I loved how this story unfolded the secrets Patrick had kept were unfolding bit by bit. What a predicament Dan found himself in. To tell or not to tell about his brother and cause more heartache that was his dilemma. It was a compelling read to see how the different relationships turned out, Finding out the truth about Patrick's demise was heartbreaking. An excellent read.

Wow what a break read. This book will have you crying & smiling. It's a gorgeous story that takes place after the sudden death of Patrick. Diamond writes beautifully & this book is an absolute gem

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It flowed along really well and I quickly became involved in the storyline and characters. The story builds well and develops quickly and I became intrigued to find out more about Patrick's family and back story. It is a really well-told story.

Patrick dies suddenly leaving this wife, children and brother to cope with the aftermath. They all deal with it in different ways and as more about Patrick's life emerges they have to adjust their feelings about his loss. There is a wealth of really well-developed characters in this story who I really liked, they weave together very well, making it intriguing to get to know them all. I particularly liked Dan, Patrick's brother, I enjoyed seeing him grow throughout the book.

I found it hard to put this book down and would definitely recommend reading it. Another excellent story from Lucy Diamond.

This was a lovely heartwarming story about family which I thoroughly recommend you read. I truly loved it.

Dan’s brother Patrick has died suddenly leaving a heartbroken wife and three young children behind. Dan feels responsible for Patrick’s death and decides he will try to make amends by ‘stepping into his brother’s shoes’ addressing complaints from his tenants, sorting out his accounts and binding with his sister-in-law and children. However, whilst trying to do all of this Dan learns that maybe his brother wasn’t so perfect after all - we uncovers hidden secrets his brother was keeping he goes to lengths to ensure his sister-in-law remains in the dark, as he doesn’t want her heartache to be any worse than it already is.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I love Lucy Diamond's books and this is no exception. Patrick dies suddenly and leaves all of his family feeling guilty as they all had rows with him the day he died. His brother Dan feels guilty as he doesn't feel he was a good brother nor a good uncle and starts trying to change that..
Wish I could give more than 5 stars

I loved The Promise. Lucy Diamond is at her best dealing with secrets and dilemmas which leave you asking ‘what if that happened to me?’
Sprinkled with her lively trademark humour, Lucy writes about love, loss and acceptance from the heart.

Dan's brother has died and he taunted by the fact he could have prevented his death if only he had done something. His sister in law Zoe needed Dan's help but he deserted her when she needed him. Finally he offers help and she flips and walks out leaving Dan to cope with looking after her young kids.

I loved this book. Although it starts with a tragic event it does have some uplifting, feel good moments to balance things out. I loved the storyline and was drawn in by the characters. Perfect escape book.

I'm a big fan of Lucy Diamond so I was super excited to get the chance to read her newest book The Promise. It's a heartwarming story of how brother Dan Shepard tries to fill his recently deceased brother's shoes. Dan decides to help his brothers wife, Zoe and her children get through this trying time, he makes a promise to himself that he is going to spend more time with his nephews and niece by developing the 'Patrick Plan'. As Dan delves deeper into Patricks life he suddenly realises Patrick may not have been the man everyone knew and loved. He was a man keeping secrets.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it shows us how everyone deals with grief differently. Lucy Diamond knows how to tell a story with beautiful characters that you can't help but feel connected to. It's easy to read and you don't want to put it down! Just another great book by Lucy Diamond!

This is a lightweight family story about Patrick who has tragically died in an accident, and how his wife Zoe and brother Daniel cope with the loss. Then secrets about Patrick's life start to come out. The story is quite well-written but I did get fed up of pages of Daniel's introspective thought processes. The children are nicely depicted. Exactly how Patrick died is very slow to be revealed and there is an impossibly romantic ending. (This proof copy was spoiled by missing letters (fi and ff) which makes it diicult to read!)

When you pick up a Lucy Diamond book you know you are in for a good read. This is a story of how Patrick’s family deal with the grief of his sudden death.

He leaves behind a wife and three children who are not coping and a brother, Dan, who is on a roller coaster of emotions as his last night with Patrick ended badly. As Dan takes over his brothers business he finds that his brother had secrets that would affect the whole family.

This is a beautifully written book and fully deserved five stars

How well do you really know someone?
The Promise is a book about life after losing a loved one and the grieving process of a family in mourning.

