Looking for a story with heart? Add this to your list. I'd describe this as a feel good story , where your heart hurts and heals. There are tears and laugh-out-loud moments. Reminded me of one of my all time favorite movies, Little Miss Sunshine . At the end, I was left with the feeling of satisfaction and like I was on the road trip and emotional journey with the charcacters. Highly recommend adding this to your list.

I just loved this book! It is sweet and sad and funny and full of love. I will be recommending it to friends and library patrons.

Norman and his friend Jax are 12-year-olds with a plan. They will bring their brand of comedy to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh in five years. But Jax dies and leaves Norman without a friend and without a comedy partner. Norman is alone with only his Mum.

Sadie is Norman's mother and was very fond of Jax and the friendship the two boys shared. She is the daughter of a comedian who never made it. When her father died and she was in university, she went a little off the rails for a while. She had a series of one night stands and left uni. This was also when she became pregnant with Norman.

Sadie and Norman and Leonard (an elderly man and friend of Sadie) decide that they will go to the festival and Norman will play a set and they'll also scope out the men who could possibly be Norman's father. It's a lot to do, but if anyone can do it, these three can.

Alternately told from Sadie's and Norman's points of view, Ms. Henderson is able to capture both voices so well. The reader feels for them through the ups and downs they face. And the colorful characters they encounter on their journey are (mostly) a joy, too!

My thanks to Harlequin/MIRA and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for writing such a lovely and uplifting story. In this day and age it is a rare thing to be happy and hopeful and this exactly how I felt after I finished reading the adventure of Norman Foreman, a delightful, caring, different, intelligent, brave, twelve year old young man adored by his delightful single mother Sadie. Norman did not have an easy start in life. He almost did not make it and his childhood was not exactly fun. He had one friend, the cool and unique Jax. They were unstoppable and inseparable. They had a plan to become stand-up comics and go to the Edinburgh Fringe, which is the utmost stand-up comic competition.. Sadly Jax died and Norman decided to keep up with plan and also attempt to find his father. With the help and support of his mother and their dear old friend Leonard, Norman leaves Cornwall and heads for Scotland. Each chapter recounts the extraordinary hurdles and hilarious encounters Norman makes along the way and how the people he meets instantly love him and root for him. No wonder, he is extraordinary!. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read this gem of a book.

I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of this debut novel thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. The book exceeded my expectations, and I loved it. I liked the story being told from both the mother and son's perspectives. It reminded me of Palacio's Wonder with a dash of Mamma Mia in a road trip scenario. There was a nice combination of humor and serious issues. There was a great cast of characters, and I particularly liked their travel experiences. I think the book would be great selection for a book group. It has plenty to discuss about parenting and dealing with losses. I highly recommend it.