I actually DNF'd this book about half way through, which is nothing to do with the author as I have loved many of their other books.

I just didn't get on with this one - I didn't like the writing style and I didn't vibe with the characters. I didn't get the emotional kick that I believe the book was set out to achieve.

But I will pick up Amanada Prowse books in the future, this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

All Good Things the newest novel by Amanda Prowse tells the story of two neighboring families over the course of day. The book also includes multiple points of view and various flashbacks. While I enjoyed story well enough the structure was tough when I had to reach in short time bursts. I did enjoy the central premise that while we envy others their families, their homes, their jobs, etc., reality is often far different than what is seen on the outside. I think if you can sit and read in better chunks of time rather than 10 minutes at bedtime this book will engage you.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. All Good Things is available now.

This book is a family/neighborhood drama that explores the differences between a perfect family imagined and the reality of life. The characters have a lot to learn as secrets are exposed and truths revealed. Things are not always as they appear and as the title suggests all good things...

My 5* review for All Good Things by Amanda Prowse.

Another wonderful family drama told by Amanda Prowse in her down to earth style that deals with everyday life, families, secrets, lies and putting on a front for the outside world that hides everything. Does the title refer to All Good Things Come To Those Who Wait or All Good Things Must Come To An End? That is for the reader to decide.

The story centres on one weekend where the Kelleways are celebrating an anniversary dinner in the Italian restaurant that Daisy Harrop (their next door neighbour) is forced to work in because her family is struggling with money, since depression entered their home via her Mum and threw a blanket of sorrow over everyone.

The book is divided into 18 chapters with the story told from 10 different points of view, so we get an intensely intimate insight into the outward facade that the Kelleways are showing to everyone and what their life and relationships are really like behind closed doors. Similarly the Harrop family. I adored both families, for different reasons, and as always the book made me think about my own family and wonder if they could all tell the story of one weekend, how it would sound from each of their points of view?

It is difficult to say too much without spoiling things for the other readers, but I will finish with Gianna's worlds of wisdom to Daisy "Find someone who gets you, likes you and who you like in return", young (or mature) love should be as simple as that.

By the way Amanda, thank you for adding the image of the Ilfracombe harbour, eating fish and chips with the sun setting on the hill by the Church..... I will meet you there one day my lovely friend.

Fantastic! Such a good read. Perfectly imperfect characters, solid storyline. I really enjoyed this one and found myself day reading and staying up too late to read just a little more, This book is told by multiple narrators. Each character has their own chapters, but it all fits together like a solid line. The story is told over the course of about 24 hours, but with flashbacks set in each character's POV. A few surprises in there and excellent dialogue. You really get a feel for the Kelleway family and Daisy's family. Honestly, I'd have liked a few more chapters at the end, but that's up to the author each and every time. It was a satisfying(ish) ending, but I still want to know more. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

My Review: I had an interesting and fascinating time reading All Good Things by Amanda Prowse. It follows members of two families and a lot of individual perspectives from 3 generations. Parents, Kids and Grandkids. I think that's 3, right? :) There are so many dynamics to this, does love matter? does loss matter? how do you make your life, insecurities and dreams count and matter. Daisy Harrop, Lisa Harrop, Cleo Richardson, Winnie Kelleway and Julie, Cassian, Domina, Bernie, Cleo and Lawrence from the same family. It's clever and fresh, thought provoking. What's more important in life? Closeness, distance, love, support? You'll have to read the book to find out more. I enjoyed knowing the views and experience of all the different people. They were brought to life beautifully.

