Something to Live For

Something To Live For is utterly charming and life-affirming - an essential read for anyone who’s ever been held back by loss and who needs a reason to believe in the possibility of a future.

This book! Reading and reviewing it January makes the phrase 'one of the best I've read this year' sound slightly underwhelming - but I have no doubt whatsoever that I will stand by that opinion on 31 December. Such a clever idea (and which of us has not told a white lie under pressure?), so funny (the interview scene...perfect!) but incredibly poignant too. I've recommended to everyone (and no doubt I will still be doing that in December too). Loved, loved it

A beautiful book that I adored. Funny in places and heartbreakingly sad in others. Lovely characters and overall a lovely story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book, great story, lovely characters. It taught me a few facts about paupers funerals too. I will be recommending it to friends.

Andrew lives alone, mostly estranged from his sister, with only a few friends through a model railway forum. But his colleagues think he's married with two children, and he doesn't know how to break through the lies he's told. His job is for the local council helping to arrange funerals for those who have died alone, part of it is trying to find out if they have any family who might be able to help - and he's starting to wonder if that's what will happen to him in a few years time. Until Peggy joins the team. Their burgeoning friendship starts to bring him out of his shell and into reality, via some horrendous dinner parties with colleagues, and virtual friends becoming real.

There are some nicely observed funny moments, and real tragedy behind Andrew's retreat from the world. The story is in a similar vein to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - and whilst I loved that and very much enjoyed this, I do hope we aren't going to have a rush of copycat books! I can recommend this one highly though, it's a good story, very believable and with real knowledge of what a pauper's funeral involves. Lots to think about!

I adored this. This is just what fans of Eleanor Oliphant have been waiting for.... heartwarming, uplifting, poignant, authentic and wise. Andrew is in his 40s with no real friends to speak of bar a few fellow model railway enthusiasts that he talks to online, a job with the council sorting through the homes of recently deceased who have no known next of kin..... and the small matter of a non existent wife and children who he made up in an awkward situation in a job interview.....
when his boss decides he wants to get to know his team better and suggests each person hosting a dinner party at their home Andrews white life is in danger of being uncovered and jeopardising all he has....
This has true multi generational appeal. So good. Read it!

I really enjoyed this book. It is funny and heartbreaking. It is amazing how a lie can spiral into many more. I liked the characters and the plot. A topic that should be sad was tackled with empathy and was told in a heart warming way.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is an unusual read for me and I absolutely loved it. The pace wouldn’t be my usual preference but I ended up actually really enjoying the change. Touching, dramatic and really well written. Loved this.

Funny, beautiful, sad and moving. It is especially good on loneliness, and how much we need each other.

Andrew lives an insular life and mainly interacts with his friends online who he has found through his love of trains. Throughout this book you are trying to piece together why Andrew has created a fictional family and gone to such lengths to maintain the pretence.

Andrew works for the council in a role that I had never even stop to consider and whilst reading this book it made me reflect on people who live alone and hoping that someone kind hearted like Andrew does exist for ensuring they receive the send off they deserve.

Andrew is a really complex character and I really enjoyed this brilliant and memorable book, it is heartwarming whilst heartbreaking and it makes you reflect and fall in love with Andrew.

Andrew’s job is visiting the homes of those who die alone and unclaimed, to try - by means of a little detective work - to find their relatives or friends.
Andrew himself is an introvert with a penchant for model trains who also finds himself drawn into the invention of a make-believe family, to fit in at work.
So what happens when down-to-earth Peggy starts working alongside him and Andrew’s carefully invented persona starts to unravel?
This charming novel has more than a touch of the Elinor Oliphant about it. Andrew is a quirky character with a hidden past redeemed by his friendship with Peggy.
I found it very lovely and a joy to read. The characters are sympathetically drawn and you find yourself rooting for Andrew.
Thoroughly recommended.

What an excellent book! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Andrew has become increasingly isolated from society, while painting a very different picture to his workmates. As we find out what has happened to him over the years, we realise why he has become so withdrawn. His new workmate Peggy however, brings a breath of fresh air into his and becomes a good friend. Perhaps it is time for him to face up to reality and start living life?
This book is very funny in places, and also very poignant, heartbreakingly so at times. It is wonderfully written and I would certainly recommend it.

I want to start my review off by saying that I was extremely intrigued by the premise of this story and where the idea for it came from.

