This book comes with some real triggers, I found it difficult yet so easy to read but it really wouldn’t be for everyone so best to check them out before reading.
I adored Lucy and Jamie, I found their relationship so natural and beautiful so when something happens to put everything on the line it made them both question everything.
There’s not a great deal more I can say but I loved the ending and it was heart warming yet heartbreaking at the same time.

This book is not just a romance novel - it's so much more than that.
I enjoyed it because it surprised me and wasn't at all what I expected.

It was fun, and I liked Rachel Marks writing style. Her characters were likeable, and it's the characters that kept me reading rather than the plot.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but it's not one that will stick with me.

HELLO STRANGER
BY
RACHEL MARKS.

They say opposites attract, and that was certainly the case for Jamie and Lucy.
As different as chalk and cheese, but somehow it worked.
But even when you are somebody’s everything things can still go wrong.
When a life choice means so much to you, can you find a compromise? Or is it just a deal breaker?

This book is a moving and thought provoking story.
Well written with some very real and raw emotion.

I liked Jamie from the start. Strong, sweet and solid, he is a real heart melter.
Lucy took a bit more getting used to. I found her a little childish and selfish. However as the book went on, I did like her more and saw some real depth to her character.

The book did end on a positive, but it was an emotional rollercoaster to get there.

A touching story that will leave you wondering what exactly you would do in that situation?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out now on all formats.

With thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a digital arc of this title.

Thank you to the publisher for inviting me to be part of the book tour and for sending me a gifted copy.
A huge thank you to Rachel. A personal thank you to this author, for recognising that not every woman wants a child.
Almost weekly, I am asked “oh when are you going to have a child” and every time I answer, that I dont want one, I have funny looks and asked “why?
All too often in novels, females are having children. It is rarely normalised for a woman to just not want children. So thank you to the author, for normalising my feelings and for writing a book that truly spoke to me on so many levels.
I think this is my book of the month, despite reading my favourite author’s new release!!
Thank you to my lovely buddy reader, Claire, who let me shout and rave and experience all sorts of emotions whilst reading this book.
At the start of the book, we are introduced to Jaime and Lucy, who appear to be splitting up, despite having a perfect relationship
The book is told from the viewpoints of Jaime and Lucy, before and after the break up.
These two characters were amazing.
Rachel Marks has a real talent of pulling the reader in and absorbing you into their world. It worked in Until Next Weekend and Saturdays at Noon and now Hello Stranger.
On the journey that we undertake with the couple, I was struggling to see what was wrong with their relationship and why on earth they were splitting up. I dont know if it was how Lucy was portrayed, but I just thought she was going to do something to mess it up.
When the novel unravelled as it did, I was all for Lucy. I was so happy that she stuck to her guns and didn’t just make the man happy.
I LOVED the way the novel unfolded and yes, I admit, I was crying at the end of this novel.
I experienced all emotions reading this novel. Rage, happiness, laughter, second-guessing, sadness and relief.
This book is amazing.

Thanks to her last two books, Rachel Marks has become a must-read author for me, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read Hello, Stranger. It proved to be another beautifully written story, an emotional read that stole my heart, broke me a little but certainly kept me turning the pages.

The book begins with Lucy and Jamie breaking up, though neither of them seems to want to. What has happened to get them to this point? We go back to the start of their relationship and we see it develop through both Lucy and Jamie’s eyes and begin to understand what led them to breaking up as the story switches between past and present.

Marks has created two very real characters in Lucy and Jamie and I defy anyone not to feel fully invested in their story and their equally valid but conflicting perspectives. There is no right and wrong and that is what makes their story so heart-wrenching and ultimately so poignant. I loved it!

Unfortunately I did not enjoy the book and dnf'd at 25%. I really wanted to like the story as I saw really good reviews of the book however personally the writing style and story format was not my style or taste and therefore I could not connect or feel interested in the characters.

A sensitive and balanced look at a relationship issue that deserves more attention and discussion in film and books. I would have liked a little more narrative grit to sink my teeth into: the story was very linear and uncomplicated. However, if you're in the mood for a straightforward love story, this is ideal

Thank you to Michael Joseph Books for a digital review copy of Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks to read and review. I've enjoyed reading Rachel's previous books (you can read my last review here http://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2021/05/10/until-next-weekend-rachel-marks/ ) and I loved the synopsis of this book. i'm sharing a mini non spoiler review today.

This is another fabulous and emotional read from Rachel. I found myself desperately wanting to wave a magic wand for Jamie and Lucy, who fall in love but had a major sticking point to their relationship.

We heard the story from both Jamie and Lucy's viewpoints, and both were heartbreaking in places. One event happens to make them question whether they can stay together and be happy. I flew through this book, spending time with Jamie and Lucy, wanting both of them to be happy. I had damp eyes at the end of the book

Lucy and Jamie are meant to be. Everything slots into place, perfect for each other, except one thing…
It’s a will they won’t they read which keeps you reading because you’re desperate to find out how the story ends. I love Rachel Marks’ books and she’s my list of favourite authors!

I absolutely loved this book and have recommend it to everyone, This book tells the story of Lucy and Jamie who are meant to be together but things get in the way, will they get there happy ending ?
many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for this review

In many ways Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks is simply impossible to review. I could just give it all the stars and leave it there.There is so much I want to say about this book and yet to do so would spoil the experience for others. This is a book that needs to be read blind, with tissues and ideally as a buddy to read it with. I will add though that there are TWs to bear in mind with this book.

