Absolutely loved reading this book! I was so intrigued to continue reading and find out what secrets Emma was hiding from her husband.

I personally liked the fact that the book was a mystery/ thriller and then at times a family drama. It definitely kept you wondering and had a few twists and turns.

The book had a nice pace to it and it was such a good read. Would definitely recommend.

The Love of My Life starts off as a romance/contemporary read, though as you make it through the first part it begins to transform into a mystery/thriller. It was well written, with the last and present woven well together.

Unfortunately I just didn't feel invested in the characters. The story itself is emotional, heartbreaking and equal parts frustrating; that emotion didn't transfer to it's characters for me. I enjoyed the story, devouring it quickly, but struggle to attach to it.

really enjoyed this book, make sure you had lots of tissues nearby when you read this, i won't ruin this review with any spoilers but many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the arc of the book in exchange for this review

I was so pleased to read this book as Rosie Walsh’s first book has stayed in my mind ever since which is very rare - I loved everything about that book.
This one is different - I found it a little hard to get into, although I enjoyed it more as it went along. It was well written and has a good twist which I had not seen coming.
I would recommend it .

The Love of My Life completely drew me in and didn’t let me go. I found the characters, story and pacing just right. From the title, and the other book I’d read by this author (The Man Who Didn’t Call) I assumed it would be a romance novel with a hint of mystery, but this is far more of a character study on Leo and Emma, happily married with a young daughter. We learn that Emma has a secret – one she has kept from her husband for years and which threatens to tear their family apart…

As the book continues, we slowly uncover more about Emma’s history and the ‘other’ person in their relationship. Things are not quite as you assume them to be, though – and as Emma deals with a serious illness, her husband – who is an obituary writer – starts to look into her past.

I don’t really want to say much more for fear of giving too much away. I went into this book with very little knowledge about the story, and I’m so glad I did. There are surprises, some great character development and a gripping air of mystery throughout.

None of this novel felt over the top. For me, The Love of My Life struck just the right balance between drama and realism, and I would have happily read about these characters for many more pages.

I really enjoyed this book. This novel is full of twists and turns and I was not sure how the story was going to end.

Leo finds out that his wife of 10 years is not who he thought she was. What she has told him about her past does not bear examining. The chapters alternate between their stories and delve into the past to bring together a story of real heartbreak and tragedy.

One which will stay with me and which I will be recommending.

Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she’d do anything for them. But almost everything she's told them about herself is a lie. And she might just have got away with it, if it weren’t for her husband’s job. Leo is an obituary writer and Emma is a well-known marine biologist, so, when she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best – reading and writing about her life. But as he starts to unravel her past, he discovers the woman he loves doesn’t really exist. Even her name is fictitious. When the very darkest moments of Emma’s past life finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was. But first, she must tell him about the love of her other life.

There is so much to this book and Walsh really takes the reader on a journey, and what an emotional journey it is! As I started this, I was not sure what to expect and at the beginning, things felt a bit muddied and I was not sure where it was all headed. Well, Walsh weaves an intricate, heart-shattering story, one that kept me gripped and enraptured with the beautiful yet heart-breaking events Emma and Leo go through. I honestly did not guess anything about this plot, Walsh really surprised me and I was delighted to be so shocked at what happens.

A book like this does not work without stunning characters and Walsh has really delivered with Emma and Leo. I loved both of them, they both have a story to tell and real pain and emotion to convey. It was joyful getting to know them and I was bereft to leave them behind. Emma and Leo are two very special characters and I cannot think of any characters more perfect for this story.

'The Love Of My Life' is a truly gorgeous read with some incredibly beautiful, emotional moments and some very happy ones too. 'The Love Of My Life' also has an incredible amount of pain and trauma and there are scenes in this that are extremely difficult to read. Nonetheless they are incredibly important to the plot and Walsh captures them wonderfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy.

This is the first book I have read by this particular author and I wasn’t disappointed.

A brilliantly written love/mystery story written through both Leo and Emma’s point of view.

With various twists and turns I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to uncover all of the mysteries and secrets.

The characters are well written and relatable which I find helps to draw you in. A brilliant read that I would highly recommend to others.

Both engrossing and emotional this is the perfect book! The story has elements of family drama, psychological thriller, and romance, but it's not solely any of these. We hear from both Leo and Emma, and it's evident that there are secrets she is keeping and mistakes she has made. I loved it and I’m disappointed to have gotten to the end. I think I might go and read it all over again! fabulous……

Round up
Did you love THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME// Laura Dave? Look no further for a new book with similar vibes 👀

You think you know your spouse? Think again 😳 A slow burn mystery with plenty of suspense (+ twists!) as we uncover the truth about Emma. I binged on this in one sitting as I just had to find out * all the secrets *. I absolutely love a dual story line, we flip between Emma and husband, Leo’s POVs so that was a real win for me!

If you’re after a domestic drama come love story for your summer TBR, look no further

I've yet to come across a Rosie Walsh or Lucy Robinson book I don't like and this one was no different.

It tackles hard hitting issues such as post natal depression and yet it was completely compelling - I read it in an evening, I had to know what happened!

A fantastic read that I've already recommended to others.

