This is a well written story about life and the importance of family.

I received an advanced copy and I voluntarily leave my own opinion

This was a strange read, not at all what I was rxpecting. I started it, then put it down. I picked it up again and was glad I did. It isn't one of my favourite books, but it isn't one of the worst I've read either.

I’ve read so many non-fiction books this year and I almost forgot what reading fiction is like.

Amanda writes about a young widow (Nina) who has her lifestyle disrupted when her husband dies unexpectedly.

I was initially irritated with Nina…how can you have no idea about the financial situation of your household? Her naivety annoyed me but as I kept reading the book, I ended up empathising with her.

It is a well written story and I enjoyed the book club questions at the end of the final chapter.

Favourite Quote: “And just because so many people say it is, doesn’t make it a fact. It’s just one of those things that is said so often that people believe it, like the misconception that all bats are blind.”

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Nina McCarrick's biggest problem is navigating the power moms at her son's fancy prep school, and it us until she gets a phone call that changes her life. Her husband has died and that is just the beginning of the life-changing problems and decisions that Nina has to navigate in The Art of Hiding.

Amanda Prowse has a way of drawing a reader into her stories with plot lines that make me wonder how I would react if I was in a similar situation. At times, I didn't feel that Nina's character was as believable as I thought she should be, so I gave it four stars instead of five, but this is a very compelling story.

I have never thought about the “what ifs” of my relationship. I never thought of “what if my SO died“. I also never thought of “What if he was hiding debt from me“. After reading The Art of Hiding, I did start thinking about the “what ifs” and discussed them with him. Luckily for me, he is not the type to hide anything from me. I am also not the type of person, like Nina, who is not involved in any of the household finances. So, if something did happen, nothing would blindside me like it did Nina.

The plot of The Art of Hiding is Finn dying, Nina finding out about the debt and Nina going back to Southampton. A place she escaped from when she married Finn. But, there is also the plotline where Nina finds herself and that is what made this book so enjoyable for me. Nina had to go through so much to be happy. Her journey to get to that point was both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

While this book is labeled as women’s fiction, it is not chick lit. I can’t stress that enough. In my eyes, women’s fiction is a huge step away from chick lit. In chick lit, the heroine deals with whatever life throws at her in unrealistic ways. In women fiction, the heroine deals with life’s trials as a normal person would. This is what I liked about The Art of Hiding. Nina’s issues are something that could happen to anyone. The situations that she finds herself in has happened to people in real life. It is that connection that made me like this book.

Nina had a lifestyle that most people only dreamed about. She had a beautiful house and expensive cars. Her children went to an exclusive all boys school. She took vacations to exotic locations. I mean, she had a lifestyle that I wished I had. Then Finn died and her world crumbled. She finds out that he was in debt and that everything is being repossessed. Not only the house and cars but everything inside the house. Her boys were kicked out the exclusive school due to nonpayment of tuition. She did what anyone would do in that situation, she reached out to her sister for h help. With her sister’s help, she packed up what she could and moved back to Southampton. She moved into the flat (apartment) that her great-aunt had occupied and she tried to get back on her feet.

I could go on and criticize why Nina seemed to falter in the middle of the book. I could but I won’t. If I were in her shoes, I would have gone into shock too. I mean, within days, she was homeless and had no money. She could not wrap her head around what happened. Guess what, she deserved to wallow in her grief and anger for a bit. The only thing that was keeping her going were her sons. She had to be strong for them because, guess what, their world shattered too. They lost their father, all their possessions and their house.

The end of the book was heartbreaking and happy. I had tears in my eyes when Nina reflected on her year and how far she had come.

4 stars

Summary:

The Art of Hiding is a story about one woman’s journey after finding out she is destitute after her husband dies. This book is beautifully written with a great plot. I would highly recommend The Art of Hiding to everyone.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: mild language

I would like to thank Amanda Prowse, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Art of Hiding

All opinions expressed in my review of The Art of Hiding are mine and mine alone

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

This is only the second book that I have read by Amanda Prowse. I really enjoyed the first book but after reading the first chapter of The Art of Hiding I had to add Prowse to my list of favorite authors. In the first chapter Nina is in the car trying to talk to her teenage son. I felt as if Ms. Prowse had recorded conversations I had with my own teenage son; I felt like she was writing about us. I quickly followed her on social media and added her to my favorite authors on Goodreads. The Art of Hiding is a story of how Nina and her two boys, used to a very posh and comfortable life are dealt crushing blows, one after the other. They have to rebuild their lives, starting from nothing. Ms. Prowse tells her story so vividly I felt like I was watching a movie. Looking forward to adding all of Amanda Prowse's earlier books to my reading list.