All Good Things is a family drama full of secrets and lies. Daisy waitresses at a local Italian restaurant to help pay her way. Her home life is a struggle with her mother’s depression causing her to rarely leave her bed. The Kelleways are all glittery and shiny to the eye- the kind of family Daisy wishes she had. But appearances are deceiving and the story quickly unfolds to show all that glitters is not gold. The family that shines puts on a good show even as the ruin other people’s lives and everything wants to come crashing to the ground. Each chapter tells the story surrounding one of the characters until a complete picture forms that will clearly leave the reader picking sides. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, and full of eye opening moments, the story draws you in and tugs at the heartstrings for a compelling lesson about perceptions. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I tried getting into this several times and unfortunately I just could not.I wish the author much success with this book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Daisy envies the people next door
Their grandson is someone she crushes for
But one weekend proves full of drama
Along with a huge dose of karma!

A story involves two homes, side by side,
And the extended families of who there reside.
It shows that includes revelations and surprises
As Daisy discovers and the truth realises.

The fortieth wedding anniversary celebrations
Involve close family relations
But the events also reveal previously hidden lies,
Some of which prove to others a nasty surprise!

Told from multiple points of view
Giving an insight into what they're going through,
A story filled with drama that goes to show
Sometimes situations are different than you know!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you my honest review.

Cover: Not my thing, but I appreciate the simplicity.

All Good Things? It has some excellent traits and traits I appreciated a little less.

The former: the story itself and the main character. Family drama hasn’t been on my radar for a while, at least until the ad on the cover caught my attention—cue me going all starry-eyed, haha. Prowse does deliver on the dysfunctional part, no punches pulled or anything, thus making me quite happy. Daisy, an interesting MC, captures my attention from the start as well, despite my issues in connecting with a younger character. This time, I’ve had a ball following along and cheering from the sidelines as I read.

The latter: the prose. To me, it reads too heavy in places, and it’s because of its descriptive tone. Handling a descriptive novel is not an easy feat, and sometimes it’s a hit and miss—not for lack of talent, mind you. It’s the style itself that’s insidious, even more so when there’s no single pov. The grammar itself checks out. Maybe I’d go easier with subordinate clauses at the beginning of sentences here and there, but other than that, I’ve got no complaints.

3.5 stars on GR

This is the story of Daisy, young girl daydreaming of living the life of the family next door, the Kellerway's. They have the best looking house, cars, family and Daisy is crushing on son, Cassian who is her brother's best friend. Working at the Italian restaurant Daisy is working when the Kellerway's come in to celebrate the grandparents 40th Anniversary. Looks can be deceiving and you definitely should not wish for the life of someone else. Those folks who are the loudest and seem to have it together may be barely hanging on and have nothing at all and those with less may actually have an abundance. Lots of secrets held for the sake of the family with 3 generations of secrets that tumble like a house of cards. Definitely didn't like the way the book ending kind of anticlimatic as you know lives were ruined but what happened next with confrontations not shown.

This book focuses on the lives of two neighbouring families – the Harrops and the Kelleways and we get chapters written from the viewpoints of the Harrop family (Daisy, Lisa and Marty) and the Kelleway family (Winnie, Cassian, Julie, Domino, Lawrence, Bernie) and Cleo Richardson (nee Kelleway, who is married to Georgie and heavily pregnant).
From the outside looking in, it seems the Kelleways have a perfect life. Winnie and Bernie are going out to celebrate forty years of marriage. They have a lovely house, expensive cars and seem to have it all. Their family all live nearby and it seems the most wonderful life being part of it.
In contrast, their next door neighbours the Harrops are struggling. Their house is shabby and has a leaky roof. Lisa has depression and has been in bed for nearly three years as her marriage falls apart. Her daughter Daisy is sixteen, she goes to school and works as a waitress in a restaurant. She also fancies Cassian Kelleway, who is eighteen and Daisy’s big brother Jake’s best friend.
When the time comes for the big wedding anniversary celebrations, the Kelleways eat out at the Italian restaurant where Daisy is a waitress. The differences between the two families are glaringly obvious, but are the perfect Kelleways really so perfect after all?
I thought this was such a clever idea for a book, because we can all relate. We’ve all wondered how things would be if we were richer, had a bigger house, a flashy car. We’ve all felt a bit envious of how “the other half live” and thought how we would feel if we were over there, where the grass is greener. It’s human nature.
But appearances might be just that. Money doesn’t bring you happiness in every way and as the story unravels, we see how this is true for the Kelleways. After all, it doesn’t cost anything to be kind and love is free.
One of the things I love most about Amanda Prowse’s writing is how you get to know so much about a character. The little things they do and say tell us so much. For example, the first time we see Winnie Kelleway, she is looking at herself in the mirror and then goes on to judge her children by their looks, saying how her daughter should dye her hair a different colour, while admitting she has a favourite child.
I love seeing these glimpses into characters because you get a chance to get inside their head and form your own opinions about them, just as if you’re in the room with them. Of course, I was on Daisy’s side from the start. Her family are poor and have issues, but I’d much prefer to be friends with them than with the Kelleways.
The book is set over a weekend and all the secrets and lies come out, so you watch as things begin to fall apart pretty quickly! Your thoughts and feelings are buffeted all over the place as you fit another puzzle piece in and you change your mind about some characters as you find out more about them.
It’s a fabulous read full of realistic, authentic characters and you’ll want to keep reading to find out what happens. Amanda Prowse is a woman with a lot of warmth and heart and this shines through in her writing.

