Laura Pearson never disappoints! She always manages to create stories and characters that feel like your best friends whose lives you’ll wonder about long after closing the book.

I went into this book knowing nothing of the story other than it was the story of a woman named Shelley Woodhouse who had just awoken from a coma with no memory of what had happened to her. It turned out to be an amazing story of a woman in an abusive relationship, the terrible cycle of domestic violence, and the beauty and pride of coming out the other side.

I loved this book. I think I can easily say it is now my all-time favorite. I love how Laura Pearson weaves her stories in a way that pulls everything together so beautifully and leaves your heart feeling full.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Boldwood Books for providing me with this ARC of this amazing book. I absolutely loved it, and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

This is the kind of story that draws you in and will not let you go. Shelley's backstory is tantalisingly revealed as her life gradually begins to make sense again. We meet a cast of hugely relatable characters, including the brave and loving heroine and all the vital people in her life. Each one has a crucial part to play. Heartbreaking, heartwarming and absolutely stupendous. I loved it!

This is very different to – but every bit as moving as – The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. It's a beautifully written novel which handles a difficult subject with sensitivity & hope.

This was a very intriguing read from start to finish. Not only was the main character confused what was going on in her life, we were too!! I like how the chapters flipped from now to then, it was very easy to follow. The ending was a little disappointing for me, i felt it ended fairly abruptly. I enjoyed the story, it flowed well and felt quite realistic.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

TW: Domestic Abuse
Oh, what a sensitively written, tragically beautiful book!
We start off with the main character, Shelley, slowly waking up in the hospital.
As she comes around, she slowly pieces together information regarding how she ended up in the ICU of her local hospital.
But a huge chunk of her life has been erased. In fact, she believes it is 2017 when it is actually 2024.
There is a dual timeline as we see how Shelley's life progresses, from childhood to the cyclical life patterns that abusive relationships can trigger.
I don't want to go into much detail, but it is truly sad to see how she finds herself in a situation much like her mother and the end result. However, as we read on, there are silver linings which give us and her hope.
There are some wonderful supporting characters that grace the pages of this book, from Granny Rose to Shelley's best friend, Dee, and then there's Matt. Another beautiful soul whose importance in her life becomes clearer as the story progresses.
I loved this so much I read it in a day!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

An intelligent story-driven exploration of friendship, romance, domestic abuse, grief, and memory loss. The themes of the book have real depth and the author highlights how domestic abuse victims are affected long term - something that is often neglected in novels of this type.

At times it almost feels like a thriller, so tense is the narrative as we try to work out what happened to Shelley. But it’s also funny, warm, and uplifting.

The main characters are very well developed and feel true. Their voices are strong, and Shelley’s relationship with Dee feels authentic. I was fully invested in their relationship, and it was great to see such a positive female friendship. I also loved Granny Rose and Shelley’s relationship, but I wish she and Shelley’s mother had done more to protect her when she was a child. However, I believe the author specifically intended that in order to showcase how domestic abuse becomes an accepted and normal part of family life and the long term affects of that.

The dual timeline structure of the book was perfect in showcasing how Shelley’s life came to this point, as was the pace of the narrative and I was addicted to reading page after page of the gorgeous prose until the early hours.

Highly recommended

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up was a great read - I read it in one sitting today and can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.

The novel starts when Shelley wakes up from a coma and tells the hospital workers that her husband, David, has tried to kill her and to please call the police.

I will not spoil one bit of this great story - the characters are wonderful, from the visitor Matt, her BFF Dee, to the nurses in the hospital.

There are difficult situations with her mother and then her being victims of domestic abuse, but power through them if you can, it will be so worth it

I'm off to find more Laura Pearson books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in lieu of an honest opinion.

I’m a big fan of Laura‘s writing, so grabbed this book soon as I saw it was on NetGalley. I didn’t not even read the blurb, so no idea what it’s about.
It quickly becomes clear that this book is about quite serious topic, that of spousal, abuse . Laura manages to walk the fine line between treating the subject too flippantly, and making it too, traumatic, and a potentially harrowing read . There are elements of a thriller within the story but as a whole, I found it optimistic and hopeful..book
There were times when I felt quite sick with anxiety about what’s going to happen next ,it definitely has its exciting moments
The story feels entirely real and his peopled by a set of characters, all beautifully described and all again perfectly real.
The Story is told in a series of flashbacks to different periods in the narrator’s life so that we gradually get to know more about her background and what has put her the hospital ITU which is where we meet her in the first scene
This is a very British book, but I’m sure will appeal to other audiences as the experiences are universal.
Laura really does have a beautiful flowing prose style, and the book was a pleasure to read I only put it down to sleep and then picked it up immediately. I woke up the next morning.