Following the death of her husband Finn, Nina finds out that the family is bankrupt. She and her two sons need to move out of their home and leave their comfortable life to start again in Southampton. Nina needs to rediscover herself, her independence and her self-belief. The boys need to start again in a new school, make new friends and come to terms with their new reality.
This book makes you think about what is important. Although Amanda Prowse does not sugar coat the issues this is a nice story about love and resilience, friendship and what makes us happy.

I received a copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've had quibbles with some of Prowse's characters in the past but I always look for her books because she's a great storyteller. This time she's addressing how a woman picks herself up and moves on when she loses everything- her husband, her money, her perceived status. Nina has to keep it together for her kids, who of course have their own problems in dealing with the deal of their father. We've read some of this before but Prowse has such a nice way with words and creates such wonderful flawed characters (making them so real!) that it feels fresh. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to her next book!

Wonderful insight into modern life the importance of family and being true to yourself regardless of the material world we live in.

I've read a couple of Ms Prowse's novels and none of them have disappointed- this one included. Watching Nina's struggle (and her children's especially) to come to terms with what has happened is quite emotional, but yet is full of hope. Nina begins a journey of self-discovery that is uplifting and, as the blurb says, "empowering".

Nina discovers that money isn't everything, whilst at the same time realising that the lack of it has very serious repercussions. She also discovers that love can be quite a fluid thing when it is based on less than sound foundations.

A story about lIfe and how you react to all the conflicts ,lost
A mother with 2sons who suddenly lose her husband and life as she knew it.

Nina had the perfect life. She lived in a beautiful house, had plenty of money, had two sons doing well at an exclusive private school and she had Finn -a loving successful husband who took care of everything. When she gets a call to say that there has been a serious accident involving her husband her perfect life comes crashing around her ears.

It seems Finn wasn't as successful as she had thought. Before his 'accident' he was about to go bankrupt ( there is nothing proven that it wasn't an accident but...) Suddenly from having everything they could want, Nina and the boys find themselves with no home, no posh school and it quickly becomes obvious that they have no friends either. Thanks to Nina's sister being in contact with a distant uncle, they find somewhere to stay but how do they learn to live again?

Gradually Nina begins to realise that her relationship with Finn had stopped her from growing up and painfully accepts that she needs to stop hiding and become her own person.

I have read a number of Amanda Prowse's books and enjoyed them. I found this an enjoyable read but for me it lacked something of the magic that made some of them unforgettable. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book

3.25 Stars* (rounded down)

Everything in Nina McCarrick’s life is going swell. She loves her life, her husband and her sons, Connor and Declan, who go to a posh school system. Her husband’s job is uber-successful and they live a grand life. And then it all comes crashing down. Literally. Nina gets a phone call. One no one ever wants to receive. There has been an accident. Her husband, Finn, is gone. And as it turns out, he wasn’t uber-successful after all. Unbeknownst to her, he had lost his business, and he had amassed a ton of debt. As in Eight-Million Pounds of Debt. And Nina had no idea whatsoever. And now, she is left to clean up the mess and start over. Yet she has no job or education and has no idea what to do.

Moving away from their old life and finding a job is the only way. With more than just a bit of resentment, Nina and her boys return to Nina’s rundown hometown, and to her sister, Tiggy. It is there, that Nina finds more than she bargained for. Left with no choice, Nina finds strength and resilience and a sense of self.

Amanda Prowse’s “The Art of Healing” is a sweet, well written, easy to read novel about family, loss and healing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 8.20.17.

*Will be Published on Amazon on. 8.22.17.