Andrew works for the council, in the department that the coroner would phone if a body came in with no obvious immediate family. Andrew would then go to the deceased’s home (where they made have been dead for a while) and will look through their personal items in the hope that there may be some indication of family or close friends (Christmas cards, birthday cards, letters, etc.), for a will and/or money (under the mattress, in pans, etc.) in order to pay for a funeral.

In some cases, the deceased will not have any of these things and therefore the council pays for a funeral (up to £1000 – the average funeral costing around £4000) in which there is an unmarked grave and no body turns up to say goodbye to this person. Andrew makes a conscious effort to turn up to these funerals to make sure that despite dying alone, this person isn’t then buried with no one to say goodbye.

I think this side of Andrew is such a lovely side to him and I was constantly saying to myself “bless his heart, that’s such a beautiful thing to do”. However, I also found myself a little frustrated with Andrew.

He has ended up in this huge lie with his work friend about having the perfect wife and 2 kids at home. I don’t want to spoil how this lie came about and why but I did get frustrated with him, until I understood fully what was going on.

There were several twists I didn’t see coming in this, although some other may do. However, they were good twists that were vital to the story and really helped bring everything together in the end.

I think my favourite character through the whole story was Peggy, I really related to her as a person and I think she brought some well needed and fantastically received comedy to what could have been quite a depressing story (which is obviously the point in her presence).

I loved Richard Roper’s writing style and I will absolutely keep my eyes open for his future work.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. Couldn’t fault it.

Ah this book is just wonderful!!!!
If it’s possible to have a male equivalent of Eleanor Oliphant then Andrew is him - witty, likeable and so quintessentially British!
This book is beautifully written.
I love the quirkiness of it, everything from Andrew’s unusual but fascinating job (it had never occurred to me before that this job is an actual thing, but in hindsight, of course it is!) to his escalation of small white lies.
He is a great character and I could see a series being created around him.
A literary triumph!

I absolutely loved this charming, heartwarming gem of a novel. I found Andrew not only likeable but so relatable, and I found I was really rooting for him throughout the story. I also adored Peggy, who is perhaps unconventional but in the best possible way. I always think a mark of success is when the reader falls in love with the love interest right alongside the protagonist, and I absolutely did.

Something to Live For is a book about loneliness, but it's also about the importance of friendship, community and venturing outside your comfort zone. Uplifting and remarkably well-observed, this was a joy to read.

Love love loved this book! It kind of reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (Gail Honeyman), but with a male protagonist instead, which was fab. I think I found a new favourite genre! Andrew was a likeable, quirky character who I found myself rooting for almost instantly, and members of the 'supporting cast were equally as interesting and fleshed out. For some reason, one of the most engaging parts of the novel for me was Andrew's job: going into homes of deceased people and trying to find who their next of kin were/ if there were any. I don't know why, but I found it absolutely facinating, and it definitely added another layer to the already well-woven and intricate plot, as did the addition of Andrew's model train hobby. Highly recommended for those looking for a heart-warming read which deals sensitively with some serious subjects.

Something to Live For is the story of council worker Andrew. Andrew works in a department whose job it is to follow up deaths when people have died alone and don't seem to have any next-of-kin. He has the unenviable task of inspecting the properties of the deceased, which are often in the most foul condition, to sift through paperwork trying to find a hint of a relative or any evidence of money which can be used to pay for a funeral. The thing is, Andrew is more than a little worried that he may end up just like those people whose lives and deaths he investigates.

Andrew is such a wonderful character. For all he seems to dislike his job at times and especially some of his colleagues, you can sense decency and dedication within him. How often do we hear in the media the story of some old person, often an ex-serviceman, who has died alone and there is an appeal put out for people to attend their funerals? Andrew's conscience just won't let that happen for the people he investigates and although it's not strictly part of his job, he goes to the funerals to show respect for the dead. And yet we see his own loneliness when he goes home at night to his flat and his model railways. Andrew's home life is not what he has led his colleagues to believe and he doesn't know how he can ever tell them.

"Have you ever told a lie so big that you felt there was no way out of it... that you... that you had to just carry on pretending?"

Like a breath of fresh air, new colleague Peggy comes breezing into the office and quickly forms a bond with Andrew. He dares to hope that there may be more than friendship between them. However, he is terrified that his secret may get out and I really felt for him. The more lies he told, the more difficult the situation became for him to cope with. the friendship between Andrew and Peggy was so touching, the way they encouraged and supported each other through some very dark times.

