Another fantastic read by Amanda, she captures a story so well, the charecters were easy to get to know and love, a beautiful story told wonderfully, another firm favourite for me

Amanda really does amaze me with how she draws you into the narrative. A heart wrenching tale of a young woman losing her beloved grandmother and being left all alone or so she thought!

I’d wanted to read a book by Amanda Prowse for a while so was really pleased to get an advanced copy of The Day She Came Back and I wasn’t disappointed. This book is beautifully written. It is very insightful and quite an emotional read but ultimately really powerful and positive. All the characters are so real, and you really believe and feel their conversations and emotions. This is a really heartfelt novel and I’ll admit to shedding a little tear at the end of the book. This may have been my first book but it won’t be my last.


Sadly Victoria’s grandmother Primrose passes away and as Victoria is starting to learn to deal with this she comes face to face with a lady at her the funeral who claims to be her dead mother, Sarah. As Victoria starts to get know Sarah it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping secrets from her. At the same time as coming to terms with Her grandmothers death she struggles to understand her family’s secrets and the truth but knows she must find a way forward to survive.

This has been a beautiful read which I have devoured in just one sitting. I cannot believe that I haven't read anything by this author before... huge thank you to Sarah for starting off a new author love.
This book is beautifully written and has pulled me into the pages and made it utterly impossible to put down. I have been completely immersed and really enjoyed reading this one.
I have loved the characters and the author has portrayed them really well. They have seemed so real and likeable from the start. They have definitely made this a great read.
This is a read filled with sensitivity, grief, loss, addiction and reconciliation. The author has been delicate in the delivery and I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little reading this one.
Despite being my first read by this author, I am definitely now a fan. This is definitely a five star read which I highly recommend.

Amanda Prowse just goes from strength to strength. Her output covering so many diverse topics is simply astounding! The Day She Came Back is up there with her best and tells the story of 18 year old Victoria , who has been raised by her beloved grandmother, Prim, her parents having died from drug overdoses when she was a baby..however, when Prim dies suddenly, Victoria finds everything she held true is no longer so and she is left doubting her relationship with her grandmother. Did she lie to her all her life? When a mysterious lady at Prim's funeral introduces herself as Victoria's mum , her whole world is turned upside down. Through a series of heartbreaking letters, the truth is gradually revealed and Victoria takes the first steps across the bridge of discovered truths , to the mother she has grieved and longed for all her life. Visiting her mum and her husband Jens in Oslo she finds peace, strength and love. This beautiful book handles the dark matter of drug addiction and the pain and devastating effects it has on all those affected by it, with such sensitivity and knowledge. Nobody handles human relationships narrative better than Amanda Prowse. I love the sweet interaction between Victoria and her lovely, loyal friend, Daks , who's loving tight knit family are there for Victoria in her time if need. The relationship between Victoria and Prim is so lovingly observed and written as are the peripheral characters of Gerald and Bernard. Amanda is an artist who with a few deft sentences paints a fully formed character that we can immediately empathise with and care about. I could eulogise about this perfect book forever but I will allow the reader to dive in and immerse themselves in it . It's a perfect gem if a book

have always loved Amanda’s books so was excited to read the day she came back! Her books draw you in from the start and i didn’t want to put this one down!
This book tells the tale of three woman, three generations of the same family,Prim,Sarah and Victoria who have all made sacrifices or choices that have shaped their lives but ultimately when the truth comes out we realise that those choices were made out of love, compassion and hope. Prim acting out of love for her unborn granddaughter, Sarah making the most heartbreaking sacrifice for her daughter and Victoria the product of prim and Sarah’s choices, an emotional, at times heartbreaking read that demonstrated the power of love and sacrifice but overall the strength of forgiveness,reconciliation and love.Great characters particularly liked Gerald and daksha!
Thank you net galley for this early read.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse. The story was beautifully written and the characters were well developed. The beginning was a little slow, but the second half took off. Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook. I will recommend this book.

