Wendy learns about herself, her husband Naveem, and her marriage when Naveem unexpectedly ends up in a coma. They were always a tight team but what does Wendy really want? An interesting read that's quite poignant.

A woman faces difficult life choices when her comatose husband brings her life to a standstill. This is a tearjerker, but it's beautifully written and the bright humor offsets the tough subject matter. Recommended for fans of rom-com and general fiction.

This was a nice easy read. It had a good range of characters and it kept my interest throughout. The writing had a certain warmness and charm about it.

This book certainly took me through a range of emotions right from the start.
The lead character, Mrs Dixit is a truly unique lady. When her husband ends up in a coma, she begins to learn much more about both her husband and herself.
The story is written beautifully and really captivates you from the start. The characters are realistic and endearing, and you can't help but share in their emotions as the story progresses.
A beautiful, emotional book that I simply couldn't put down. A definite must read!.

Full of unexpected twists and turns, it breaks your heart, fixes it and breaks it all over again. Mrs Dixit is such a strange lead character, she isn't someone you would look twice at on the street, just your normal, almost boring everyday life being led. When her younger husband ends up in a coma she finds out a lot of things both about him, and herself that she never knew and the author takes you along with her journey so beautifully. Theonly downside is that I feel like our lead character is written as someone a lot older than her actual age when it's revealed she's only 56.

wow what a poignant book! I wasn't expecting this at all!!!! Warning this is not a typical chicklit book, don't expect frivolity or romance in this book. This book is really serious, but still beautiful, heart-breaking, heart-shaking, so lovely and also full of events that will make you stop breathing for a few seconds or minutes, this is a really good book by Drew Davies and i am so so happy that I have read it!!! I don't give it a 5 stars but "only" a 4 stars just because in my opinon this book might be a little bit too lengthy, it could have been a bit shorter and still be good. But all in all this is a brilliant book that will make you really appreciate your husband or significant other while there next to you!

This was a different type of book to what i expected. It took a while to get into and to get used to the characters but it was rewarding and worthwhile and I really enjoyed it

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Forgiveness, understanding, and compassion is the underlying theme of this beautifully written novel. A group of dissimilar people are pulled together and overcome their biases.

Highly recommended.

Definitely a quirky novel, but one that will definitely hold your interest and make you care deeply for the main character. Wendy Dexit gets a phone call telling her that her husband, Naveem, was in a serious accident. While Naveem is in a coma, Wendy begins to delve into their relationship, and into herself. Mrs. Rampersad, an annoying nosy upstairs neighbor, slowly forms a friendship and bond with Wendy. Clever and compassionate, the author brings out many different emotions. I recommend this book and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is quite bittersweet. It takes her husband being in a coma to make Wendy re-evaluate her whole life. They were happy enough, her and Naveem, but they were drifting along a bit. Suddenly, everything has changed.

It takes a while to get to know Wendy, and as we get to know her, we see her grow and gain in confidence. Misconceptions are revealed, and Wendy learns what’s really important.

I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it. Its gentle pace and its characters draw you in and won’t let you go.

Poignant and beautifully written, and often quite humourous, this lovely book is an absolute pleasure to read.

Wendy Dixit's husband Naveem is driving his taxi when he's in an accident which leaves him in a coma. They was a quite couple they kept themselves to themselves was estranged from Naveem's family as they was not pleased with his choice of wife. But with Naveem being in hospital the house is to quiet . Doubts about the accident pop into her mind and with the help of her neighbour Mrs Rampersad who puts the suspicions into her head. While her husband is in a coma Wendy starts to make new friends and deal with a lot of challenges which she wouldn't of done in the past. Wendy tries to work out why there was a woman in the front seat of the taxi with him and does she really know her husband.
Thanks NetGalley

This was my first book by this author and I would definitely be interested in reading more.

A really poignant look at relationships, the way they can change us and how we connect with others.

I absolutely loved Mrs R, such a fiery and hilarious character!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read With or Without You by Drew Davies. Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. There were some technical difficulties with the copy on my kindle app and then I was unable to find where I had left off reading. I will try again soon and hopefully be able to update with a more thorough review.

Wendy’s husband, Naveem, gets into a car accident and is left in a coma. She isn’t sure of her life without him, how to continue on and if he’ll ever come back to her. This is the story of her journey into the unknown.

