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.

Ruth Jones has such a brilliant gift for storytelling – whether through her novels or her TV scripts, she just gets people.

Her characters are real, relatable, and packed full of emotion, humour, and heart. By Your Side is no exception.

In this book, we meet Linda Standish, who works in the council’s Unclaimed Heirs department.

Facing the prospect of early retirement, she’s handed one last case: Levi Norman, an elderly Welshman who passed away alone on a remote Scottish island. Why was he living there? What was his story? And did he leave behind any family?

What follows is a beautifully written dual-timeline novel.

We follow Linda’s present-day journey as she travels to the Isle of Storrich (by hearse, no less, with the wonderfully dry funeral director Fergus Murray in tow), and also Levi’s past, where we uncover the choices and heartache that led him to such isolation.

Linda is a fantastic character – full of wit, self-deprecating humour, and quiet strength.

Her banter with Fergus had me laughing out loud, and her growing bond with Brodie McLeod, the island’s pub landlord, adds a lovely romantic thread.

There’s also a quiet poignancy to her own situation, with her family moving away and her identity as a mother and grandmother shifting. It’s a subtle but powerful story of self-discovery.

Levi’s story, on the other hand, almost broke me.

We see him as a young man navigating love, loss, and life-changing decisions – many made out of fear, love, and the desperate desire to protect.

His journey is deeply emotional, and the way Ruth Jones writes his life is so raw and tender that I found myself holding back tears.

This novel explores big themes – grief, regret, identity, love, and belonging – but always with compassion and grace.

Despite the emotional depth, there’s also so much light and humour. Linda’s voice is warm and witty, and her commentary throughout the story had me smiling constantly.

Ruth Jones has written something really special here. The characters felt real, the plot was clever and touching, and I was completely hooked from start to finish. It’s one of those rare books that stays with you long after the final page.

A heart-warming, heart-breaking, and heart-full read.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This gorgeous book is the newest from Ruth Jones and is hands down one of my fave books this year.

Linda Standish works for the Unclaimed Heirs Unit at the local council; responsible for handling the end of life arrangements of those who have no known family. Her final case before retirement sees her trundling off to a remote Scottish island in a hearse to try to organise the last arrangements for one Levi Norman, an elderly man who had lived on the island in solitude for the last 5 years. As Linda digs into Levi’s past, it just results in more and more questions that she’s desperate to unravel.

This book was incredibly heart warming, utterly charming, and beautifully down to earth. I felt such a connection to the characters in this story, and loved finding out more about them as the book flashes back to different points in time. This was truly an enchanting read and one I’ll be recommending to everyone I know! Ruth Jones really has a gift for creating relatable and realistic characters, and I’m desperate to pick up some other works by this author!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I absolutely love Ruth Jones and was so excited to read her new novel. What an absolute cracker of a book! I absolutely loved this story so much! Her writing is so easy to read and I was totally hooked from the first page. Brilliant characters, intriguing plot and both extremely funny and beautifully sad at the same time. I loved the dual timeline aspect, it fit so perfectly with the narrative. I cried so much reading this book and I didn’t want it to end. I cannot express how much I adored this story!! Definitely one of my favourite books this year. I cannot wait for her next book! 5 massive stars 🌟

I just have to get my one gripe out of the way first. And that's about the editing. A tiny tiny bit of research will reveal that the hospital in Inverness is not called Inverness Infirmary but Raigmore Hospital, universally known simply as Raigmore. That little thing had me on tenterhooks as I read the book and waited to feel let down again by a book set in the north west of Scotland. Fortunately the rest of the factual editing was fine!

So, By Your Side by Ruth Jones... I was surprised and delighted by how quickly and thoroughly I was engrossed. I loved the character of Linda and her job, dealing with the funerals of those without a next-of-kin. I'd love that job with its mixture of research, detection and people. We get a bit of Linda's background but then we're thrown into what is going to be her last job. And it takes her to a fictional Hebridean island in the company of her sometime school-fellow Fergus Murray, the local undertaker. There. she searches Levi Norman's house for clues to his life. And the book then spirals back to give us his story. The two strands are beautifully woven together and I could hardly put the book down. Beautiful writing, humour, pathos and a wonderful array of characters.

