A complete breath of fresh air...

Iris and Adam are balancing parent life and full time jobs but when Iris finds out Adam has been cheating her whole world falls apart.

It’s just one thing after another for Iris in this book but so realistic I can imagine it’s relatable for a lot of people. As lovely as it is to get lost in a romance, it’s also nice to read about the struggles of life sometimes too.

She ends up giving Adam an ultimatum, they have a year to see if they can fix their relationship including couples therapy.

A complex story with a lot going on and so worth a read.

A timely novel; a lot of relationships face difficulties at this time of year so it's very easy to empathise.

Iris and Adam work as a team at parenting; with both holding down full time jobs it takes two to organise the kids and their activities but when Iris discovers Adam has been cheating on her she immediately kicks him out. With no way of covering the kids on her own, she asks her Dad to help out. He does the best he can but when he shows signs of Alzheimer's, Iris is aware that she's going to have to care for him too. When she begins to understand that perhaps Adam wasn't the only one who taking things for granted, she wonders if they can make amends?

So far this year I've read mostly thrillers so this was like a breath of fresh air. Not only a good story - but a very realistic one too. Most of us are so busy taking care of everything we need to keep the ball rolling that it's not a case of forgetting to put the effort into our relationship but more a matter of being too shattered at the end of the day. This is a very touching tale, and one which will resonate with a lot of readers. As someone who has been a single parent, I really identified with Iris and all she had to deal with on a daily basis. Helen Whitaker has her finger on the pulse and I think this will be a popular novel as it is one full of honest, unpredictable scenarios all of which are dealt with in a sensible and straightforward way. Well written and skilfully crafted, this has made me aware of the author's work and I shall be keeping an eye out for future novels. Recommended to those who appreciate honest, original writing and one I'm very happy to give four stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
I won't write what this book is about, you can just read it in synopsis.
Yes, I enjoyed this read. I love Iris, and my heart goes to her. I just wanted her to have a happy ending.
At first I just didn't like Adam. I was in the that mood, good riddance you chester. But I don't know why or how I was rooting ror him...
This is a well written book, for me 4 stars.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to follow and I devoured it in less than a day. It was well-paced, with likeable characters.

I raced through this realistic book, the story of a marriage stumbling at ten years, and suffering the pain of an affair. Stressful jobs, parenting two children, marital estrangement from each other, loss of a parent and a wayward adult brother all conspire to make this a compelling read. There’s lots to unpack, lots of buried anger and resentment, stress, worry and trying to ‘trudge on through life’ that makes this a realistic situation for the two main characters.
Trying to decide whether it is worth saving, Adam and Iris give it a year to see what lies ahead, and how they will emerge from Adam’s affair. This is the year we read about in the book. It is packed with events, twists, turns and emotions.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

On New Year’s Eve, when Iris thinks her husband Adam is dealing with some family issues, she discovers that he has been having an affair.
Rightly enraged, she wants Adam to leave and she seeks support from her recently widowed father to help with the children.
Whilst trying to deal with the fallout from Adam’s affair, her father starts to display some worrying symptoms that his health is deteriorating, and she decides to “give it a year” to see if there is anything worth saving about her marriage.
I loved that this story was not clear cut, Iris did not understand how she felt a lot of the time and it was the tiny parts of her marriage that she desperately missed that are invisible to other people. This story was so moving and highly emotional-definitely a rollercoaster, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fabulous author.

A simply wonderful book that will get you thinking...Iris's world comes crashing down on New eve when she discovers her husband Adam is having an affair with an old flame. In a fit of rage she throws him out an enlists the help of her elderly dad to help with her young children while she works at a national trust charity. A fly in the ointment soon emerges when she realises he poor old dad is having memory trouble, and may well be displaying signs if Alzheimers. Iris decides to give her marriage a year to make or break.. is it easier to walk walk away or to persevere. A book full of humour and tears as her and Adam deal with the kids, threats of redundancy, her dads illness, his quirky family and marriage guidance. It will make you laugh, make you cry and feel every emotion in between. One to read for sure

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

I Give It a Year by Helen Whitaker

🌼🌼🌼/5

TW// infidelity, memory loss

On New Years Eve, Iris discovers that her husband, Adam, has been having an affair. In the moment of rage she makes him move out of the house and with the help of her Dad she manages to continue with her responsibilities.

Soon she decides that her and Adam will “give it a year” to fix their marriage and if my the following NYE it is still not working then Iris will walk away for good. Along with recently commencing marriage therapy, Iris’ dad starts to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease and Iris is under intense pressure at her work.