It was heartbreaking to read about just why Andrew was keeping his secrets and the events in his past which influenced his decision. His relief when he finally came clean was palpable and it was cheering to see how people understood why he had done what he had done and supported him.

"I just wanted to feel normal... It started off so small but then... it sort of got out of hand."

Something to Live For is about finding whatever your 'something' is and that something will be different for everyone. What is the thing that makes your life worth living, that makes you get up each morning, that brightens your day? It is an emotional read at times, yet full of warmth and humour and definitely uplifting. I was so pleased to hear that the book has been optioned for a television series and I am so looking forward to watching Andrew and Peggy's story on the small screen.

This book was an absolute joy to read. I enjoyed every page of it. However this is one you have to read yourself and so I don’t want to say too much about the actual plot. I just think it would spoil the book. The story unfolds gradually and you should enjoy each delightful little bit of it as it unfolds.

It’s a book about loneliness, missed opportunities, sadness and loss. As the reader is taken through the story we soon realise it’s not just Andrew the protagonist in the story that lives a lonely life but there are so many people out there who live alone and don’t speak to anyone from one week to the next so that when they pass on, there’s no one to mourn their loss, no one to miss them or to even notice they’re not around any more.

Now that doesn’t sound like the most compelling of reads does it? In fact on the face of it, it really does sound pretty depressing. However it’s written with a great deal of humour. It is never disrespectful but there is much to smile and chuckle at along the way. Andrew works for the local council, I won’t say what his job is but the colleagues he works with feature in the book most of the way through, and in particular Maggie. Maggie and Andrew go out on jobs together and its through work that they gradually form a very close friendship. Their humour plays off one another to the great entertainment of the reader.

There are serious undercurrents to the story, not least the extreme anxiety and panic attacks that Andrew occasionally suffers. Sometimes the story will have you cringing at some of the things that Andrew says or does, other times you will be crossing all your fingers and toes that things go well for him. Sometimes you will definitely shed a tear or two, but there will almost always be something to make you smile and perhaps be grateful for the people in your own life. We do indeed all need something to live for.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. 5 stars for making me laugh and brightening up my days and 5 stars for such a sensitively written book. To combine both humour and sensitivity is surely worthy of all those stars.

I thought this was utterly brilliant. I can't remember coming across such a funny and relatable male protagonist in recent reads. I thought this was compelling storytelling, sweet and emotional, full of heart and I loved how uplifting it was (despite the deep sadness that permeated the pages), how community is explored as well as the loneliness of dying alone and what we can do to live better and help people more. It has a spark to it which is hard to find.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of Something To Live For by Richard Roper. This book is about the story of Andrew. Andrew is a loner, he has lived by himself for over 20 years, he has no social circle to speak of he just spends his spare time chatting to an online community of model train enthusiasts. His parents are dead and he speaks to his only sister maybe 4 times a year. He has a job at the council where he has to go to the homes of the recently deceased and see if they have and family or funds to pay for a funeral. He doesn't really get on with this colleagues until a new woman called Peggy joins the team. A work friendship is formed between Andrew ans Peggy however, as the friendship develops into something more Andrew has to confess to a lie he told his co-workers all those years ago. This book has been likened to Eleanor Oliphant but I don't believe Andrew is anywhere on the spectrum, he just is a socially awkward person. This book is so cleverly written and the author has covered so many themes such as lies, regret, grief, death and loneliness. As much heartbreak there is in this book there is also humour. The humour is undeniably British, it's witty and there are lots of laugh out loud moments. The one that tickled me the most was the unnaturallness of having a poo with your coat on, even thinking about that now makes me laugh. I will enjoy recommending this book immensely. A full five stars.

Hilariously funny and painfully sad, it's brilliant. Turned the last page with a huge grin and tears pouring down my face. Absolutely going to feature on my Books of the Year 2019 list.