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse is a recommended family drama.

Daisy Harrop envies the Kelleway family next door. Compared to her family, with her mother depressed and sleeping all the time, her father working hard, her brother up in his room, the Kelleway family seem perfect from a distance. She looks out her window watching them and wishing she could be a part of their life, especially if it meant dating their grandson, Cass.

Winnie Kelleway is a clueless vain woman who is proud of her beautiful family. Now Winnie and Bernie are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary at an Italian restaurant with all their family present and on display for everyone to envy them. The restaurant they celebrate at is the one where Daisy works, so she gets to see the event first hand.

The narrative is told through the point-of-view of the characters and it becomes clear after a very slow start that everything is not as Daisy believes it is and her family is not even close to how Winnie views them. As more points-of-view are brought into the story, it does become more complex and interesting. Clearly Daisy and Winnie are seeing what they want to believe and don't really know what is going on.

This is a "the grass is always greener on the other side" plot. However, beginning the novel with Daisy's musings made this feel like a YA book and then visiting Winnie's internal dialogue made this almost a DNF. It was simply an okay book for me but fans of Prowse will likely enjoy it much more.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Amanda Prowse is a wonderful writer, so I was really excited to see what she had in store for us in All Good Things. It's a heavily character driven novel, but this is precisely where the author's talents lie. She creates well developed, believable characters who may not always be likeable but are compelling to follow.

Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different character. This helped us to delve deeper into each character's life and often presented a view that differed from the view that is projected to other people. I found this particular interesting as it highlighted each character's vulnerabilities. As the chapters are long, it means we didn't get to hear from some characters as much as I would have liked, but nevertheless I appreciated the technique.

Through her exploration of these characters, Amanda Prowse is able to write about a number of issues. These issues are subjects that I feel it is important to discuss and I love how they are brought to the fore in this novel and the author shows us how they impact the whole family. She approaches the issues in a sensitive way which really made me think.

The ending felt slightly quick to me but in leaving parts of the story open, it means I will continue to think about the characters long after I finish reading.

I loved this book! Amanda has done it again with a great storyline with relatable, believable characters, it shows that sometimes families have a facade and like to keep up appearances but behind the scenes, it's a whole different story! I didn't see the twists coming but it added to the atmosphere and relatability of the story.

The suspense was really felt throughout and sometimes lies and deceit cannot be forgiven or forgotten or even hidden away. Well written as usual and look foreward to more from Amanda in the future!

Amanda Prowse - All Good Things.

A new book from Amanda Prowse is always a treat. So I was excited to read #AllGoodThings to see if it would be another beautifully written piece of fiction from this talented lady.

