You Me Everything

Right from the beginning I knew I’d love this book. Really likeable main characters, an interesting story of a difficult relationship where it takes its time to get to the reasons, in a story that’s easy to follow and enjoy. Tinged with some sadness that really made you want the story to all end with a happy ever after. Would definitely recommend.

You, Me, Everything is a beautiful tear-jerker of a book that breaks you and then puts you back together again. It isn’t just a love story: it asks the philosophical question of ‘what would you do if you were in Jess’ shoes?’. Humour, familiar observations of family life and a wealth of emotion make it a must-read.

I absolutely adored You, Me, Everything by Catherine Issac. What a story and an emotional rollercoaster it is. Based mostly in France is the story of Jess and her son William. Jess’s mother is unwell and Jess promises her that she will go to France to see Williams Dad, Adam - finally to sort out what happened 10 years ago and to perhaps build a relationship between her son and the man she once loved.

The characters are perfect, warming and kind, you can’t help but fall in love with them all. Especially Jess. She’s brave and smart and everything you love in a main character.

This story will leave you wondering and questioning your own life and values and how precious time really is.

Even though death is a natural process it’s always hard when we lose someone close to us, however this book really makes you think hard about your own choices and what if they were taken away from you suddenly and at such a young age, it questions everything your thinking and doing and I know when I finished this book I felt elated and sad all in one. I even sneaked into my sons room, watched him whilst he slept, smelt his hair then hugged him. I did the same to my husband. I needed to and I love that about this book. I love that Catherine wrote a book which leaves you feeling this way. I’m not going to lie it’s a tear jerker and you will need a handful of tissues ready. But honestly it’s a beautifully written novel with a warm and honest storyline that will leave you feeling bittersweet and contented.

Well done Catherine, superb writing and definitely worthy of high praise and outstanding reviews.

I had absolutely no idea when I picked up this book to read how emotional it would be! It is a real tear jerker so you will definitely need plenty of tissues when reading this!

The main character Jess has been through so much and at parts of the book you just think it can't get any worse for her then it does and my heart just went out to her. She is an incredibility strong person that you instantly connect with.

The thing I loved most about this book was that when I was reading it I had no idea how it was going to end, even when I was reading that very last chapter.

An absolutely beautiful and heart warming read!

I can see this being the best book of 2018!

This book was utterly amazing, I requested to read this book after hearing other book bloggers and they’re mixed reviews, mainly good five star ones so I had to read it for myself and I agree with every five star rating, it was beautiful. This book is full of emotion, one minute your laughing the next the tears are rolling it’s full of cringe worthy moments from beginning to end but definitely worth reading.
You,Me,Everything follows the story of Jess, mother to William on her trip to France to visit Adam, Williams father, when she first arrives it’s clear to see there is a lot of unfinished business between Adam and Jess, both good and bad and still a lot of feelings from both parties. Jess has a lot to tell Adam but is struggling to find the words and is also fighting a hidden battle whilst being in turmoil over her mothers fight against Huntington’s disease,
This book explains parts of the condition and it is really difficult not to feel the utter emotion from the family as they watch her Mam go through her battle, Can adam step up and be the man Jess needs now more than ever

A lovely tearful at times story, great flow and brilliant likeable characters

I loved this book, it made me laugh out loud, but also moved me to tears. It is beautifully written and the characters are so well drawn, I would highly recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this book!! It really pulls on your heart strings and deals with a very difficult subject if a debilitating illness very sensitivity.

Jess the main character is a very strong woman. She has a young son William who she takes to France to meet his dad Adam who has not been part of their lives for most of Williams life.

As the story unfolds the true reason for their trip unfolds. I was willing jess along throughout the book, which has many twists and turns. Family relationships, love, separation. Illness and friendships are all explored beautifully.

I particularly loved the ending and would recommend this book without hesitation.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this brilliant book for an honest review .

A very emotional read, but also funny sections which lightened the mood.
The story of single parent Jess is spending the summer in France with her ex, so that her son gets the chance to spend time with him. As the story unfolds she realises there is more to her ex than meets the eye, but is it too late for them?

I loved this book, intelligent, emotional, well researched and a total page turner. I really understood and believed in the characters. Highly recommended.

You, Me, Everything by Catherine Isaac is a story about family and relationships. Jess is trying to cope with being a single mum to her ten year old son. She is also trying to cope with the fact that her mother is suffering from Huntington disease. Jess takes her son on holiday to France so that he can spend some time getting to know his father. This trip will be a learning curve for everyone. I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m confused why Jane Costello used a different name as the author of this book, especially when the first page shows her real name as the author under the copyright. On researching the two names, Jane then has a blog page explaining the reason behind the name change. I understand the logic of this, but if it was kept a secret then that would make sense. To openly explain, so that everyone knows it’s the same person, surely defeats the objective of the new name?
However, I did enjoy the book and the rekindling of an old romance was quite lovely, but I found the descriptive nature of the mother’s illness quite upsetting (hence the 4 stars instead of 5).

A book full of emotion. Here are sympathetically drawn, realistic characters in realistic situations, albeit in the beautiful setting of the Dordogne.
It is easy to warm to Jess and empathise with her problems, not least her feckless ex husband. And things definitely get worse!
A good beach read.

An amazing read! I loved this book from beginning to end. The characters come alive on the page and you forget that you are reading a novel. Isaac transports you to a luxury hotel in rural France that would be right at home on the web pages of Mr & Mrs Smith.