I read an early copy of the book on NetGalley, UK. The book is published in the UK on the 6th of April 2024 by Boldwood books.

This review will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley, UK, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com. After publication, it will also appear on Amazon, UK.

Shelley wakes up in hospital and the only thing she knows is that her husband tried to kill her. Shelley, an engaging narrator tells her childhood story interspersed with her experiences in hospital as she struggles to regain her memories and equilibrium.
This book started well and I was initially gripped to discover more of Shelley's story and why those around her in the hospital were not as keen to call the police about the attack as Shelley was. However, as the book progressed, I felt that the author Laura Pearson, who writes well, crossed the line from storytelling to preaching about a social issue. Apart from Shelley herself many of the characters were thinly written without nuance particularly the men and in the second half of the book the plotlines were formulaic. I feel that this was an opportunity missed to firstly tell a good story whilst at the same time raising awareness about abuse rather than the heavy-handed approach chosen to inform us about the issue and it's affects.
Thanks to the publishers for providing an author review copy.

Compelling, heart-wrenching and uplifting all at once. I read 'The Day Shelly Woodhouse Woke Up' in 24 hours and enjoyed every moment. Another great read from Laura Pearson. Will look out for her next!

Possible spoilers

Theres a few characters I this book I'd like to be in my own life.
Granny Rose for a start. Then Dee.
There's a real feeling of love, and warmth when these crop up.
This book tackles domestic abuse, and it does it well. The way it just becomes an accepted behaviour within a family.
The dual timeline works well, pacing the reveal of what happened perfectly.
Pearson has a knack for writing characters and situations you care about, this one is no different.
Definitely worth your time.

An amazing dual timeline story, alternating between Shelley's recovery after waking from a coma and her earlier life. I read this book in a day! The plot is gripping and poignant and Laura has mastered the art of peeling back the layers of her heroine and pulling the reader into her head - and then her heart. The story has a satisfying pace and the dialogue is fantastic. It would make a great film.

Thank you Netgalley. I absolutely adore Laura Pearson books and this was no exception. She does an outstanding job of portraying domestic violence in way that is true to life but also uplifting. The characters are full of heart and this story has a bit of mystery until Shelley remembers. Wonderful read!! I can't wait for her next book. Highly recommend

Shelley wakes up to find herself in hospital, in intensive care so she knows things are fairly bad. No-one will talk to her about what happened and she asks if there have been any visitors as it transpires that she has been there a few days. As she begins to think about things she is taken back to her childhood and alternating chapters tell about Shelley growing up and about some of her past. There’s a shadow to both parts, something recurring which Shelley can't quite piece together as yet but as she does she starts to see a pattern. What really happened and will Shelley be able to remember?

I love Laura’s books. She has the fantastic skill of writing a character so that the reader quickly feels in on the story and invested in the person and situation they find themselves in. I had to stop several times and take a breath as it was poignant, reminding me of different times in my own life and feeling for Shelley in her situation. It's one of those books that I desperately wanted to find out what happened but at the same time didn't want it to end, it's so beautifully written. Laura is one of those very special authors, one whose books I would read without hesitation or even reading the synopsis. Stunning, brilliant and every other superlative. One of my books of the year.

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I absolutely adored this book, even more than Laura Pearson’s brilliant Mable, she’s done an exceptional job of writing about the very difficult issue of domestic abuse and created a book that is absolutely joyful. Told primarily during Shelley’s recovery from a coma in hospital with her making herself remember key moments throughout her life with a view to regaining her missing memories. Told entirely from her perspective we see how confused and fearful she is on waking and how the staff and her friends so sympathetically support her recovery. The characters in this are really strong and I think the way a lot of the story is told retrospectively makes it easier to process, this doesn’t hide the impact events of her life have had on her but there’s a warmth around her recovery somehow that makes you see just how exceptional Shelley is.