Amanda Prowse is very good at writing books that hit you with emotion quickly and is sustained. The Art of Hiding is no different. The story is new and yet familiar about a woman who loses everything and has to learn to rely on herself and her true friends/family around her.

It is a short and powerful book about loss, finding oneself, and overcoming your fears.

There is something so real and raw and authentic about the characters in Prowse's work. This is the second of her books I've read this year. She went on my favorite author list after completing The Idea of You earlier this spring; her spot is cemented after reading this book.

Nina loses her husband unexpectedly due to a car crash and before she can fully comprehend that he isn't coming home, she learns that not only is the stronghold of their family unit gone, they entire life system is gone and she must figure out how to survive. With two sons, she can't hide in bed as she desires - instead, Nina digs deep and finds a source of strength and aptitude to take each day and fight to provide stability and security for her sons, Conner and Declan as they each seek to find a new normal while grieving in their own individual ways.

Nina loves flowers and there is one scene where her teenage son left a mason jar of dandelions on the counter for her to cheer her up one evening. Everything leading up to that moment was so intense - I could not help crying as I read that (it even makes me teary eyed now).

I love how the book begins with Nina's insecurity and anxieties and ends with her so strong and determined and a real sense of knowing what she is capable of.

I highly recommend this book. It is on my Best of 2017 list.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to review an eARC of this book.

I have to confess I am not normally a reader of Women's Fiction ,I like my books to be darker and twisty. oh hang on a minute I think I just described this book ! That for me is what makes Amanda Prowse such a great writer, she takes skeptics like me and makes me believe every word she writes and gets me invested in the story and the characters,so it doesn't really matter that I am out of my comfort zone reading a different genre.She makes me live the story. I felt like I was on Nina's side and was totally wrapped up in her life.I was totally captivated and no spoilers from me but you have to read this book, I can only hope you do.Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Another cracking read by this author. I've loved all her books and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. It's a tough subject matter but was written so well and tugged at the heartstrings. Great book

This was my first Amanda Prowse book and I have to say it won't be my last! I was instantly absorbed in the story of Nina and her family and how they coped with the sudden tragedy and upheaval that they faced at the sudden death of their husband/father. The characters were well written and I found this story very relatable and absorbing, I will be recommending this book to others and checking out some of her precious reads! Many thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This is the second book I have read by this author, and I can see why she is a very popular author. The story is basic in some ways, but what Amanda Prowse has created is a very thought provoking, empowering and emotional read. It is based around Nina and her two sons Connor and Declan, they live an affluent lifestyle, provided for by Finn, husband and father. Nothing can prepare Nina when Finn is killed in a car crash, but as if that was hard, then the aftermath that follows is even more heart-breaking. She will be taken back to her roots, but her roots are alien and unknown to her sons.

What unfolds is a comparison of lifestyles between “the have’s” and “the have-nots”, about futures that can be planned ahead for, and those that live day by day and week by week. It shows how Nina has to not only deal with the loss of her husband, but also the loss of everything she took for granted. The way Amanda has used the character of Tiggy, Nina’s older sister, is a very insightful way to give another dimension into the life of Nina. It shows how Nina has developed as a person over the years, from a confident child and teenager, into the meek and mild little woman of the house, then charting the hardship and adversity that is to follow. The trials that she then goes through helps empower Nina as she starts to find her feet as a single mum.

I liked the way Amanda has developed the characters of the two boys, from their lavish lifestyle and upbringing at an expensive private school, with a house and all the mod cons, their social lives and all that goes with it, to then have to deal with a life of complete contrast after the death of their father.

This book is an exploration into family dynamics that has been very well told, with a couple of “lump in my throat” moments. It is very thought-provoking and as I read the story, I couldn’t help thinking of how I would have coped. But then I do not have the lifestyle to lose, like Nina. It is all very well have money, houses and cars, but does this buy you happiness ? I think this is one of the points of the story, money does not by happiness. Also never forget your roots, never forget where you come from.