I’ll be honest, it took me a little while to get into the book and work out who was who.
That’s maybe me just being a little dense!
Once I’d got a grip on who everyone was, I found myself well and truly absorbed in to this family drama.

Amanda Prowse draws her characters with exquisite detail.
Both families in this story are full of flawed but still somehow likeable people.

#AllGoodThings is a gentle tale, about the complexities of people and how what others see on the surface is not always a true reflection of what is happening behind closed doors. Even our nearest and dearest don’t always know our hidden truths… or do they?

As always Amanda Prowse writes with effortless charm and grace. Her words flow with such ease. I imagine even her shopping lists are a joy to behold.
I’d heartily recommend her audiobooks aswell. Amanda narrates her own stories and her tinkly tones are quite mesmerising.

#AllGoodThings ends on a poignant and heartfelt note.
The story is neatly tied up, but I would have loved to have read an epilogue.

All in all, this is a captivating tale, it’s relatable, heartbreaking, emotional, at times funny and ultimately unforgettable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to Rachel’s Random Reads, Netgalley and Amanda Prowse for a digital arc of this title.

Everyone always thinks their neighbor is the best and you want to be just like them. Daisy feels like her life has come to a complete standstill since her Mom no longer gets out of bed due to depression. The Kellaway’s live next door and have everything. After an anniversary escapade things begin to happen and lots of things come into play. This was a really good book.

I am new to @mrsamandaprowse but after reading this it won't be my last. This is such a thought provoking and heartwarming story. The narrative feels so relatable and genuine, the mix of characters means that there will be one most readers can identify with. The writing style makes it so easy to read and I couldn't put this down. I can't wait to read more of her wonderful stories.

Families are strange creatures. The saying is you can’t choose your family and it’s true. You can’t choose your natural family – the closest you ge to choosing is selecting your spouse but even then, can you select their family? Not really, you want them irrespective of their blood relatives

The Kelleways are a prime example of how strange a family can be. They’re messed up, so are the Harrops but I’ll come to them. The Kelleways are a three generation close knit rich (may I add) family but everyone lies to each other – no one can be their true self to the whole family … but then again, that is all to common in this day and age!

Now the Harrops, yes they’re messed up and struggling financially with a 16 year old working hard at school and with a part time job, a mum suffering with depression, a son desperate to live life honestly and a dad just about holding his family together. But they just about know what’s going on with each other. And there is most definitely love in this family.

My only criticism of the book is the chapters are long, I didn’t want to stop mid chapter, I’m one of those people who wants to finish reading at the end of a chapter. But in their defence, the chapters needed to be lengthy. Each one told a chunk of the story from a particular character’s perspective so get the full appreciation of what that character is thinking, the chapters had to do their job. With the whole book effectively being set over no more than 24 hours, Prowse packs a lot into the story.

All Good Things as they say must come to an end and I was slightly bereft when I finished the book. I love a happy ending and Prowse left the door slightly open for my imagination to continue the paths for the Harrops and the Kelleways. I loved meeting these two dysfunctional families and following them for such a short while. It felt like a lifetime with the amount I absorbed. Loved it!

I literally pounced on the chance to read this book by Amanda Prowse and I am so excited that I did because it was a pleasure to read. It is the story of two families and they are connected through being neighbours and living in the same community. We follow all their individual stories through chapters written from a different characters POV. I loved how the author has realistically tackled issues that we have in society in such a kind and respectful way. Some of the issues are mental health, alcoholism, LGBTIQA, divorce and I think the most important one is how you can portray yourself to the eye but things aren't always as they seem. The major message I took away from this is that you never can truly know what people are facing behind closed doors so just always be mindful of that and be kind. I also learnt that money doesn't buy happiness and I am so happy and grateful for my family, friends, dogs, a roof over my head and food on the table. The plot is well thought out and cleverly crafted but the ending does feel a little bit unfinished maybe if there is a sequel to see how all the characters end up. I loved all the characters especially the ones who are down to earth and relateable.