The Day she came Back by Amanda Prowse was such an anticipated treat. I remember Amanda going to Oslo to do her research for the “new book” when she was writing it. This is typical of her attention to detail when crafting her books. She does great research so that she gets, and conveys, a real understanding of detail and context drawing you straight into the storyline and the locations. This story of Victoria’s life journey intersects with Sarah’s struggle with addiction, despair and renewal. The characters are well portrayed and their emotions explored in a realistic and, often, heartbreaking way. I just hate when Amanda’s books end and I lose that connection with the people whose lives I’ve been privileged to share. Another success by the wonderful Mandy! (Did I mention that now I want to see Oslo!)

The Day she came back, Amanda Prowse.
Received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

What a stunning, thought provoking and rich book this is. The story of 18 year old Victoria Who lives with/her grandmother as her Mum, Sarah, is dead, but who discovers on the death of her grandmother that her mother is alive. Sarah’s story Is tragic, dramatic, terrible and heart-breaking yet ultimately inspiring. I don’t want to spoil any of the plot., but I might not be able to avoid it!

I did not think I would enjoy the story of an 18 year old, who in the aftermath of her discovery, acts in a stupid, childish and irresponsible way. It is understandable and forgivable because the writer does such a good job of developing the character.

I did enjoy the story, it was utterly riveting and emotional. Ultimately it has a really happy ending, but the journey there is not smooth. I can’t recommend. this book enough. Fabulous. 5 stars.

Whenever I need to read something light and heartwarming I always turn to a book by Amanda Prowse. This book did not disappoint and was just what I needed to break up my usual genre. It was a story that grabbed me from the very first page, with beautiful descriptions and characters who felt so real to me. Read in a day, It is a beautifully written story about addiction, grief, love and loss.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for and ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not sure where to begin with this review.

As always, Amanda Prowse goes straight for the heart. She writes such incredibly beautiful stories that draw you in from the first page. Her characters are so well developed that you form instant connections with them, whether they're likeable or not.

With Victoria's story, we are taken on a huge rollercoaster ride of emotion. She goes from knowing who she is and where she's headed and suddenly everything changes. Almost overnight, everything she thought she knew becomes blurry and lies are exposed. Who can she trust?

The way this story unfolds is truly spellbinding. I was left weeping and so satisfied with the outcome.

Mandy has done it again!

Amanda Prowse is the queen of contemporary fiction & her novels always deal with family issues that are not necessarily relatable, but her style of writing ensures the reader feels all of the emotion! While it didn’t grip me as much as others have, it was a great read to escape with.

This is my first Amanda Prowse book and it will not be my last. The characters are so beautifully drawn, some with detail and others more sparingly, and yet each person becomes familiar to us.

Victoria has a wonderful relationship with her maternal grandmother, Prim, who brought her up after her mother's (Prim's daughter's) death when Victoria was still a baby. Prim has been the rock in Victoria's life until the unthinkable happens and Prim dies unexpectedly. From this moment on Victoria's well ordered life begins to unravel, starting with Prim's funeral when a woman appears, claiming to be Victoria's 'dead' mother.

What I particularly loved was the time spent introducing Prim into the reader's life. Her death is such a catalyst for what follows that it was very important for us to know and understand the place she held in Victoria's life to be able to understand the impact of losing her.

I didn't always like Victoria but her actions were believable for a teenager suddenly cut adrift from the parental tether of the grandmother who raised her. I strongly recommend this book.