I constantly moved back and forth on my feelings about this book. I think it showed friendship in a really great light and how supportive your friends need to be when you are struggling. It also covered the really difficult topic of memory loss and Alzheimer’s Disease in a touching way and the impact this has on the individual themselves but also their surrounding family. Iris is having to juggle a lot (work, her marriage, her family) and I think it highlighted how much pressure working mothers are under, even in 2020, as a lot of the “housekeeping” and childcare often comes down to the mother. She is determined to not let her troubles impact on her work but it shows how important it is to be honest with how you are feeling mentally and appreciating when to take a break.

For me the only thing that was lacking was some set love on Iris’ part!! Often, everything she was doing was for the best of other people rather than focusing on herself. I think it would have been a good lesson for readers to see Iris focusing on self care.

Overall, a great book!!

Thank you to Trapeze publishing for the eARC on NetGalley!

That age-old question, should I stay or go? Tackled with grace and wit in this lovely book.

I Give It A Year follows Iris as she and her husband Adam decide, over the course of a year, whether their marriage can survive his infidelity.

On top of this Iris' dad is getting older and more forgetful, and her job is piling on the pressure.

I Give It A Year was well written, insightful, and heartwarming. I found myself rooting for Iris, but also, unusually for me, Adam too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is funny, honest, relatable and simply brilliant. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
After Iris discovers her husband Adam is cheating on her, she moved her father in to help her - he soon starts displaying symptoms of Alzheimer’s. She decides to give her marriage another chance and what ensues is the most wonderful novel that will make you laugh and sob.

This story is so much more than a romance – it’s an honest, open, often humorous but always emotional account of the dangers of betrayal, the importance of honesty and the grace of forgiveness and second chances.
When Iris discovers her husband of 15 years has been having an affair, she throws him out, but his pleas for forgiveness make her reconsider – apart from anything else, does she really want to be a single mother of two small children, struggling to hold down a high-powered job. Besides, she still loves Adam – the question is, can she forgive him?
Adam returns home and the pair embark on marriage counselling, but other stresses come into play. Iris’s widowed father Terry is showing signs of dementia, the kids are playing up and her boss keeps upping her targets, piling on the pressure at work at a time when Iris needs to concentrate on her home and family.
With searing honesty, she’s forced to question whether her commitment to her career, her grief at her mother’s death and the demands of her children, Jack and Savannah, have been part of her marriage problems.
And then suddenly Iris is faced with the same temptations as Adam, in the shape of charming businessman Lucas. Will she indulge in a bit of tit-for-tat or continue to strive in her commitment to giving her marriage another chance.
It’s all very suspenseful stuff, and wonderfully gripping, too. The author is adept at describing the minutiae of family life in funny and emotional ways. She doesn’t shirk from describing Iris’s real heartbreak but she balances it well with humour and wit as we follow Iris through her interactions with friends, family, colleagues and her marriage counsellor.

I loved this book ! I give it a year follows a couple having trouble in their marriage and the ups and downs they encounter .highly recommend .

Thanks to Orion and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Our main character Iris has just found out her husband Adam has been cheating on her.

In the past year she has also lost her beloved Mum, and now her Dad is showing signs of Alzheimer's.

The story is an explanation of how she battles through these issues as well as dealing with work problems, not to mention carrying on with every day life.

I enjoyed this book. It is humourous as well as facing difficult issues. You definitely gain a lot of sympathy for Iris, who lives life in the fast lane. I enjoyed the relationship between Iris and her Dad, as much as he is ill the relationship is so well described, it brought a tear to my eye.

A definite recommendation from me when it is released.

Personally this book wasn't for me, it started off well then I lost interest in the story line and I couldn't get on with the characters and was completely bored.

Based on my thoughts I wouldn't recommend this book.

I ADORED this book- the best I’ve read this year. Beautiful, heartbreaking, realistic and a fantastic cast of characters. I want to read it all over again and I have literally just put it down. Fantastic.

I received an advance copy of, I Give It A Year, by Helen Whitaker. I did not like this book, the plot, the characters, the language, it was not for me.

With such clarity of observation, wit and intelligence,  I Give It  A Year will resonate with most of us that are trying to live a normal life.

After ten years of marriage, Iris has just found out that her husband, Adam, is cheating on her. Furious, she kicks him out, and enlists her Dad to move in and help with the children but her Dad soon starts to display signs of Alzheimer’s, and Iris heartbroken, in more ways than one,  decides for the sake of her children  to give her marriage just one more year.

But is it braver to stay than to run? 

I kept wondering this throughout the book and just couldn't decide what I'd do in her position. It takes strength to leave but equally it takes strength to stay and I was never quite sure what Iris's final decision would be.

Full of frank insights and raw hunour, Helen examines how fragile our lives can be and how one woman deals with the trials of everday tasks whillst in the midst of emotional turmoil.

A fast paced read that highlights the pressures of modern living and the expectations not only of others but of ourselves, I Give It A Year asks what would you do?

Highly Recommended