Dan and his elder brother Patrick had had a huge row the night the latter died, leaving him, Dan, swarming in self-guilt ever since. Patrick is survived by his wife, Zoe, three young children and his adoring parents. However, as the months pass, Dan gets more involved in his brother's family matters and begins to unravel a secret that Patrick has taken to his grave. How will the family react to this secret, having not even fully recovered from the over-bearing loss of their dutiful son/husband/father? Can Dan find it in himself to help redeem his brother in his death? A story of love, loss, forgiveness, and moving on.

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I'm not going to lie, this was not the book I was expecting to read. The blurb had me sold on a story of a grieving family coming together after the death of a loved one, instead, I read pages and pages of accusations, guilt-trips and sarcasm (!!!) with a dash of betrayal on the side. The secret wasn't as much of a shocker as was the storyline of Dan and his family - he seemed like this guy who would rather wallow in his insecurities than buckle up, Zoe preferred being cold, whingey and ungrateful than give Dan a chance to prove his merit (not that he made a convincing case for himself), the kids were just... okay, and Patrick was the dumbest idiot I've seen in a book. All other side characters fleeted about rather than have their own presence; I suppose, you can't really help it when the main characters are developed rather poorly. All in all, it was a hodgepodge that was difficult to read (was it the loose dialogues or inadequate editing, I can't be certain).

Thank you Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book from Lucy Diamond. Following the death of his brother Dan embarks on a mission to be Patrick and step into his shoes by helping lots of people including Patrick’s family. Easy to read and not cheesy. It was difficult to read in places because of it being an early copy, for a review, so some letters weren’t in place. However that said I loved it. It’s not a sad book despite the storyline but one of family, loved d friends. Thanks NetGalley and Lucy Diamond.

This was my second Lucy Diamond book. I am rapidly becoming a fan. Lucy draws you in by writing about everyday life in every family.
The Promise is about Dan who tragically loses his brother Patrick. Patrick leaves behind Zoe and his three children. Dan decides he is going to try to take on some of his brothers role with the family. Little does Dan know that his brother had lots of secrets in his life that are about to change everything for them all.
A fantastic book right from the start. Enjoyed every page.
Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the early copy.

Brothers Patrick and Dan have a row. Dan tells Patrick to go home even though he was meant to stay at Dan's. The next dayit is discovere that Patrick never made it home and several days later his body is fished out of the Thames. leaving his wife and three children bereft. Dan feels that somehow it's his fault, after all that's what people are telling him. So instead of going to South America on a trip of a lifetime he is moping around mourning the loss of his brother until one day he decides to 'look after' Patrick's wife Zoe and the three children, Ethan, Gabe and Bea. At first Zoe is a bit resistant to his efforts, but is soon letting Dan help out. As he goes through Patrick's business paperwork, he finds things out about his brother that he never knew and possibly Patrick didn't want anyone to know.
This is a lovely story of forgiveness - about being able to forgive yourself more than anything else.
I read this pretty quickly as it draws you in straightaway. I have read most of Lucy Diamond's books and always enjoy them. This is no exception.

Having just finished this book, I'm not sure how it's left me feeling. It reminded me of a BBC drama and there were no loose ends by the end. The story is based around bereavement but it wasn't overly sad, actually the ending lifted me.
All the characters are likeable and relatable.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Although the subject matter for this book was very sad I felt the author handled the characters feelings of grief and their. moving on in a really compassionate manner. I didn’t feel it was one of the author’s best books to be honest, but it was well written. The only character that I did feel was not brilliantly written was Patrick himself. I felt certain aspects of his character were unnecessarily harsh and did not add to the story really. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

A feel-good book about bereavement – who knew such a thing was possible? It took me a short while to really get in to, but once the characters stories started to reveal themselves I really was hooked. Never maudlin and with some lovely gently touches of humour, this really captures some of that strange, bewildering journey from sudden grief to healing. And Pain in Arse should get her own book – what a fascinating back story she’d have!

