Slowly the secrets unravel in this emotional story of lies and deception. After a devastating accident, Lisa's life becomes complicated as presents keep appearing at her doorstep. As she narrows it down to three people who could be sending the gifts, a twist will send her in an entirely different direction. Recommended!

2.5-3 stars

I had a difficult time getting into this book. It starts out a bit slow, and the characters and their relationships weren’t really drawing me in; I felt like I couldn’t connect with them. It wasn’t until tragedy struck that I became more intrigued with the story, mainly because I wanted to see how it would pan out. But overall, the story just didn’t wow me. I thought it dragged on too much, and the relationships at times seemed too juvenile, which really turned me off from the story.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3522167685

Lisa is a single mum who dotes on her daughter Poppy. One day on her doorstep is a gift, but there is no message as to who is it from. It is wrapped beautifully, and inside is a notebook, its pages empty but asking her to fill it up with her wishes and dreams.

The gifts keep arriving. But when tragedy strikes – leaving your beloved only daughter fighting for her life – the person who has been sending the gifts will have no choice but to come forward. And to finally tell the truth.

I well written book about love, motherhood and complicated family relationships. It also deals with an important topic of postnatal depression.

The book starts a bit on a slow pace but slowly it picks up and then it becomes interesting. I loved the main characters Lisa, her best friend Holly and Paul, but my favorite was Poppy. Also, it was nice to see the bonding between Lisa and Poppy.

I was excited to find out who was the mysterious person sending all those beautiful gifts. Obviously, I wasn’t able to guess it correctly because of the twists in the story.

Overall, a lovely read.

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

My first book by Anna Mansell and will definitely not be my last. Beautifully written, emotional, moving and heart-wrenching. It totally captivated me. Would definitely recommend.

To protect a loved one. That's what we all want to do, right? Of course. There's no doubt about it, but there is a fine line between doing that and stifling someone. But there is more. You might be convinced the only way to do it is the worst possible one.

The author introduces us to Lisa and allows us to sit on the front rows where the movie of her life unfolds before our eyes. We cry and laugh with her, love and hate with her, mourn and celebrate with her all the things she went and goes through on her way to a happy future.

A beautiful and emotion filled book with a great structure that I thoroughly enjoyed. The author never disappoints and always has me glued to my chair as well as to my box of tissues. 5 stars

Thank you, Anna Mansell and Bookouture

Anna Maxwell crafts a family drama filled with secrets. Cutting into its layers, readers will find that the first chapters are only a frosted facade that will require further inspection.

Lisa's world comes crashing down around her due to a tragic accident. Her livelihood revolves around her five-year-old daughter, Poppy and the threat of losing her shatters her sheltered existence. Maxwell unleashes a chain of events that will reawaken the past and expose guarded secrets.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of #WhatBecameofUs in exchange for an honest review. I loved the story and felt Lisa's emotion grappling with uncharted waters. Will the unexpected turn of events cause Lisa and Poppy's world to ricochet out of control or pave the way for a brighter future?

What Became of Us is an emotional rollercoaster and page turner. Lisa is a single, working mom, one day she starts receiving small secret presents that makes her think about her past and who can be the secret sender. This novel is filled with so many emotions and relatable situations and characters, such as like Paul, the friend, who wants to be more, Billy the ex, who left Lisa pregnant and after five years wants to be part of the family, and even Lisa the mom, who always questions herself, if she does the right thing.
An absolutely overwhelming story with secrets, feelings and life challenges.

This English novel by Anna Mansell, What Became of Us, is an emotional story that has many hidden secrets. There is a lot of dynamics within a three generation family. Love can overcome many obstacles if you open your heart to understanding the feelings of others. Father and daughter relationship is definitely a strong give and take situation with the father not understanding the best way to be a single father and the daughter wanting to be independent of his control. I want to thank the publisher for the opportunity to read this before it was published.

I absolutely LOVE this wonderfully enthralling story about family, motherhood and friendship. It is beautifully told, with fabulous descriptions of the settings and with mostly loveable and caring characters. I couldn’t resist the publicity sent out via NetGalley and publisher Bookouture, especially when I saw the front cover. I was hooked even before my request to read and review the novel prepublication was granted. Thank you so much for my copy. This is an absolutely unmissable read for me and my review will definitely reflect my lovely reading experience. I am in awe of the talent this author has for writing such absorbing and captivating stories and I confess to being tearful on more than one occasion.
Lisa lives with her five-year-old daughter Poppy. She is a single parent, having given birth to Poppy when she was only 16 years-old herself. Her partner Billy deserts them both soon afterwards, leaving Lisa to cope with a new-born entirely on her own and without any financial support, all this in the strange new city of Edinburgh where she and Billy had started a new life together. Her father came straightaway to her rescue and drove her home. Striving to be independent, Lisa moves into a home of their own, gets herself a car and, with Poppy starting school, has secured a non-teaching job in Poppy’s soon-to-be new school. Life is looking up for Lisa with her support network of her father who raised her single-handedly after the death of his wife three months after Lisa had been born. Also a constant in Lisa’s life is Holly, her best friend and Paul, Holly’s brother. They have her back and are ultra-supportive, true friends.
Then Lisa starts receiving anonymous parcels. First to arrive on her doorstep is a special journal with ideas inside for well-being. Then more and more items arrive, all with a personal touch, beautifully packaged and very special to Lisa. Whoever could it be? It must certainly be someone she knows, or who knows her. This is her spellbinding story, full of mystery, twists and turns and finally a life-changing event that nearly brings her to her knees.
There is an engrossing second thread in the second half of the novel that soon merges with the story that I have written about. I love the way Anna Mansell has organised this part of the novel, adding intrigue and heart-stopping twists and turns to the story. Her meticulous and exhaustive research is admirable and the facts that she has found out make this novel far more than a good, authentic read. I was amazed at the complexity of her storyboard and yet the story flowed from her almost lyrically. Everything fitted together beautifully. I loved the issues that arose in this part of the novel; deeply buried family secrets, postpartum psychosis, forgiveness, romantic love and exciting revelations. I recommend this novel as truly excellent, a 5* read in every possible way.

