Wow this is a beautiful and powerful book. It was a very emotional story, focusing on Marigold and Dennis and their two daughters Daisy and Suze. The village that this story was beautiful and made me want to travel there. However the sensitive subject matter (dementia) was extremely difficult and harrowing to read at times. Montefiore did so with grace and elegance, as her writing always does. But still difficult to deal with.. Loved all the different view points.

Sadly, I did not have time to read this book before it was archived, however, I still believe it is a worthwhile read!

Thank you #netgalley and @simonandschustercanada for this e-ARC in return for my honest review.

I'd like to thank the publishers via NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far the best book by Santa Montefiore yet. I was completely drawn in by her extremely realistic characters right from the beginning. From Marigold to Dennis, Suze to Daisy, I felt like I was part of this family as I read all the joyful and heartbreaking events that they each are going through. Written with such compassion for such a heart-wrenching subject of dementia, this was a book I could not put down. It makes you realize that nothing should be taken for granted when it comes to memories and family. I could hardly see the words on the pages at the end of the books for I was overcome with tears for what this poor family had to go through with Marigold. This book touches the heart, especially for someone who has a family member who suffers from dementia. A thoroughly wonderful read.

Here and Now by Santa Montefiore

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for a digital ARC for an honest review.

This was a well-written book with wonderful, realistic characters. The main character Marigold is such a good person who flourishes on looking after everybody else. Until she starts to forget things. Her daughter moves home and notices the small changes. Others also start to notice something's not right.

It's touching how Marigold's family and friends come together to show her how much she is appreciated and loved. This book shows what families go through in tough situations . It was both heartwrenching and uplifting at the same time. Couldn't stop crying towards the end.

#NetGalley #HereAndNow #Simon&SchusterCanada

A marvelous book that we should all read and remember (as long as we can). What is really important in life and especially as someone near and dear to us ages? This book underscores this. A very different book from the ones usually written by this author but an excellent one nonetheless. I loved it. It demonstrated clearly how one form of dementia unfolds, how our family members and friends deal with it, and accommodate. I learned that it is the NOW that is so important, and often times we look to the future and ignore the importance of the NOW. I highly recommend it.

Well. This was absolutely devastating. I spent the last 10-15% absolutely sobbing, so if you want to get your heart ripped out, this is the perfect book for you.

So what is this novel about? An aging couple, Marigold and Dennis, and their daughters, Suze and Daisy, living in a quaint, small English village. Suze is an influencer, something her parents can’t quite wrap their heads around—secretly wishing she’ll find a “real job” and move out. Daisy, meanwhile, has recently moved back in after a long-term relationship abroad ends poorly.

As the family learns to manage this upheaval, Marigold finds herself becoming more forgetful. Initially chalking it up to old age, it soon becomes harder for those who know her to ignore the signs that something else might be behind her forgetfulness.

What follows is a very lovely and heartbreaking novel about family and love and memory—what it means when your entire identity is made up of moments you can’t recall, when you can no longer remember those you’ve spent your entire life with. Montefiore expertly crafts complex relationships between the family members and their surrounding village people. This is my second Montefiore novel, and I absolutely adore how she writes her characters—they are all charming and messy and lovely.

If you’re prepared to have your heart broken into a million pieces, I’d suggest you look no further than this.

I did struggle to read this book because it is slow paced. I did like the story but personally it was a little too slow.. Other than that the story was good but it isn't one that I would reread in the future.

Here and Now is a beautiful, heart wrenching story about enduring love. It is about Marigold, a wonderful wife, mother and friend who becomes ill and all her loved ones come together to help her as she’s helped all of them.

It is a novel about family and love. Although emotional and sometimes heart breaking it is a wonderfully written, beautiful and heartwarming story. You will definitely need some tissues! Another excellent book by Santa Montefiore. Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada and Santa Montefiore for the ARC.

Ok, first of all I need to say I’ve read many books by Santa Montefiore, and this the first that I’ve seen that has no historical fiction story to it – and that’s not a bad thing. Yes, I am a big Historical Fiction lover, but I can also love modern day stories as well – and this one just proves it.

