When I saw the Rachel Marks had written another book I was keen to read it after enjoying her debut ‘Saturdays at Noon’ - I was not disappointed!

Noah is a primary school teacher who sees his sons every other weekend following the breakdown of his marriage to Kate who is now in a relationship and living with someone else.

Noah is still in love with his ex wife and struggles to see her move on, he is on a path of self destruction.. lots of alcohol and picking up random women in bars! He meets Mimi the local barmaid and she supports him as much as she can, I really enjoyed the relationship between them and their banter made me laugh.

There are many serious subjects explored in this book & lots of characters who each add something different, I would highly recommend this book!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced proof copy prior to release in April 2021

This was a very sweet story from the viewpoint of a weekend dad who was in such despair at how everything turned out for him. He then throughout the story starts to make small changes along the way.

Initially I wasn't sure as he was a big drinker and that is uncomfortable to read especially on the weekends when he had his kids, however the characters he meets along the way including his ex wife are all likeable people. It was a very realistic portrayal of everyday people and their struggles.

Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for a honest review.

Meet Noah - dad of two, teacher by trade and still in love with his ex wife Kate. His ex wife who is now living with the man she is due to marry.
Noah is having a tricky time with too much drinking and socialising as a singleton, when he should be looking after his kids or sorting out his flat or getting over his ex. Things get worse for him when he realised that he doesn’t have long left to prove to Kate that he is still the man for her.....
An enjoyable read with some interesting sub plots to add to the story.

Dysfunctional divorcee and dad of two Noah is really struggling with only seeing his sons every other weekend and with his ex wife whom he still loves moving on with a new partner. He knows his private life is a mess and he hates the person he is and desperately wants to win his ex wife back and be a full time dad again. Balancing this out we see how much he cares about his job as a primary school teacher and for his young pupils despite the humorous but exacerbating ways of four year olds. This is a very thoughtful read and despite Noah seeming like a bit of a car crash you can actually understand why more as the story progresses and also see how he would hate to see others have experiences similar to his own. Noah is a fantastically complex and challenging character yet you can’t help but root for him and his journey in this makes for a very strong story.

The lead character, Noah, is an alcoholic, a school teacher, divorced and a loving but unreliable dad to his two boys whom he sees every weekend thus the title of the book. The story is about his attempt to straighten himself out, suffering the remarriage of the wife he still loves and being reconciled with his estranged father. He is a mess. That is hardly an original or absorbing theme. The book gives detailed descriptions of the activities and issues of the children in his entry level class and extended descriptions of his time with his sons. The book is just a story about a dysfunctional thirty year old. There is no suspense, no climax, no gripping theme. I would not recommend it.

Until Next Weekend manages to be both an enjoyable, relatable novel and a revealing depiction of mental health and life post-divorce from the male perspective. It is written from the perspective of Primary school teacher Noah, who is struggling to move on after his first love and mother of his children divorces him. He is struggling to stay afloat, and makes a friend who helps him to get back on track - although that track looks set towards reconciliation with his ex wife... A recommendable read.

I fell in love this story, I could not put it down. Noah is married to Kate and they have two sons, Noah thinks everything is fine until one day Kate ups and leaves with their boys, she has decided enough is enough and splits up with him. Life for Noah is not great, he works as a school teacher and hearing about his pupils did make me chuckle, he is not making the right life choices and Kate is pushing him away further which is not what he wants. Then Kate meets someone new and Noah decides he has to put on his big boy brave pants and win her back, but can he? and does she really want him back? It is a love story with a twist, it's relatable to many people out there not just us women. I feel like I want to re-read it many times over. It is a feel good story.

Loved this exploration of blended families and the problems of jealousy. It really highlighted the issues for all those concerned, usually the focus is on the children.
Really beautiful prose and well drawn characters brought the story alive. And I really enjoyed the main character being Noah. Again its not often we see the story unfold from the weekend Dads point of view, especially when they are deeply flawed.
A real emotive story

I was asked by the publisher if I would like to read this book. I am not entirely sure it would have been a book I chose to read myself but I am so happy I got to immerse myself in “Until Next Weekend” as I was hooked from the beginning.
It is worth noting that there are a few trigger warnings in this book as it covers depression, suicide, divorce and death of a parent - Having said that the author handles all of those topics perfectly.
Noah is a reception teacher and divorced. He is the father of two boys whom he sees every other weekend - if he remembers!
Noah is a boarder line alcoholic, has no real friends, has frequent one. Isn’t stands and is still in love with his ex wife who is due to marry someone else.
The story is written from Noah’s point of view - I had to check a couple of times that the author was female as I think she absolutely nails writing the story from a male perspective.
Despite the serious topics covered in the book I found the story really uplifting and emotional.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for and honest review

I really enjoyed this book about Noah & the challenges he faces. A well written story & highly recommended by me.

Loved this! A lovely heart warming novel about love and relationships. I absolutely loved the characters and the storyline
Definitely recommend that you read this

I enjoyed this book as it was from the perspective of the the male. It’s not your ordinary romantic story too. Loved the fact that Noah is a dad of two wanting to get his wife and old like back and all the news and old challenges that come along with it.

This was such a different book to what I was expecting and I enjoyed it so much!!
Single Dad Noah is a recently divorced and ids trying to juggle through life, battling feelings for his ex wife and coming to terms with her new life.
It was refreshing to read this from the dads point of view and as he comes to terms with the new family life. I found it uplifting but also tackled some heavier themes which were developed well.
I cant wait to read more from Rachel and would really recommend this book to everyone when it is released!

