Book synopsis: “You’ve met Mrs. Bright. She’s that nice woman who lives three doors down and always smiles at you in the mornings. She’s planning her thirtieth wedding anniversary with her husband. She wants to travel, read endless books and take beautiful pictures. She’s been waiting for this forever.”

At least, that is what you thought she was doing.

In reality, Kay Bright has been going through the motions of being a happy wife and mother, while wondering what her life might’ve been like if she had made some different decisions along the way. The only friend who knows what decision she questions most, is Ursula (Bear), the friend she confides in through an “old fashioned” handwritten letter sent every other month.

She counts on Ursula’s reply.

So, when Ursula’s letters stop arriving, Kay decides to leave behind a life that feels stagnant, and go talk with Ursula in person, instead of by Airmail, to sort it all out.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Kay, a woman wanting to REDISCOVER her younger self, and her daughter, Stella, a young woman JUST discovering her adult self, the story is one filled with wry humor and observations. I enjoyed both women equally.

Both handled their challenges with much more maturity and diplomacy than anyone I know would!
Perhaps that is why everything worked out so neat and tidy? 🤔 Or, maybe it’s just because this is fiction!

Recommended by the publisher for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (three of my favorites in the literary fiction genre) I just HAD to request this!

Would I agree with the comparison?

Well, all of those books made me cry and this one did not...so, YES that is the right audience for the book, and YES I can recommend it, BUT this book, though enjoyable, did not pack the same emotional punch for me, as those it was compared to, so that is why I am going with 4 stars instead of 5 !

Thank You to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Beth Miller for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! This book will be released on Jan. 9, 2020.

I had a hard time connecting to this book, probably because I didn't like how Kay was portraited. She's a coward for just leaving everybody behind and don't even answer her phone when her children calls. Every thing she has done and do are just shallow actions for me. She talks about her best friend Rose, that she loves ,but it turns out Kay doesn't even know what's going on in her life, because it's all about Kay.

I'm not a fan of the dialogue either, it felt unbeliveable and stiff. Unfortunately, this is not a book for me.

Thanks so much to Beth Miller for the opportunity to read and review this book. The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright was a good light hearted read for a cosy night in. It follows the story of a middle age woman who decides she wants more from life than her marriage and working in his shop. When she suddenly stops receiving letters from her friend in Australia she decides to go find out why. A book that will take you through the emotions.

Kay Bright finds herself discontented in middle age. when she finds a list she wrote as a young woman of things she wanted to do before she was 30, she realizes how much she has compromised to be a wife and mother. She leaves her husband and sets out to see an old friend who lives in Australia. But finding her friend is bittersweet and Kay realizes that to be happy she must change much of her life. Meanwhile, her daughter Stella is facing struggles of her own. when she finds that her business partner has been sleeping with the man she thought she would marry, Stella too has to take a hard look at her own life and find a way forward. THE MISSING LETTERS OF MRS. BRIGHT is a lovely exploration of what is means to be human and alive. It is both charming and thought-provoking and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a lovely light hearted read. A book telling the life of Kay as she decides after almost 30 years of marriage to walk away from her husband and travel to Australia to see her childhood friend who hasn't been in touch for a while.
To be courageous and brave to make those choices really stood out in the book, as we discover Kay's journey of discovering herself, and also how it affects those left behind.

Beth Miller has produced a heartfelt tale that can rightly be described as a feel good read. Humour, pathos interwoven with insight ensures that the reader is taken on a journey both physically and metaphysically where the main characters will end at a place in their lives far different from when the story begins. With echoes of books like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry this will I'm sure have many readers looking and reevaluating their own lives asking themselves whether it's not too late to do what they really want to do with their lives and question their present assumptions.

The story starts with Kay Bright who after twenty nine years of marriage walks out on home and husband carrying a rucksack to begin a new life. We learn that every other month she writes to her best friend Ursula in Australia, and Ursula replies but now the letters have stopped and Kay knows she needs to find out why. We also learn that Kay has become stifled in her marriage and looks back regrettably at what might have been. With well drawn characters and a constantly changing plot this is ultimately an uplifting story with many tears and laughs along the way.

Can she really leave her husband of 29 years? I stayed up up way to late reading this book. My 2 a.m. novel. I laughed out loud and I cried while reading this.

"I wanted to try whatever life I had left without that net. Close my eyes and take a leap of faith."
This a book for everyone. Such an eye opener. All of our choices affect everyone in our family, be it good or bad. And sometimes what we think of a person bad or good, could it be just our imagination? Or our feelings in the moment? Kay feels like she's missed out on life somewhere and wanting something different. Her friend, Bear has not written in quite some time, so that has her worried.
I cannot wait for more novels from Beth Miller. This was the first one of hers I've read and definitely won't be the last.

