This is such a great read filled with heartbreak and betrayal and loss in a few different ways. Bess learns at sixteen not to trust people and loses the one person she has known from an early age and there are parts of Bess in all of us, again Amanda has written the type of book that is impossible to leave down.

Thanks verbally for allowing me to read This book Bess had an incident in her life that happened when she was sixteen that shaped her life. I enjoyed the different characters in this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amanda Prowse. waiting to begin


Oh my word Amanda Prowse you have created yet another amazing masterpiece in your latest book waiting to begin. I have had to wait a day or two before writing my review as it has left me with a book hangover and has filled a place in my thoughts. I can’t stop thinking about it even now . I couldn’t put it down once I had started reading it and devoured it in a day. I was so excited to find I had been approved by #NetGalley as I love all your books.

Waiting to begin is a beautiful yet heart wrenching in places story of the human condition and emotions and unconditional love and is split into two parts the then and the now and contrasts Bessies experiences over her birthday when she was 16 and a few decades later on the day of her 53rd birthday. It made me laugh and cry at various intervals and also brought back lots of nostalgia and memories of the 1980s as I was reading. Amanda has a brilliant way of capturing the experiences faced in life and turning them into highly relatable and sensitive stories that many readers can relate to.

What a brilliant read which is set in two different periods in time and centers around Bessie as a sixteen-year-old with hopes and dreams and Bessie in her 50's wondering where the time has gone and what happened to her dreams. The young Bessie makes a terrible mistake when her judgment is clouded by her attraction to the boy they all want to know and be with. Why did he choose Bessie she is ordinary and there are prettier girls around. She soon comes to realise why he chose her but why did he lie to her and make her look so bad in the eyes of her peers. The older Bessie is stuck in a bit of a rut and although she has a husband and two grown-up children she still thinks there's something missing in her drab life. Amanda Prowse is a master storyteller and her books drag you in and keep you hooked to the very last page. I absolutely loved this book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I do love Amanda Prowse books and can never put them down. This was no different. I loved it and was captivated from the beginning reading it in record time. Love and friendship together made this book a must read. Moving from the present day to the mid 80s was beautifully executed each era with its own idiosyncracies. I felt so sorry for Bessie and happy for her in equal measure, This is my favourite Amanda Prowse book. It kept me gripped to the very last sentence and how I smiled to myself when I read it. Brilliant.

Heartwarming and breathtaking and utterly capitvating. This book has it all. Love, loss, determination, doubt, happiness, anger and ultimate acceptance that life really is what you make of it. I loved every single character despite some being less than desireable. The depth and emotion that comes from them is just superb. This is definitely Amanda writing at her best!
I am sure that most people can relate to some of the situations that are faced within the covers. I know I certainly could and I'm no where near 50! There were times I wanted to reach into the book, between the lines and really shake, slap or scream out to the characters. Which I suppose comes form having an outside perspective on life and yet I was so much a part of Bess's journey and the emotional rollercoaster as she tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs in life. I felt honoured to be able to walk the journey with her, to relive those experiences and really felt both Bess and Mario's perspectives. Another spellbinding and stunning read!

I was hooked on this book from page one. The book flits between 1984 and 2021; Bessie's birthday.
As a young sixteen year old Bessie had a secret she shared with Lawrence. Her best friend Michelle likes the boys too. Her world falls apart when she fails her exams and she finds out that the secret is out.
Years later she's married to Mario with two grown up children but her mind constantly goes back to when she was 16 and hearing those visious names that were spat at her.
Can she make peace with herself before it ruins everything she has?
Everyone must of had spiteful words said to them that they've never forgotten, with Bessie the SECRETS, are slowly killing her marriage; can she discover herself before it's too late?

I’ve been a great fan of Amanda Prowse for many years. Her books are believable, relatable and deal with real life situations that many of us have faced. There wasn’t even a synopsis for this book, but I was sure I’d enjoy it and I’m glad to say that it didn’t disappoint.
The story swings back and forth between 2 of Bessie’s birthdays - her 16th in 1984 and her 53rd in 2021. We learn how the events of the former, shaped her into the woman she became and how events leading up to her 16th birthday changed her life forever.
Amanda breathes life into all the characters, keeping them real and relatable and making you laugh and cry as you follow them from the first page to the last.
Being 53 myself, it was very nostalgic reliving 1984 and brought back many memories.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Waiting To Begin, just as much as previous Amanda Prowse novels I have read. It was thoughtful and emotional with endearing characters and a well written plot. As is often the case, I guessed what would be revealed but not why, and I wasn't disappointed This made it even more appealing to me. I read into the night to finish it as quickly as possible.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC for Waiting to Begin by Amanda Prowse. I found her writing style to be enjoyable, but the story and the characters were very depressing. The main character had an event when she was 16 that impacted the rest of her life and everyone that was involved with her was impacted. So, the two stories being told were from when she was 16 and when she turned 53. The only reason I kept reading was to get to the uplifting, happy part which didn’t happen soon enough for me.
I do want to reiterate that the author’s writing was very good. At this snapshot in time, I prefer happier stories.