Santa Montefiore has written the heart-wrenching story of Marigold (also known as Goldie) an all-around wonderful woman, a small-town business lady, and the glue that holds the family together.
Living in tight quarters with her wonderful and caring husband Dennis, her annoyingly bitter mother, her two daughters Suze (who lives at home and is an “influencer”) and Daisy (who has recently moved back home after a failed relationship).

Goldie’s loss of memory starts off slow and is usually explained by her advancing age – missed dinner arrangements and work-related tasks. But it isn’t until she gets so disorientated in the middle of town, one that she lived in her whole life, that she realizes that something serious was going on. And yes, the diagnosis is grim -- early dementia. With Dennis and her mother in denial, Suze too consumed with her life on social media, it’s Daisy who steps up to become her mother’s greatest helper.

This is the story of family, and love, and the mother who tries to keep it all together until she simply can’t do it anymore. And how her family and friends come together to show her what she really means to all of them.

A wonderfully written story, this book is equal parts family drama, romance, and women’s fiction; and I know this book will please so many. Oh, and yes, you’ll need some tissues.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy, it was such a pleasure to read Santa Montefiore’s newest.

This book follows Marigold, who is a great mom and an avid community member. She is the type of mom who takes care of everything, as well as in the village. So when she starts to lose her memory, it is very scary not just for Marigold, but for many others as well. Her family and the village have to step up to take care of Marigold.
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I liked the contrast in her daughters. Daisy is a strong and independent character, who has recently moved home after a break up and really starts to help out her mom and the rest of her family. She really steps up and I thought it was great to see. Suze, on the other hand, is very selfish and has to learn how to change her relationship with her mother when her mother can't take care of her in the same way anymore. I found myself frustrated with Suze, but everyone deals with grief in a different way, but I thought for being an adult, she was just very selfish in a harmful way.
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The book started out a little slow, but I really enjoyed it once it got rolling. Explores grief surrounding Dementia and what it is like to have a family member go through that!

Loved this book! this book makes me want to pack up my things and go travel, and start. a new life somewhere! its enchanting, endearing and heartfelt, and such a perfect summer read!

This is a new release by the British author of books such as The Deverill Chronicles series and 'The Temptation of Gracie'. Marigold lives with her husband, her elderly mother and two grown daughters. She has been forgetting things and finds herself even struggling at times to recognize old friends. They live in a small village and this intergenerational story deals with memory and how people can come together to help when someone who cared for others their whole life now needs to be cared for. This is a simple, bittersweet story complete with a romance and many words of wisdom.

Marigold is accustomed to helping those around her. She works in the village shop/postal office helping everyone find what they need and send parcels. At home she takes care of her husband, her elderly mother and her adult daughter Suze. Now Marigold is happy that her oldest daughter, Daisy, is returning home from 6 years in Italy. Daisy's nursing a broken heart and Marigold is happy to help her too.

But lately Daisy has caught herself forgetting things. She's always been super organized. But now if she doesn't write it down she just might forget. A quick trip to the doctor tells her that at 60 these things happen - don't worry.

It doesn't take long for her family to realize that she is more forgetful than most. Maybe it's time for them to start picking up some slack and helping their mother out.

I picked Here and Now to read because I thought the description sounded nice. But quickly I realized that I had picked up one of her books before and couldn't finish it - it seemed overly descriptive. I have to admit I almost put the book down and not picked it up again. But I did pick it up again and I'm glad I did. I thought Here and Now was a beautiful story. I loved reading the details of Marigold's beautiful village. Now I'm begining to think that the last Santa Montefiore book I picked up just caught me on the wrong day and I need to give it another try.

Thank you to Netgalley, Santa Montefiore, and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I actually finished this book about a week ago, but needed time to process because it was just. So. Beautiful. It was a tribute to family and most especially to moms. That’s really what it felt like - a love letter to a mom. It was happy, sad, fun, devastating, eye opening, and so much more.

The characters in this book were so well written. I loved the family dynamics, and who doesn’t love a pessimistic Nan?!? Marigold reminds me of a lot of mothers I know and have heard of: hard working, always taking care of others, trying to do what’s best for her family. To see her progress through dementia is very eye opening and scary. I think it also lends an open door to what it very well may be like to go through having dementia, as well as the effect it has on families and loved ones.

