I am now officially addicted to anything this guy writes. Keith Stuart you did it again. If you are expecting your average WW2 book then you are going to be astonished. If you loved Time Travellers Wife, and have a penchant for WW2 novels set in England, this will blow your socks off. I have just finished it and feel a little wrung out, I feel I have a little book hangover and what is most disappointing is that I might have just read the best book of 2021 and its only my third book of the year (12 January 2021).

The setting is Bath in both 1942 and 2008, the descriptions of this city are wonderful, I loved that the author actually used street names and genuine places. It makes you want to revisit and do a tour of the city with fresh eyes. I had no idea this city was bombed. I defy you not to fall a teeny weeniest bit in love with Will and Elsa. Will is the out-of-depth engineer and Elsa, the Austrian flamboyant jewish lady who has already sacrificed so much before we even meet her. You will love her sassy vulnerability and his dithering self questioning. They were meant to be, like strawberries and cream, like fish and chips, like Romeo and Juliet. This is a love story that defies time and place; sometimes spooky, sometimes filled with angst, but always filled with love. A story to fall in love with.

I loved this story. Laura and Will are able to help each other in so many ways. Wills love for Elsa is sad in so many ways but beautiful too. She is the only person he has truly loved. The whole story is beautifully written and a really good page turner.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I seemed to have a love-hate relationship with this story. I loved it at first; the first pages really took me by surprise, then the pacing slowed down, and some weird things happened, and I fell out of love for a long time. And at about 70% of the story, I fell in love again; I even got goosebumps reading a story I sighed about earlier. End the ending? Well, I’m not sure if I love or hate it. It definitely left me baffled.



I choose this book because of the premise, a man who lost his Austrian wife in WWII and a woman in the present who is depressed and has anxiety attacks and becomes the old man’s caretaker. But this story is more. It’s about radios, memories, and imagination, always doubting what is real and not.



The writing style is active and captivating, a little too wordy for me at times (very descriptive). The premise and the elaboration are undoubtedly original. It has a couple of plot twists; I guessed one of those at about 15-20% of the story, and I was a little proud of that one 😂. I won’t say much about the content because I don’t want to spoil anything. If you like a story with dual timelines and read about an 87-yo and a 29-yo who bond in a special way with a couple of plot twists, this could be a nice read for you.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3746183311

My review will be published on March 7 2021

I loved the boy made of blocks and days of wonder so was excited to read The frequency of us and it was a really engaging enlightening read that I enjoyed although I found the ending rather strange like a sliding doors/ time travel type of conclusion.
The story of Elsa and Will, told in the past and present in the lovely city of Bath is a tale of young love during a time of turmoil and destruction, flashbacks,memories and post traumatic stress all feature and are cleverly interwoven in an intriguing compelling read.
Laura a young girl with her own issues befriends Will in a role of carer and takes on the challenge of researching his past and is strangely woven into the thread of their lives!
A very different read for me that took me out of my comfort zone.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

Throughout I adored the love story of Will and Elsa but I couldn’t make my mind up about Laura’s story. It feels too heavily implied and hinted at without enough substance for me to care. But the Laura in the here and now dealing with her anxiety was so real and the subject handled so delicately that it was beautiful to read.

Wow this book was absolutely amazing, I was enthralled from the beginning to the end. If you think it's going to be a typical WW2 cosy read, you would be totally wrong. The book is set in two different time periods, or is it?!!!, no spoilers here. It tells two different stories which become intermingled, virtually every chapter leaves you on a cliff edge, almost wanting to skip a chapter to find out what happens in the other time period but you can't, you have to read on. I read A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart and in my opinion this book is certainly as good if not better.

Wow. I did not expect this. This is a beautiful story, split over two main time periods - one of which is during the Second World War. The story is extremely cleverly written and had me guessing the whole way through. The way in which the mysteries are resolved in the end definitely took me by surprise but I genuinely did enjoy this and would recommend it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'The Frequency of Us' which I enjoyed very much.

The characters were described in detail and I felt that I could at least picture them, if not know them. The 'time-shift' element of the book was slowly revealed and done well, while the WWII descriptions were convincing too. It is a very poignant story and has the reader wanting the very best for all three of the main characters.

Laura visits Will to assess his ability to live on his own in a dilapidated old house. She learns of his love for Elsa in WW2, an Austrian refugee. Laura has mental health issues of her own ,and as the love story of Will and Elsa gradually unfolds, she becomes embroiled in their story. Does Will have dementia, or did something happen all those years ago ? An enthralling yet disturbing story of love in a parallel universe.

Author Keith Stuart is back with another outstanding novel after the success of ‘A Boy Made of Bricks‘ and ‘Days of Wonder‘, which were also five star reads for me.

In the Frequency of Us, we meet elderly Will Emerson and young carer Laura who has been given the job of assessing Will, who lives alone, to see whether he has dementia and if he needs to go into a care home.

The book opens in 1942 with the road that Will and his wife Elsa live on being bombed and Will being injured. When he wakes there is no sign of Elsa or that she ever existed. Will is certain that he hadn’t made her up but as the years go by he can find no proof that she really did exist, though at times he slips back into the past and goes in search or cries out for her.