'The Art of Hiding' is a compelling story, sensitively written, with Amanda Prowse's customary observational skills and descriptive depth. The transformation of the characters during their passage through difficult experiences, sudden change, betrayal and deception, loss, grief and growing up is carefully depicted, and the pace keeps the reader eager to discover the eventual outcomes.
Highly enjoyable and sympathetically evocative.

a story of sorrow and surprise to a new widow, at times this was a little bit predictable and I was wishing that Nina would be a bit stronger especially towards her son, however she did turn it around and build real relationships with others including her sister.

Nina finds herself suddenly jolted out of her ideal life upon the sudden death of her husband. Not only has she lost hum, but she funds out he left her 8 million pounds in debt. So Nina, who was a full time mom with no real friends, must find a way to survive with her two boys. She moves bsck to the area she left upon her marriage and with her somewhat estranged sister, fights to rebuild. The story was a good, fast read. Nothing stunningly good or surprising, but a good book.

You know that feeling when you finish a good book & you can do nothing but sit there processing it, your mind whirling after reading something so...thought provoking?

That's exactly how I felt finishing The Art of Hiding. I started this particular novel in the evening as I curled up with a cup of tea, and I finished it just after midnight.

From the moment I started reading, Nina's journey enthralled me completely. My heart went out to her as I watched her trials, tribulations & heartache, and I cheered when she came through the other side, still standing, still fighting.

The main reason I loved this novel is that it highlighted exactly what it is like to be a woman who, under the pressures of life and her circumstances, forgets who she was. It makes you stop and think, who is the real you & are you truly happy?

Amanda Prowse doesn't just explore marital life & what it's like to be surrounded by pressure (consciously or not). She also delves into what it is like for teenagers & children to experience something so far from their typical life, and they're reactions to it. This added further depth to the overall plot, and I loved watching them become who they end up being at the end.

In addition to this, in this day and edge people are extremely concerned with how others in society see them, and how they are portrayed. This book dissects that way of thinking, and it really does make you stop and consider the different aspects of your own life.

It reminds us that the picture perfect life is in fact not perfect. Regardless of your situation life inevitably throughs us curveballs, and it is our strength, courage & determination to come out the other side that truly defines us.

Throughout this fantastic work of fiction I went through every emotion possible: I empathised, cheered, laughed, smiled and hoped that everything would be alright in the end.

I don't want to give anything away (personally I hate spoilers), but what I will say is I highly, highly recommend you buy and read The Art of Hiding. It is truly an amazing, captivating novel that will take your breath away.

'......the satnav told her it was 63.4 miles and would take her one hour thirty five minutes to reach their destination. Nina knew this was a lie; she knew that where they were headed was a million miles from where they had started, and that it might take years for them to arrive. '

The Art of Hiding is the first book I have read by Amanda Prowse. She is described as writing 'stories of ordinary women and their families who find their strength, courage and love tested in ways they never imagined' and as 'the queen of domestic drama'.

THE BLURB: 'What would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie?

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.'

I liked the fact that this book was not predictable. At a couple of points while reading I thought 'Oh, here we go - she's going to walk into some high paid job for which she has no qualifications/she is going to have some other rich man fall in love with her and rescue her.' But as it turns out, she has to struggle along, applying for absolutely anything to earn money to put food on the table for her children, and making friends in, what is for Nina, the most unlikely places.

The Art of Hiding contains several good life lessons - friendship is far more important than possessions; and we should all be equipping our children with essential life skills - lessons we should all take to heart. And let us not forget to be kind to people less fortunate than ourselves; how hard is it really to offer a helping hand?

While The Art of Hiding didn't blow me away, it was an enjoyable read and if, in the future, I come across another book by Amanda Prowse I will probably pick it up.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page for an explanation of my ratings.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book. As an Amanda Prowse fan, I greatly looked forward to reading this book. I found it a bit challenging to get into the story but enjoyed the book. It was the usual type of book by this author in that I felt I was put through an emotional wringer. Very satisfying storyline.

I'm there's more than a few who can relate to the content of this book, for me it hit quite close to home! Lovely story, had me laughing and in tears many times, just because you are rich doesn't mean you don't suffer hardship. Likewise just because you are financially poor, doesn't mean you aren't rich. Absolutely love Amanda's books!