Lucy Diamond has been a favourite author of mine since I read Summer at Shell Cottage, I then looked forward to each future release and she has never disappointed me. I was excited to see she had a new novel due for release entitled The Promise, wasting no time I popped over to read the synopsis to see what Lucy was going to treat us to in this novel and it was the first time I have ever been nervous and hesitant to read one of her books.
After the sudden unexplained death of Dan’s brother Patrick, he deals with his grieving process by wanting to step into his brother shoes and so he draws up a plan to take over all the jobs he used to do and support his sister in-law Zoe and her three children with chores but if Zoe hasn’t already had the most life shattering news already Dan has uncovered something else that is set to break her heart into even more pieces.
Phew…… That was a hard book to read and I know this is going to be an incredible hard review to write too. Since losing my husband to the Thames I have avoided all books to do with references to lost lives to it and anything that is too heavy on the loss of a loved one but reading this book was an emotional journey for me.
The storyline is told from Dan, Zoe and Lydia’s points of view so we are able to see how each character is affected by the death of Patrick and how they are dealing with their grief. Each of the characters in this novel were so well developed they felt so alive which made me feel emotionally attached to them.
The thing I often find in novels is the death of a character is brushed over with rose tinted glasses but in The Promise Lucy Diamond has explored the reality of losing someone in a tragic way capturing honest and raw emotions of grief and looks at how once someone dies it is all to easy for everyone to put them on a pedal stall and only see the good in that person never dare to mention or highlight any weaknesses or wrong doings that they had and especially when things come to light after the passing of a loved one. The author also explores the way people act around a new widow often ignoring them as they don’t know what to say but with emotions high sometimes can feel like you are being blamed or judged so the novel sheds light on these reactions.
There were no slow point to this novel there was so much packed into the storyline and with secrets being unravelled throughout the book it made it such an addictive and captivating read. The issues that were tackled were dealt with so beautifully with tender care. The author was clever in the way she delivered the circumstances surrounding Patricks death as we know from the opening of the book that Patrick is found in the Thames but we don’t know what happens so we are in the dark with so many questions in our mind, was it an accident, was it suicide the same questions that Zoe and Dan will always roll around but never had the answers too so we are in the dark all the way through the storyline with them but we are giving the one thing they desperately need at the end which is the last piece of the puzzle- the closure that they need.
This was a heartfelt poignant read that really resonated with me and will be a novel that will never leave me. SO beautifully written this book will appeal to those who look for a story of love, loss and secrets.

A family tragedy, Dan's brother Patrick dies suddenly. Just before his death he quarrelled with Dan and with his (Patrick's) wife Zoe. Patrick leaves Zoe to look after three children and his small property rental business. Dan was supposed to be on a three month sabbatical from his accountancy job, touring South America, but Patrick's death leads him to cancel the trip.

With three months on his hands, and tired of wallowing in guilt and sorrow, Dan determines to help out Zoe and the children, taking over the jobs that Patrick can no longer do. Dan starts with the business but progresses to taking more of an interest in his nephews and niece. But very quickly Dan learns things about Patrick, secrets, that he wishes he'd never discovered.

I really liked this at first. Dan, the younger brother, trying to step into Patrick's shoes, trying to make up to his family for Patrick's death. My biggest issue was Patrick. During the course of the book Patrick is revealed as a lot of bad things (trying to be discreet) but there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for it. Surely someone in his family and friends would have noticed if he was selfish or a narcissist or psychotic? So I was left with the overwhelming feeling that he was simultaneously a good guy, a great father, a wonderful husband and none of those things. He didn't seem a real character.

I would say up to about 60%, maybe 65% of this book I was loving it. The remainder dragged and the ending just kind of deflated for me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’ve always loved Lucy Diamond novels and this one was very refreshing to read from a male protagonist’s point of view as the main perspective, I believe the ones I’ve previously read have all been from a female perspective. The plot had its share of plot twists and drama and the characters had charm and warmth. I thoroughly enjoyed the story however for me on this occasion, I missed the ‘bad guy.’ Normally in a Lucy Diamond novel there is someone you love to hate and you want them to get their karma (and the best bit is that they usually do!!) However this time around, you can’t quite do that... for obvious reasons.

On the flip side, the ending had me gripped - that was a change of pace!! A thoroughly enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud as well as really empathising with characters going through a grieving period. The kids were especially cute.

Many thanks to the publishers, Lucy Diamond and net galley for the opportunity to read this novel.

I have read a few books by Lucy Diamond previously and have always enjoyed them. So when I saw this on NetGalley I knew I had to have it.

