A beautifully written, emotional read of grief and survival.

The audio version of this book is also fantastic due to its great narration and bringing the songs to life.

Really beautiful story about love and grief. I really loved the characters and thought the plot was well executed. Well written and very emotional

This was a heartwarming, sweet, and very entertaining read. Both Rasmus and Raisin have lost their partners at a young age, and we follow their path through grief as they try to make their way forward in the face of such a tremendous loss. While the premise might sound rather dark, the two are helped along by the ghosts of their partners (neither of whom believe in ghosts) who must still deal with regret and jealousy even in the afterlife as they watch their beloveds navigate life after their deaths. Very creative, and ultimately a positive and uplifting tale that manages to be light hearted while dealing with deep themes.

Rasmus and Ròisín have lost their partners whilst still in their 30’s. One death was expected, the other a complete shock. They encounter each other a few weeks into their grieving process …. Helped out a bit by the ghosts of their partners. Perhaps a bit outrageous/far fetched/ unrealistic at times (or not, we don’t really know, do we 🤷🏻‍♀️) but with endearing and broken characters who are all trying to navigate their way in the after (after the death of a partner and the after life) A sensitive and at times, heartbreaking but also heartwarming read.

i genuinely didn't expect this to resonate with me so strongly. grief and love, love and grief. i think the magical realism bend works so well. bravo

I really enjoyed this book, and it’s the first I have read by this author, but it certainly won’t be the last.
Two couples, both torn apart by death, grieving, dealing with the loss of the life they thought they were going to have. The story is so well written, it drew me in very easily and I quickly became invested in the characters and what they were experiencing.
There’s no getting away from the fact that this is a very sad story in places, and I cried more than once. But it’s not just a sad story, there’s a beautiful sense of hope written into it, that for me, makes it a 5 star read.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

‘…maybe I should just stay and haunt him, forever. Look at him. My beautiful husband.’ Jay watches Rasmus, her talented musician partner, perform in public for the first time in a long while. But her use of ‘haunt’ is not metaphorical. Readers who don’t enjoy a ghost story, please don’t dismiss this novel out of hand. Louisa Young’s depiction of the after-life is incidental to the main drive of the story – an exploration of grief, loss, learning to live again, and learning to let go.
Just as Jay has died, so too has Nico, in very different circumstances, leaving his fiancée Róisín bereft. When she and Rasmus meet through work, they begin an email correspondence in which they discuss the one subject that nobody else feels equipped to. What emerges is a sensitive, sad and yet hopeful depiction of the act of mourning. Louisa Young’s memoir ‘You Left Early’ focuses on this experience in part and she has developed it further through the narrative of ‘Twelve Months and a Day’. This is a beautifully written, thought-provoking read. My only reservation is that it could be dismissed by some who have lived this experience as too much of a fairy-tale to be considered a serious exploration of bereavement.
My thanks to NetGalley and The Borough Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Loved this book! Such a beautiful emotional read. Savoured every page. I’m a big fan of Louisa Young. Her novel “ My dear I wanted to tell you” is stunning and all should read, but her memoir “you left early” telling the story of her relationship with her fiancé who died from alcoholism is without a doubt one of the most powerful emotional memoirs I’ve ever read.
So this novel which tells the story of great love and great loss I know comes from a place of real knowing from the author. If ever the subject of grief was in safe hands it’s with Louisa Young.

Rasmus and Ròisín have lost their partners early in life and find each other early in their grieving process…. just as friends, and kindred spirits. At the same time their partners Jay and nico also meet…. As ghosts…. Ok stay with me here. I too have no interest in supernatural stories. The handling of this is truly authentic and believable. There has been comparison to the brilliant film Truly Madly Deeply. This is a great comparison, and has the same emotional investment. I loved. And I’m gutted I’ve finished it!

I was drawn to this book by its title and had never read anything from this author before. I’m glad I did. It’s not usually the type of book I’d be drawn to but the beautiful writing, brilliant characters and well paced flow of the story made this a great read.

12 Months and A Day is the story of four people, two normal couples, in love. Then death ends their happy ever afters. The book follows both the two people left behind lost in grief and the two people in their afterlife. Now, ghosts would usually lead to me putting a book away but the strength of the writing made me keep reading. The characters were written with such authenticity and charm, I needed to know what happened to them.

A beautiful read about love and loss and moving forward.

Recommend.

I really liked this. Beautifully romantic, bittersweet and hopeful, this was such an uplifting exploration of four people trying to navigate love, loss and new beginnings after the worst has happened. I found it very hard to put down.

This is such a beautifully poignant story about love and loss and death and life and finding your way again after being shipwrecked on the rocks of despair. It sounds sad but this novel is really uplifting and life-confirming. The characters are totally believable and the reader is swept along with the ebb and flow of their lives. Louisa Young writes beautifully - this book is a must read!

The storyline was very interesting and flowed nicely! I will definitely recommend reading this one! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written with well developed characters and a compelling storyline that kept me engaged the whole way through. It was heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measure. I loved it.