I found this to be a very subtle kind of book.

Mrs Dixit is a woman who married Naveem, a younger man, some 19 years earlier. He ends up in a coma and she has to learn to live her life without him. She discovers much about herself, her neighbour upstairs and some unexpected others. She is an introverted woman, who lives a highly structured life just with him, so her life undergoes some major changes.

A real thinker of a book.

4 stars from me.

My initial description of this would be ‘well, it’s a bit of a quirky one’. The characters are all a little bit off the wall. But then I got to thinking … aren’t we all, in our own way?

Drew Davies has created a cast of characters who are all a little bit broken, and who need to find their way back to being whole again. That’s not to say that the cracks aren’t going to show, or that they’re not going to need fixing up sometime in the future, and they might not even be the same ‘whole’ as they were before the incident that brought them together in the first place. But they’ll be put back together somehow, and that’s going to work just fine.

Mr and Mrs Dixit live a quiet, insular life. They don’t need anyone else (certainly not children) – they have each other. In fact they’re so very used to having each other and spending all of their time together (when Mr Dixit is not at work) that they don’t even talk to each other much! Did I mention, they lead an extremely quiet life. They avoid their upstairs neighbour, Mrs Rampersad, to the extent that they don’t even turn their television up too loud at night as they don’t want her to hear it and possibly complain about the noise. They’re quite fine without anyone encroaching into their lives. That’s not to say that they don’t have a lot to say about everyone else. Oh no, they do in fact tend to pass judgement on just about everyone else who they come across! Nobody seems to meet their high expectations of how people should live their lives and carry out their day to day actions with those around them.

And then Mr Dixit (his name’s Naveem) is involved in a serious accident in his taxi and lands up in a coma. Mrs Dixit (her name’s Wendy) is thrown into turmoil. Her carefully curated life pulled from under her in one swift move! Where to go, who to turn to, who to tell, what to do??? Naveem’s disapproving family react shockingly! Well, they didn’t approve of their union in the first place. What was he thinking, marrying a white woman, ten years his senior!? Suddenly Mrs Rampersad upstairs becomes Wendy’s most unlikely ally, taking over in a way that neither Wendy nor I as the reader could have foreseen! And then there’s Wendy’s critical sister and her young son Henry, who becomes a surprising key figure in Wendy’s suddenly topsy-turvy life.

Davies navigates his readers through exceptionally rocky territory here. Complex relationships, internal turmoil and multifaceted characters who often have a complete lack of ability to express themselves in even the slightest conventional manner! But he does it all in a sincere and forthright way, so that it’s obvious that what we might perceive as being silly or ridiculous, are obviously hugely challenging experiences to those who are facing them.

I didn’t find this an easy read. The characters are not likeable and didn’t do enough to redeem themselves for me. Their eccentricities were just that bit too much for me to feel that sense of fondness that one tends to feel for unusual quirky individuals.

But I think it’s the concepts and themes, rather than the actions of the characters throughout, that I found quite absorbing: that someone so close to you, is also someone who is beloved by others, and that what they think is right is completely opposed to your views; when you’re thrown into an unexpected situation, you discover that you might not be the person you thought you were and that others assumed you were … what will happen when those others realise this?

It’s very much a slow burner of a book, and I’d rate it 4 stars. There’s the complex character exploration and then, on a totally different tangent, a cat burgler at large!

'How long does a coma last?' I ask. 'Days, weeks, months?' the nurse replies with a shrug, although her eyes are very kind. 'But on average?' She just smiles unable to give me an answer.

With or Without You is bought to us by Drew Davies, author of The Shape of Us and Dear Lily. Neither of which I am ashamed to say I have read, although they have been immediately added to my amazon wish list! His most recent novel is a heart warming read and grips at the strings of our own realities. Testing what we think we would do and what we might actually do given the same circumstances as Mrs Dixit.

The first couple of chapters I found quiet full on, it was very mrs dixit did this and that and her and her husband are like this or that etc.. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it, it felt quiet over loaded with information in third person. But I stuck with the writing style, and by the end of the first couple of chapters was completely engrossed in the story.