Hello, Stranger is the story of Lucy and Jamie who, not long after meeting come to realise they are each other’s ‘the one’. They’re chalk and cheese, Lucy a free spirit to Jamie’s homebird. Jamie has a place for everything and yet Lucy can’t even seem to find her keys. And yet they work, so very well together. There’s is a special kind of love and yet why does their story start with them saying goodbye?

The way Marks has written Jamie and Lucy is absolute perfection. The chapters alternate between them both in the ‘day of’ and ‘then’ sections. Never have I read about a couple where I feel so deeply for them both as individual characters. They were so well developed and so very, very real. This is a beautiful, raw, and heartbreaking story in places; and yet it feels so very real and so normal, and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. The characters deal with some very heavy issues and Marks handles them deftly, with so much care and respect. No one is right or wrong, everyone is simply able to feel what they feel, even if that’s different to the other. The respect Marks shows her characters, and indeed her readers, is something else.

This book is so special and will stay with me for some time. Never have I felt the ending of a book to be as heartbreaking as it was utterly perfect. If I could sum this book up with a single word it would be ‘wow’ said, of course, through tears.

A very interesting read. What do you do when you find "The One", the absolutely perfect partner except for one thing. The narration is split between the lovers and any more information would spoil the plot.

This is my first Rachel Marks books and what an excellent one it is. Two characters who are as different as chalk and cheese but make for an emotional read. Highly recommend.

This book is about Lucy and Jamie.
Jamie wants children and Lucy doesn’t.

This was quite a deep book that was well written.

I enjoyed it

Well she's done it again! This is the third book I've read by the author and needed tissues each time - but for very different reasons. I wont give too much away but there are some topics covered in the story that resonated with my own life story. Handed delicately and well written.
The story is very clever as it has a time turn type feel to it. It starts at the end and you dip into different periods of Lucy and Jamie's relationship to find out why such a supposedly 'perfect' couple have separated.

Definitely an author to keep an eye on.

Firstly, I just want to say that I went into this book thinking it was going to be a romance (I mean, it was in the romance category after all) so I was a bit disappointed when I realised it definitely isn’t one (women’s fiction fits this book a lot better). Having said that, I’ll try not to let that affect my review too much.

The premise of the book was good and Jamie and Lucy’s story/dilemma was definitely an important one and I liked following them along but I also feel like the story dragged on multiple occasions and I had a hard time getting through some parts. Also the whole before/during/after structure was a bit messy because of how vague it was.. I mean sure it was before but how long? 2 months? 2 years? Because those are not the same and I never could get a clear picture of how their relationship evolved. And honestly some of the before chapters felt unnecessary, and I thought they didn’t add much to the story and weren’t particularly interesting to read. So yeah, while I liked the the premise of the book and recognise the importance of this type of story, I feel like it could have been executed better.

I feel like I don’t know much about the characters as individuals, if that makes sense. I know them as a couple but not necessarily as people aside from the fact that Lucy is adventurous and doesn’t want kids and Jamie does.

I didn’t love Lucy although I didn’t hate her either. I certainly did feel for her and seeing her going through what she did was emotional for me as well. And Jamie… well, there is no denying he was an amazing guy but he was also a bit of a pushover and let Lucy get her way most of the time. And I feel like that was a huge problem because aside from the whole kids situation, I felt like they barely communicated. And maybe that’s just got to do with the structure of the book, the way it’s divided in 2 (later 3) different times, which perhaps makes it seem like things happened a bit faster (again not know the timeline of the relationship and not knowing when things are happening doesn’t help).

I’ll say though that even though it wasn’t the typical romance HEA (which is fair because this definitely wasn’t a romance), they did get their happy endings, which was good to see but also kind of bittersweet.

I have really mixed feelings about this book… rating it was a struggle because the truth is it’s a great premise, the parts that didn’t drag were really really good, and it is an important story to tell- one that makes you think and is almost agonising because you understand both sides but still want them to figure it out even though you know they won’t. These are two people who truly love each other but unfortunately want different things from life and can’t be together because sometimes love is not enough. And that’s as beautiful as it is heartbreaking.

★ 3.5/5 Stars ★

A big thank to Michael Joseph and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. Quite a difference to my usual read but I was drawn to it. Really good and made me want to read more in this genre

Oh my what a heartbreaker of a story. Filled with love and emotion this is one read you’ll need to have the tissues handy for. A roller coaster of a story I felt every emotion following Jaimie and Lucy. I loved the two points of view storytelling- it really added to the depth of the feelings both the characters had. Reliving the reasons why was also a clever storytelling method and again gave more emphasis on who the characters were and why they did the things they did. A beautiful read for sure.

I love time travel books especially when there's a romance within the storyline. And I wasn't disappointed with Hello Stranger.

Accomplished writing and meticulously plotted Hello Stranger is a gorgeous tale that tackles some heavy themes. Lucy is such a lovely person and one just wants to reach in and hug her.

I really enjoyed trying to work out how it would all come together and was delighted with the outcome.

I must admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as previous ones I have read by Rachel. I found I just couldn't take to Lucy, one of the main characters, who seemed to be quite immature and selfish as she always expected to get her own way. . Aside from that it was still a good well written read with a different twist on the usual romance. The book starts with the break up between Lucy and her partner Jamie then goes back through their relationship. A light enough read to take on holiday.