A truly captivating beautiful story of loss in a few different ways. Victoria has been brought up by her wonderful grandparents after her parents die young and when her world collapses, she discovers the truth and begins to face a new reality where nothing she has been told was true. I cried and laughed reading this and would put it as one of my favourite reads this year. I got this as an arc and would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased

Always a huge pleasure to read a book by the wonderful Amanda Prowse, her beautiful emotional stories always touch my heart and uplift my soul!
And this amazing story certainly did both of these things with the gorgeous characters and the breathtaking descriptions of Oslo and her family home that she shared with her beloved grandmother.
It was enthralling watching Victoria adjust to life without her grandmother, her choices at times had you cringing and you hoped she realises her mistakes and can keep those who love her close, rather than follow her mum into a different lifestyle.
I loved how the letters between her mum and grandmother gave you a further layer to the story, it gave you the opportunity to see both sides of the story and allowed you to understand the love between them all.
Certainly this book was an emotional rollercoaster, however the ride was so thrilling and thought provoking, and one I hope to travel again in Amanda’s next book. ❤️

Another fantastic page turner from the queen of women’s fiction! I absolutely loved this. I cannot believe the amount of times I had to stop reading because of the tears in my eyes Through sadness and laughter. There were moments where I was cringing and moments where I felt so much empathy for quite a few of the characters. There wasn’t a single character I didn’t like and it know it’s a sign of a great book when you get to the end and are gutted that it’s finished. It left me wanting to know more about quite a few characters in the book and it also made me really really want to go visit Oslo. I have a wonderful mental picture of so many places that I’d love to see them for real.

Reading an Amanda Prowse book is like snuggling in front of a fire wrapped in a duvet. In other words it’s comforting. Amanda’s books wrap themselves around you and give you the biggest hug

The Day She Came Back is no different

This is a ‘real’ book about real people with real lives and yet Amanda’s stories are all fiction

As with all her others this book grabbed me from the start

Terrific read

Thanks you once again Amanda

I was very disappointed with this book. Is it written for the mid teen market? It felt as if it was. The plot was cliched and disappointing. Had I been in the young adult bracket I might have been more impressed.

The Day She Came Back is the newest release from one of my top-five favorite authors, Amanda Prowse. The Queen of Domestic Drama and a prolific writer of emotionally charged contemporary fiction has another hit on her hands, and I am thrilled to share an early review. I have read all of her works from the last five years and plan to shuffle my way back through the earlier ones I missed, before I knew anything about her.

Imagine being an eighteen-year-old girl in England, raised by your much older grandmother because your own parents died from drug overdoses. You lost your grandfather years ago, you have no siblings or aunts and uncles, and you're a bit of an outcast at school. But you're sweet, and you are generous, and you have so much potential. At least you have a wonderful best friend and a lovely little crush on a boy at school... perhaps life might be okay... until your nana, Prim, passes away unexpectedly. How tragic and sad, and it breaks your heart. But then... everything changes the following days at nana's funeral. Someone you thought long gone shows up with a shocking twist!

Prowse knows how to lure you into comfortable nostalgia and love... she makes you feel the true pain of a young girl who now has no one to help her through the grief. Sure, she has a bestie and her family, and her nana's beau, but it's not the same. I felt my eyes tear up when Victoria was home alone for the first time... you know things can't possibly be okay again for her. She is alone in the world now. I understood her reckless behavior, her desire to be someone different. Victoria shows us the downside of being heartbroken on multiple levels, and then... finally, we see a glimmer of hope. The crush seems to return her feelings!

As quickly as we feel the pain, our hopes rise and we see the potential for Victoria to heal. But it won't happen, and things will take a very long time to truly turn around. Prowse paints the characters with just enough detail to give you all you need to take the picture and run with it yourself. I heard the music at the party Victoria throws. I smelled the breakfasts she and her crush make each morning. I felt the change in this young woman when she is hurt a second time by someone who devastates her in a terrible way.

It's rare others than Prowse can generate this kind of emotion from me... but when she does, I am all in. I can't wait to find out what's next in this dynamic author's mind.