Thank you to author and publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

What a lovely tale. It is not the usual start to a book when the lead female walks out of a thirty year marriage with not much idea as to what she is going to do next. The characters were interesting and sympathetic. I really enjoyed this, it is the perfect tale for a cold Sunday - light the fire, find your slippers and revel in this fabulous read.

When fifty-something Kay Bright announces she won't be celebrating her thirtieth wedding anniversary, it's not only husband Richard left reeling. The repercussions of her decision reverberate through her family, leading to shocking revelations and life-changing events.
Oh, what an absolute gem of a book. Right from the start, I was rooting for Kay, yet found much sympathy for her struggling daughter, Stella, difficult mother-in-law, Alice (OK, I secretly adored her) and even the rather dull but essentially kind Richard. As for the three-way relationship between Kay and school friends Rose and Bear, well … for me that was the beating heart of the story. The letters from Kay to Bear (Ursula), were a skilful blend of humour and sadness and carried the plot along effortlessly.
So many lines stood out for me. Too many to mention, but here are a couple of examples –
'You don't need a husband at all,' Rose said. 'You can cook <i>and</i> fix things. You are basically a hermaphrodite.'
'And there, wearing the sort of anthropologically intrepid expression patented by the Queen during 1960s' tours of exotic countries, was Alice Bright.'
At several points I definitely had something in my eye, and towards the end, well … All I can say is that it takes a lot for a book to simultaneously make me laugh and need to clear a lump in my throat. This one did it in spades. Highly recommended.

This is a story of family, relationships, friends, and a reminder that life is short and to make the most of it. Kay stops hearing from. Bear, a friend she has exchanged letters with for decades. She decides to seek her out and find out what is going on. She also decided to leave her marriage of nearly 30 years and venture out on her own and fulfill a “to do” list made as a teen, having accomplished very little of it so far. The book started off well, then slowed down nearly halfway through, to the point I was ready to abandon it. I kept going, and am very glad I did, as the pace picked up considerably to the point I didn’t want to put it down. The book is honest, funny at times, and can be tear-inducing. Characters were well developed, descriptions and narration were structured and on point. I would characterize this as a “chick lit” book, and if you are into that type of read, you will enjoy it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC in return for my honest opinion.

A slow burner of a book but I’d encourage you to stick with it. A very heartwarming emotional read. Get your tissues ready as you might need it, I certainly did

This is a coming of age book and book of self discovery with a difference. Kay has been married to Richard for 29 years when she decides to leave him as she is no longer happy and wants something different from life. So she leaves with just her backpack and no idea of where she’s going and what she is going to do.

This is a lovely heartwarming book that was a pleasure to read. The characters are all relatable and perfectly flawed. It is one of those books that helps you feel more positively about the World again and remember that good things can and do happen. And more importantly it is never too late to change things.

Kay is unhappy and bored with her marriage to Richard, but can she really leave him? What will her daughter and mother-in-law say? And why has her old friend Bear stopped writing to her from Australia, after many years?
This novel is written in the first person by narrators Kay and her daughter Stella who is going through crises of her own.
The slightly twee title belies a book that has thoroughly believable characters (Kay is 51, the same age as me) and a plot that is endearing and bittersweet.
Miller is also a good writer - now the novel has ended, I feel rather bereft!
I would thoroughly recommend this. It’s well-structured and charming and humorous too.

Everything you want in a book: a little laugh, a little cry, lots of awww moments. Really loved this book. Very moving.

Well written and truly hopeful. I hope that I'm as brave as Mrs bright to change everything and do what I want and need in my life. Such an inspirational and touching read. I laughed and cried, was cross with her and felt an affinity to her. Fantastic!

Kay has been writing to her friend Bear is Australia for more than thirty years. When the letters from Bear stop she decides to go there to find out why. She also decides that now the children have grown up its time to leave her husband and start out on her own.
A story of family, friendship and new beginnings.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and I will be looking out for more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found the start of the book very slow but the pace picked up and I was unable to stop reading until I was finished. This is a story of true friendship and loyalty with a heartbreaking loss towards the end. It's my first Beth Miller book and I would definitely read more.

A lovely read a story that drew me in from the first pages.With tissues clutched I my hand tears running down my face I read this book in one sitting.A story that will stay with me.#netgalley#bookouture

What a beautifully told story. I have to admit that there were many parts while I was reading that I was teary-eyed. At times it was funny, unforgettable, lifted you up and so warm. A book to truly fall in love with! I couldn't seem to read this book fast enough. I stayed up way, way too late to finish it. There were parts that actually had me laughing out loud. I haven't read such a warm your heart type of book in a very very long time. I totally recommend it.

I would like to thank the Author/Publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book, it was wonderful. It drew me in from the very first page and, although it might be a cliche, I couldn't put it down. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends.