This was a beautiful read. So well written and Maggie as the main character was fantastic. I’d recommend reading this to anyone.

Cathy Bramley is a go to author for me and this latest book is a beautiful, heartbreaking but uplifting and powerful story of grief and loss. Maggie’s Mums Road Trip in honour of her late daughter Brontë helps her make new friends and reconnect with her past whilst dealing with her loss and learning to live and love again. Beautiful, moving and emotional, a really special book.

A beautiful story of how a mother copes with her grief following her daughter's death. She follows her planned gap ear, giving the reader a travelogue of Nepal, Australia and Bali. Wonderful reading, I couldn't put it down.

Lauren is living in Spain with her son Sam.
Hope is a therapist, happily married with a so Sam but he is missing and police tell her Sam is living in Spain with Lauren, but Lauren can prove Sam is her's and Hope can prove Sam is her's, but who is telling the truth?
It's difficult to find out the truth so it keeps you wondering who is telling the truth so keeps you wondering all the way through, a great read definitely recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

If you’re a fan of Race Across the World this book will tickle your fancy. Be prepared for tears though because this is a story loss, grief and new beginnings. Maggie suffers the indescribable death of her daughter who was just about to go in gap year travels. She copes by driving herself to work harder. Forced to take a break before breaks Maggie takes her daughter’s journal and vows to fulfill Bronte’s dream of travel.
At times funny and also unbearably sad this novel shows a way forward through grief, a way to make a fitting memorial for the life lost. It’s not a task to undertake lightly.

This is a fabulous book. I loved following Maggie on her travels as she tries to find her way again following the sudden death of her beloved daughter.
Emotional and uplifting, I couldn't put it down.
A great summer read. Highly recommended!

As always a absolute stunning book by Cathy! I devoured this in one sitting, there was so many different emotions attached to this one story it had be sobbing and laughing! I absolutely loved following the main character on her mum gap year and felt the places she visited perfectly described, i felt i was there!

A fantastic read. I loved following Maggie on her travels, bringing places to life as she discovers (or rediscovers) the places and herself.

Maggie's daughter Bronte was tragically killed at the young age of twenty-three. Maggie is finding it hard to come to terms with, especially as she didn't want her to give up a new job to go back packing for a year.
Forced to take a sabbatical from her job, Maggie decides to open Bronte's gap year journal and take herself on her travels.
This was quite an emotional read. I did find myself crying at times, so be warned and armed with tissues!
Maggie visits some amazing places. Nepal, where she meets the wonderful Tiff. Then, onto the Blue Mountains of Australia, where she has a little romance and then finally to Bali. The final destination is where she can talk about her grief with the one person who will understand.
Cathy writes with such depth and humanity.
I felt I was on the journey with Maggie. There are definitely some places I want to visit, and you can tell that Cathy has also been here too. Beautiful locations.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book is a truly special read. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions – heart-wrenching, heartwarming, funny, sad, romantic, and exciting – all rolled into one. You won’t want to put it down, let alone finish it. It’s a fabulous journey of self-discovery born from one of the most devastating life events. This book surpassed any reservations or expectations I had and has transcended into one of the best books I’ve read this year. Enjoy it, savour it, and bask in the joy!

Thank you, Netgalley.

I adore Cathy Bradley book, this is not one to disappoint, you just can’t put this down and her writing is always fantastic, immersive and engaging. An emotional read, heartfelt, but also heartwarming, a story about overcoming grief, loss and new beginnings, beautifully done.

This book deals with grief and one mothers struggle with it after losing her 23 year old daughter,

Maggie had brought up Brontë on her own and poured all her love and energy into her. When she is taken away from her in a tragic accident, Maggie is left feeling devastated.

Brontë had planned on taking a gap year to travel with her boyfriend Harry , something her mother was unsure off but now all that’s left is her beautifully illustrated notebook full of her travel plans .

Maggie struggles at work and with an unexpected paid break from work she decides to take the gap year herself , using Bronte’s notebook as her guide.

The story has dual timelines. Present day and 24 years ago when Maggie was working in a turtle sanctuary in Bali, falling for handsome Jackson who was her daughter’s father.