Ruth Jones is so adept at getting to the very root of a character and bringing them to life through a relatability which is always skillfully written. I loved the bleak and blustery outer Hebredian island where Linda’s job took her, and I loved the job itself - I would be quite happy if I had Linda’s life when I’m in my late 50s, to be honest.

Put simply this is a beautiful book and I adored it. The current day story of unexpected love, the past story of unexpected love and all the sadness and grief in between. It’s touching, funny, heartbreakingly sad and just so so so human. Ruth Jones really knows people and she writes so convincingly and believably and I think that’s what make its so compelling and touching. I have to read all of her works now because I want to live this all over again.

how does she do it? someone tell me how one woman has so much talent within her very bones. because she can do no wrong in the creative steaks. when i heard she was writing books i never in my wildest dream thought she could gives us the gems she has. and seeing this one move right on up there to my faves list i couldnt be in more awe of this Ruth's talents. just wow.
this book was too hard to read and too hard to put down and too hard not to love with all my aching heart. the subjects arent easy throughout. and at points you might want to have a little cry. but youll be ok. because Ruth makes it ok as her depth and warmth of writing is just stunning.
Ruth knows how to write stories. and she knows how to write characters. but we all know that.
in this book we meet Linda. shes spent her whole working life in the unclaimed Heirs department. ive seen a few programmes on this work and its so interesting. shes is at the point of retirement but she has one last case to fulfil. that of Levi Norman a Welshman who has been living all on his own on a remote Scottish Island before he died. its Linda's job to now find his relatives.
but what was Levis story. and why did he end up all alone?
Linda's last job starts on an already weird level when she has to travel across to the island in a hearse with the funeral director. she isnt all too happy about being in this car with Fergus Murray, not a great looking start to her journey there.
what i loved about this book is a how we do get to then find out Levis story as its done in a dual timeline. so we are following Linda in the now but also taken back to the past to read Levis story.
both stories are as adorable and gorgeous as the other and you want to follow and learn of both their lives.
we follow Linda's quest for the relatives but also her quest for herself.
and for Levi we follow him from a young man. and his story did grasp hold of my heart. and i was so upset for him at times especially thinking he ended it all somehow alone, and why?
this book is a must read for all and everyone. its just a brilliant book by a brilliant author. i hope she knows how privileged we all feel to have her words and work in our lives.

Funny, heartbreaking, life and death, how many emotions can you write into one story?
Different versions of life and love, from different people over a generation.
Have never really considered the back story uncovered by someone's death, but this story makes you look at death in a different way.
Love Ruth Jones storytelling ability. Another hit

By Your Side is one of the most captivating books I have read in 2025 and Ruth Jones has such an easy flowing writing style that whisks you away into the lives in the current day of loveable Linda and in the past the adorable and gentlemanly Levi.

The book is centred around death however it has a wonderful balance of emotion and humour so this was actually a heartwarming read rather than all doom and gloom.

I haven’t read a book like this before and Linda has a job I haven’t come across before in books where she has to find out information about people who have died that appear to have no heirs as is the case with Levi who has passed away and as she begins to work her way through his home looking for clues to point her in the direction of any loved ones he may have or have had we then switch to Levi’s life and uncover heartbreaking secrets and also get to know this beautiful man who may have done wrong but only from a place of love.

Usually I am not a fan of dual time frame and I find myself leaning more towards one story desperate to get back to that particular one however, with this book I was equally invested in both Levi and Linda’s storylines and they really were skilfully weaved together so well that I felt that we was getting to spend enough time with both to really feel like I was getting to know both characters so well.

This storyline really does make you question your morals, your rights and wrongs and see that sometimes things are not always clear cut and wrong decisions are made from a place of love and protection even if it will look to others as harmful and selfish.

I love how tender and intriguing the author made Levi’s chapters feel but then flipped to Linda and managed to bring more dry humour to the storyline it really helped to keep this book and the character engaging and intriguing I really struggled to put this book down it was a pure joy to read.

I can not recommend this book enough and we are now into May and this is my first 5 star read of the year. Levi really did touch my heart and I think that at the end of the year when I come to do my yearly wrap up he will still be in my mind then and this book I wouldn’t be surprised would be on my top 10 list.