner that will keep you glued to the pages.

Genres covered include Literary Fiction,

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks and anyone looking for a fantastic read!!!

402 pages.

This book is 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Author Bio:

Anna spent almost twenty years trying to shoehorn writing in to her career as a marketing manager for dance and theatre companies. Eventually, she did what you are not remotely supposed to do and walked away from an excellent job in order to try and become a published author. Three years, lots of tears and some slightly hairy bank balances later, she met Kirsty Greenwood and the rest, as they say, is history. Anna lives in Cornwall with her husband and two kids. She feels very fortunate!

https://twitter.com/AnnaMansell
https://feelthefearandwriteitanyway.wordpress.com/

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2FVgb0n
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Google: https://bit.ly/2CXn3sR

A great book got me hooked from the start deep plot but I did enjoy it it seem to hooked me from the first bit enjoyed it

A loving story filled with complexities of a human mind along with the emotions of a mother’s heart. A honest capture of relationships by author Anna Mansell was this book.

A story of mother Lisa who brought up her daughter Poppy alone when her partner walked out on her. She found gifts left on her doorstep, motivating her to dig in deeper into her emotions. An accident with Poppy revealed the secrets hidden around Lisa. How far could a mother go for her child?

Quite unexpected was the direction of the prose when the author wrote in the dips and curves in Lisa’s life. There were layers buried in deep. The human psyche and its vulnerabilities were well explored. Drama and mystery enveloped in emotions were the crux of the story. Added to it was the new love and old relationships.

I wanted to like Lisa a bit more, I wished she were stronger. Easy to read at one go, the mystery could be guessed. Overall, an easy to read, sweet story where the author drew me in with the intertwining of realities in fiction.

I really don’t know how Anna Mansell does it! Once again she has taken feelings and emotions, and given them an identity of their own. I cannot fault the delivery of the storyline one iota, and I was blown away by how genuine Poppy and Lisa’s relationship was. It really made me think of the relationship that I have with my own daughter.

The premise of the storyline isn’t straight forward, and there are a lot of skeletons making their way out of the closets for the characters, which made for intense reading at times.

I am still in awe at just how talented Anna Mansell is – I loved this heartwarming, hopeful and beautiful read that showcased the power of relationships, strength, and the ability to believe.

If you don’t believe me then let the story speak for itself. You really won’t regret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.
A good storyline based largely on family secrets and relationships. Well planned and delivered, there is a lot to like about the story. The relationship between Lisa and her daughter Poppy really touched me. As a mother I felt all her pains and anxiety for her daughter’s wellbeing.
But when the main secret was revealed initially I thought it wasn’t really very believable until I almost finished the book. The subject matter was handled with sensitivity and it was quite emotional. Overall 3.5 stars

I have never read this author. I enjoyed the story line and the characters. I found it a bit slow at first but it picked up and held my Interest.

A beautiful, beautiful writer.
I love Anna Mansell’s books, all so beautifully written.
I loved the notebook left on the doorstep, the things Lisa wrote in it were very touching as the book progressed. Some simple words and sentences, but they were very powerful for me. Every book by this author affects me massively. It’s like she’s writing just for me, and that is a very clever thing!
Lisa was raised by her dad after her mum was killed in a car accident when she was a few months old. Her dad has always been a bit controlling, and they didn’t have a very close relationship. When she left for Scotland as a sixteen year old with Billy her dad was not impressed, and when things went wrong her dad promptly drove to pick her up and bring her back down south.
Things were looking up, she had her own house, and was starting a new job on the same day Poppy was starting a new school year.
I loved Lisa’s relationship with best friend Holly. All these years Paul, Holly’s older brother, has fancied Lisa too. They were all such good friends.
On her way to a fun day out Lisa was in a car accident and Poppy is seriously injured. I visualised the aftermath only too well, and all the time in the hospital. Just watching Poppy. Just waiting for a flicker of something, an eyelid, or a squeeze of her hand. It was painful to read.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll stop there. You need to read this for yourself.
There is lots of deceit and family secrets! It shows the importance of family and friendship, and dealing with trust. All the characters feel very real.
I can thoroughly recommend it.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

Lisa is a good mum to her five-year-old daughter Poppy. She is the only parent Poppy knows and things have gone well for her, despite the recent loss of her grandmother. Her father is a bit controlling, but she is assured of his love. One day Lisa gets a strange package in the mail. It starts of with a blank journal, but then other gifts begin to arrive.

Tragedy strikes however, when Lisa is in a car accident and Poppy is seriously injured. Just prior to that Lisa had started dating, but had thought of Poppy's father from time to time, wondering if she should let Poppy have a relationship with him. Now that Poppy has become injured, her ex comes back into the picture, and this has an affect on Lisa's current relationship. Combine that stress with the fact Lisa still continues to get strange packages and Lisa is at sixes and sevens.

What We Leave Behind was an even mix of family drama as well as the mystery behind the gifts. The drama came in when it came to Poppy's recovery and regarding Lisa and her family situation, especially when it came to her father. Revelations as to the packages were revealed and I was kept guessing about that.

