3.5⭐️
Another hit from Amanda Prowse, if you’re a fan you’ll definitely enjoy this one. I enjoyed it but found it was a little harder than usual to relate to. The main character frustrated me a little but then that’s probably the intention! Rae-Valentine has always been in the shadow of the more dramatic, louder members of her family. She puts everyone else first and is taken for granted by them. When she learns about a betrayal it makes her see the light and find out what’s most important in life.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this E-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much away.
Rae Valentine has always felt inferior and allowed others to take the lead. After 25 years of married life Rae is beginning to find her voice, beginning to roar.
The characters are wonderful and the love within the family is real. At many points I was fully engaged with the plot and characters, laughing, crying and hoping with them. At one point the plot seemed to stutter, but them Wham, another situation occurred.
I have read several books by Amanda, all different but all very good.

Wow another great read from Amanda. Yet again a thought provoking read too. Rae thought her life was the best. With a great husband, two lovely children and a loving family who could ask for more. After a lovely family party to celebrate her wedding anniversary Rae was on cloud nine. Just one conversation with husband Howard sees her life quickly crashing down around her. Is one mistake in all these years worth tearing her world apart for. Rae is in turmoil as she weighs everything up and try’s to work out what to do for the best. Has she been living a lie all these years, or was it just one stupid mistake not worth ripping her world apart for. I really felt for Rae as she tried to work out what was happening with her life, and where did she go from here. Lots of twists and turns along the way as she try’s to do the right thing.

This was an ok read but I was left feeling like nothing much really happened. Even the ending seemed rather rushed when something actually began to happen. The best bit about it all was the plot line involving the rediculously names Rae-Valentine’s parents nd sister. I say rediculously names because we were taught Rae’s parents were shy and retiring yet they came up with two of the most assuming names possible for their daughters. Not that that matters, presumably they liked the names or felt they were offering a different sort of life or whatever. I digress. In truth, I was a little disappointed.

Rae-Valentine finds her life's work; her marriage and the family business she troubleshoots is not what she believes, at her Silver Wedding Anniversary party. Feeling worthless and rudderless she refuses to go on her expensive anniversary holiday until her husband suggests she goes without him, but with her best friend Dolly, his sister.

The trip allows Rae to examine her life choices, but were they her decisions or just her only option? Experiences on the holiday, people she meets and deep heart-to-hearts with her best friend reveal some uncomfortable home truths. The ultimate question, is it too late to change things and live her own life?

Rae-Valentine and all the book's characters are authentic and relatable, as are the situations they find themselves in. This is a story of realisation and self-belief that resonates with the reader and makes an everyday situation, a readable, page-turning story.

I received a copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing/Amazon Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Just recently, I heard about Amanda Prowse, and her book, The Coordinates of Loss on social media. I had the opportunity to read and review this book and loved it. When I saw The Girl in The Corner, I was definitely interested in checking it out. 

On their twenty-five year anniversary, Rae-Valentine's husband, Howard confesses that he had a two-week drunken fling with a young waitress at one of the family’s restaurants. Rae is shocked, hurt, angry and sad, and feels like her whole world has instantly fallen apart as everything she believed was solid suddenly isn't after all. Her husband, Howard, the father of her two children, is the brother of her best friend, Dolly, who she has known since she was 16. Rae begins to question everything she gave up on when she married Howard.

Needing some time apart to think, Rae decides to take Dolly on the scheduled anniversary vacation to Antigua, where the women spend time walking down memory lane, sharing stories of their youth and talking about family life while trying to avoid the obvious issue with Howard.  Rae makes friends with a young waiter named Antonio, only to help remind her what she could have done had she followed her dreams instead of marrying Howard so young. 

The Girl in The Corner is a perceptive and thought-provoking piece of women's fiction with very smartly human characters. The story is primarily about a woman finally putting herself first and finding the strength and courage to take control of her life.

The story is well-paced right from the start, and it's very easy to get invested in the story because it has depth and feels true and honest. I could seriously see a book two following her path of growth post-Howard too!  I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of contemporary romance fiction.  Ms. Prowse is a great writer who has the ability to convey her stories from the heart!