Loved this book!
Noah is a weekend dad. His life is a mess. One night stands and self pity.
However he loves his 2 boys and desperately want to get Kate, his ex wife back before she marries again.
Mimi, his barmaid friend tries to sort out his life in a bid to win Kate back.
A really lovely story about a male primary school teacher and some of the challenges that life brings as well as the story of new starts.
I highly recommend this book

This story tells of what its like being a weekend, single Dad to two adorable boys Gabe and Finn. Noah s life is difficult as he juggles his career as a reception class primary school teacher while desperately trying to win back his Ex-wife Kate. He succumbs to drinking too much and casual meaningless sex which always leaves him regretting the next day.
I enjoyed this story told through Noah and fully engaged with the characters. Sensitive subjects are dealt with compassion and honesty.
My thanks to Net Galley and publishers Penguin Michael Joseph for the ARC. This review is my own opinions of Until Next Weekend.

This story is told from the perspective of a recently divorced dad of two young boys as he tries to cope with life as a weekend dad who still has feelings for his ex-wife and struggling with her engagement and approaching marriage to her new man.

Noah basically seems like a decent chap, but he doesn't always make the best choices, taking solace from one night stands and drowning his sorrows in alcohol, often meaning he is too under the influence to pick up the boys for pre-arranged times which makes him unreliable.

Oddly, I would previously have seen this sort of story from the ex-wife's point of view and would have felt cross and irritated by this behaviour, but interestingly, I now have sympathy for weekend dads and the struggles they face, seeing their beloved children only occasionally, seeing another man taking 'their' place' and winning the affections of their children.

Noah starts chatting to the barmaid in his local pub, in between bouts of binge drinking and she offers great support and help to him as he comes to term with the loss of the life he once had and strength to begin the next chapter.

A great read.

I loved Saturdays At Noon by Rachel Marks so I was really excited to get an advanced copy of her upcoming book Until Next Weekend through Netgalley! Thank you @michaeljoseph

I loved it! It's a brilliant book with a flawed but likeable main character, Noah and a whole host of other interesting and realistic characters, including a troubled little boy Noah teaches in his class, Harley.

I found it really interesting to read a book about a divorced couple, from the dad's point of view as he comes to terms with being a weekend dad. This is something that is quite close to my heart and I loved reading about it and how realistic it felt.

Noah has his demons and whilst trying to love on in the present day he needs to look back to his past to come to terms with some things that happened. He makes friends with a barmaid, Mimi, and together they try and sort his life out and take him off his path of self destruction with the hope of winning back his ex-wife.

Whilst being a light-hearted, uplifting read it does also deal with some dark topics and I think it was the perfect mix of heavy and lightheartedness. One minute I would be laughing and the next crying. It's a beautiful book to read and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy at the end.

After enjoying both her books, Rachel Marks is a total autobuy author for me now and I'm so looking forward to her next one!

More than your usual romance.
Noah is a primary school teacher and a weekend dad to his two boys after his divorce to Kate after his heavy drinking and staying out lots.
When Kate tells him she is getting married again and Noah still in love with her he turns to drink again, where he meets Mimi the local barmaid, they develop a friendship and helps Noel to try and get Kate back.
But things don`t go as they planned, a very moving romantic book which takes you in lots of directions, including Noels work as a teacher, a very convincing part and brings tears to your eyes, well worth a read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Until Next Weekend was an interesting read. It covered mental health issues pretty convincingly. There was a little about abuse of children which is always difficult to read, but it was also funny and romantic. It was well written and definitely worth a read.

I was pleased to be granted an early copy of this title, as I really enjoyed Rachel Marks’ previous book ‘ Saturdays at Noon’. This book did not disappoint. Noah, the central character, is a primary school teacher going through a tough time in his life, having been divorced by his ex-wife Kate and struggling to accept it. The reasons for this are only gradually teased out as the book progresses. Noah is hating only being able to be a weekend Dad to his two lovely sons Gabe and Finn, whilst Kate’s new partner Jerry takes on the role of full-time step-Dad.
Noah’s home and personal lifestyle are chaotic, and he is not a likeable character when first we encounter him. Gradually, the skill of the author peels off fine layers like onion skins, till we begin to see the real Noah, hidden beneath the brash and shallow exterior that he usually presents to the world. Mimi, the barmaid who works in the bar that Noah props up most nights, has the ability to see through Noah’s act.
The story is a skilful warts-and-all, exploration of Noah’s life. The characterisation is superb, as we gradually learn more of Noah’s tragic background. It goes a long way to explain his complex and troubled relationships with Kate, his brother Ben, his dead mother, and his absent father.
It also explains Noah’s interactions with the very troublesome child in his class, Harley, and his mum Emma, sister of Mimi. Noah can’t help but identify with Harley and his chaotic upbringing, and can’t stand idly by whilst Harley’s young life is ruined like his was.
Fundamentally, Noah is a decent man, and a truly caring teacher, though this is not always evident.
This is such a thought provoking book, pointing out how a background of poor parenting, for whatever reason, can hugely impact on people into adult life. It also illustrates how that can cause huge disruption to the ability of the adult to form normal happy relationships.
As the book progresses we begin to see Noah finally confront his demons, and with the love and support of his family, he begins to see the way forward, as Mimi becomes increasingly important to him. But surprisingly, the person who is his mainstay, and who knows him best, is his ex-wife Kate.
It is very relatable, having humour, pathos, and some lovely characters whom I was sorry to leave behind. A triumph of a book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title. I look forward impatiently to the next title from Rachel Marks.