This was a lovely, fun read where we meet Kim Jacobs, a middle aged mother who has just thrown her husband a surprise 50th birthday party. He throws her a surprise after the party though when he tells her he's leaving her for the neighbour! Their son is due to go to university the next day, and instead of them both going with him and helping him settle in, Kim insists that it's only her. She finds herself staying at her son's university house-share, along with his new housemates and this gives her time to think about what she really wants!

I really enjoyed this book. I liked Kim's character and felt sorry for her after what her husband had done. She was a strong character, although I did think it was a little strange that she ended up staying with her son and his housemates for so long! I could however completely relate to the situation with her son, having received a similar amount of eye-rolls and ignores that her son gives her! She was definitely a likeable character and I could feel myself rooting for her as the book moved on and hoped she made the right decision as to which direction her life should go.

The book flowed along well. There were lots of life lessons learnt (by all the characters!) and there was plenty of fun and laughter throughout. The storyline was easy to read and I found myself caught into it really quickly! It was a heart-warming and light-hearted book which I would recommend!

Kim believes she's happily married until her husband drops the bombshell after his fiftieth birthday party, that he's been having an affair with the next-door neighbour, and he's leaving her. Forced to re-evaluate her life on the day her son is leaving for university, she finds herself staying in the spare room of his house share to get away from it all. Can her unlikely housemates show her the best is yet to come?

This was an enjoyable, fast-paced read about trying to find yourself again. With not only Kim trying to find herself after heartbreak but her housemates trying to find themselves after moving to new town and starting uni. Honestly, Sonny was my favourite character in this story, and he needs his own book. I didn't enjoy this as much as I've enjoyed previous Tracy Bloom novels, and I'm still not sure why I couldn't click as well with this one.

Thoroughly enjoyed this heart-warming book.

It’s witty and well written, a great read for by the pool this summer.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Kim is happily married or so she thinks until her husband decides to leave her. Her son is leaving for university she suddenly finds herself bunking in her son’s flat-share spare room. Looking after her son and his flat mates she gets sucked into keeping the flat tidy (doing laundry, moving empty pizza boxes amongst other household duties) and slowly Kim starts to understand the route she needs to take to move her live forward.

Kim has just thrown her husband a surprise 50th birthday party the day before he son heads off to uni. Instead of thanks she is told that their marriage is over as he has been having an affair with their next door neighbour !
Not knowing what to do she decides to take their son Harry to uni on his own and tells her husband to sod off. Just about holding it together they make it to his student house where she has a melt down and falls asleep in the spare room. When she wakes up she decides she doesn’t want to go back to the empty house yet so Harry’s housemates agree she can stay in the spare room temporarily but there will be rules
How will sharing with 3 teenage boys work out especially when one of them is her son ?
Loved it, a definite must read

On the day Kim plans a 50th birthday celebration for her husband, the unthinkable happens – he drops the bombshell that he's leaving her. To make matters worse, he confesses to having an affair with their next-door neighbor for the past year. Kim's world shatters, leaving her utterly lost. In her quest for solace, she accompanies her son Harry to campus as he embarks on his university journey. Encouraged by Harry and his supportive roommates and friends, Kim finds refuge in their company as she navigates the heartbreak and betrayal.

Kim emerges as a truly compelling character, and the narrative deftly unfolds over a concise period following her husband's revelation. I particularly appreciated the ending, which carries a powerful message – it's never too late to rediscover oneself. The author skillfully portrays Kim's healing process, introducing her to diverse individuals and new experiences along the way. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Rounded up to 4 stars.

I've seen this book be advertised somewhere as a romantic comedy. I wouldn't call it a romantic comedy at all. I mean, there is comedy, the book has some laugh out loud moments for sure! But it also has its fair share of heartbreaking moments. I guess I would call it adult contemporary fiction.
The romance is only hinted at but never really comes to fruition. In hindsight, I didn’t really mind that because it would've been rather quick after a marriage of 20 years to dive into a new relationship after only a few weeks or months.

Just don’t be like me. Don’t go into this book thinking it’s a romcom and find out it’s something different.

I really enjoyed the story. I found the premise quite unique, although some parts were quite predictable. The side characters were really lovely and well written (I bet everyone reading this book will fall in love with sweet naïve Sonny).
I loved that we got to see Kim really stand on her own two feet, pick up the pieces and turn her life around with the help of her new found-family! You can’t help but root for Kim!
The book starts really sad and heartbreaking, with Kim finding out that her husband cheated on her, but ends on a really uplifting note.

Thank you HarperCollinsUK HarperFiction, Tracy Bloom and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Tracy has such a vibrant writing style, and I really enjoyed this book. Didn't quite get to the end but will buy and read at some point soon .Will look out for the next!

The writing conveyed a genuine sense of emotion while also delivering an engaging narrative. Thought-provoking instances were skillfully woven into the storyline, and I appreciated accompanying the main character on her journey through some challenging scenarios.

The well-structured chapters, without unnecessary length, contributed to a brisk and dynamic pace in the narrative. This approach ensured that the story maintained a compelling momentum, avoiding lingering on any one aspect for too long. The concise chapters sustained my interest, prompting a continuous and enjoyable reading experience.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I 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 to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is an utterly joyous and laugh out loud read, which will also have the reader cry out loud also. I what world would you celebrate your husband’s birthday with a huge party and the next day be moving into uni digs with your son after finding out your life was not what you thought it would be.

Brilliant characters and so well written, this is a highly recommended book for those who enjoy a romantic comedy and a funny and sad view of modern life.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Id only ever read one Tracy Bloom before this and Id loved that so I really hoped that this one would be the same and it was!

Tracy Bloom is sooo funny and I kept getting asked what I was laughing at by my family! I really didnt want to put this book down and I sped through it much quicker than usual.

Super fun read and I would recommend to all.

Tracy Bloom is a winner when it comes to laugh out loud, relatable comedies. When Kim's husband has an affair with the next door neighbour and she finds out just before her son is due to leave home for university, she finds herself in the unlikely position of flatsharing with three young, male students.

We go with her on her journey as Kim finds herself again, with lots of laughs along the way.

The characters are all fabulously written, and you couldn't help but fall in love with them all a little.

A brilliant light hearted read, easy to pick up and hard to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a unique story of a woman whose son is leaving for uni and her husband leaves her on the same day. Deciding to change her life she moves in with her son and his room mates. Not sure why but you roll with weird things in books sometimes and it turns out to be the best thing she has ever done. It changes her life terjectoruly and takes her on a journey she thought she was too old for.

What do you do when when your husband leaves you for another woman on the same day that your son is leaving for university? That's the situation facing Kim, who decides that the best course of action is to flatshare with her son and his two flatmates.

Not everyone's idea of a great living arrangement, but Kim and son Harry make it work, and it changes Kim's life path for the better.

I really enjoy Tracy Bloom's books, because they feature real woman facing real situations and real struggles. There's no over sugar coating things, which makes the stories and characters really relatable.

I love that there are more women “of a certain age” being represented in novels and I loved the premise in this one, which I thought would be a great subject for a situation comedy. In brief, Kim, our heroine, learns that her husband is leaving her for another woman just as her only son is leaving for university. Unable to face returning to her family home, she stays in the spare room at her son’s house share until she works out what to do next. With a cast of great characters, like Angus and Sonny, this is a funny and heart warming read.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

How could I not love Sonny he was hilarious, and it would be ace if there was a novella or even a sequel dedicated to his story. All the characters were great, though... maybe not Richard, but that's kind of the point, right? lol.

Overall, it is a really easy, relatable read that is full of laughter, too.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this poignant book

harry is about to go to university
his parents are about to split up but only the husband knows it

kims world is about to split apart and all she can think about is getting her son harry to university before she disintergrates


what follows next is a series of blunders that see kim and harry living life off campus and sorting out their lives

its the stuff of dreams with a healthy dose of reality,,, sonny and angus the other students are brilliant characters.. think we all need a sonny in our lives he sounds amazing

i was wondering how this one would end and it doesnt disappoint will be recommending this one to my friends as a must read

I read my first Tracy Bloom novel last year
(The weekend before the wedding) and although very predictable, it was an enjoyable, feel good read.
This is another enjoyable feel good read… perhaps a bit predictable at times too but I loved it nonetheless!! You can’t help but root for Kim in her new chapter of life that the universe threw at her when she least expected it.

This was such a beautifully hilarious book. The characters where heartwarming and intriguing, and I personally loved the storyline. There where plenty of moments which had me choked up, as well as laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. What a beautifully uplifting read.

I just did not know what this book was bringing. And I went blind in reading it. I must say that I highly enjoyed it. The strory, the characters, everything was really good.

4 stars