Linda Standish works for the council's unclaimed heirs unit, helping to track down the relatives of people who have died alone. As she approaches retirement she has one final case to solve, that of Levi Norman. Levi was a Welshman who spent his final years on a remote Scottish island, keeping to himself. It's up to Linda to travel to his home and bring him back to the mainland, hoping to find some clues to his relatives in the process.

I was a bit slow getting in to reading this one. At first I thought there was something about the writing style that wasn't gelling with me, but I think it was actually more because I found Linda frustrating. At the start of the book we learn a lot about her strained relationship with her son's ex, and there was a lot about how Linda handled this that I found incredibly annoying.

Once the story really got going and Linda travelled to the island I started enjoying the book much more. Levi and his story was a touching (and heartbreaking) story to read too. Levi was such a kind soul, it was incredibly sad thinking about how his life played out.

I particularly enjoyed the friendship and banter that built up between Linda and Fergus Murray. I had a good chuckle at the perpetual use of full names - there's a couple of people in my social circle that always get called by their full names and nobody really understands why, but we all do it.

This is the first book I've read by Ruth Jones, but I'll definitely be looking into her other works. Although there was a melancholy undertone to this, the overarching feeling from the story is one of acceptance and second chances.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Transworld Publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve read a book by Ruth Jones. I’m aware I can be a bit snooty about celebrities who decide they can also write books. But in Ruth’s case, I’m delighted to find out that she absolutely can write amazing novels that draw you in and hold you tight. And now I’m in for a real treat as I’ll get to read all her previous books.
By Your Side tells the story of two unconnected people whose stories overlap through unusual circumstances.
In her role at the council’s Unclaimed Heirs Unit, Linda Standish investigates the lives of those who’ve died alone and tracks down any living relatives. Before she retires, Linda takes on one last case – that of Levi Norman – a Welshman who made his home on a remote Scottish island for the past five years. Travelling with her arch nemesis Fergus Murray, and helped by a cast of eccentric local residents, Linda searches for clues to a lost life. And in the process, unexpectedly makes new friends, and discovers things about herself she never knew.
Just at the point we feel sadness at the way grief, or bad decisions can shape an entire life, Ruth reminds us that kindness, understanding and love can exist alongside the despair. Ruth writes with real warmth and affection for her characters and I completely lost my heart to the people she created as they seek in their own ways to cope with loss and the tragedies that life has thrown at them.
This life-affirming story of unlikely connections is part amateur detective, and part romance, but all heart, and I was swept up in this humorous, clever and observational novel.
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC

I’m such a huge fan of Ruth, not just because she’s a fellow welshie! and receiving this book as an arc was such a privilege.

I love Ruth’s writing and this book is no exception. Every now and then I find a read that really hits me with the “life is short” feels and this was it.
So beautifully written and really had me in deep thought.
The story was heartbreaking but also heartwarming with just the right amount of funny that Ruth is so great at.

Such a feel good read!!
5⭐️

'Doesn't everyone deserve a farewell? Even if there's only one person there to say goodbye'?

Linda will miss her job at the Unclaimed Heirs Department. She has just one last case (on an island in the Outer Hebrides if you can believe it) before takes an early retirement. To be honest, for her, the job was more than just shuffling paperwork, she enjoyed piecing together disparate clues in order to give people a personalised send-off, an acknowledgement of their lives, with love. Levi Norman, her last case though is puzzling, he was clearly loved by his wife and daughter and had remained close to his daughter until relatively recently. Why then, did he pass away so far from home, and alone?

'By Your Side' is told from two alternating POVs, Linda's and Levi's. As Linda uncovers more of Levi's story, she learns how not facing difficulties in your life- hiding from them, burying them - can have dire consequences and maybe it's time for her to make some real changes.

This story is so heartwarming and ticks so many boxes: small-town cosiness, amateur sleuthing, romance, and life-affirming. I'm sure many readers, regardless of what your mainstay genres are, will enjoy this story.

'Thing is, we're none of us ever truly, completely ourselves with anyone. Nobody knows our deepest, darkest secrets or who we really are'.

4.5

Oh, Ruth Jones, that wasn't fair. You made me cry. What a truly lovely story.

By Your Side is split onto two narratives. The first is the story of Levi Norman, a solitary man living on the tiny island of Storrich. Levi is an annual visitor to the local pub where every year he raises a glass then leaves again. This year is his last visit.