After losing her darling grandmother Victoria is heartbroken then at the funeral she see's a strange woman who then claims to be her dead mother. as Victoria learns of her past and the secrets her grandmother has kept.Now needing to find answers Victoria does'nt know who she can trust to tell her the truth.5*

Loved this book!!! Amanda Prowse is one of my favorite authors and her latest, The Day She Came Back, did not disappoint. The story is woven so beautifully and the characters are very real and relatable. Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgally for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Amanda Prowse books and this one definitely lived up to expectations such an emotional and heart-warming read and was so happy to be able to request it to read on netgalley in advance of its release and it was such a brilliant book to read on a sunny bank holiday while shielding. Once I had started reading I really couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. Amanda always writes about real people and real life emotions and The Day She Came Back is no exception to this telling the story of three women, Prim, Sarah and Victoria and how heartbreak, love and family connect them all in some way whilst reading you feel like you are living the story with them and all of the tears laughter and joy and heartbreak that they are going through and how the truth comes out in the end. It also explores the special bond and friendship between two best friends Victoria and Daksha and their hopes and dreams for the future.

So good!
I do not want to give away too much, so I will say this: This is a beautifully written, heartfelt story of family, loss, distrust, life, love,and reunions.
*Beware*- You will definitely need tissues as you meet and become friends with Victoria', Prim, Daksha, and Sarah. .You will learn how their lives intersect. Will they ever move forward and let go of all the hurt and lies?
I loved each and every person in this novel, but my very favorite is Sarah. A person stronger than she even realized that once upon a time did the right thing for her daughter.
Amanda Prowse never disappoints and this is most definitely a book that you will love!
Set aside a day to do this!

What if the people you loved and trusted had been lying to you from the beginning?
When her loving, free spirited grandmother, Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient-she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim's funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead.
Amanda Prowse is brilliant at writing about family and love. You walk with Victoria through first her grief, then her anger and then uncertainty as she has to grow up beyond her 18 years, whilst she also plays at being a teenager - her first crush, her first party.
I loved the characters of Prim and Victoria. Prim had a wonderful zest for life, obviously driven by previous events. She wanted the best for her grand-daughter and sacrificed everything to give it to her. Victoria was a sweet, naïve 18 year old, and I loved how we followed her thoughts and choices through the tragic events in her young life. An emotional read and one i'd definitely recommend.

Sorry but this wasn't for me, felt as thought it was aimed at the Y.A. group.

I have read many of Amanda's books but sadly this wasn't for me.

Another 5* book from Amanda. Following the story of a young women through grief, family and surprises. I love the way Amanda writes and her characters, whether you love them or hate them, draw you into their lives. Lives are rarely straightforward and the characters in this book showcase that but with grace and love of from the writer. Thanks Amanda and NetGalley.

The Day She Came Back, by Amanda Prowse.
This book comes out in July 7th and although Amanda Prowse is my favourite author, this new book is my new favourite!

Victoria is living with Prim (her grandmother who feels being called such, makes her feel old).
Almost everyone in Epsom knows that Victoria’s parents died, her father before she was born and her mother when Victoria too young to remember her.
So when Victoria comes home to find Prim dead in her chair, Victoria is alone. Isn’t she?

I can honestly not remember crying so much through a book ever!

Victoria is sensible and clever, everything she knows is suddenly something else. But how could she? How could her dear Prim lie to her?

The characters felt like friends and people I knew. I found so much of it relatable and found myself with a lump in my throat more than once.

Daksa, Victoria’s best friend, is a brilliant friend. The sturdiest and kindest person you could possibly imagine. So why does Victoria push her away? What now?