Santa Montefiore is such a special author and I truly appreciate her work. This is my second read of hers and you can bet I will not stop there. If you’ve never read her books before, do yourself a favour and pick one up. Pick this one up. I will be buying a copy for my bookshelf.

Joyfully married for over thirty years, Marigold and Dennis enjoy a quiet, countryside life. They are well-respected and loved in their community, and pillars in their family…and their empty nest has filled up with generational love—from Nan, over eighty and affectionately opinionated, to their daughters, Suze and Daisy who are both back at home.

At sixty-seven, Marigold expects to become occasionally forgetful but as the voids darken and the fog in her mind increase, she and her family begin to worry that it is something more serious.

As Marigold’s memory progressively wanes, her family and friends rally around and lovingly contribute to the creation of a home-made puzzle of her cherished memories and wonderful life.

With endearing characters that tug at your heart and a storyline that flows as effortlessly as a natural stream, Montefiore quickly engages the reader’s mind and easily gains the heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the read of Santa Montefiore’s, Here and Now.

Opinions expressed are my own.

Santa Montefiore is a go-to author for me. It’s not just the stories but her writing that draws me in. Usually, there is the historical elements that I love but with Here and Now she slows down with a family drama that was authentic and emotional.

Marigold was happy with her life, marriage, children, her own shop and then she started to forget and misplace things, she forgets names and faces and promises are unintentionally broken. While there were times it reminded me of Still Alice, Here and Now had the added point of view through the eyes of her daughter Daisy. Daisy has moved back home after being away for a number of years, she sees changes that others didn’t notice or don’t want to accept. Her view rounded out the story nicely.

Hearing from Marigold as she struggles with a wide range of emotions - confusion, denial, avoidance and ignorance, the family watches with the same set of anxiety.

As someone who has experienced this with a parent, I couldn't help but connect with the characters on so many levels. Whether the frustration of words on the tip of your tongue, a walk with purpose and the destination that disappears into thin air. Or from the other side sitting with your mom who doesn't know who you are. So yes this was an emotional story.

Here and Now is a well-written story that releases in Canada/US in a couple of weeks.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster (via Netgalley) for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A slow-paced and gentle book about the not very gentle subject of dementia. Perhaps this won't mean much to younger readers, but as a 71 year old, it made me feel some vulnerability. At the heart of this book are Marigold and Dennis, a loving couple who must learn to live with the new reality of Marigold's decline. Marigold has the loving support of her husband, daughters and many friends and neighbors to help care for her. A lovely read.

Thank-you Santa Montefiore for an amazing story. It definitely had me crying but also smiling at the descriptions of everyday family situations, love, friendship and most of living in the present.

Marigold is a delightful sixty-something woman who runs the local village shop and has had a long and happy marriage to Dennis. Instead of an empty nest, they have Marigold's mother, Nan, living with them and their daughter, Suze, who is trying to build a career. Marigold loves nature, her shop and taking care of her loved ones. The house gets a little fuller when her other daughter, Daisy, comes home from Italy. Marigold couldn't be happier to have all her loved ones home, even if her loved ones feel the house is too crowded. Marigold starts to notice she is getting forgetful and isn't sure if it is just getting older or if it is something more.

I thought that Santa Montefiore wrote wonderful characters who bring the village to life. Marigold and Dennis are a great couple and Nan is both funny and infuriating. In addition to the family, the neighbours in the village added a lot to the story. I especially loved that Marigold's Dad who is long dead is still well-remembered by the family for his love and wisdom and talked about often.

Seeing Marigold's journey from many perspectives was very touching. We saw Marigold go from forgetting small things to the worry that she may have dementia, as well as what a spouse feels like watching the person you love go through that awful journey and children seeing their Mom change from the caregiver to the one needing help. This is the first time that I thought of a parent watching their child decline while living with dementia.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC of Here and Now via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the heartwarming story of love and living in the present. The story centers around Marigold and her husband Dennis, along with their daughters, Suze and Daisy, as well as Marigold’s mother, Nan. As the daughters both end up back in the family home, the family quickly learns how to navigate all being together again. Suze and Daisy quickly find out that their mother is not the same woman they once knew, and that life is not always what it once was. The family learns how to support one another, fall in love actively each day with new and old folks, and hold each other up when the days are hard. The story brings hope, change, and lessons that can speak to us all!

