I foolishly missed out on Rosie Walsh's previous book, so it was a delight to read this as an ARC. I loved all the details about Emma's career, which gave added depth to her character, and the scene setting. But then the twists and surprises start and they barely let up until the end. So inventive and creative. A great read that kept me guessing.

As domestic dramas go, this is amongst the best I’ve read in a long while. It’s intricate and penetrating, awash with intrigue and suspense; and it possesses an emotional texture so raw, so abrasive, it feels like a physical assault on your senses.

Meet Leo and Emma. He is an obituary writer; she a renowned marine biologist. They’ve come through some tough times together, including the trauma of IVF and a shock cancer diagnosis for Emma. But now all this is behind them, and the future couldn’t look rosier.

That is, until Leo inadvertently unearths particulars about Emma‘s past that blows his world to pieces.

What follows, as Leo and Emma navigate this rupture in their marriage, is a devastating story of one foolish mistake, a heartbreaking (and ultimately ill-judged) decision, and the life-changing consequences for all involved.

Walsh peels back the tangled layers of this tale with breathtaking delicacy, slowly exposing the tragedy, the secrets, and the lies. She leads you in one direction, then another, relentlessly toying with your understanding of to whom the titular “love of my life” refers.

The dual POV narrative segues back and forth between Leo and Emma, laying bare his shock and disbelief, and her ongoing subterfuge as she desperately tries to keep her past hidden. But what will out, will out, and the truth is as surprising as it is heartbreaking.

At times, this is a difficult read, dealing as it does with hugely emotive topics like post-partum psychosis, infertility, adoption and suicide. But Walsh approaches them all with a commendable sensitivity that elicits sympathy for everyone affected. Indeed, I never once felt compelled to take sides, because this was a story where everybody’s pain felt real.

For me, this was a step up from Walsh’s widely praised debut novel, and evidence of a talented author with enormous potential. I look forward to her next book with great anticipation.

It was a good and clever book but not good enough for me to enjoy it completely. I mean, it was beautifully written and the really well thought - over. But it was based around secrets and mystery and, to be completely honest, the secrets and the mystery didn't shock me as much as it was probably expected from me. There was no "wow" or "wtf" moment, leaving me with my mouth hanging open. It was full of twists and turns and I never knew where it's going, but probably there were simply too much of the twists and turns and it made me tired. I had a feeling it was dragging on and I was desperate to eventually finish it. IN the end I really don't know if Emma made it up with Jill because I skim - read the last few chapters.

It doesn't mean that I didn't like it! I liked it, but not as much as I though I'm going to. Maybe I've expected too much because it's from Rosie Walsh? Like I've already mentioned, it was beautiful written, full of "love yous" and actually I appreciated Emma's honesty in the end, when Leo asked her if she would tell him the truth and she admitted no. I believed that she loves him and even with all her secrets I had a feeling she's honest. The characters are well developed and well - rounded and you can't help but fell for them, even if they're sometimes annoying. HOwever, not a story that I'd come back to re - read it, sadly.