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved this book because the author showed us many sides. Victoria was raised by her grandmother Primrose who told her that her Mum was dead. Upon Primrose's death, a lady showed up at the funeral and she was Victoria's Mum. Victoria had so much to come to terms with. The story deals with all she had to go through and the best part for me was the letters. that Victoria's Mum and her grandmother wrote to each other before Victoria was born. The letters were written so well that as Victoria was reading them, you could feel the pain they both was in. Victoria's Mum, Sarah was in such a bad state when she was pregnant but she did what she had to in order to deliver her daughter but the pain of all that she had been through was just too much for her. She asked her mother to raise her daughter because she truly believed she was going to be dead. She was an addict and she didn't want to take her daughter down that road. The story is written so well that I felt the pain they were going through, the emotions of the choices they made, and figuring out what are they going to do now.
This is the first book I have read by Amanda Prowse but it definitely won't be my last. What the story did to my heart was a shocker. This book has such an effect on me and I hope lots and lots of people will pick this book us and read it. After finishing the book I thought the author gave me everything she had plus more.

The Day She Came Back
Amanda Prowse
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date 7/7/20

What an emotional and beautifully written story. Victoria has seen tragedy in her 18 years. Lost both of her parents to drugs, mourned the loss of her grandfather. She’s been raised by her grandmother and has grown into a kind and generous young lady despite not having it easy at school. After her Nana passes away a woman comes back and claims she is Victoria’s mother. You feel Victoria’s heartbreak and wonder how will she ever forgive and let go of the past. I shed many tears while reading this book but loved when a saw a glimmer of hope for Victoria. This is a riveting story that will stay with you. It is a story about betrayal, grief and understanding that love always shines.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon publishing for this early electronic ebook!!

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Another brilliant book penned by Amanda.
A story of love, friendship and a unique bond between a grandmother and her grand-daughter.
Prim and Victoria were each other's world until Victoria found Prim dead in the family home. At Prim's funeral, a chance meeting with a stranger brings Victoria's world as she knew it crashing down.
The aftermath of this event leads Victoria on a path of discovery and hidden truths. The story takes us from Epsom to Norway; where there are new discoveries, tears and happiness.
A lovely read with characters that are so real and believable.

This was a good lesson in reading the synopsis before reading the book. If I had read it and realised it was about Victoria’s Grandmother passing away, I would have avoided it as my own beloved grandmother passed recently and it's still very raw. Needless to say, I cried through the whole book instead!

Poor Victoria, an 18-year-old who has decided not to go to Uni and to save to travel first, has been bought up since she was born by Prim, the only family she had left after her father’s death before she was born and her mother’s shortly after, both from drug overdoses. Her grandfather died when she was 8 and as her mother was an only child, she has no cousins or extended family.

Victoria has an awesome best friend but otherwise not many to speak of and is now alone in the world. The relationship between Victoria and her grandmother, Prim, is so wonderful, they are very close and from the first few pages, you feel like you know them. Their conversations and emotions feel very real, the same with the others throughout the book. Victoria is a very real character who you just want to hug and make feel better, you want her to know how loved she is.

The plot is brilliant, this book is beautifully written. You begin learning about Victoria’s life and the shock of finding her grandmother, Prim, after her passing. Then a strange woman arrives at her funeral and claims to be Victoria’s mother, Sarah. Victoria has a lot to deal with; her grandmothers passing, this new stranger and who she really is as well as learning to live alone in a big house and how to deal with being lied to her whole life. She has a strong need to find out the truth about what happened and why. It’s a difficult journey but with the help of a series of beautifully written and very emotional letters she begins to learn the truth.

Despite being an emotional read it was positive and uplifting at the same time. Filled with sensitivity, grief, loss, addiction, reconciliation and above all, love, this was a quick read as I just couldn’t put it down. Amanda Prowse, in her usual style, has delivered another exceptional book.

Sometimes you the perfect book has a way of finding you at the exact right time in your life and for me this was it. While grieving myself this has helped heal some of the pain and to focus on my own wonderful grandmother. That is the true magic of reading and this was perfect!

'The Day She Came Back' was an emotional read for me ! Being coeval , I understood the overwhelming emotions that the female protagonist went through and I firmly believe that her actions and emotional breakdowns are quite justified and properly expressed.