I would recommend this book to readers of General Fiction, Women’s Fiction and also to book reading groups for discussion. I think there are many topics raised in this book that would make some really interesting talking points.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for my copy of this book. My thoughts are my own, honest and unbiased.

This book was a bit disappointing. I wanted to like it, but I had to start skimming. And I RARELY skim. I had to stop at 30%. It was frankly too depressing and I just didn’t care what happened to the characters anymore.

I felt the hopelessness, guilt and despair were overdone and focused on too much. We get it, she was blindsided. It was the focus of the story for more of the book than it should have been. by the time she put on your big girl pants and dealt with things I had already lost interest. I found her to be a weak female lead and therefore could not find myself to have any sympathy for her. Her children were not people I found myself caring about either. They didn’t have much in the way of layers. It was mediocre IMO. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I just didn’t like it.

It's easy to become complacent when your life seems like a fairytale-marriage to a handsome, successful businessman, two beautiful children, and a mansion where your biggest concern is what flowers to buy for the grand foyer. But what happens when the glass shatters on your perfect life-when your husband dies suddenly and days later you learn he has left you destitute and homeless. That is the premise of Amanda Prowse's new novel, The Art of Hiding. While most of us will never experience the extravagant lifestyle Nina McCarrick has before her husband Finn is killed in a car crash, it is not hard to imagine the gripping terror Nina feels as she watches her possessions being carted out of her home like cattle to a slaughterhouse, and the bank slaps a "foreclosure" sign on the front door while the repossession man drives off with her luxury automobile. With barely enough money to buy food, Nina and her boys flee to the impoverished town where Nina lived before Finn swept her off her feet by promising she'd never have to worry about money again. There she struggles to rebuild her life surrounded by people who are nothing like the wealthy families she is used to. But with each challenge she overcomes, Nina blossoms like the roses that use to adorn her hallways. The book's title is a bit of irony-at first I thought it referred to Nina trying to hide from her painful past, but The Art of Hiding is really about how easy it is to take our lives for granted when we fail to look beyond the beautiful facade to see what may be hiding there.

I had never even heard of Amanda Prowse before I was given the chance to read this book. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future. Even though I have never been remotely close to having the life the main character had in the book, I could feel her hoplessness and confusion throughout the beginning of the book. The story kept me turning the pages, wanting to find out what was going to happen next. The only complaint I have is that I would have liked the story to go a little further, and show us a little more of what happened in Nina's life.

This book exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be depressing with the subject matter, but I couldn't put it down. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your husband & your world in one fell swoop. Nina is a strong character, & I love the development of her character, her sons, & her sister, Tiggy. I highly recommend getting this book.

Title: The Art of Hiding
Author: Amanda Prowse
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"The Art Of Hiding" by Amanda Prowse

My Thoughts....

What a wonderful story this author gives to the readers that will definitely put one into its storyline. We find that Nina McCarrick had it all...a wonderful husband [Finn], two sons, beautiful home living the life of the rich and wealthy. However, what will happen to Nina and her sons after the death of her husband and all that had seemed right in her world comes tumbling down. Will Nina be able to pick herself up and move on with her life after bankruptcy hits her hard? Will Nina soon learn that possessions aren't the most important things in her life as she is forced to return to her roots in South Hampton where they will have to adapt to a newer surrounding? This is definitely a story of grief, loss, hope, and redemption, drama, recovery as one will be able to see just what is so important in ones life as Nina begins a journey of self discovery and taking back her life in order to survive and be their for her sons Connor and Declan.

I found this novel well written emotional story definitely showing just what the difference is between materialism and spiritual values and the power of love and courage that will leave you with some provoking thoughts long after the read. .

I received this book from Netgalley and chose to voluntarily review the book with an honest book review.

Nina McCarrick has a rich, splendid life (or so she thinks), when her husband is killed in a car crash. So soon discovers that things were not what she thought they were. Her deceased husband, Finn, has left a mountain of debt. Nina is forced to give up the life she knew just so her and her boys can survive. I really liked this book. I could really feel Nina's pain as she just has the rug pulled out from under her and had to start over. She discovers that she is a lot stronger then she thought she was, and some things are more important than money. Highly recommend!