Laura has some mental health issues brought on by issues with her father when she was a child. She suffers from depression and anxiety and is grateful to be given the job to assess Will, though she finds him a little scary and hard work at first.

As Laura listens to Will’s stories about Elsa she is convinced that he couldn’t be making her up and goes in search of the truth, but sometimes the truth is not what you expect it to be.

This was a book that I didn’t want to put down. The story is told in the present and the past, between 1938 and 1942, leading up to the bombing of Bath, where Will lives. The plot has you second-guessing everything you think you know. One minute you are convinced Elsa was real, the next you are not so sure, could this be all in Will’s head who suffered a breakdown and PTSD after the bombing.

The characters are realistic, flawed humans that are juggling and plodding on through life. Neither has had it easy. With Will sometimes living in the past and Laura still dealing with her past which is having a negative impact on her present.

Author Keith Stuart writes mental health issues as harsh and debilitating as they often truly are. He shows the true nature of what someone with them goes through, sometimes it isn’t an easy read, but it is essential to the story.

I can’t say much more without giving away some of the plot, but be prepared to be open about the world and try to make out what the title may mean.

A fabulous book and I can’t wait to read Keith Stuart’s future novels.

Cleverly crafted storytelling with a magical edge. Centered around a mystery, Frequency is a beautiful love story that is simply spellbinding.

I loved discovering the secrets of the tale and adored the characters.

The writing is accomplished and the whole premise is delicious.

What a beautiful story.

Highly Recommended.

Oh my this book. My first read of 2021 and I gave it 4.5 stars on my spreadsheet.

It was a little slow to start with and at about the half way mark I was a little unsure where it was really headed. Resolving where we had got to seemed almost impossible but turns out I was wrong and the author managed it with skill and beauty. Rarely does a book make me cry but this one had me absolute bits. My heart ached for Will and Elsa and Laura. In the end the power of love is the message here but it is woven into a story that deals with grief and mental health and aging and loneliness in such a powerful way. The tackling of the mental health part of it was really well done. Rarely have I know it to be written in fiction in such a honest way. I don't know what the authors experience of mental health issues are but he captured the subject and experiences around it so well.

Also I was dubious about the multidimensional aspect of the story. Not usually a thing I would buy into but this, this was done beautifully. "If you listen really closely you can hear their ghosts amid the static" Bloody beautiful writing!

Last year I read the first book I read in 2020 turned out to be my book of the year. I am wondering if The Frequency of Us will turn out to be the same in 2021. It is certainly going to be one I recommend to others.

Stuart's novel deals with themes such as friendship, mental health and love in an absolutely delicate manner; the characters are relatable and easy to sympathize with, whilst the plot flows well and is engaging and heart-warming.

The best book I read in 2020, by far!

5-big-fat-stars. The Frequency of Us is BRILLIANT. It only took me 2 days to finish (that's good for me!) and I felt every word in my bones 😍

The main characters, Laura and Will, have an unusual relationship but it's believable and honest. They bounce off each other and hold a connection like no other. I liked the involvement of the world wars and old school radios which meant I learnt something new from this time era.

I know it's clichéd but the story, the ending and the characters are not like you've read before. It was a new story in a saturated world of ideas.

This was a very readable and engaging story. I was worried, as I read, that all the multiple threads wouldn't come together, but they do! I wasn't always sure about Laura, and her mum was a bit bland for my liking, but all the historical parts were brilliant, and the opening scene was a perfect hook into the story.

I did have some small quibbles over the resolution - which I don't want to note here as I'd have to talk about too many spoilers. I think it's enough to say that any story that has anything even vaguely hinting at time travel, or dimensions, or parallel universes, always leaves me overthinking things *too much* and never fully resolves for me! I had also thought that the radios and transmitters would be put to more use than they were - probably more me overthinking the sci-fi aspects.

But really, it was Elsa and Will's story that I loved, and wanted to read more of.

First novel I have read by this author and it was good. The story is different but something brings it all together. Look forward to the next story

Exactly what is needed during a long, drawn out global pandemic. This wonderfully written novel was the perfect tonic and conjured up both smiles and tears in abundance. A very special storyline with a cast of glowing, memorable characters. Exquisite.

The best Keith Stuart book I have read. A lovely Heartwarming story to enjoy in these troubled times.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

A novel about love, friendship, mental health issues and so much more!

This novel centers around Laura, a young lady with anxiety problems, and Will, an octogenarian, living alone in a derelict house. They are brought together and a relationship grows. Without giving too much away, the book deals with Bath during the Second World War and in 2008. It’s very much character—driven but also has a detective and magic realism side to it. It’s an interesting concept and quite original and the end result is a satisfying read. Generally I enjoyed the experience with only some slight hesitation about one of the plot twists. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read and enjoyed all of Keith Stuart's books and this is no exception.
This novel has an interesting and unusual plot but what really makes this book special are the characters: they are undeniably endearing but also just flawed enough to be identifiable. The relationship that forms between Laura and the intriguing Mr Emerson is just delightful and makes them both raise their heads above the parapet. The dual timeline worked well and did not detract in any way from the flow of the story. I was hooked very quickly and whilst at times, I wondered quite where the book was going to go, it never lost my interest from the first to the last line.
Another great read.