Und auf deutsch, hierum geht es: Meeresbiologin Emma und Journalist Leo sind ein Traumpaar. Seit 10 Jahren verliebt, seit 8 verheiratet und seit 3 Jahren stolze Eltern von Ruby. Sie sind beide erfolgreich in ihren Jobs, bewohnen in Hampstead ein nettes Häuschen, und vor allem; sie haben sich. Die wahre Liebe. Und eigentlich, so sollte man denken, kennt man den Partner, den man liebt. Der einen durch Höhen und Tiefen begleitet hat. Bis Leo eines Tages mehr oder weniger zufällig auf Unterlagen aus Emmas Vergangenheit stösst, die nicht so wirklich ins Bild passen. Eigentlich Kleinigkeiten, aber man wird plötzlich aufmerksam: Emmas Foto von ihre Uni-Abschlussfeier…das sind nicht die offiziellen Farben der Uni, an der sie angeblich graduierte. Und wieso versteckt sie die Pässe an unmöglichen Stellen? Leo fängt an, nachzuforschen, und entdeckt ein paar Dinge, die ihn komplett an Emma zweifeln lassen. Wer ist die Frau an seiner Seite? Er weiss, Emma hatte immer wieder depressive Phasen, in denen sie allein sein musste, und Leo hat sie immer dabei unterstützt – oder hat sie ihn auch dort belogen?
Je mehr Leo Emmas Leben aufdeckt, desto mehr und verzweifelter versucht Emma, ihm zu beweisen, dass sie trotzdem die Frau ist, die ihn liebt – es wird schwierig und für uns als Leser ziemlich interessant!
Der Roman ist abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Leo und Emma erzählt, und wir sind erst komplett im hier und jetzt, und so peu a peu wird Emma aus ihrer Vergangenheit erzählen – von den Ereignissen vor knapp 20 Jahren, die ihr Leben komplett auf den Kopf gestellt haben.
Spoilern ist jetzt schlecht, ich sag nur soviel: ich hab die Dinge so nicht erahnt. Es gab ein paar coole Plot-Twists, die die Storyline um 180 Grad gewendet haben, und das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Es war jetzt nicht so, dass man nach der Hälfte des Romans gewusst hat, was da noch kommen mag, sondern im Gegenteil, die letzten Dinge haben sich Leo und uns erst ganz zum Schluss enthüllt. Das war richtig gut gemacht.
Ich fand die Charaktere auch allesamt glaubwürdig und detailliert gezeichnet. War spannend und flüssig und richtig gut geschrieben. Natürlich war viel emotionale Dramatik angesagt – die beiden lieben sich wirklich, und versuchen das Problem zu lösen. Und wir sind vor allem bei Leos Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle immer hautnah dabei, das war echt ergreifend.
Schön fand ich auch: das waren erwachsene Charaktere. Die Story hat soviel emotionales Gepäck zu bieten gehabt, aber niemand ist infantil ausgeflippt und hat Egotrips geritten – ich muss das jetzt mal erwähnen, weil ich das in sovielen Filmen, Serien und Romanen aktuell sehe. Ja, es gibt auch noch erwachsene Protagonisten. Die leiden auch, aber versuchen, ihre Probleme zu lösen und ihre Welt zu retten.
Also, ich komme zu einem Fazit: Das ist ein spannendes Portrait einer grossen Liebe, die ziemliche Prüfungen auferlegt bekommt; und das mit für uns Leser interessanten Themen. Brilliant geschrieben, hat mich abgeholt und mitgerissen!

At the beginning I was slightly underwhelmed by this book. The storyline began well and the characters were interesting.
But then I continued to read and what developed was an emotional story which dealt with some sensitive issues. I was expecting from the marketing a romantic love story but this was not the case.
Overall a 3.5 star read which picked up pace ending strongly.

Fabulous read. It kept me guessing at every turn. I especially enjoyed the changing perspectives and time frames which kept it fresh and told the story from a number of angles.

A romance, but with a heaped tablespoon of mystery and family drama thrown in for the fun of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC.

Not quite what I expected!

Emma and her husband Leo are very happy together with their daughter Ruby; like everyone else, they’ve had their tough times but they’ve come through them and life is good. However, Emma is harbouring secrets – well, downright lies actually – and, as a well-known marine biologist she is a person of interest. Unfortunately for her, Leo is an obituary writer and as she recovers from a serious illness he needs to prepare one for her – just in case. But as he delves into her past, he realises that the woman he is married to doesn’t really exist – so who is she?

It was lovely to read a story where the married couple are happy together from the very beginning but it didn’t take long for questions to arise. As someone who has no secrets from her partner, I struggled with the idea not only of keeping secrets but of having ones of such magnitude and hiding things for so long! There’s quite a build up before the revelations start to unfold and the waters get murkier before they run clear. I must admit to having worked out a good part of this one before it was shown on the page, and I became a little irritated at waiting so long for confirmation that I had it right. There is no doubting that this is a good read, but I didn’t love it as much as I expected to. For me, 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for both my copy and spot on this tour; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

* I have added content warnings for this story at the end of my review, but some are inevitably spoilers so please proceed with caution *

Emma and Leo have a seemingly perfect marriage, even though they've been through fertility issues leading to IVF and the birth of their daughter, then a cancer diagnosis for Emma. Leo, a writer of obituaries, has been insistent on preparing one 'just in case' to file away and hopefully not be used until long into the future. But Emma, a marine ecologist, has a secret past. One that begins to merge into her present as her lies are revealed.

