I am not leaving a review due to the fact that this book did not interest me enough to finish the story.

This book warmed my heart, it had such a beautiful conclusion. It was nice to have a book highlighting mental health especially post natal depression and showing you can get through it with some help. Lovely story with some lovely characters.

Read this if you like books about: women's fiction, post partum psychosis, familial dysfunctions, family reunions, forgiveness and moving on

The first few chapters were infused with sadness; hopelessness and heartache. Evie's home was described so well that you could "see" the chaos around her.
Evie's mother deserted the family when she was 5 years old, just after the birth of her sister, Joanna. Now Evie finds herself unraveling and adrift when her own son is born.
Reaching out eventually to an unexpected source of help, Evie slowly finds things starting to make sense and gains an understanding and answers to her "why" questions/thoughts with both her mother and stepmother and perhaps discovering a way back to healing these two relationships. Along the way she gains insight into her own life; her relationship with her son and her partner, Mark.
This is an intimate look at post-partum psychosis and also a spotlight on mothers and daughters and their complex relationships, whether created by blood or marriage.
Out of the five "main characters" not all of them managed to mend their broken relationships or resolved issues from their pasts. Some decided to keep some secrets buried - maybe misguided, but I felt within good reason.
Ultimately this has been Evie's story, her journey to becoming whole and finding her place where love should be.
A beautiful, touching read for me. Not all the loose strings were neatly tied up by the end, but that didn't bother me - I actually felt that some of them especially with regards to Joanna were fair and she possibly deserved them?

Thank you Troubadour Publishing for a copy of The Place Where Love Should Be for an honest review.

The story of two mothers, both suffering from postpartum psychosis. I personally went through postpartum anxiety and this book felt like an accurate representation of how hard the newborn period is, and why and how these ladies sink so deep.
Evie is suffering when her baby boy Edward is born. Her family try to help but she wants to feel like she can handle it. She wants to be able to love her own son. Evie’s mother left the family when she was six after her baby sister Joanne was born. As she reconnects with her to find some connection with someone who knows the struggle she’s facing, more about why her mother left is revealed.

I enjoyed this book and it almost felt too close to home for me. Brought back a lot of the darker days of NICU time with my son and those first few months of anxiety. How they let you leave a hospital with such a tiny fragile little person is still a shock to me sometimes. I did see myself in Evie and liked following her story. The rest of the characters were exasperating at times but all in all, a very interesting read.

I have just finished this book. What a read! At first I found it hard to keep up as characters were introduced but then I became hooked on where the story took them. Evie can relate to so many people and this book will be an inspiration to many. This is an everyday thing and people suffer and knowing that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

I loved reading the story and never skipped a word like I tend to do with some books. I found myself sucked into the story and into all the characters lives.
The smallest thing can pull a family together or push them apart and the author has displayed this beautifully

Brilliant author thank you so much netgalley for allowing me to read this book will be keeping an eye on this author

This is a lovely book, I very much enjoyed reading it. As it says on the blurb, it is the story of a woman struggling with motherhood - and the author's depiction of that struggle is completely authentic and compelling - against the background of her guilt about a family secret. The female characters are more strongly drawn than the male, and this may be deliberate; it's all about the women, in this book.

I received a copy of this book on request at netgalley. I must say I enjoyed reading this book. The story describes the interlinked lives of three women, the protagonist and new mother Evie, her stepmother, Francine and her birth mother, Helena. Evie has struggled with abandonment issues after her birth mother leaves her when she’s six, following the birth of Evie’s sister, Joanna. At her tender age she is unable to understand what exactly happened and the other adults in the scenario shut her out. Since then Evie has fought tooth and nail against building a bond with her new step mother, Francine out of loyalty to her mother. In the present day scenario, Evie finds herself helpless as a new mother. She feels overwhelmed and burdened by the constant care that the newborn demands from her. Sadly, she is also unable to ask for help from her current family. In desperation she conducts an internet search for her birth mother Helena and finds her. Midway through their reconnection however, circumstances change requiring her to lean on Francine as well. The story is told from the perspective of Evie and Francine mostly but with insightful injections from Evie’s father as well.
I thought the author did really well in sharing with us the feeling of confusion and drowning a new mother can experience. The idea that not all mothers experience motherhood in the same way and the fact that the not-so-happy stories are often hushed up and not discussed, can make a struggling mother feel alienated. Having experienced what her mother went through, is a revelation for Evie and helps rebuild their relationship. Her relationship with Francine too changes as she comes to realize the safe haven her second mother provided and continues to provide. I did feel however, that there was further scope for Francine’s character and the inclusion of another lover was not really needed. I also found myself feeling sorry for William, Evie’s father who lives in denial and avoids confrontations. As a new mother myself, I have been blessed with an excellent support system as have my friends so it was a very eye-opening read for me and I’m grateful to the author for taking me on a journey through the eyes of Evie, a mum who was hurting.

I found the first few chapters rather slow. The content was painful and heartbreaking, but as the the rest of the family were brought in I became hooked. The characters felt real, if not rather irritating for their neglect and inaction. The description of post partem psychosis was deep and profound. Overall I enjoyed the book, the flow of the speech and the structure made it east reading.

Excellent book highlighting the blues or postnatal depression and psychosis. More help needs to be done for this and this book shows the helpless of people close and also the way they can ignore it and stick heads in the sand.
Lots of plotlines within the book.

I received an advanced copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, it was quiet, sad, insightful and beautiful.

All the characters led such small lives but the author created a wonderfully, intricate web around them that transformed them into so much more. Evie, stuck in a moment so many years before and unable to allow herself to emotionally evolve. Joanna and her 'perfect' life and her neediness. William and his panic and inability to stand up for himself and his family. And Francine, her passion and love, stifled by a family not able to fully embrace her.

Her characters are skillfully flawed and real. Her treatment of post partum depression realistic and soul wrenching. I felt Evie's panic and confusion, her guilt in not being able to cope. Williams inertia was maddening and Joanna's need to control while hiding her fear of exclusion was written excellently. Ellis' prose was delightful to read, I never skipped over sentences and paragraphs to get to the story which is rare for me.

The only fault I can find, which is a very small fault, is that the story felt rushed at the end. There was no big revelation and no neat ending. But, I suppose that's real life isn't it?