This touching story comes full circle for Lisa, giving readers an insight with regard to her life and even the choices she is forced to make. This is only my second book by Anna Mansell and I enjoyed how she drew me into the characters and the story. I feel like she did a fine job of drawing out my emotions when it came to Lisa and her family in this engrossing read. I very much look forward to reading her next book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

At times interesting, at times slow but I think ultimately it's worth a read for 2 reasons. Firstly, the eventually satisfying romantic relationship of our main character. Secondly the surprising secrets revealed we never knew existed.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

This is a good emotional read. I thought that there was too much happening which made the story not unite believable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Beautiful. Heart warming. Thought provoking. Stunningly written. I loved this from start to finish. Another emotional, wonderful, powerful pageturner from this incredibly talented author who goes from strength to strength with each amazing book she writes. Pure writing gold. Please read this one.

I am completely at a loss for words! This book is incredible from start to finish!

Anna Mansell is so good at this type of novel.

Characters that you truly bond with and a gritty, captivating storyline that makes you want to turn the pages faster and faster but a writing style so perfect that you can't skip a single word.

Lisa and her adorable daughter, Poppy, are a perfect little bubble. Along with best friends Holly and Charlie they're all each other needs, for the most part.

In this story, we're reminded that all families have dramas, secrets and tragedies but some are more hidden than others. Lisa has a strained relationship with her father but he's always been there for her. So when disaster strikes, he's keen to help.

There's something not quite right with this family but it's not clear what. And that's what makes this such a great read; the guessing.

I love the insight into mental illness that we get too. It's a tough subject that is dealt with very sensitively and accurately. Bravo, Anna!

Overall, this book is absolutely fantastic! My favourite of Anna's by far!

What Became of Us by Anna Mansell is undeniably a beautifully written story, though I must admit that it was not my favourite from this talented author. While the story didn't completely engage me, it is heartfelt and well-executed, and explores all of the familial drama that we love.

Lisa is left with her newborn daughter, Poppy, when her boyfriend Brian ups and leaves. Having lost her own mother at a very young age, Lisa is well aware of what it means to be raised by a single parent. Although their relationship is complicated, Lisa's father summons her home to the place where she grew up. When mysterious gifts begin to anonymously appear, Lisa wonders if she is receiving messages from someone she knows. When her daughter Poppy is involved in a tragic accident and left fighting for her life, it seems that secrets from the past will be revealed, and Lisa's life will never again be the same.

I am confident that fans of Ms Mansell will be delighted with this latest offering. Unfortunately, I just did not fully connect with this one, but will certainly look forward to reading more from this trusted author in the future. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite. I would give it 2.5 stars. I was excited to read this because I loved all the previous books that I read by the author. I found the story hard to get into. Wasn't a fan of any of the characters. Half the time I couldn't believe they were in their thirties. Lisa andPaul danced around their feelings. Just tell each other how you feel. I really didn't get Lisa's relationship with Billy. He left you and your daughter when she was three days old. He never contacted her and asked about Poppy, he never sent money to help out with Poppy. He did NOTHING, but of course Lisa thinks her daughter deserves two parents. The relationship that was the strangest, was the one between Lisa and her dad. He was so controlling, always lying and never seemed to show any emotion. I couldn't believe he locked her and Poppy in the house when left to do errands. There were so many secrets in Lisa's family. Didn't Lisa ever do a google search about her mom? Didn't she ever look up information about the tragic accident? I'm sure a newspaper reported what happened. When the truth about Lisa's family finally comes out, it was hard to believe. I just have mixed feelings about the book. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.