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy from Lake Union Publishers through Net Galley in exchange for my post.  I was not required to post a positive review, but chose to because it was a great book!

The Girl in the Corner was beautifully written! I enjoyed the way that Rae was depicted, along with her friendship with Dolly and her relationships with her family. Rae and Dolly have been friends since they were sixteen. Rae married Dolly’s brother, Howard. Now, with grown children, the women are finding their way with their current relationship and the demands of everyone in their families. Rae finds out that Howard has betrayed her. The characters Rae and Dolly are depicted in an honest way. Author Amanda Prowse brings us Rae’s real life and real emotions as the storyline progresses. I really enjoyed the way that Rae’s life was depicted so thoroughly, and not just simply glossed over as her life changes in so many ways. This was a wonderful novel about women, marriage, family, and friendships!

Wow!!! I was not expecting that ending.
If you want a book about friendship, love, loss and betrayal, look no further than The Girl In The Corner. Another great book by Amanda Prowse.

A captivating story which pushes the boundaries of friendship and loyalty. Rae Valentine, the leading lady in the story, will strike a chord with so many women. Putting everyone and everything before herself she doubts her own strengths and anxiously tries to please everyone and smooth the waters.
With colourful characters and a plot that so many women go through I found myself thinking, “go on , find the strength!” and I was delighted when the plot turned the way I hoped.
Excellent story which I loved reading, thank you Amanda!

Our heroine Rae-Valentine met Dolly her BFF at typing college where Dolly declared that she wanted to marry her brother's best friend, Vinnie. Dolly does indeed do this but not before setting up Rae with her brother Howard. who Rae marries at the tender age of 18. Howard and Dollys family, the Latimer's own several restaraunts so Rae from a humble background starts living a life of more luxury. However, she has always felt she was "the girl int he corner", not pretty, not put first, not powerful and of whom no one takes notices of her needs. This stems from Rae's relationship with her older sister, Debbie Jo as aspiring singer cum actress cum dancer who always hogged the limelight at home and taunted Rae as the "girl in the corner".

After a "surprise" silver wedding anniversary party where Howard gives Rae a diamond necklace and tickets for a trip just for the two of them to Antigua. Howard confesses that he has recently been unfaithful (with a waitress, for a 2 week period). Heartbroken, Rae goes to Antigua with Dolly to decide where her marriage is headed. However, tensions rise to the surface as Dolly seems to be in taking her brother's side. So, Rae goes off alone and flirts and receives nuggets of wisdom from a young bar man and takes a good long look at how she came to be a pushover for everyone in her life.

When Howard comes looking for reconciliation, Rae has a choice to make: keep the peace, as she always has, or put herself first for once and find out who she really is.

This book really wasn't for me. I hated the twee names of the female characters, it was really one dimensional and dragged a flimsy premise out for what seemed like ever. A book by numbers.As soon as it was mentioned that Howard ran the family restaraunts it was obvious that temptation would be to hand, but not to Rae. It reminded me of a really bad Kay Mellor style female drama. Flimsy and not worth the time spent on it.

A story that could happen to anyone. Rae has a comfortable, settled life, which is suddenly turned upside down. This is the story of how she gets over her dramatic change of circumstances.
Although it deals with real problems it's a fairly undemanding read. An ideal holiday book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

Really good read. Took a bit of time to get in to it but it was really interesting with full character depth. Makes you think about life and how you would handle some situations and a great end. Thank you for the ARC

I absolutely loved the first book that I read by Amanda Prowse (Perfect Daughter) so I was really excited when I got an advanced copy of her latest book. It was a good read and one that kept me entertained throughout but I was always looking for something to happen. There were lots of pages of text that just didn't hook me and it felt more like Prowse was trying to describe a movie scene than one in a book.

There's family drama, there's secrets, romance, emotions flying around...but it still fell flat, until one particular moment where it felt like Prowse poured her heart into making the scene come alive. Empathy and understanding is in abundance throughout this book that's for sure - and Prowse crafts her characters carefully to bring them to life. It just wasn't my favourite book of hers but definitely won't stop me reading more..!