As the story unfolds you follow Jess on a rollercoaster of emotions as she carries through the promise she has made to her ill Mum that she will try to rebuild the relationship between her distant ex Adam for the sake of their 10 year old son William.

This book is beautifully written and the story tackles some tough issues which make you question exactly what you would do if you were in Jess's shoes. I enjoyed this book so much and will be recommending it to everyone once it is published!! Congratulations Catherine Isaac on an absolutely superb book!!

After so many, brilliant but disturbing thrillers, it was an absolute breath of fresh air to read something lighter. This book is anything but dull though and definitely not your average love story. Each character radiates with charm, and the affection between daughter and parents and mother and son shines through despite being faced with a number of traumatic times. A fantastic read offering both fuzzy heart and watery eye moments.

This book is at times very funny and at other times very sad and moving. There is no easy way to live with a disease that is incurable and that is terminal.. When the disease can be passed on from the mother to the daughter and possibly her son, it is overwhelmingly sad.
How do you live your life as a single parent having been tested and now know that you have inherited the Huntington gene and that your young son could also carry that gene but he can’t find out until he is 18.
Her mother suggests that Jess should contact Adam, William’s father who now lives in France and the summer is then time for them all to spend time together, with Jess’s two female friends joining them throughout the summer holidays.
I would highly recommend this book.

The books focus is on Jess, a single mother who has raised her son, William singlehandedly with some support from her mum & dad. William has had little contact with his father over the years but Jess is pushed into spending the summer with Adam, Williams’ father at his holiday chateau complex in France by her mother.

The book has humour as well as a deeply moving and important storyline, which portrays things very well. I must praise the author on such a good book, that also raises awareness.

I will admit that I wasn’t gripped by the book where I felt that I couldn’t stop reading as I needed to find out what happened, but it was well written in such a way that I found myself sitting down and reading several chapters very quickly whilst still taking in the story, in what felt like no time at all.

It has a good storyline and it was nice to read a well written ‘chick flick’ novel as I call them, with a great balance of sadness, happiness & humour.

Absolutely Loved this book. Loved the story and characters. Made you think about life and how things can change. Live life to the full is how I feel after reading this book. You never know what can happen. Thank u so much for letting me review this book through Netgalley.

A lovely book which tells a heart breaking story about family life. Very easy to read, takes it's time to unfold the details of the story and therefore keeps you gripped. Would definitely recommend!!

The review

It’s been a while since I’ve read a gripping real-life fiction novel, but this is it. It had me right from the get-go. The opening chapter is masterfully written, giving us an insight into the nature of three pivotal characters within the book: Jess, our protagonist and young mother of William, Adam, William’s useless and selfish father, and Jess’s mother, who Jess really couldn’t do without.

She couldn’t do without her because we meet Jess in the hospital, at 23 years old, giving birth to her accidental first child, with Adam nowhere in sight. She reluctantly asks her mother to come to the hospital, to find out she has actually been in the car park for hours just waiting for the call. Of course Adam shows up eventually, but covered in another woman’s lipstick.

Fast forward 10 years and Jess is living alone with William, having separated from Adam shortly after the birth. The summer has arrived but Jess is dreading it, as she is spending 6 weeks in France, with Adam, where he has renovated an old villa into a holiday complex. She’d clearly rather stick pins in her eyes, but William needs to know his father.

At this point it may seem like a fairly ‘standard’ story, detailing the trials and tribulations of an unconventional romance. And there is all the drama one would expect from that type of story. But Isaac gives us something extra. She throws in an illness and a misunderstanding which have life-changing consequences for everybody in this story.

This book deals with some very challenging topics in such a delicate, kind and human way that it almost feels that anything is possible. This book gives you hope. For yourself, for your family, for anyone you’ve known. Human beings are incredible people who can overcome so much.

This novel is a great advert for introspection. Realising what you believe about others can help so much in difficult situations. Your true feelings are so often hidden behind habitual emotions you’ve spent so long absorbed in, you convince yourself they’re unabating.

You, Me, Everything is a celebration of self, and I loved reading it.

You, Me, Everything will be published on 18 April 2018 and is available for pre-order now.

You can contact Catherine Isaac on her website and on twitter.

A book filled with friendships, family, love and loss. Written in a captivating and emotional way. You will laugh, smile and the tears will roll. Spectacular story with characters and locations you will love.

The story covers a currently incurable disease, that will break your heart. But will, if you don’t already, live your life to the fullest everyday.

This without a doubt lends itself to a sequel......

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. A no 1 best seller has been written.

Thank you for providing me with this book.

I really enjoyed this story. From the moment I started reading I thought this would become a very interesting and thoughtful story. I was right. There is so much love and life written into the story.
Besides, the story is funny, romantic but also tragic and sad. The author did a very well job by putting those elemens correctly into the story. My heart aches for Adam and Laura. The ending was perfect. Although I do quite wonder what would happen if Laura develops the disease and how their lives are turning out.

There are some life perspectives written in the story which are beautifully. The whole story fits altogether.

Absolutely loved this book and was hooked from the start. It has real depth whilst also being a nice change from all those psych thrillers. It is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster but the characters are so relatable and there is a lovely humour throughout. Highly recommended and can't wait to see what's next from Catherine Isaac!

A great book, a very emotional plot with strong characters. It had me hooked from the first page. Really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Catherine Issac for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.