Imagine - just imagine that for eighteen years you were brought up and pampered by your cool old grandmother with no siblings and grandfather gone long ago and been told that your birth giver died due to drug overdose when you were a mere toddler but on the day of your nana's funeral your mum turns up - no not her spirit but in flesh and blood and claims that she was alive all these years . How will you feel? Anger - Betrayal - Sadness - Happiness - Hope? We'll save your emotions, because Victoria ,our female protagonist for this novel, will let you know how does it exactly feel when your okay-ish life in Surrey goes topsy-turvy.

I teared up when Victoria was all by herself in that big ancestral house in Epsom though morally supported by her best friend and her granny's beau. She was ready to face the world yet her emotions were all over the place. That is exactly how it should be. My eyes twinkled in hope when her long time crush seemed to reciprocate her feelings. I cried with Victoria and her mother when they tried to catch up and make things work but the past was not allowing them to! Through the beautiful words of the author I would literally taste the foods mentioned in different chapters and find myself at the wild party held at Vic's house!

Amanda Prowse did a great job in creating and shaping the cast of characters and narrating the incidents in such a descriptive manner yet in simple sentences . Prowse is known for her flair in domestic drama and is a prolific writer of emotion filled contemporary fiction and I would gleefully tell you that she as usual didn't depress or disappoint . The book will be available in stores from the seventh of July, 2020 - do grab your copy!
P. S.: I am grateful to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with the ARC!

Victoria is 18 and was bought up by her free-spirited grandmother Primrose. When Prim passes away quite suddenly, Victoria, an orphan, is now alone with her grief. When a mysterious woman attends Prim’s funeral and claims to be Victoria’s mother, her whole life is up-ended – has everyone she’s ever loved always lied to her?

I found I went through stages of loving and hating the main character Victoria, but her best friend Daksha absolutely stole my heart!! I want her to be MY best friend, so that we can laugh together and drink endless cups of tea and eat cake…lots of cake.!

Amanda Prowse never fails to deliver such lovely, thought provoking, heart wrenching stories, and “The Day She Came Back was another example.

Amanda Prowse is one of my favourite authors and I was so excited to dive into this story - and it didn't disappoint. Amanda is the master of taking a plausible situation, populate it with real and likeable characters, and twist you around, wringing every possible emotion out of you. I cried (a lot), I smiled, and once or twice got quite annoyed. I have finished the book with a massive book hangover, and an waiting for one of my friends to finish it as I'm dying to talk about it!

The story centres around 18 year old Victoria. Her parents died when she was very young, and she was brought up by her Grandparents. Her Grandfather also died when she was fairly yound, so Victoria and her Grandmother Prim (short for Primrose) were very close. When Prim passes away suddenly a mysterious stranger turns up at the funeral. Who is she and what is she after.

An emotional roller coaster of a book, with characters you will miss after you have finished reading.

Another good offering by Amanda Prowse, who is the queen of writing about family life and the difficulties and dramas that touch ordinary people. In this book Victoria discovers that she has been told a lie for her whole life, and the story follows her as she tries to reconcile why this decision was made and if she can forgive her family’s actions.
I did very much enjoy this story and I thought the characters were well written, however for me personally the story didn’t quite reach the quality and depth of previous books I have read by this author. That is probably due to my high expectations as I always eagerly await Amanda’s books so putting that aside I rated this 4⭐️ and would recommend.

Whilst I enjoyed the premise of this, I couldn't help but find it a tad predictable and not surprising in any way. I love Amanda's writing and characters, but the storyline fell short for me

This was my first Amanda Prowse book and it won’t be my last!
The Day She Came Back filled me with a roller coaster of emotions that I didn’t want to end.
Eighteen-year-old Victoria loses her dear grandmother suddenly and without any other family is left with only her best friend Daksha. That is, until a woman claiming to be her mother turns up. A story of secrets, love and friendship that will make you laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time).
I fell in love with all of the characters, even when I didn’t want to. Each one has been so carefully thought about and portrayed in a way that makes you understand their actions and sympathise with them. The relationship between Victoria and Prim is so beautifully written, it makes it such an enjoyable read. This story captivated me from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down. Despite the raw emotion of the book there are some light-hearted moments that made me smile, although I was in tears at final chapter. Such a heart-warming story that I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a really beautifully written story about families, secrets, lies and forgiveness.
Amanda develops her characters with what seems like such ease, as when you read about them you feel instantly connected to them. Although this was a really lovely story, I didn’t feel quite as drawn in as I have with many other of Amanda’s stories, but nonetheless, I still really enjoyed it and really loved the ending.

