This book deals with a few issues in it which were interesting.

Noah was married to Kate and they have two boys and they share their time between their parents. Noah has issues which might have helped him if he had someone to talk to. Noah still loves Kate but she has moved on. Noah has a lot of one night stands and is drunk a lot. At which point we meet Mimi who decides to help Noah win Kate back but is it too late.

The book has its ups and downs will it have a happy ending.

I really enjoyed this book.

Absolutely adored this story - beautiful characters, loved the relationship that built, loved the plot. The only thing I wasn't so sure on was a few of the Safeguarding concerns that came up with him being a teacher - he definitely wouldn't have been so quick to visit a student's family home in real life!

Until Next Weekend is a lovely, funny, moving family drama that I didn't want to end. Rachel Marks has a way of writing characters that I fall in love with and care about and I can't put my book down until I know how their stories end. This is such a feel good story, the ending put me in such a good mood. More please, Rachel :)

Until Next Weekend is narrated by Noah Carlton, weekend dad to eight-year-old Gabe and four-year-old Finn and primary school teacher by day. After marrying ex-wife, Kate, at the age of twenty and eleven years as a couple, Noah’s drinking, habit of running away whenever things got tough and tendency to let her and the boys down eventually caused their split. Having been apart for two years and with Kate now having lived with reliable Jerry for over a year, Noah is well and truly fed up and missing his sons yet still failing to turn up for his arranged weekends with them and sniping at anyone who tries to help him. The news that Kate is getting married again in six weeks leaves him in a bad place and when barmaid, Mimi, suggests that he still has time to show his ex-wife that he has changed his ways and stop the impending nuptials she offers her assistance.

Initially I found the book hard going not due to the fact that I disliked Noah but because I found the early stages repetitive and frankly quite boring. I am fine with unlikeable characters but there is never any excuse for dull characters and I had limited patience with Noah’s self-pity, unbelievably sympathetic Kate and what felt like an uninspiring plot. Whilst I don’t expect everything in the genre of escapist fiction to be completely credible I do find it helps if it is reasonably believable and there were several occasions when that wasn’t the case, including when Noah’s sons come to stay and he even asks his married family man brother to babysit so he can go out, get drunk and bring a woman back. Things livened up and improved hugely when snarky barmaid Mimi began to feature significantly at about twenty percent of the way through the book. Derailing Kate’s marriage to Jerry is just one part of the plot that also includes boisterous four-year-old Harley joining Noah’s class, complete with his own chaotic home life.

Gradually the story of Noah’s past unfolds and with it his own troubled childhood, explaining to a degree his inability to handle difficult emotions and whilst he still occasionally behaved like a child at the end of the book he was generally much less of a twat. I would have been slightly more convinced by his characterisation however if he hadn’t altered his affections so easily over the four months timeline! I was disappointed that the writing didn’t feel a little fresher and slightly more original, with barely a few pages passing between Noah making another joke about how much sex he is getting and reeling out the cringeworthy “little man” and “buddy” whenever a child was within sight. At 400 pages the book definitely felt overlong, especially given it is essentially a fairly formulaic heart-warming read.

The main thing I was able to take from this book was how realistic it is. The characters are all flawed, which is something I love and desire when reading any book, and it was nice to actually read from the dad's point of view, too. It isn't often stories like this are told from the father's perspective; it was refreshing. It was a lovely read and something I will definitely recommend.

An enjoyable, funny, tender book about relationships and love. Parts of it I felt I had read before, but I still found myself being swept up in it.

I struggled with this one. Something didn’t quite click and I found myself fairly uninterested so never actually finished it unfortunately

This book was just beautifully written. I adored every single page. I knew how the book was going to end the minute I was introduced to Mimi - but I loved Nick and Mimi’s journey. When I first started reading this book, I hated Kate, but I warmed to her throughout the book and realised that she had just put up with a lot! Finn and Gabe were adorable. This is Rachel Mark’s second book and I love how she makes the reader fall in love with her characters and how she makes us see the book from a child’s point of view, without us actually realising. From the synopsis, a reader may think that this a chic-lit, but it is a lot more than that. Difficult subjects are addressed, including suicide, alcoholism, depression, neglect and family estrangement.

Until Next Weekend tells the story of Noah. Previously married to Kate, the love of his life, he is now stuck in a rut as Kate has moved on and is about to marry Jerry.
Drowning his sorrows in the pub, Noah meets Mimi and begins to see things differently. The story is written from Noah's perspective and looks at the issues he faces when his children are moving on with their Mum and her soon to be husband.

Another great story by Rachel Marks.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

*TW Suicide, abuse, alcohol abuse*

It took me a little bit to get into this book as, during the first few chapters, I wasn't sure where the story was going to go, however I am so glad that I kept going as this book is beautiful!

Noah, our protagonist, is a primary teacher who is struggling to adapt to life only seeing his own children every second weekend. Due to collapse of his relationship and missing his boys Noah is on a downward spiral and as a coping mechanism is pushing away those who are important to him. As a regular visitor to his local bar Noah finds himself chatting to and becoming friends with the bar maid, Mimi, and together they concoct a plan to win back Noahs ex wife!

As you read more of the book you realise that there is more to Noah than he lets the world see and the reasons for his actions become more clear (although I still found myself getting SO frustrated with him!) It is very rare (for me) to read a book like this from a males point of view and I felt it was very well done with the situations and emotions being explored being very realistic.