I always know I have a good book when I enjoy waking up early so I can read a few chapters before I get up. This was a story of the times where wealth and privilege can disappear leaving families in desperate straits. The characters were very real and the reader can empathise with the family and the emotions and fears. I was sorry when this novel ended and would have liked to have seen how the story developed.

I didn't enjoy this book at all. I felt it went nowhere and the characters were too whiny. Sorry

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse is published by Lake Union Publishing and is published on the 22 August 2017. Nina is the main character of the book and the book charts the course of husband dying, finding his company is bankrupt and so she has to start over with a tween and teenager in tow. This riches to rags story shows that rich is not always best. Her two boys, Declan and Connor are 2 self absorbed individuals when they have all the material goods they want and attend a private school - Kings Norton College but grow and improve as individuals when all they have known is ripped from them by the bailiffs and they have to move to a small flat and attend a poor comprehensive.
Nina's support, when her world comes crashing down, is not from the Kings Norton College mums as they drop her but from her sister who works in a pub and the mums whose boys are on the local rugby team. She has to rediscover and redefine her life and seems excited that she is going to go back to college and retrain to be a nurse.
This book is all about the characters being redefined, adapting and growing as people as circumstances change. This book is relate-able as it shows that some relationships become weaker, none existent, or stronger in the face of such adversarial conditions.

I was sent this book from Netgalley in return for my honest opinion. The fact I got it for free does not affect my review.

What would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie?

That is the intriguing question that led me to request NetGalley the opportunity to read this book. Thanks to them and the publishers for providing me a free copy to read and opinion on. Nina is a housewife whose only concern is the house and family until she gets the news that her husband has died. It is then revealed that her husband was in debt and owes alot of money. Her house and it's contents are forclosed and she is forced to move back to a neighborhood she ran from when she could. It is there where she reconnect with her sister and is forced to stand on her own and make a new life for her and her two boys who also must deal with all this changes. This was a very good depictions of one of my concerns. It is a story of perseverance and ongoing angst. I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone.

A book which explores how life can change in moment and how with inner resolve you can make a new life albeit a very different one. A compassionate story which follows the main character during her struggles and how she realises that the life she lost was not as perfect as she thought it was!

I like that this is a story about a strong female character, and isn't a romance. The storyline isn't original--there are tons of novels about a woman finding out her husband isn't all she thought he was. What I like about this one is that she doesn't end up with a new man at the end--it's her sister that helps her. It's a female-centric story.

This book really shines a spotlight on the fact that families and couples might look ideal on the outside but behind closed doors things are so different. Even though Finn is super busy with his business so his family can have everything they want including a mansion, private school and Nora, his wife, can stay home and take care of everything on the home front including their two boys. Nora has been left in the dark about their finances because Finn doesn't want her to worry about it. But he then suddenly dies in a car accident, which sound fishy and Nora is left with nothing. She and the boys have to leave their posh life and start over. This is a story about struggle, finding yourself, and finding your strength and realizing who you are and that you can survive. There are a lot of sad parts to the book. I'm really glad Amanda didn't turn the older boy into a rebel who started drinking and doing drugs. It seems like that is a default with some of these types of stories. This book made me ugly cry at one point. Very well written and so worth my time. It makes you stop and think about your own life and what would happen if your spouse suddenly is gone. Are you prepared to carry on?

My second book written by Amanda Prowse totally lived up to my expectations. Nina is married, has two children and living a life she always wanted, no debts, no hunger, life is good.
I am not wanting to spoil this for anyone, something devastating happens and Nina finds herself back to the place she grew up in. Nina has a lot to overcome and learn, she is stronger than she thinks. For her family, she needs to show the way and help heal the hurt they feel and move on. There are tears, anger, laughter, and cringe worthy moments in this story, a great read, 5 stars from me, loved it.