The day she came back. She should of stayed gone. This was not a book I would recommend a very shallow book Can’t come up with a good review

I adore the way Amanda writes, it's so descriptive and you really feel like you are there.

This is a sad story of a found 18 year old girl, whom has been brought up by her grandparents. And when she finds her adored Prim has passed away, her whole life is shattered.

Not only is she grieving, she has to decide what is the right way to turn. As she's the only family left, or is the mystery woman at the funeral about to make her life even more complicated?

Really enjoyed and highly recommend

Another brilliant book by Amanda that I couldn’t put down. I don’t know how you manage to churn them out, all as brilliant as the ones before but please keep doing it. I can’t wait for the next book

I loved the premise of this book but when I started reading it soon became very predictable. I understand what happened to Victoria (losing her grandma and mom coming back) is traumatic and shocking but my goodness, she just kept repeating how she felt over and over. It was just a bit much, but besides that I did love her friendships and how the book ended.

A beautiful story of three generations of women in the same family as they learn to love, to forgive, and to heal.

Victoria is an 18-year-old woman who experiences the sudden loss of her beloved grandmother, Prim, her only remaining family member. Having lost her parents at a young age, never getting to know or meet them, she is shocked to find a woman approaching her at Prim’s funeral, claiming to be her dead mother, Sarah.
Lies are torn down as Victoria and Sarah get to know each other through letters and stories of the past. This is an amazing story about two generations of women who sacrificed so much for their beloved little girl, to make sure that she grows up to be happy and healthy. It is a story about lies, and betrayals, overcoming loss, getting to know a parent, once thought to be dead, understanding drugs and addiction, and the story of healing, forgiveness, and the strength to move on, even when the world seems to rock with uncertainty.

Through a woven web of a beautifully crafted story, this book is a stellar read that will keep you reading…and keep you crying.

Victoria has been raised by her grandmother, Prim, after her parents died when she was a baby of a drug overdose. When she is 18 Victoria and her friend, Daksha, are planning a trip to figure out what they want to do with their lives. One afternoon she comes home from an errand and finds her grandmother has passed away sitting in her chair in the garden. Prim is alone with no family and then a strange woman, Sarah, shows up at the funeral claiming to be her dead mother. There were times I wanted to smack some sense into Victoria. She had good friends and people to help her but she was so angry at the lie her grandmother told that she lashed out at everyone. She hooks up with Flynn, a boy she had a crush on in school, and things go very badly. Finally she begins the process of healing and reconnecting with her mother.

There were times when I did not like Victoria but she was acting out of character for her but at the same time her emotions were predictable. Sarah's strength and sacrifices were remarkable and I liked the slow building of their relationship and the bonding between them. Everyone should have a friend like Daksha.

The setting of her home with Prim, Rosebank, sounded wonderful with turret rooms and stained glass and I can picture the "old lady" decor with all of her mementos. I could almost smell the flowers she kept around the house. The setting in Oslo was likewise appealing with the cold and crisp air, people walking and biking everywhere, the warmth in the coffee shops and the spare decor of Sarah's and Jens's apartment.

The author takes on a difficult topic and family drama but never crosses the line into being maudlin. This is the second book I have read by this author and I look forward to many more.

