Loved this book and felt completely immersed in it. it's well written and easy to read and Nina, the main character is likeable and relatable. She discovers that her husband isn't quite a successful as she thought and she learns and needs to cope with a huge, huge debt and start over finding strength and resilience along the way.

Unfortunately I this book wasn't really for me and I just couldn't get into it which is a shame because I was really looking forward to reading it.

The art of hiding by Amanda Prowse.
What would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie?
Really enjoyable read. Great story. Kept me gripped. 5*.

After her provider husband dies, the protagonist must carry on, raise her school age boys herself. The shock and loneliness of sudden young widowhood is well-captured. I did think that the protagonist, who'd grown up poor, seemed kind of unself-reliant. That is, she was a little on the whiny side and seemed unprepared to face life on her own, to pickup for her boys. The protagonist's sister helps her cope and I think the story resolves pretty well, with a good message.

Nina and her two sons Connor and Declan have the perfect life. She has the home of her dreams and her sons attend a prestigious private school. Her husband Finn dies suddenly in a car accident and soon everything they knew is torn away from them as he left a mountain of debt in his wake. Forced to move back to where she grew up and her children have to attend a new school Nina and her family have to start again with nothing. Will they be able to pick up the pieces of their ruined lives and have a good life back in Southampton?
I would recommend this book. I did enjoy reading it. It was the first book I’ve read by this author and I plan to read more now.
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book has stuck with me ever since I read it. Amanda Prowse always covers such important topics in her novels.

Nice book and quite emotional in parts, I found the main character hard going at times but still wanted her to succeed.

Lovely, emotional, and thought-provoking. The main character is very hard to identify with at times, but I still found myself rooting for her. This is a well written book with a couple of very important life lessons.

With thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for this ARC

The art of Hiding, an alright book that I enjoyed but wouldn't say was a great book.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as others by the same author. I think entitlement of the main characters really took away from the story even if the point was to watch them overcome their hardships. I found them all whiny and annoying, even the 10 year old. The story was redeemed towards the end of the book when Tiggy and Nina had their discussion but by that point it was too late. I'd rather have read about Tiggy's story than anything about Nina and her kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

It started out like any other day, Nina dropped her sons off at their exclusive, posh school and returned in the afternoon for Connor's rugby match. Finn, her husband, and the boys' Dad had promised he would make it this time. So when the match started and Finn was nowhere to be found, Nina felt annoyed. When her phone rang from an unknown number she prepared herself to dress down Finn for missing another of his son's matches. But Finn had a good reason to be late, Finn was gone. He had taken a notoriously dangerous turn in the road at top speed and lost control. He was gone and now it was just Nina, Connor, and Declan. And they were left with a mountain of debt that Nina would never be able to scale. Within a week of Finn's death, Nina and the boys were homeless and she reluctantly moves them to her old hometown, the one she spent so many years trying to break free from. But maybe what she, and the boys, really needed to break free from was the gilded cage they had been living in with Finn. Nobody is here to rescue Nina and the boys, that's up to her.

I was unable to connect with another book Prowse has authored so wasn't sure if this one would suit but it did. It was a super-fast, engaging read for me. I tend to like the coming-of-age stories when the coming-of-age happens (for the first time or again) in that time known as "mid-life." I liked the way in which Prowse constructed the story to shake Nina out of her self-imposed hidey-hole. I think the character of Nina serves as a cautionary tale for us married women - we cannot and should not allow our partners to have total control over important matters like finances, we have to know something - even if its just passwords - so that if our partner doesn't come home one day we aren't completely blindsided. I think sometimes the blindside is worse than the loss of the one we love.

Love this author and loved this book. I needed to be in the right headspace to read it as I was holding on to the emotions long after putting the book down. Great book, read if you want to dive in to something and be absorbed in the story. Love to read more!

Another brilliant author. I've read a few of her books and they never disappoint.
Although this wasn't my favourite of her books, I still liked the plot and characters.

Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.

Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married. Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.

But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.

Bestselling author Amanda Prowse once again plumbs the depths of human experience in this stirring and empowering tale of one woman’s loss and love.

This was a very interesting book to read. It keeps the readers attention all through the book.

Though the writing was good, and the story has merit, I was so depressed trying to read this book. I think with all the death and darkness of the past year, reading about unimaginable pain and tragedy just doesn't help my worldview at all. I wish I had read this back when I first requested it, maybe I would have had a totally different experience. I did not finish the book, but what I did read, I would give 2 stars

Another extremely emotive story from Amanda Prowse.
Easy to read and heartfelt. Lacks a little twist towards the end, as the story becomes predictable.
But still a good read.

I couldn’t continue reading this book. It was not what I was looking for. This book just wasn’t for me- wrong book, wrong time.

harrowing tragedy. Engaging, emotional and uplifting. the story of a mother's instinct to protect and provide for her children lead her (and them) to a stronger, more fulfilling life. I would recommend this to a friend. An enjoyable fast paced read

A struggle of falling from where you thought you were to where you ended up. The power of taking back your life and pulling yourself up from the boot straps. A story with love, discerption and discovery of oneself. It’s a feeel good story.

Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Art of Hiding. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Nina McCarrick is living an idyllic life with her husband Finn and two boys, but what happens when the hidden truth turns the woman's world upside down? Will Nina be able to cope with the fallout, for the sake of her boys?

The biggest problem that I had with The Art of Hiding is Nina's obliviousness to her true situation. Having been raised in poverty, Nina would have never taken someone else's word regarding finances. She would have squirreled money away, keeping a plan in place for "just in case". That being said, the reality of starting over and living life paycheck to paycheck is so realistic for many. The author did a good job of bringing that aspect of the story to life. The other part that bothered me had to do with the predatory aspect of the creditors. I doubted the totality of what they were able to accomplish, as it is unrealistic the scope of what they were able to do and what little they left for Nina and her boys. The Art of Hiding was a quick read and those who like stories about strong and determined women might find it to their liking.