I enjoyed Rosie Walsh's previous book, The Man Who Didn't Call, so had high hopes for The Love Of My Life. I was not disappointed - It is certainly my favourite book this year.
Uncomfortable to read - in a good way - handling mental illness in a sensitive and honest manner, I devoured this brilliant book in a day. What a story line, with characters you love, hate and root for.
I hope Rosie Walsh is writing her next book because she has to be my current favourite author. Don't hesitate to read this.

I adored Rosie’s previous book “The Man Who Didn’t Call”, I thought it was so well accomplished and a joy to read. This sounded so different but I hoped it would still have shadows of what I liked about her writing.

And I was write. It is the total opposite in terms of genre and feeling but proves Rosie can successfully write over a multitude of genres.

It is unbearably beautiful, happy, sad, scary, truthful, human, stunning, joyful, gorgeous, loving, mind blowing, heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The exploration of mental health, especially postnatal depression, is handled so well. It’s cruel and raw and uncomfortable, which is exactly what it is. It might be hard for someone who has experienced it to read about, but as someone who has seen a loved one go through it, I actually found myself very moved. It’s not over the top or gory or embellished, it just is what it is, and sometimes that’s hard to accept.

The characterisation is so powerful. Each character is unbelievably well written, each given their own backstory, their own life and feelings, their own secrets; they’re so real and so identifiable. I especially loved the character of Leo. With so many stories and movies involving a man cheating on his wife and abandoning his family, it’s so refreshing to read about a man who truly loves his wife, through better and for worse.

It is full of twists and turns and secrets so well hidden you could never guess them. You never feel confident about what’s coming next or who to trust. It’s tense and uncomfortable, you’re left in suspense, questioning everything that is said.

There’s romance, some comedy, mystery and thriller - it’s a mish-mash of genres but that’s what makes it so great. It’s exhilarating to read and the only reason I put it down was to attend a hospital appointment, but you can bet I picked it up the moment I got home again.

There’s been a few less-than-positive reviews I’ve read, some 3 stars, and whilst I appreciate we all have different tastes and opinions, I seriously have difficulty understanding how anyone could think this was less than spectacular, how anyone could find anything in it to make it anything other than a 5 star superb piece of writing.

Honestly, I’m gutted I’ve come to the end, and I await with bated breath for whatever Rosie writes next.

This is definitely a clear candidate for the best book I’ve read so far this week. Look out for my end-of-year roundup to see if it kept that spot.

I was so excited to get this book to review! I absolutely loved Rosie’s debut novel, The Man Who Didn’t Call, so I had very high hopes for this book. And I’m delighted to say that my high hopes materialised into another absolutely brilliant book
Rosie Walsh has the enviable ability to hide the twists in her stories so well that you really don’t see them coming, and this book, much like the first one, had me gob-smacked when those twists unfold.
I liked the writing style and the pace of the book, although I would be lying if I said that there weren’t a couple of points where I was a bit frustrated because I was desperate to know what was going to happen!
I definitely recommend this book, it’s a great read.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I absolutely adored her debut under this name which I read around time of a break up so I remember it well .

This is another fantastic book that I devoured in one day.

Thought provoking and cleverly written. The complexities of life and love are explored .

What do you do when you discover your love has been lying to you ,keeping a past life hidden away.

Unpredictable and compelling.

Beautifully captures the moral dilemmas adults can face . Incredibly emotive dealing with real issues .

I wish Rosie every success with this and can definitely see it flying off the shelves this summer

Published June 23rd

A missed opportunity to tell the truth and now it might be too late.
This is a really interesting family drama with mystery and intrigue. I like the fact that the author doesn’t really keep within the expectations of genre, it’s just a really good story.
I loved the way that this unfolded, the alternating points of view worked really well and it was enjoyable throughout.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me a copy to review. My opinions are unaffected by getting a free copy.

Leo is an obituary writer and when he decides to write his wife's stock obituary (Emma is a well-known marine biologist who once presented a BBC TV show), he discovers that he does not know Emma as well as he thought. She has a big secret that will turn their lives upside down. She also has previously had cancer, is a hoarder (which isn't delved into much) and has depression which results in her disappearing to Alnmouth for days at a time.

I was very intrigued at first but the story dragged on and I was glad when the book finished. I was confused at times as to whether it was supposed to be a thriller or a love story. I thought it was good overall but a bit slow.

The love of my life is an intriguing but rather odd read, I’m not really sure what genre of book it was as it seemed a mix of several!
Based on lies and deceit but ultimately a tale of forgiveness and love!
Emma the main character is a complex character with a very hidden past that not even her husband Leo has any idea about, although strangely several other characters know far more than he does about his wife! But then do we ever truly really know anyone?
On paper Emma, Leo and daughter Ruby have a great life,Emma in remission from cancer, good careers and an inherited home, but things are not as they seem and as Leo starts to find out the secrets are many and deep!
As the story unfolds poor Leo finds out more and more about his wife and what she has hidden will they ever be able to regain the trust and love?
Many difficult subjects covered in a read all about love, betrayal, loss and forgiveness.
Thank you netgalley for this early read

Rosie Walsh simply has Romantic Suspense nailed. I was constantly trying to come up with the key to what was afoot throughout this brilliant, heart-wrenching story and still didn’t see it coming. Walsh has a cracking knack of taking an already tense story and cranking up the tension by the way she frames her storytelling. Properly unputdownable.

I devoured this book in a day!

A love story with a twist - and I thought I had the twist sussed and it went against my expectations - really enjoyed this book.

As well as the story, I loved the settings and could really see the characters in their place.