Completely heartfelt, emotional and brilliantly composed.
I adore Lucy Dillon's writing and have been a fan for many years, I was a little concerned from the blurb that this was a slightly different direction for her, but actually the same beautiful writing, complex characters and nod to the wonder of our pets is ever present in this latest work.
The main focus centers on Tara's relationships with her absent father, her distant twin brother, her late Mum, her feckless boyfriend and her quirky colleagues. Whilst working as a community therapist for a town hit by tragedy, Tara embarks on a journey of self discovery and healing herself. There were many poignant and heartgripping moments that felt deeply personal and a stunning reveal of human relationships and our individual secrets, shame and trauma. What a wonderful book.

I received an ARC of, After the Rain, by Lucy Dillon. I usually love books by Lucy Dillon, but not this one. The characters were very self obsessed, especially Toby. I did not care for any of the characters at all.

I have enjoyed this author's previous books and this one doesn’t disappoint.

The devastating floods surrounding Longhamton have brought Tara’s dad Keith back into her life after he abandoned his family when she was ten. As Tara helps the local community cope with the devastation, her dad is the last person she wants to see. But as they try to find common ground, can Tara find it in her heart to forgive her dad or will the past scupper their new found relationship?

A great story with a lovely cast of characters which was an enjoyable read.

After the Rain by Lucy Dillon is a soft squashy easy weekend read. It also helps if you know Sheffield and how it can rain in that area. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book over a freezing November weekend. The characters were fallible and the storyline was interesting, especially the combined family sections.
Highly recommended

This was a great book because not only did it rely on romance but family as well. It’s rare to see that in most books anymore it’s either one or the other. I loved reading about Tara and her father as it was very relatable to me.

First, the clouds...
Tara Hunter is a therapist on a mission to restore Longhampton's community spirit after catastrophic flooding. But with her boyfriend AWOL, her family fragmented, and only a cat for company, Tara's own life is crumbling.

Then the storm...
On top of everything, Tara's father - last seen as he walked out on her when she was ten years old - is suddenly back, with a surprising offer that could change everything.

And after the rain...
Dr David Dalloway is Longhampton Wellness Centre's new star counsellor. He's charming, caring and has a knack for reading people's minds - which is the last thing Tara needs right now. Will having David and her dad around make for a bigger storm on the horizon? Or is this Tara's chance for a fresh start?

Taransay (Tara) Hunter’s boyfriend Justin Biggins asks her to look after his cat Sybil while he is having some work done in his home. She soon warms to the cat and finds that living with a feline is really lovely and comforting. Her Mother has recently passed away and her Father left them when she and her brother Tobermory (Toby) were children aged ten. Toby left home as soon as he possibly could, leaving Tara to sacrifice her ambition to be a stay at home daughter. She inherited the family home when her mother passed away and is very worried that Toby will be upset. Tara is a therapist working at Longhampton Wellness Centre and focusing on helping those villagers who have been most affected after their homes were flooded. She is determined to help in the restoration of Community Hall.
Then a surprising charitable offer is put on the table. Once a resident in the area, a well-respected and experienced architect and builder has stepped forward to offer his services and repair the damage in the Community Hall. He will also make improvements that will be included on his set of plans. When Tara first sets eyes upon the donor she is flabbergasted. It is her long lost father Keith Hunter. She feels so conflicted. She has absorbed her Mother’s hatred of her ex-husband and her own grief for her father leaving her when they were once so close. She will be expected to work alongside him at times. She is in a flurry of uncertainty.
The recent introduction of a new counsellor at the Wellness Centre is also on her mind. Dr David Dalloway is very sociable and they have a good working relationship. He is filled with empathy and enthusiasm. He is very popular but some of his methodology is very different and even questionable. Tara has a lot on her mind. She must try hard to sort out her problems and hopefully everything will sort itself out.
I have always enjoyed Lucy Dillon’s beautiful storytelling. She often writes about family relationships and romances, while also including animals in her storyboard. This novel is heart-warming and full of hope for the future. It includes the themes of love and loss, community spirit and wellbeing. Lucy always takes great care to introduce and develop her characters so that they are interesting yet eclectic. My favourite character is Tara. She is selfless, kind and thoughtful, inclusive, hardworking and full of compassion. I liked the story but I felt one particular part was a bit far-fetched.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Transworld Digital through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. It’s a good read, poignant, sometimes funny and easy read, my review reflects this fact. It’s a 3.5* review from me.

I have loved most of Lucy Dillon's novels and always look forward to a new release. After the Rain, is set in the town of Longhampton where Tara is a therapist who works at a local therapy centre and volunteers to help flood victims in the community. Tara is experiencing grief after the death of her mother but also grieving the loss of her relationship with her twin brother and the fracture of her family many years ago when her father left. Lucy Dillon touches sensitively on important themes at the same time as writing with humour, optimism and hope. I love the sense of community portrayed here and the eclectic mix of characters. Being a therapist myself I did have to suspend disbelief at the portrayal of the therapy centre but overall this was a charming and enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Having read this authors previous book really tugs on your heartstrings and covers the topic of relationships and loss and finding love and also deals with how the whole community comes together following the floods in the village and how the cammoradory shines through as everyone pulls together. The story also works through Taras own life and her relationship with her mum while at the same time she is working as a therapist putting everyone else before herself.