The story begins with Dan. His brother Patrick has passed away suddenly leaving behind his wife and three children. On the evening of Patrick's tragic death, Dan was the last person to see him. His last words to his brother was within an argument and the guilt he feels eats him up inside. He vows to take care of his brothers family by stepping into his shoes and recording it on a spreadsheet named "The Patrick Plan". As Dan unravels the threads of Patricks life he finds that Patrick is not the person he thought he was.

This is the first book I've read by Lucy Diamond and her writing is majestic. She sets out scene for the reader and builds suspense with ease.
The story line for myself personally seemed a little anti-climax and I think this is due to the way the story is organised and can be long winded at times.
I found myself getting confused when the book would jump from character to character. The reader does not find out what happened to Patrick until the middle of the book. I found this quite frustrating as I would have preferred to know at the beginning and be in with Dan's secret from the start.
Nevertheless, although I thought the story was a little chaotic I did continue reading and the ending of the story was captivating. Lucy Diamond is a talented writer.

I think those who are on a journey of a change in their life, whether the death of a loved one or a separation, would enjoy this book as the characters are so relatable. I feel it reflects the motions in different contexts of what we may experience whilst mourning a loved one.

It's a great pick-me-up read for a gloomy day.

A heartfelt wonderful, emotional book by Lucy Diamond. Do we ever really know someone. Is someone ever all good or all bad. Patrick suddenly dies leaving behind a grieving wife, children , brother and family but when his brother is left to tie up his affairs he finds out his brother wasn't the hero he thought he was. Patrick led another life, with another woman and child and secrets that portrayed a man his family would not recognize. What should his brother Dan do. What will it mean for Patrick's widow and can they possibly grieve Patrick if they didn't really know him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, flaws and everything. Totally recommend

I have loved all of Lucy’s books and this one is no different! Another brilliant read, sad and heartfelt but also uplifting and funny! I would definitely recommend this!

With thanks to Netgalley & Pan Macmillan for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review

I love the authors Book and this book did not disappointment me, It made me sob but also made me howl with laughter .

This book tells the story of Patrick who suddenly and tragically dies , he leaves behind his wife zoe and 3 children Ethan, Gabe & Beatrice, this book tells the story of how the family is coping after Patrick death , secrets are discover that rock the family but there is also characters that you come to love as the story develops and I did not want this story to end.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars , if you are a fan of the author you going to love this story.

With thanks to Netgalley & Pan Macmillan for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review.

This is the story of the fallout following the sudden death of Patrick Sheppard. Patrick leaves behind his devastated wife, Zoe, their three children (Ethan, Gabe and Bea), his parents and his younger brother Dan.
Dan decides that he should step up and help his brothers family and provide as much help and support that he can, as well as caretaking his brothers business as a landlord until Zoe can pick up the reins. It is while he is doing this that he uncovers his brothers secrets which are set to explode, and cause pain for them all over again.
I really enjoyed reading this book - unusually most of the story is told from Dan’s point, of view which is refreshing. The book deals with difficult subjects and is, at times, heartbreaking to read. It deals with raw grief, secrets and guilt but despite this, it is also a story of hope, forgiveness and new beginnings.

You really can't go wrong with a Lucy Diamond book. I loved this story, it is about Patrick and his family, when Patrick dies he leaves behind his wife and his children. Zoe his wife doesn't know how to cope without him, his brother Dan tries to step in to help her out as he sees she is struggling but unearths something truly devastating, should he tell her? trying to do what is best for everyone involved he tries to help everyone out. I liked Dan, he always thinks about others first, he put his feelings on hold to help his family first. I really felt for Zoe and what she has been through and I can never imagine the pain she must of felt when Patrick died but also when she discovers the truth. You never really know what is going on behind closed doors. A truly heartbreaking ending made this book a wonderful yet emotional read.

Lucy Diamond is one of my go to authors when I want something contemporary, easy to read, with a good story, and characters you empathise with. Her books make the best holiday read, or just when you want something feel good to escape to. Dan has always played second fiddle to his brother, but when he dies he feels guilty it was his fault as they had argued before Patrick stormed off and was found days later having drowned. Patrick’s wife also blames Dan, but Dan just wants to help her and the kids and make things right, so he sets about “the Patrick plan” which involves a spreadsheet and doing things for people in the family and business the way Patrick would have. But while going through the accounts to help sort out his business and financial matters, he finds some payments that don’t make sense. The more he searches the more he discovers that perhaps Patrick isn’t the perfect man that everyone thought he was…