The story of how he ended up on Storrich has to be discovered by Linda Standish who works in the Unclaimed Heirs department at the Council. She's the woman who arranges a funeral and tracks down survivors when someone dies seemingly without a family to make the arrangements.

The two stories run side by side as we discover Levi's difficult past and Linda's interesting present. Both are people with secrets that have changed their lives. Can their coming together at this time mean that a brighter future is in store for Levi's family and Linda's future?

I read and enjoyed Ruth Jones first novel but, for some reason, haven't read any others until now. I think I enjoyed By Your Side even more. Ruth is such a talented writer who has spent years honing her skill. She has a knack for writing wonderfully engaging and sympathetic characters whilst not ignoring their obvious flaws.

I loved Levi and Linda. Their stories made me cry and laugh. Linda is as feisty as Levi is calm. The story of Linda's involvement in solving the mystery of Levi is beautifully done. I enjoyed every part of this novel. Ruth Jones is one of the very few writers whose love scenes don't give me the ick. She writes so sensitively. Can you tell I'm a huge fan. Even more so after reading this. I'm going to go back and read the ones I've missed and I'll look forward to what comes next.

Highly recommended.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House for the advance review copy.

Fans of Ruth Jones's books will love this one!

Linda Standish works in the council’s Unclaimed Heirs Unit reuniting families when someone dies alone and intestate.

Her last case before she heads off into retirement – that of Levi Norman – takes her to a remote Scottish island to start to track down Levi's remaining relatives . . .

She'll meet some characters along the way, making new friends, and discovering things about herself she never knew.

Full of heart and humour and celebrating love, friendship, and community this is a true delight and I defy anyone not to have a tear in their eye at the end.

Linda Standish works at the council’s Unclaimed Heirs Unit. But she is no longer needed. No longer needed at work and her son and grandson are moving out and she is feeling very redundant.
She is given one more case on Storrich a remote Scottish island travelling with the local undertaker who she has known since school.
The deceased, Levi Norman has been a recluse and Linda needs to search for clues amongst his possessions. whilst doing so can she find a purpose for her life.?

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I always enjoy Ruth Jones' writing. This latest book is no exception. Mostly told by Linda, a mature women being tasked with helping find heirs for people who've died alone. She sets off with a local undertaker to a remote Scottish island to find out more about Levi Norman. A loner with no apparent family. This is going to be her last big case before early retirement. The story covers the good and bad times in life, the losses in life, the family disputes, hidden secrets etc. Linda is a delightful character who grows on you as you learn more about her. The other characters are equally well written and it is easy to see how small decisions in life can have huge consequences on the future affecting others.
A highly recommended book.

I've always thought Ruth was a very funny lady, but I've not actually read any of her books before. When I read the premise of this on Netgalley, I really liked the idea so requested and I was very pleased to get the approval.

The book focuses on Linda, who works for her local council and is tasked with trying to find relatives of people who passed away without any known family. It introduces us to Levi, who dies alone on a remote Scottish island, a virtual recluse. Linda is tasked with visiting the island to inspect Levi's property for clues. The story jumps between a young Levi's side of the story and the information Linda unearths. We also learn a lot about Linda and her life up to now too.

I'm so glad I asked for this. It is funny, but poignant too, Linda is a really likeable character. She has some historic personal issues she has not addressed and therefore suffers as a result, but she's warm, kind and very funny. I love her banter and quick wit and the way she interacts with people. Levi was likeable too, but a troubled sole. His story is tragic and it tugs at the heartstrings. I'll say no more at the risk of spoiling, but tissues may be required. The small island characters are fabulous. They jump from the page, larger than life.

I'm definitely going to be reading Ruth's other books moving forward. Sometimes celebrity novels are not always brilliant, or it is clear that they've not actually written themselves. But Ruth's talent for writing emotional and witty scripts is evident throughout the book and I'm really looking forward to reading something else of hers. Thank you so much to Bantam for my early copy.

A really lovely, gentle meander through the life of Linda. We share her life, her love, her losses and everything in between . Written with a generous helping of humour and irony, the story links two times lines perfectly. Thoroughly recommended.

I can’t begin to say how much I enjoyed this book. It’s the first Ruth Jones book I have read but it won’t be the last. Beautifully written with heart and soul. Highly recommended.