After the rain by Lucy Dillion

I have to confess I look forward to a new Lucy Dillion book every year, I get into a hot bubble bath, apply a face back and settle in for a good cosy read… and I was not disappointed with this years offering…

Tara is a therapist on Longhamptons community therapy centre, she has been helping the community rebuild mentally and physically after catastrophic flooding, and to the outside world Tara is a beacon of hope in the crumpling Longhamptons, but Tara has a boyfriend who has disappeared and dumped his cat on her, she is grieving for her late mother and she really needs to speak to her twin brother about her late mothers will and then Tara’s father who walked out of her life when she was ten, is back and trying to become part of her life and if that’s not enough there is a new therapist at the centre, David who is kind and charming and seems to be taking Tara’s patients from her..

I loved this book, I love revisiting Longhampton and if there is one criticism I have, its that I wanted to know about characters we have met in previous books, I wanted them to interact with Tara or the therapy centre. I kept waiting for one or two of them to pop up just for loyal readers but no one did.

The story is good and I really felt for Tara, she has tried to be the perfect daughter from a broken home, she has tried to be the perfect therapist to her clients while her life is crumbling and the perfect girlfriend to someone who really does not appreciate her. The perfect sister to someone who is not really bothering to be her brother. I continually found myself wanting to hug Tara, especially when she is in contact with her dad, these scenes are hard as Tara is so torn and so hurt.

There are pockets of humour in this book , when we meet the other therapists in the centre, they are eccentric and just fun and whenever Tara’s new cat is in the scene.

The ending is hopeful and its not a typical romance where everyone gets a happy ending, its an ending which had to be worked for and it’s a much more realistic ending.

Lucy Dillion is brilliant about including animals in her books and this book was no different with Tara cat and a dog belonging to Tara’s dad.

Lucy Dillion writes the perfect chick lit books and I have bought and read all of them and I will continue to do so.

#England #contempory #broken #mended #families #dogs #cats #netgalley #aftertherain

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have really liked all this authors books and this was no exception, a real feel good read, great storyline and great characters.

This was my first time reading Lucy Dillon. Although I enjoyed a lot of aspects of the book, some parts of the storyline I just didn't connect with so much. That however is no reflection of Lucy's writing, just personal preference. I would definitely read more from this author.

Tara, a psycotherapist, is seemingly overwhelmed by her life, not only at work but at home also. She volunteers to spearhead flood vistims needs, but she also has a father appear after many years which knocks her self confidence. Not to mention a half sister who is a complete surprise.
I liked Tara, found her desperately trying to fulfil everyone's expectations, and not caring for herself. Her father , basically as self involved as ever, turned her life even more upside down.
I was most intrigued by the communication with animals by Dr David, would love to learn more!
Thank you for a review copy of a book that I enjoyed reading.

Was hoping to love this book as I need an author to replace Jenny Colgan since I've read everything she's written, some more than once! This book really looked like it might fit the bill and I'd optimistically googled to see the author's other books.
It didn't really do it for me though. Hard to put my finger on why.
All of this type of book need some suspension of disbelief but I found this one far too unrealistic from the start, perhaps because I live in a community that's been regularly hit by terrible floods in recent years - often makes the news - and I don't see any sign of counselling on offer!
It just wasn't for me, I'm afraid. The search goes on!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really liked it. It was a really enjoyable read about Tara who's a therapist and understanding her feelings about the father who had left them when she was young when he reappears in her life. It's a great blend of serious themes and emotions but also has moments of lightheartedness. There are themes of second chances, family, friendship and we also see the close knit community that surrounds Tara in her life.

There was so much ahout this story that I enjoyed but I struggled to get past the whole communicates with animals thing. I found myself skipping sections where this part of the plot took place because it took me out of the realism of the story too much.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Before I retired, I was an Adult Services Librarian. When library users asked for guidance on what to read next, I frequently suggested Lucy Dillon. I always received positive feedback on the suggestion. Lucy Dillon captures the everydayness of life. Her characters are people you want to spend time with. Her empathy and understanding of the sometimes painful experiences in life are comforting and illuminating. Once again, I am recommending Lucy Dillon and her whole back catalogue.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this in advance. Started it yesterday afternoon and just finished now. I really enjoyed it. I don’t like to rewrite the the premise behind it as everyone should be able to read I influenced but a good mixture of light hearted and more serious issues.

This was a very thoughtful read about Tara, a therapist who is juggling a high workload of people who need her counselling skills due to the impact of bad local flooding with her own increasing number of personal issues. Tara was a wonderful character who still suffers from the impact of her dad leaving them when she was ten and who fell into her job when her mums health caused Tara’s career plans to derail however she really made the most of her skills and has a very keen to help attitude and is a well established member of a lovely sounding community. The eclectic mix of staff at Tara’s work offered some great moments of lightness and the dynamics of Tara’s relationships both personal and professional made for a wonderful character story, 9/10