Give the book a try, it just wasn't for me. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What Became of Us, by Lisa Mansell, is the story of three best friends, a heartbreaking tragedy, the things we do to help those we love the most, and the unexpected surprises that threaten to destroy a family.
Lisa, Holly, and Paul have been best friends for years and have been there for each other through the highs and lows of life. When Lisa’s boyfriend Brian leaves her with their newborn baby Poppy, she’s is devastated. Her overbearing protective father forces her to return to her home town but at least she has the comfort of her two best friends and her grandmother. When they were younger it was just Lisa and Holly because Holly’s brother Paul was a few years older. Now that they are adults though, the three of them are as close as ever.
Lisa is caught off guard (at the beginning of the book) when Paul confesses that he’s in love with her just before he and Holly leave for a brief trip. Lisa starts to question her feelings about Paul and starts to realize that she may feel the same way, but she doesn’t have much time to think about it because her grandmother passes away. Since she has always had a small family, Lisa is deeply saddened at her loss. Now it’s just Poppy, Lisa, and her dad, and she has always had a strained relationship with her dad. He’s overbearing, controlling, and overly opinionated. Lisa’s mother and other grandmother and grandfather died in a car accident when she was an infant so she has never knew them. Since Lisa’s Grandmother’s passes away when Holly and Paul are out of town, Holly rushes to be by Lisa’s side as soon as she returns. Holly warns Lisa about hearing that her ex, Poppy’s father, has returned to town. Brian was the love of Lisa’s life, and even though she knows she could never love him again, she starts to question if she should try to form a relationship with him so that he could be in Poppy’s life and she’s not quite sure how Paul would fit into the mix of it all. Holly’s son is the same age as Poppy, so they often get a chance to catch up at their school. Paul is also very close to his nephew, so its not uncommon for them to do things together. After seeing Brian though, Lisa isn’t sure how to respond to Paul’s confession about his feelings for her.
When she starts finding gifts on her doorstep she questions everyone she knows, but no one admits to leaving them and she’s never able to see who drops them off. The first gift is a somewhat personal journal that Lisa receives on her first day returning to work. It’s the first time Lisa has had a job since Poppy was born, and even though her dad objects to it, Lisa is excited to be earning her own money again especially since she’ll. be working at Poppy’s school.
Suddenly Lisa’s faced with the worst tragedy imaginable when Poppy is injured and is in a coma. As always, Paul and Holly are there for her, but she certainly can’t cope well enough to work out her feelings towards Paul. When Brian comes to the hospital asking to be part of their lives, she’s more confused than ever. Ultimately Brian asks Lisa to return with him so they can try to be a family again. He admits that he was wrong for leaving her and says he wants to be in Poppy’s life. With the gifts still coming, Lisa is more confused than ever because the people who are closest to her continue to deny their involvement. As a result of the tragedy and other circumstances, Lisa is faced with having to live with her father again. As intrusive as ever, she feels trapped by his presence and demands. She also comes across a startling discovery that makes her question everything he has ever told her. When she sets out on her own to find out the truth, Holly and Paul are as supportive as ever, but Lisa is shocked at what she finds. When she confronts her dad about it, he continues telling her the same lies he’s told her throughout her life. Everything Lisa has ever known as the truth is no longer what it seemed, so she’s in no position to make any big decisions about her feelings for Paul or whether or not she wants to allow Brian into Poppy’s life.
Eventually the truth comes out, and it is a very unexpected twist! Although I loved the story, the characters, and the twist, I’ll admit that some of the details about the twist frustrated me. I cannot be specific because that would spoil the surprise but I believe that some of the information was inaccurate and that bothered me. Altogether it was a good book, but it just wasn’t quite for me when the details near the end emerged. I loved Anna Mansell’s creativity in What Became of Us, and felt that it was a sweet story though. I liked her writing style enough that I’ll be looking into other books she has written. It was an easy read and easy to follow, and I loved the character development, plot, and emphasis on family and friends.
Thank you Anna Mansell, Bookouture, and Netgalley for allowing me to read What Became of Us. ,My feedback is my honest opinion.

A mesmerizing storyline of a family secret that makes for a compelling read. The gifts that arrive for Lisa at first she is energized about getting, but then it starts to grow increasingly more difficult to accept what is going on and why is she getting them and from whom?

The beginning of the book seems to lag in parts , but the author does bring it together in the middle and the ending is beyond words of a clincher!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

What would you do if you discovered that the whole context of your life…a critical element that affected all your relationships…was false? How would you feel? How would you cope?

This is the life-changing dilemma faced by Lisa, a thirty-eight year old single mother, who uncovers a secret, a lie, which has been held for several generations. Basically an introvert, Lisa has been raising her daughter, Poppy, alone for the last five years while struggling with her feelings toward her overprotective, controlling father.

As the story begins, Lisa is facing several emotional challenges: her beloved grandmother has just died; Poppy is starting kindergarten; Lisa herself is taking on a job for the first time in years; Paul, a longtime friend has declared his feelings for her; and Billy, the errant boyfriend, reappears to reestablish their relationship and acknowledge his parenthood. Amidst this tsunami of events, a life-threatening tragedy strikes and a startling hidden truth is revealed.

I felt the author did an admirable job in keeping the emotional tone balanced in spite of what could have turned into overwrought melodrama. The depth of feeling expressed by the protagonist evoked feelings of compassion and empathy. All the characters were relatable and realistic in their responses and actions given their circumstances.

I enjoyed the unexpected twists in the plot as the story unfolds. I did find the pacing a little uneven; the first few chapters were a bit slow and my interest flagged. Once the pace picked up, I couldn’t put the book down and felt gratified with the conclusion.

This is my first exposure to this author. I have read many books by British authors and am comfortable with the different vernacular, especially the slang. What was a bit of a challenge for me was the different syntax used. Once I got used to it, I actually found it interesting, even charming because it made the character seem so real.

My thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Broken hearts, broken minds and long held family secrets are at the core of this family drama. Lisa needs to know who is sending her gifts that allude to her past. When the past and the present are brought together, will Lisa be able to recover from one shock after another?

What Became of Us is a beautifully written book. It is a story that will tug on your heartstrings. I recommend this one. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This story started out a little slower than I expected but I became more involved as the pages turned until I couldn't put it down. A bit of friendship, sadness, loss and mystery plus love made it into a enjoyable read.
I received a ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it..