The book centres around Mrs Dixit and her husband, who has a car accident whilst at work as a taxi driver, what follows is a story about the struggles of inter racial marriages and the lives of their families or loved ones. When Mr Dixit ends up in a coma after his accident, his wife Mrs Dixit and his mother also Mrs Dixit have to share the same hospital room whilst visiting him, neither of which particularly like each other.

Whilst Mrs Dixit fights for her rights as his wife and what she considers best for him, she's also struggling with her own life as she comes to realise what a small bubble they actually live in. After she befriends her neighbour upstairs, they embark on a mission to get her husband back. But the two women soon learn a lot about each other and become closer than they imagined. Mrs Dixit, learns things she didn't know about her previously quiet husband whist he is in the coma and realises she too hasn't been living the life she imagined she should have.

The book is beautifully written and it really makes its reader consider their own lives and how they too are living it. Do we really know the people we are closest too, and what would we do to keep them safe and secure. Davies has delivered a wonderful story with so many twists and turns revolving around different parts of the couples lives. It goes places you wouldn't imagine the story going but ends all wrapped up with a satisfying ending. I like a story to end so that I am left fully understanding what happened, why and what will happen next for its characters even without a further book. Davies has accomplished this with all parts of the story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I would highly recommend this book as an easy summer read with a wonderful story line.

I really loved this book. The story is beautifully written by this author its a wonderful read.Wendy and her husband Naaveem are a very private couple and when he has an accident lots of things come to light and Wendy discovers things which impact on their lives.Fabulous characters and friendships are made and lives are changed for the better. An emotional novel that makes you.want to keep reading ,I read it in two days.A 5 🌟read that will leave you with a smile on your face

I read this for a blog tour.

A bittersweet tale about learning who you are later in life. When Naveem ends up in a coma, his wife, Wendy, finds herself alone for the first time in twenty years.

But who is she without him?

This book made me laugh, Wendy's growing relationships with her eccentric neighbour in particular was very entertaining and her delightful bond with small nephew Henry is a joy.

This was a really enjoyable read and perfect for the quiet moments in busy lives.

When Wendy gets a call to tell her that her Husband Naveem has had a car accident and is in a coma, her life changes more than she can imagine. Used to a life that is quiet and ordered, Wendy can’t stand the silence anymore – too many questions going round in her brain. And what follows is a funny and heartwarming tale of Wendy finding some of herself again whilst she sets off on adventures with her neighbour, Mrs Rampersad.

However, battling with her in-laws doesn’t help her state of mind, and Wendy has to decide what the best thing is to do. Due to racial divides, Wendy was never accepted by his family, leading to estrangement. But will they let bygones be bygones? And will Naveem pull through or does Wendy need to be ready for life on her own?

This was a thought-provoking, uplifting and funny story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I absolutely loved the way Wendy seems to come out of herself, and despite her age, finds a part of herself that has been hidden away for years. Encouraged by Mrs Rampersad, Wendy goes places she hasn’t been for years, or ever before; enjoys time with her 6 year old nephew, Henry (who is adorable), enjoys flowers in her home and argues with more than one person! She does some amateur sleuthing alongside Mrs Rampersad to try to learn more about her Husbands accident and his female passenger, and undertakes a stake out outside her in-laws home! From the quiet, softly spoken woman comes a fiery and fun lady who Naveem would struggle to recognise.

The characters are brilliant. I loved Wendy (as you can tell) and Mrs Rampersad had me in stitches at times. Naveem’s family will bring out all sorts of emotions, these will change over time….. I loved Magnus – a wonderful, and misunderstood man, he was the one I wanted to hug (there’s always one!).

The story covers lots of things that will get you thinking. Loneliness, racism, friendship, mental health, marriage and love; and will bring out all your emotions. Davies covers these subjects sensitively, and lightens up the book with light hearted humour which will make you chuckle.

My only niggle with this book was the way two of the main characters were referred to throughout the book. Mrs Dixit and Mrs Rampersad – which, for me, made the flow of the story slightly clunky in places; as well as it taking me a while to feel invested in them. It felt quite formal and I found myself just reading ‘Wendy’ whenever it said Mrs Dixit. Not a huge issue, but a niggle nonetheless.

Overall, I did really enjoy this and would love to read more from Davies. You will come away from this book feeling happy and uplifted, after a gentle rollercoaster ride and some hilarious moments. If you’re looking for your next moving, thought-provoking, yet witty read then check this out. Recommended by me.