This book starts with the sudden death of Patrick Sheppard and how his grieving widow Zoe copes after his death. Trying to raise their three children alone, work and look after Patricks business interests. His Brother Dan try to step up to help Zoe and the children as much as he can but starts to realise quickly that things were not what they seemed. Patrick has been keeping many secrets from both of them, which all start to unravel after his death. Without giving too much away it would seem that everyone had a disagreement with Patrick the night he died and no-one really knows what happened to him, was it an accident, or was someone else is to blame.

A sad book in places but also a book about love and friendship, and what a role it plays in all our lives. The main characters within the book are well written and endearing, especially the little girls. And what I love most about it, is that it didn't leave me with the annoying, "what happened next?' I thought the epilogue was brilliant and it ended the book really neatly for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I knew just a few pages into this book that I would love it, and I did! Okay, the subject matter is a sad one, but this book is written in such a way that it's not gloomy. In fact, I'd say much of the story is uplifting. I enjoyed hearing from both Zoe and Dan. I loved Dan. He was my favourite character. Whilst their grief is a major part of the storyline, Dan's story, that of not feeling good enough, is also looked at. I thought the ending was beautifully done. Bravo, Lucy! With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another solid instalment from Lucy Diamond. The Promise is a tale of love, loss, and secrets that draws you in from the beginning.

It was really good to have a male character at the forefront of this story. Dan is devastated when his brother Patrick dies following a night out and pledges to do all he can to help his grieving widow and her children.

Although not an easy subject to read about I found the book to be engaging and it dealt sensitively with grief, loneliness and how we cope when we find out things weren’t as they seemed.

A really enjoyable book. Dan's brother Patrick is found drowned in the river. He must have died not long after the two brothers had argued. Dan feels guilty and tries to help Patrick's wife Zoe, but discovers that his brother had secrets. Although this is about brotherly love, grief, family and love it is not a heavy moralising book.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. Im a big fan of Lucy’s books so was excited to read.

A fantastic book from start to finish about a family who are picking the pieces up after a death. But things arent as they seem as secrets are revealed.

A story of family,love,loss and new beginnings.

It was refreshing to read from Dans perspective whos trying his hardest to step in his brothers shoes. Can he make amends or has the damage been done?

A perfect new year read for escapism and family drama.

Published 18th February

A well written investigation of the emotional side on the death of a brother, husband and father. Dan tries to support hi sister-in-law and nieces and nephews whilst feeling he is responsible for the situation they are in.
Whilst very emotional the plot is very slow moving and lacks pace.

I LOVE Lucy Diamond and this book was probably her best one yet. I found myself mixing through emotions, I laughed, I cried and I loved. Highly recommended

I think I've read almost every Lucy Diamond novel and this one did not dissapoint. It was a little heavy at times (emotionally) and during the first 50 pages I thought I might not be able to carry the weight of it but that soon subsided once the scene was set. I feel like I've been on an emotional journey with every character in this story and that ending! Wow what a note to end on! The reason for my 4 stars instead of 5 is because it did sometimes feel a little slow but that feeling didn't last for long. I will defintely be recommending this book.

Loved this book and how I really felt for Dan and Zoe from different sides. I had a feeling that Patrick would have a secret. The characterisation was really good I cried a few times and also did a bit of laughing out loud, I really couldn't put this book down as each chapter I finished had me wanting to read the next. The kids own personalities I could see, I loved each one maybe Bea a little more. The grief I felt when reading this book was a shock for me as I imagined the feeling's I would have if it was my sister I lost. Such a believable plot.
I really do recommend this book.


Thank you for the opportunity to review this book Netgalley the publisher and the author

I have read a lot of Lucy Diamond's book and enjoy them enormously. This one was no exception although it is slightly different from her normal writing.
Patrick drowns in the river after a night out with his brother Dan. He leaves behind wife Zoe and three children.
Dan is on a sabbatical from his office job and decides to step into his brother's shoes and help out with their tenants problems and also with the kids.
Patrick's past rears it's head and the fallout from this has consequences.
I really felt sorry for Dan at times as he was really trying to to the right thing.
I thought the grief experienced by Zoe was all too real. Trying to hold it altogether with 3 kids as well.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan for the ARC