I'm shocked, I'm completely blown away by this book. Some of Amanda's work is heavy going or a subject that is sensitive or taboo and she handles them so well. This is such an amazing breath or fresh air from the tragedy and drama, or is it?
There are so many times in my life that I have felt like the Girl in the Corner and it really does resonate with me. It's funny and witty and a little sarcastic in all the right places. It's also got a great amount of trauma and once again Amanda has managed to perfect the right level of real-life accuracy. I completely fell in love with all the characters, but Rae-Valentine, such a powerful and resilient woman just had me captivated from the very beginning. I found myself willing her on, wanting her to step out from the corner and simultaneously trying to put myself in her shoes and wondering what I would do if it was me.
There's a situation around page 100 that had me simultaneously cringing and crying with laughter. I managed not to cry until the last few chapters, but alas Amanda got me again with such an emotive and powerful ending.
I have to say that I also absolutely loved the cover, it's stunning and the picture doesn't really do it justice. For an author who said she was only going to write 20 books, thank heavens she didn't stop, book 21 is wonderful and I can't wait to read book 22!

I really enjoyed this book, which certainly has you thinking about what you would do in a similar situation. Rae has the perfect marriage, or so she thought, which comes tumbling down with her husbands infidelity. The characters are very real, with real issues and Rae transforms from the girl in the corner to someone who realises she has her own life to lead and an awful lot to give, The ending came as a real surprise to me. Most enjoyable.

Believeable characters and plot line. I identified with the characters and cared what happened to them, Just the thing for reading by the side of the pool or just wanting to escape the winter weather.

This is the emotive story of Rae finding herself after always living her life pleasing others. She finds out her husband, Howard has committed an indiscretion which rocks her world and makes her question her life. Her best friend, Dolly is also Howard's sister and she tells Rae to 'just move on'. Rae discovers she is not just the girl in the corner but has lots to give and her own life to lead. I loved this book and I really connected with the main character. Amanda Prowse at her best. Would recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I am a great fan of Amanda Prowse having found one of her books, Poppy Day, here on Netgalley. Rae seems to have it all. A lovely husband and a nice family. It was a real roller coaster ride. Her trip to Antigua with her bestie Dolly, who was a real scream, sounded idyllic. When her husband of 25 years appeared I was torn between her forgiving him and just getting out of her marriage while she could. However, these decisions are difficult to make and over time all seemed well until the final twist which came as a shock . Another amazing read from Amanda Prowse.

Rae-Valentine has what seems to be the perfect marriage. In an almost rags to riches tale she marries her best friend’s brother – and is thrown into the kind of luxurious, glamorous, whirlwind life she always felt was beyond her. Decades later, things start to go horribly wrong for Rae. Amanda Prowse has this incredible gift of taking everyday lives and making them leap off the page at you. Her characters are all so wonderfully real. In other hands, her stories could be mundane. But Prowse lays her characters bare, shows us their inner thinking and with the lightest - but most genuine - touch proceeds to dissect their lives. She gives us glimpses into their very being. And just as I thought I knew exactly where The Girl in the Corner was going, she threw a total spanner in the works. The ending surprised and delighted me! The book is all about relationships - with our best friends, sisters, husbands and children. How do these relationships fare when really tested? And do we even recognise when they have become destructive rather than good for us?

Absolutely superb! Every woman who has ever felt taken for granted (and who hasn't?) will identify with this book.

Rae-Valentine is a shy sixteen year old who pales in comparison to her shining light sister. When she makes friends with Dolly, a much louder extrovert and is introduced to her vibrant family, Rae continues to be the quieter person - the one who everyone can depend on. But for how long?

This is a truly amazing read; one which will make every woman feel as if Amanda Prowse has been sifting through their life and put her finger on the moments when they wish they had been more assertive. A beautifully written story, parts of which I could easily identify with (and which made me glad my first marriage ended sooner rather than later)! The characters are plentiful, realistic and a good cross section of society. There is more than enough detail to keep the reader glued to the pages and the ending is just sublime. A gorgeous book and one which will stay with me. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended. This author never disappoints!

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing for my copy via NetGalley. My opinions are completely my own.