I also really appreciated that there was much more to the story than trying to win his ex wife back with twists throughout that make it a much more meaningful read that it seems at first.

There are plenty of hilarious moments in this book, as well as times that bring tears to your eyes but I definitely recommend this book and if, like me, you start and are unsure, stick with it, I promise it's worth it!

Beautiful and emotional with such authentic characters.
Until Next Weekend was a wonderful story that grabbed me from the start. Noah was gorgeous, and so well written. I was rooting for him from the get go. Written with a light touch and so easy to read, this was a book of hope.
Thanks to Netgalley and to Penguin for the chance to read and review.

Written from Noah’s perspective on life this is a funny read about family, marriage, love and children. Although flawed, Noah comes across as a decent character trying to do the best for his family. I really enjoyed his relationship building with Mimi. This story has lots of lighthearted moments which are mixed with emotional topics written sensitively and with feeling. A really enjoyable read.

Kate and Noah were happily married, childhood sweethearts, but not even the common bond of having two sons could fix the issues in their marriage. Since the separation, Noah is a primary school teacher and weekend dad and misses the interaction with his children on the day-to-day. However, there's a tiny snag - Kate is re-marrying in 6 weeks time, and Noah wants to win her back, and resume the family life he was used to. He has his flaws though, and often cancels plans, disappoints his children and often drinks himself into a stupor, so to win Kate back he has to tackle these demons and also the difficult behaviour of children in his class.

This is an incredibly perceptive, heartwarming and at times emotionally charged story. Noah's attempt at tackling his issues alongside new friend Mimi, whilst isn't the smoothest, does feel realistic. At times the story is hopeful, at others humorous or emotional. It's a blend of light-hearted and sombre moments, with a flawed yet likeable protagonist, and a sprinkle of delight in the form of Noah and Kate's children. It's like delving into an ice cream sundae where you uncover more and more with each morsel of this eclectic but charming narrative. The cover of the book may lead you to think it's a warm summer chick-lit, but really it's like a knickerbocker glory of layers and elements that form something deeper and more meaningful.

I've not read many stories from the male perspective of a divorced couple, so it was both insightful and emotional to see Noah attempt to tackle his demons, but also to see the adjustment of a family to a new normal. Also, there's no more fitting time than Mental Health Awareness Week to mention the more difficult and challenging themes the story looks at including alcoholism, childhood trauma, neglect, bereavement and depression. It cleverly looks at the way ill-treatment in Noah's childhood and the way this affects his own parenting style. We are shown his approach in tackling this issue and aiming to better himself and the way he brings up his children. It's accessible, sensitive and beautifully unexpected.

*Huge thanks to Michael Joseph for my review copy and for letting me be part of the blog tour!

Divorced father of two boys is focused on winning back his ex-wife so much that he misses opportunities in front of him. The story deals with loss of a parent, alcoholism, and other topics that may cause triggers for some readers. The story is told in a way that parts of it are very witty. It’s about loss and coping and a romance and relationships about acceptance.

This book follows the story of Noah, a divorced Dad of 2 who is struggling to get over his ex and wants to be more than.a weelemd Dad to his 2 sons. I always enjoy a good romance book and this didn't disappoint, with s few heavier storylines included to .make it a bit different. The issues of mental health and suicide are covered in way to make you understand how Noah behaves the way he does at times.
Thanks you to netgally for the ARC. I definitely recommend this book.

I have to be honest and say I couldn’t get into this book at the beginning. I wasn’t sure about Noah - I didn’t seem to take to him. However, as the book went on, I thought the plot developed well and I certainly got more invested in the story. I wanted to know what happened to him and his lovely family. And did he sort out the issues plaguing him in his life and find some happiness? You will need to find out for yourself by reading the book - I think you will enjoy it.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review, which is what I have given.

In Until Next Weekend by Rachel Marks I think I was expecting a warm, uplifting romcom. And yes, i was partially right. But there were also many elements of more thought-provoking and emotional read, tackling some hard-hitting issues. I was kind of surprised at how many parts of the plot made me feel super sad!

The narrative is written from Noah’s perspective and I couldn’t help but like him, even though his judgement is often WAY off. As a primary school teacher he proves himself to be a wonderfully caring person, though this does not always translate all that well to his personal life. As we read on, we realise that he’s battling some deep-rooted demons, which he’s clearly going to need to address before he’ll be able to find real happiness.

There are some funny moments as well as some parts that felt satisfyingly happy. But this author does not shy away from addressing life’s hardships, and there are a few trigger warnings to be aware of (let me know if you’d like to know what they are).

Overall an enjoyable, well-written book, albeit not quite what I was expecting!

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for gifting me a digital review copy.

This is a perfect heartwarming read which has provided a great escape. I love how this has been written and cannot wait to read more by this author.

A really compelling and engaging story about a divorced primary school teacher, Noah, who is currently trying to get his life back on track after the love of his life leaves him.

This novel was written from a male perspective, which was definitely interesting but just not my personal preference for fiction. I would read more from Rachel Marks though!

I read this book in 24 hours.
I really lived all the characters, the story flowed really well. The little boys gabe and finn are just adorable and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. A lovely lighthearted read.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the privilege of reading this book for my honest opinion