If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, 600 Hours of Edward or The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared then this could be just your type of book. Andrew works for the council in the death department. Yes really. He deals with the unfortunate souls who are found dead in their own homes, left alone and found by accident or default. He tries to track any relatives and finances and if there is no one then arranges the funeral- he even goes to them as often there is no one else to go. When he applied for the job five years ago, somehow he made up a family. A wife and two children which in the intervening period he wanted to put right but somehow the time was never right. Each night he goes home, not to the house of his stories but to a flat where his only companionship is his model trains. When Peggy joins the fold he finds in her something he has not experienced for a long time- friendship and he desperately wants to tell her the truth. I really enjoyed this. A story of a man who life and love was passing by due to what had happened in the past. Of being cautious and anxious and the belief that the only true person you can depend on is yourself. Of a vulnerable character learning that life can be enjoyed and people can make you happy and be trusted. An uplifting read to make you think about life and your place in the world and maybe of others who may not be quite so confident.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

This novel is something both unusual and moving. We meet the main character, Andrew, at the funeral of an elderly man he didn’t know. For Andrew works for, ‘Death Administration,’ at the Council offices. In general terms, the department he works for, deals with, what were once known as, ‘Pauper’s Funerals.’ When someone dies alone, it is Andrew’s job to go into their home and attempt to locate enough money to pay for their unmarked grave, and, if possible, find contact details of a relative.

Andrew is forty two and his own family is a sister he rarely sees. After starting his job, he finds himself accidentally falling into a lie, which leads to his inventing a wife, and two children. In reality, he lives alone – his only friends the members of an online forum, who – like him – obsess about model railways. However, Andrew’s life is about to change with the arrival of new member, Peggy Green and the threat of his boss, Cameron Yates, that the members of his department, gloriously unwilling to participate, host dinners in a form of mortifying team bonding. Even more concerning for Andrew is that, rather than lawyer wife, Diane, and a large house, the members of his team – including unpleasant colleagues, Keith and Meredith – will be climbing the stairs to his dingy bedsit…

I really liked Andrew. Middle aged, quiet, and lonely; he is an unusual hero. As the novel progresses, and everything I have mentioned above, happens in the first couple of chapters, we learn why Andrew is living his isolated, rather unhappy, life. However, although this novel deals with difficult, and often sad, themes, it does so with humour and intelligence. Some of the scenes in this novel are so full of embarrassment, you can hardly read on, but you want to know what will happen to Andrew. Stuck in a tragic job, with unsympathetic colleagues and a well-intentioned boss, whose ideas are always unwelcome – who does enjoy team bonding exercises anyway?!

This would be ideal for reading groups, as there is much to discuss. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Emotionally-charged, heartbreaking and yet uplifting at the same time, SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR by Richard Roper is a moving story that really got under my skin.

Andrew understands loss in a way that a lot of people do not especially because his job centres around it - working for the council, he searches for the next of kin for people who have died in council housing, and he organises their funerals and even attends them if they don't have anyone (though this isn't part of his job description). Andrew lives a very isolated life and the only people he has dealings with are his work colleagues who irritate him and a few people from his model train forum whom he has never met in person. He doesn't need anyone. Well, except for his fictional wife and children whom he accidentally created on the day of his interview and has had to keep 'alive' ever since. But when tragedy strikes and then Andrew actually makes a friend in the form of his new colleague Peggy, he may just be forced to face up to the reality of his life. And for the first time in a long time, Andrew might wonder if there could be something more for him if he was just brave enough to reach for it.

This book really hit me in the heart and my eyes filled more times than I could count which is a testament to the skill of Richard Roper in creating characters that burrow into your soul. Andrew is a loner who doesn't want or need anyone. He has an ordered existence which works for him and he goes that extra mile for those people who have nobody. Yet with this imaginary family that he didn't mean to create, he finds the life he wished he had which is truly heartbreaking and he wonders if he will end up like the people he discovers at work. I loved the friendship that sparks between Andrew and Peggy as she is everything he needed even though she has her own issues to deal with.

There are funny moments (the dinner parties! lol), moments of grief and sadness, and moments of solid friendship and love that will have you reading this stunning story in one sitting, and I would love to see this appear on my tv screen someday soon.

SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR by Richard Roper is a beautiful and thought-provoking story about life and what we make of it and I cannot wait for more from this talented author.

I thought that Richard Roper's book was a moving story of what may well be common alienation within families. Andrew's journey was a painful one and founded on experiences from childhood onwards. The collision with Peggy's life added complication but also potential salvation.

Framing Andrew's struggles through his work for the council dealing with lonely death's added to the poignancy.

I've been pleased to have read a number of very worthy new books recently and Something To Live For adds to that pile.

This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.

I intend to review this book on Amazon on release on 27 June 2019.