An enjoyable read despite being somewhat predictable. I like Amanda Prowse's style of writing having read, and enjoyed, several books of hers in the past dealing with relatable modern family issues. I liked most of the characters and their development throughout the book but couldn't quite take to Victoria the main character which was unfortunate. I thought she was a little too wallowing in self pity with a high degree of anger and lack of sensitivity for others, which given her background, was not totally surprising just a little repetitive at times. A good read none-the-less and up to Amanda's standards

Amanda Prowse always writes beautiful stories about human life.

The Day She Came Back is about 18 year old Victoria who is being raised by her maternal grandmother, Prim, after her mother died when she was a baby. Victoria arrives home after going to the shops to find her beloved grandmother dead in the gardening room. At Prim's funeral an unfamiliar woman is lurking in the background. When this stranger speaks to Victoria it is to relay a terrible secret - what will Victoria make of this secret?

A poignant read but ultimately with a feel good factor.

Victoria is a naive 18year old, who lives with her grandmother, Primrose (Prim), both her parents having died when she was a baby. Her grandmother dies suddenly, and this sets Victoria off on a rebellious path, especially when it appears her mother could still be alive.

This book started slowly but was really nicely paced in the second half. It is well written, and the characters have depth. There is a nice weaving of the feelings between Victoria, Prim and Sarah, the reasons for the deceptions that have angered Victoria to almost self destruct nicely laid out in a series of letters. The scenes between Victoria and Sarah are beautifully written and realistic. However this feels as though it is aimed at the young adult demographic, rather than general adult fiction. I also probably shouldn’t have read it having recently lost a close relative. But I’d certainly read this authors work again, but this one was not for me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review,

Amanda Prowse has a wonderful way of making quite ordinary, normal believable characters come to life on the page.

This book is about Victoria an 18year old who has been brought up by her larger than life Gran, Prim after her mother died when she was a baby. Then Prim is taken from her. Victoria doesn’t know what she will do and how she will cope without her.
Then at Prims funeral a strange woman turns up and will things ever be the same again? Victoria’s world is turned upside down.

I really enjoyed the book, the characters are believable and I like the relationships between them interesting and relatable.

A wonderful family drama that is a lovely easy read.

Another fab read from Amanda Prowse, she just keeps giving. What a powerful thought provoking read, would highly recommend this

This truly was an amazing read. Amanda Prowse never lets you down and this is one of her very best yet, and that’s saying something after the number of first-class novels she has written.

This story tears at your heartstrings, evokes so many emotions and is just one of those stories that will stay with you for a very long time. Each character makes an impact, is memorable and relatable in some way. There’s so much to this story, it’s truly captivating from the beginning; the main character, Victoria, at only 18, has led a kind of different life having been brought up by her grandmother and has no other family. As we meet them, Victoria is about to explore the world and reach into her adulthood by travelling the world with her best friend. But tragedy strikes pretty early on in the book, and from that moment, life is nothing short of a rollercoaster for Victoria.

Victoria has to grow up fast, but she gets a chance to be a child again and grow a real relationship with someone she never thought she would, and although it’s impossibly sad, both parties have to come to terms with a lifetime of sadness, loss and lies, but it only makes them stronger for it.

In true Amanda Prowse style this book is wonderfully engaging and fills your heart with sadness, warmth, love and loss - like only one of her books can. The journey we go on with Victoria has it all, a Mother who selflessly gives up her child, dealing with addiction, loss of a beloved family member and teenage anxiety, not to mention the topic of boys and virginity... you name it, it’s in this book!

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I read this story, what you want the outcome to be, and at times Victoria really messes up and almost loses her best friend and her self-worth. She is not alone, despite feeling like it, and manages to pull herself through the anguish and toward her new future. I don’t want to give anything away, but you will finish this book genuinely satisfied with the outcome and you won’t be able to get the characters and storyline out of your head for quite some time.

I love all of Amanda’s books, however I have to say they get better and better and this one is up there with one of my all-time favourites.

Thank you to NetGalley and as always, the author, for the chance to read this ARC.