I really loved this book. The storytelling was compelling and the POVs all worked extremely well to build the suspense. I was hooked almost immediately and really enjoyed hypothesizing the outcomes of several twists and turns. I did ultimately guess the main ones but they were no less impactful. I found both Leo and Emma incredibly likable and authentic, which only made their POVs more emotional. I cried a LOT in the second and third parts. The supporting characters were also well-rounded. There's so much else I would love to say about this story, but almost all of it would spoil the book. I received an eARC plus an advanced copy of the audiobook. I found the narration of both Emma (Imogen Church) and Leo (Theo Solomon) extremely compelling. In particular, those events at university were voiced in an incredibly visceral way, and if you get the opportunity I would highly recommend the audiobook.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

Overall rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Heat Rating: n/a

Emotional Rating: 🥰😬💔😭😭💔💓

cw: detailed descriptions of mental illness, post-partum depression, bereavement, alcoholism, suicidal ideation, and infertility

Emma and Leo have chemistry between them they could never deny. They felt it from the first time they met. When their beautiful daughter Ruby is born, they are over the moon in love with her and each other. But, Emma has secrets she has never shared with her husband, the man she deeply loves. She never imagined her past life would surface in such an ugly, hurtful way. It is the last thing she would have wanted to happen, for Leo's sake. For her sake, too.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I wasn't sure what the expect from this book - the title gives the impression that it will be relatively light and fluffy but actually tackles a number of darker topics with delicacy.
Leo finds out that his wife Emma hasn't been truthful about her past, and as it starts to unravel, you understand why.
Rosie really smashed it out the park with this, her characters were very well developed, the story flowed with ease and it really took me on a rollercoaster of emotion!

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC!

Emma and Leo have a happy marriage and a 3 year old daughter. After finding out that Emma's cancer is gone, everything should be great. But one night, Leo finds out that not everything he thought he knew about his wife was true. What's the story with her university degree? Why was she fired from the BBC? Who is the man she is meeting up with behind her back?

The Love of My Life was a gripping story that drew me in from the very first page. Any book with secrets has me gripped and this was no different. Rosie Walsh manages to twist and turn the story just when you think you've got it all figured out and keeps you hanging on until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I will definitely be recommending this.

Emma a marine biologist loves her husband Leo an obituary writer. He is clearly devoted to her and their young daughter Ruby: Emma is awaiting results of her latest tests to see if she has finally beaten her cancer. Meanwhile Leo starts a first draft of her obituary, just in case, and to ensure it captures the essence of Emma. He happens to stumble on a file of Emma's which contradicts her life story as he knows it. As Emma and Leo deal with 'the lies' she has told him we are taken on an intriguing journey with lots of twists and turns. A clever, lovable read.

A lovely story that uncovers lots of secrets and a heartbreaking past. Well developed characters and a good pace throughout.

Leo is an obituary writer and after his wife Emma becomes sick he finds himself looking into her life so that can he can write an obituary for her (yes the premise is a bit weird but stick with it) and this leads him to discover much more than he expected, and he finds out that Emma isn’t who she says she is, and he actually knows little to nothing about her.

This book was an interesting read, and I didn’t see the twists coming which is always the sign of a good book. It would’ve been a five star read had it ended slightly earlier, I found the twists at the end a bit much and had to suspend a lot of belief. But apart from that it was a good.

The Love of My Life is a domestic drama/thriller that deals with a myriad of topics. Told from different perspectives we hear of Leo and Emma's perfect togetherness, marriage & family.....or are they? The story has lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing. It's a well written, enjoyable read and recommend as one for reading on holiday. Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for an arc of this novel.

My first impression of this book was that it would be about family drama and relationships. While it is still true, the suspense/mystery element was really the pulling factor that sucked me in and kept me finishing 3/4 of the book in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in the book, even for ones I expected, it still had me gasping when it turned out to be true.

It was a quick and easy read, yet was very intriguing and thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this copy!

What a lovely read this book was! Rosie has a way with words that draw you into the book. Emma and Leo are happily married with a daughter, however all is not as it seems! What secrets is Emma keeping?

This is a well crafted and enjoyable family drama. Leo and Emma have been happily married for ten years and they both dote on their daughter Ruby. Their idyllic world is threatened as Emma is undergoing cancer treatment. Leo is a professional writer of obituaries and is tasked with writing one for his wife when he realises just how little he knows about her.

The characters are relatable and flawed. Rosie Walsh obviously knows her craft well and creates a great, dramatic book, without being overdramatic. She raises a number of other topics such as postnatal depression, all of which provide plenty of food for thought. I found part one to be a little longer than necessary but otherwise this was a great, well written, three part family drama.

This is a really rich family drama and love story with all the humanity and emotional depth you'd expect from that genre but as with The Man Who Didn't Call, there's more to it than that: it's as perfectly, tightly plotted as the best of thrillers.

Gorgeously written, wonderfully feeling, absolutely uplifting and one simply not to be missed. This book is beautiful and I loved it.