This book explores grief in a very emphatic way. Finding purpose after losing a loved one is difficult and as we travelled with Maggie we could see how she was growing, focusing on celebrating her daughter’s memory. We all struggle with the small stuff and this book made me think of the fragility of life and the importance of taking chances and valuing the important people in my life.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures I really enjoyed this book

The most beautiful story I have read in a long time. This takes you on an emotional rollercoaster as you follow Maggie through her journey. I had tears, laughter and a warm happy feeling at different points and yet never wanted the story to end.

Maggie is devastated when her Daughter dies unexpectedly and decides to go on the gap year travels that her Daughter Brontë had planned. This book takes you on Maggie’s travels along with occasional flashbacks to Maggie’s travels to Bali when she was younger and where she met the love of her life Jackson. The book has some emotional moments but have to admit I did find it hard going occasionally however I think that is because of the subject matter and although I didn’t enjoy this as much as all the other books of Cathy’s I have read it was still a lovely read.

Such a heartwarming and fun book. I've read Cathy Bramley books before and really enjoy her character development. Maggie's daughter Bronte is planning a gap year and dies in an accident. Maggie, distraught and unable to cope, finds her daughter's notebook and plans for her gap year, and decides to follow in her footsteps. The book takes the reader to Nepal, Australia and Bali, and sees Maggie come to term with her grief and get back a piece of herself that has been missing. Although a sad topic, it was a fun and enjoyable read for someone who loves to travel - and hasn't yet made it to Nepal, Australia or Bali, so helped me to dream. Cathy's books are always great escapism and I'd recommend this as a good beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Cathy Bramley and publisher Orion, for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed the story of Maggie and her adventures to honour her daughter Bronte - it's a story of love, loss, grief, acceptance and joy. It has everything!

Trigger warning death of an older child (23) seems ro be a lot of death in books this year 3 book on the trot a 18 to 25 year old has died in it. Nit really what I want to read 900 mles from my own daughter. Not a holiday read if you have children at home. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

I absolutely loved reading this book, I just could not put it down.
The locations are spot on, having visited some f them myself. Memories definitely were brought back in the description of the Everest viewing flight!
Great characters and even though the story was so sad at times, it was heartwarming and positive. Simply wonderful.

An emotional roller coaster of a story dealing with grief and moving on. Heartwarming and sensitively written with believable characters the reader can empathise with. Set in several locations around the world as Maggie, the central character, sets out to travel her deceased daughter's dream. Positive read which flows along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for this ARC.

Magnolia Jones, Maggie for short, is in her mid-forties and lives in a picturesque Cotswolds village. Last year she lost the light of her life, her sparkling 23 year old daughter Brontë in a tragic accident. Brontë had excitedly been planning her gap year with boyfriend Harry, now all that's left of it is her beautifully illustrated notebook with travel itinerary and notes.

Maggie had brought up her daughter alone, and being estranged from her own useless mother, Brontë had been her world. Now she buries herself in her work, trying to get a promotion and impressing boss Anna. However, after an incident with a horrible would-be client, Anna tells her to take a three months paid sabbatical to process her grief.

Suddenly, Maggie has flashbacks to a magical summer in Bali 24 years ago, helping at a turtle sanctuary and falling in love with American guy Jackson, Brontë's father. She decides to follow her daughter's gap year plans detailed in her notebook - but only ever reading about one destination at a time. She starts with Nepal, goes on to Australia where she reconnects with Harry, and finally moves on to Bali - again. What are the chances of Jackson still being around?

Five star reads are like buses - nothing for ages then three come along at once. This is such a fantastic, life-affirming book. I have read Cathy Bramley for years and liked her books but this must be her best yet. The writing is immensely intelligent and grown-up, the grief is sensitively handled and is never maudlin.

Maggie's transformation and healing process including reconciliation with her mother feels natural and organic, and I really loved her mature character. It was heartwarming to see her bonding with people on her travels but also with her daughter's boyfriend Harry, and how she encouraged him to find love again. Her "Mum's Gap Year" letters to her daughter are a heartwarming highlight of the book and rightly struck a cord with women everywhere once social media got involved.

This is very much a story about overcoming grief, finding new purpose and getting a second chance at love through the medium of travel. The three exotic destinations are described with knowledge and warmth, making you want to paint with little kids, work in a winery and rescue turtles yourself. I read this in a day. Highly recommended. Also, I've got the beautiful Keane song "Somewhere Only We Know" stuck in my head now.

"When I see all the stars shining in the sky, I imagine that they are all the people who died and whose love still shines down on the ones they left behind."