I enjoyed this book very much-I found myself thinking about the story while I was busy doing other things, so I was keen to come back and finish it.
Lisa is a busy, working single mum who dotes on her daughter Poppy. One day a series of small gifts start arriving for her which lead her to question everything she thought she knew about herself. After Poppy is seriously injured, Lisa must confront her complicated relationship with her past.
It was great and so realistic to see Lisa often have internal battles over whether she was doing the right thing as we can often feel like this, but it is not always portrayed in books very well.

When Lisa, a single mom, to Poppy, begins to receive sentimental, anonymous packages she wonders who is sending them. Is it her dad, who has always been overbearing? Is it Paul, a friend who announces he’d like to be more? What does the sender trying to tell her?

Enter Billy, who walked out on Lisa and Poppy soon after Poppy was born, returns and wants to be a dad and partner. As if that is not enough, Lisa and Poppy are in an accident that leaves poppy seriously injured.

This is an emotional story above love, loss and complicated family dynamics.. The main characters are well developed and relatable. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you Anna Mansell, NetGalley, and Bookouture for the advance reader copy.

Anna Mansell is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and this book was the icing on the cake. I absolutely loved it. This was an excellent and at times heart wrenching story that pulled me right into it from the first page.

I enjoyed this book. Lisa is a single mother who suddenly finds her life is not what she has always believed it to be. There are many twists and turns in the story, with romance, friendship, mental illness, control and parenting topics all covered. I have to say I didn’t guess the twist, but thought it was well done and believable. My only negative was the inability of the characters to communicate with each other. It was very frustrating - especially Lisa and Paul.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

A heartfelt and emotional book following the journey of single mum, Lisa who suddenly starts receiving beautiful and mysterious gifts. I didn't guess the sender, or the emotional twist at the end. It really is a lovely story so if you find it a bit slow at the beginning, please stick with it. It's well worth it.

I loved this story! The details are incredible and it flows smoothly from each character in this puzzle needed to be solved!
Well done!

Lisa is a single mum to her five year old daughter, Poppy.
Poppy is the light of her life.
Poppy's father walked out when she was born and never returned and Lisa is doing her best at Motherhood.
Lisa's mum died when she was only three months old and her dad has always been overprotective and almost suffocating as he raised his daughter!
Lisa now has a job, a small house and some friends who she adores and who love her. She finally feels that she is out from under her father's thumb! Their relationship has never been close.
When she starts receiving mysterious, thought provoking gifts, she wonders who could be leaving them and what is their meaning?
Could it be her father trying to make amends? Why?
When devastation hits Lisa and Poppy suddenly following an automobile accident, the mystery of these items and the family secrets start to unfold!
Truly had me reading until I learned the truth! Excellent!

What Becomes of Us is a touching story about a woman who really has no idea of the true story of her upbringing. Lisa is raising her daughter Poppy as a single mom after Billy, her old love, leaves her high and dry. Lisa was raised by a single father after her mom tragically dies when she was an infant.
Suddenly, Lisa starts receiving anonymous gifts, some from her childhood. These gifts take her back to her childhood and secrets are revealed. Who would be sending these gifts?
Overall, a lot happens in this book. I like the twists that Anna Mansell weaves into the story. It makes you want to keep reading on. I would recommend this book to others. It is an easy read. I would like to see more happen with Paul and Lisa, but I am forever the romantic. Special thanks to Anna Mansell, NetGalley, and Bookouture for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
#WhatBecameofUs #NetGalley

Didn't really enjoy this book even though it was well written. I found it to be a bit predictable and boring in parts in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

There were some good parts to this book but it was so predictable that I found it boring. I forced myself to finish it but I couldn’t wait to be done with it. It was all a little too sweet, too perfect, too forgiving, too easy. ***1.5 stars**

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lisa lives with her five year old daughter Poppy. Poppy’s father Billy hasn't been on the scene since Lisa was pregnant but has now been spotted back in town by Lisa’s best friend Holly. Lisa has always been good friends with Holly’s brother Paul and before he and Holly set off on a holiday he tells Lisa how he really feels about her. Lisa is blown away but does have special feelings for Paul herself. Her father has always been very protective of her as she lost her mother when she was small. He was and still is very controlling, something Lisa is determined that she isn't going to be with Poppy and that her father can no longer control her even though he tries. She has started a new job- one her father tried to put paid to- and wants to forge an independent life for herself and her daughter. One day a parcel arrives on the doorstep- a beautiful handmade journal with no note as to whom it is from. Then another anonymous gift arrives. Could it be Paul? He is giving no clues about it and Billy, well it's not really his style. Whoever it is knows her well and when a photo from her childhood arrives it narrows the field down to the 3 men in her life- Billy, Paul or her father. Then there is an accident and a revelation, I won’t spoil anything. OMG. I liked this book before half way but then wowzers, I couldn't get enough of it. One I wanted to know what happened but I didn't want it to end. A stunning read, one to reflect on life and those around you and on not taking things for granted. One to remember. 5* all the way.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

This was a believable and insightful story. The main character is sympathetic and believable and the storyline flows seamlessly. Highly recommended.