This is a really sad story about a woman who loses her way and has to rebuild her life after losing everything. The end was good

I didn't care for the MC, which made it hard for me to get into the story.

I appreciate the opportunity to review. Sorry for the long delay in feedback. I'm working on clearing out my Netgalley backlog. I am DNF'ing all books that just don't work within the first 50-100 pages. Trying to find the joy in reading again by going through the hundreds of abandoned books here.

Nina and her sons, Connor and Declan are living a dream life with private education for the boys, and a beautiful home for Nina to run and look after, while her husband Finn takes care of the business he runs and doesn't bother Nina with the details of it. Until he dies in a car crash and suddenly the realisation of what he was hiding all along hits Nina and her sons. Her wonderful friends and neighbours rally at first, then seem to disappear as the reality of her situation becomes known.

Turning to her estranged sister Tiggy, Nina is forced to go back to a council estate, try to make ends meet and make a new life for her family, by going out to work and standing on her own two feet.

The book is full of only a few characters, but we get to know them and we see Nina struggling with the loss of the love of her life, as well as the life she loved too. But was it all she ever wanted? Or is there a chance to start again? Through grit, determination, courage and resilience she does just that. I was absolutely rooting for her and was so pleased with how the book ending. Another gem.

The Story:
The Art of Hiding is a story of a family's destruction both financially and emotionally that includes the process of rebuilding and coming out on the other side stronger.

My Feelings:
Her writing shines as she captures when life takes unexpected turns. She also draws us into the world of her characters. The way her characters deal with hardship is very realistic and might I say inspiring. I enjoyed witnessing the growth of Nina and her boys as they overcome their fears, grief, hurdles and persevered. They became stronger and better because of the misery they suffered. This novel is a lovely escape and enjoyable read that made me appreciate my family a little more. I need to read more of her books!

The Art of Hiding was provided by Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley.com. Many thanks!

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 5*
Writing skill : 5*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 4*
Characters: 5*
Emotiveness: 5*

The first thing to note is that I read this book in one day. But also it’s another bloody book I've put off since 2017 that I received for free, that's been sat on my kindle abandoned all this time.
This is my third Amanda prowse novel and I’ve loved them all, but I think this is my favourite.
The characters were well thought out and although there wasn’t too much plot, they helped move the story along nicely. I loved the array of emotions our main character went through and we readers feel them all.
This will stay with me for a while, and I will source some other books by this author!

Not quite sure how I was approved for this book because I didn't request it and nor was I auto-approved. I didn't receive any emails telling me the book was on my NetGalley shelf. By the time I logged-on to NetGalley the book had been archived and I couldn't download to review.

This is the second book I’ve read by Amanda Prowse, and while I enjoyed this book more than the first one I read, I don’t think this author works for me. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with the story, just that I don’t mesh with this author’s writing style.

I did like this story, it was heartbreaking but also hope-filled. I would have liked to feel more connection with the characters, the only character we really get insight into is Nina, as the story is told from her POV. We do get her impressions of everyone else’s feelings, but I would have liked to get to know more about Tiggy and the boys. And maybe a little more about Finn’s motivations.

I have a hard time understanding Nina’s relationship with Finn, and how she could not know what was happening in her own life, allowing herself to give up all control. It seems abusive and manipulative… and then the timing and method of his death is extremely suspect. Yes this is touched upon, but never conclusively determined.

The other thing that disturbed me was Declan. He is supposed to be 10-11 during the time of the story, but the behaviors he’s credited with are more in line with a 6-7 year old. Connor is 15-16 but acts a bit younger at times as well. Maybe this is a cultural difference, and the children that I am used to in the US behave differently than the children in the UK where the story takes place.

Again, this is not a bad story and I enjoyed the reconnection between Nina and Tiggy and the growth in Nina’s confidence.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book.
Well written, emotional and empowering. I’ve never read Amanda Prowse before, but I will definitely be reading more.

The Art of Hiding was a fairly short read that kept me attention. I liked it but found it to be quite depressing until about 3/4 in. Fairly predictable but at the end, heartwarming.

An interesting tribute to loss and recovery, this book follows Nina as she discovers that her perfect, well-funded life is actually a smokescreen for a mountain of debt and deception. There were many insightful comments that I found myself highlighting. The journey that Nina takes to reinvent herself and find out what she has lost on the way to elite life is an intriguing one, spurred by family reconnection and the need to downsize her expensive life after the debt comes due.

I enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read it.

I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. I struggled with the main character which made it difficult to get fully immersed in the story.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Advanced Reader copy - Enjoyed this book, really opened my eyes and made me seek out other similar books to read.

I have absolutely no idea how this book has such high ratings on Goodreads. Seriously I’m dumbfounded right now. It dragged on and on and on. And on. It was actually painful to get through most of it.

I think the plot itself is a great idea as well as the life lessons and ending it left behind. I liked Nina and her boys and her sister. I liked seeing Nina fight hard for her family and rediscover herself after such a tragedy. Her sister Tiggy was a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed learning about Nina and their relationship through her eyes.

But that was about it. This just wasn’t very well written. I would zone in and out while reading. I’d put it down midway through a page and realize oh crap I forgot I was reading. It just didn’t captivate me.

I would’ve enjoyed it much more if it was in first person POV. The narrator here was just way too boring and serious and one dimensional. I can think of so many books that tell tragedy and heartache SO well—but this one just didn’t, which was disappointing since Nina and her boys went through such an awful time and it just wasn’t told well enough to tug at the heart strings and bring me to tears. It ended up being completely anticlimactic,

The Art of Hiding definitely had promise based on the story line and the family’s struggle, but it quickly fell short due to the boring writing style and mediocre narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been published for years now and I just decided to pick it up. I made it 7% in and I am so depressed. I can't get into the story.

The story in this book starts off a rather sad one with the family being torn apart with the loss of Nina's husband and you can't help but feel for her and the kids. But what I enjoyed the most was the growth that was shown in overcoming so many obstacles afterward instead of just giving up. I found this one inspirational and quite compelling to read.

I couldn't get into this book. Everything about Nina is a little poor me from the snippets of her childhood onwards and I just cant bring myself to finish it.

I enjoyed reading this book I just never got around to writing a review. I will continue to read works by this author

Good. This story takes on the aspects of grief and secrets and what they can do to a family. Well paced and thought provoking.