📖Book Review 📖

Linda works for her local council in the Unclaimed Heirs Unit and is reluctantly taking early retirement from a job she loves. Her last case is to find any living relatives of a reclusive man Levi Norman, who lived in a remote Scottish village and kept himself to himself.

This story is told through dual POV’s and timelines and is a heartwarming tale of love, loss and forgiveness. The characters are so relatable and feel like real people, so much so that their stories will stay with me for a while. This is a real heart warmer ❤️ and full of humour and empathy. A lovely book to read.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

Book released on 22nd May2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Linda works for the local council, and she helps settles the final affairs for the deceased and have no family that can help. Linda is on the cusp of retirement, and she has a final case that takes her top a remote island to finalise the affairs for Levi Norman, a seemingly quiet man who lives alone with no one in the world. Linda takes local funeral director and old school friend, Fergus, with her. Fergus is not Linda's cup of tea, but she's determined to get this case closed.

Ruth Jones is one of my favourite writers. Every time I open one of her books I know I am just going to love the story and the characters. And this one was no different. Every character is perfectly written, and I loved the character of Linda. Ruth tackles sensitive subjects extremely well, and before you know it your spirits are being lifted and there's happiness within the pages again. Ruth tackles subjects in this book such as death, estranged families, child death, terminal illness, and infidelity. And Ruth never fails to take such subjects and deal with them in the best way possible, that hits your feelers, but then she's turning that coin and making you laugh. I really loved this story, and cant wait to see who and what Ruth comes up with next.

This book starts with the character of Linda. She works at her local Unclaimed Heirs Unit in Scotland. We discover early on that she’s going to be retiring but she ends up with one last case to deal with. Levi, who lived alone on a remote Scottish island, sadly passes away and Linda is tasked with finding out more about him and his life. What she discovers (and what we discover as we are drip fed Levi’s story through his voice and a few of the other main characters) is remarkable. And in journeying to the island on which he lived, Linda finds new friends and new possibilities for her own life.

I really loved this book. I enjoyed “Love Untold,” as well but I feel this book raises the bar. The characters are wonderfully written and I felt really engaged, particularly with Levi’s half of the story. And while lots of the book is heartbreakingly sad, there are great moments of humour that made me laugh out loud. I would definitely recommend this book to others - it is cosy, funny, emotional and even gripping in the way that you are both desperate to reach and dreading the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

My first book by Ruth Jones and won't be my last. A surprisingly gentle tale of love, loss and life, told with humour without being slapstick.

I really loved reading this book. The characters are fantastic and relatable. It had some great moments but has us going through the emotions of life, love and loss. I really feel Ruth has written a brilliant book. It’s my first time reading one by Ruth and it won’t be my last

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down, I was so invested in the storyline. The characters are really well written and there are some really important messages that are dealt with really carefully and subtly but also very head on.

The book evoked the full range of emotions for me, at times I felt frustrated and angry, I cried at points and laughed at even more points. It’s very skilfully written.

The type of reader that I am, I would’ve loved for there to have been more closure at the end for some of the characters, but I know it was intentionally written this way. There are a lot of characters to meet and so I would’ve loved for the ending to have covered more of them in a more detailed way. I also struggled with some of the jumps in timeline, where there is a jump of months it would’ve been helpful to have seen this pulled out rather than a date where I’ve often forgotten the last date that was mentioned.

This was my first book by this author and I’ll absolutely be going to buy more of their books as this was the perfect easy read that keeps you engaged in a warm and cosy storyline.

Just gorgeous. A wonderful story about life, love and loss. Told with great humour (no surprise!) and emotion. I loved Linda and her story. Highly recommended.

Ruth Jones has done it again, an absolute smasher.
I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!! I loved the way it was written with us reading about past and present. Linda was such a joy, you can’t not warm to her and Levi’s backstory was heart aching!

Ad I got near to the end, I did find myself getting irritated by Levi’s actions but gosh did I sob at Rachel’s chapter…. It all comes together but it’s an emotional ride!

3.5⭐️
I enjoyed this but it wasn’t what I was expecting and the problem is the level of my expectations. All of the previous books from this author have had an element of snark, and some wonderfully unlikeable characters but this wasn’t like that. It was bittersweet and charming, the characters were all broken but in a way that inspired sympathy and self reflection.
It was a nice story and it was well written but I missed the biting originality of previous books.