When I started this book, I had no expectations, with very limited knowledge of the story – and I have to say, that really helped me to create my own connections with characters as I read. I adored this story for several reasons, it is both realistic yet hopeful, it evolves at exactly the right pace, and the love experienced by various characters throughout the book radiates off the page. I felt hope as I learned about Marigold and Daisy’s past, how their relationship started and where it was taking them – over 30 years of love and dedication to each other and all their hard days were simply a bridge to the next good days.
I found the story also evolved at exactly the right pace – giving insight into each character bit by bit. I loved being able to get to know the characters without it feeling rushed. They each moved through their lives and the story at a pace that felt very realistic.
Lastly, I loved the love in this novel, it felt real with struggled, excitement and the in-between. I felt the love between Generations of the family of 5, love between the community they lived in and all their neighbours and also love between daughters and boyfriends, parents and friends. Ultimately it left me feeling very happy for these characters who faced struggles and still remembered to count on love at the end of each day.

I think this book is a 5 star for anyone looking to read something that is both raw, and hopeful all at once. It will expose some fears we all have about life, getting older and what our future will look like. How do we know what the right decisions are? This book will remind you to live in the now. If you liked stories like The Notebook and are looking for more romance in your life, this story is it!

Dementia is an overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills that affect a person's ability to perform everyday activities with memory loss is an example. It's not for nothing that Alzheimer’s and dementia are known as The Long Goodbye. Little by little the spirit, the spark that made someone an individual is stolen away by an enemy that cannot be fought and whose march forward to total annihilation is relentless, resulting in loved ones having to say goodbye to a loved one in increments over a long period of time. The effects of dementia are family-wide, affecting not just the patient, but also the whole family and friends, as the person slowly ‘disappears.’

In Here and Now we are taken through a journey of loss through the eyes of Marigold, who at first finds her memory loss annoying, but nothing more sinister. She is, after all, sixty-six years old, and everyone getting along in age gets a little forgetful, as her spritely mother tells her often enough. Marigold is married to the love of her life, Dennis, who is as besotted with Marigold now as he was a youth when he met her. They live in a charming English village where Marigold is at the centre as the local village shop owner. They have two adult daughters, Daisy, 32, who lives in Italy with her boyfriend and Suze who is 25 years old, still living at home and trying to become a social influencer, both moving on with their own lives. Marigold likes to feel needed, which is why she encouraged her mother to move into her family home, where she can take care of everyone. Suddenly newly single Daisy returns home, making the home feel a little too full and Suze is impatient and sometimes brattish in her behaviours towards her parents, but the sisters can’t help but notice that Marigold is more than a little forgetful. That she just isn’t behaving in a manner they have come to expect over the years, and even after confronting a disbelieving Dennis with their fears, they discover that they now have to protect and oversee Marigold rather than have her fuss over them as a mother hen as has been the expectation. It takes several events and trips to doctors to get the much-feared diagnosis of dementia. What follows is the unravelling of life and the desperate attempts of family and friends to help hold Marigold’s life together and give her a ‘farewell’ worthy of all the love she has lavished on those around her over her whole life.

In this novel, readers are given a ringside seat to the creeping darkness that is dementia and its effects on both the victim (for they are, in every sense victim to this reality) and those left behind. The terror, confusion and the desperate fears are all lived out in the experience of Marigold, better than any clinical textbook could ever describe. The refusal to acknowledge what is happening because of grief is played out beautifully in how Dennis reacts to the suggestion of his wife’s predicament, as is his anguish at losing the spirit of the woman he loves and the lengths he will go to honour his wedding vows and look after Marigold. The reader watches with a horrid kind of fascination as a family struggles to come to terms with what is needed to deal with this crisis and also the way a village comes together to support both Marigold and the family. It looks at the toll such a diagnosis can extract on the family, the guilt and belief that they must give up everything – even to the point of living their own life – to look after Marigold.

This book is not all doom and gloom however, as there is a subtle love story occurring with Daisy and a desperately needed growing maturity that develops in Suze. The ending is sad and yet hopeful, which is probably the most you can wish for when discussing such a crisis. This is not a fairy tale, it is an honest, gentle portrayal of dementia and the manner in which family and friends can support the victim and those most affected by such a diagnosis.

Gripping and beautiful.