Oh my heart...I loved this book!! This sweet well written book brings out all the emotions. It made me cry, laugh and smile throughout. Highly recommend this wonderful book by Amanda Prowse!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked everything this author has written and this was no exception. Great storyline, great characters. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Amanda Prowse does it again! It’s is 1:46am and I am writing this review in bed, in the dark with my eyes red rimmed and sore from crying.
A story told in present day and flashback to the mid eighties,it is seamlessly and deftly handled with each time period having its own distinct feeling and subtle differences in language. Bessie our heroine is...HURRAH... a slightly over weight middle aged wife and Mum. I’ve read so much wonderful fiction over the years but for the last ten it has seemed that the female protagonists have remained 28 years old and I somehow have not. Having three adult children and a long marriage under my own belt, so much of what Bessie felt and she and Mario had become was utterly relatable.
To begin with I was worried that Bessie really was a rather negative and whining person, clever of Prowse as she was showing me exactly what Bessie had been showing to Mario for so many years. I guessed her secret very early on but what made everything completely clear was the party at the rugby club and the hideous things Tony said to her. From then on I could see how Bessie the grown up had been formed.
As is usual with Prowse’s novels I stayed up far later than I ever intended to and read with feverish speed towards the end desperate to know what Bessie’s final ‘fate’ would be. Also as usual, the tears of sorrow and heartbreak had barely stopped when the tears of happiness began flooding out.

Thanks to Amanda and #Netgalley I received an ARC of this book. I devoured it in 3 days. I had not read a synopsis so I didn't know the story beforehand but with Amanda's book I don't need one. I found it hard to put down. It is mainly about Bessie it goes between 2 timelines around her 16th and 53rd birthday. The book flows between the 2 seamlessly. It is a book about mistakes made, courage and hope. I love Amanda's writing style. I was in flood of tear and sobbing for the last few chapters.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3692848369
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This was a powerful and emotional read. The story centres around Bess and two memorable birthdays, one her sixteenth in 1984 and her 53rd in 2021. This is so much a story of love and loss against a family background with a sprinkling of secrets, how certain small decisions and subsequent events, can be long lasting and affect so many people. Totally believable set of characters and the scenarios they find themselves in with sadness touching on mental health plus a good dollop of humour. A resounding 5 stars which left me wanting to know what happens next.

"You should take the time to think about your life. You need to live a life you like."

This is absolutely one of my favorite Amanda Prowse books ever!!

There are two timelines to follow in this novel.
One takes place in 1984 and the other in 2021. They are told by the main Character named Bessie..
Bessie, at the tender age of sixteen year old, was loving her life, best friend, boyfriend and her family until she made some unwise life choices..
The secrets she has kept as a teenager, ultimately follow and threaten to destroy Bessie and her closest relationships well in to her fifties.
Will Bessie ever be able to like her life and herself? Can the secrets be told and forgiven?

The heartache, heartbreak , fear, anger, sadness, and resilience will create tears, laughter, and hope for the reader! I highly recommend this novel!

This book is so new that there wasn't even a synopsis, but with Mandy's books I don't need one. I know that whatever the book is about, I will love it, and this was no exception. Her books are based on events that could happen to any of us. Bess made mistakes, as many of us have done, at the age of 16 , and these mistakes shaped her life until she was 53. Luckily, she opened up about her past and eventually became happy. There is so much scope for a sequel here and I hope there will be. Another must read.

Another great book by Amanda. I don’t know how she keeps churning them all out and all as fantastic as the previous book. A moving emotional story in places that had me hooked from the first page. It makes you realise how the choices you make when you are younger can affect your whole life to some degree. The main character Bess was very likeable and I really felt for her. I.m just sad the book had to end. Can’t wait for the next book. I 1000% recommend this book and author.

Thank you Netgallery for this book to review. I have only recently discovered Amandas books and have been rapidly working my way through them so was very eager to start this one and i wasnt disappointed.
Very moving from the beginning it gives a great insight into a young girls confidence levels and how easy they can be destroyed and the knock on effect this can have in later life.
Great book, well written and a really captive story with small snippets of humour here

An absolute masterpiece of storytelling from the incomparable Amanda Prowse. Yet again she has tapped into a rich seam of human life, love, friendship and family and crafted it into the most moving and life affirming book. I wept for Bess, the central character and I think every woman, of any age, will relate to her in some way. The dual time frames of the story, set when Bess was a naive, trusting sixteen year old and her middle aged self today, were so skilfully handled . It made me realise we all have the younger versions of ourselves living within us, still carrying the scars, pains, insecurities and loves of our teenage years. I don't want to spoil the story by giving away any spoilers but I can,say the family dynamics and characters are a masterclass in creative writing. With a few strokes of her pen, Amanda has created a fully fleshed , loving and lovable family unit. The adorable parents with their unconditional love and support, coupled with their little foibles and rituals ,leap from the page. We all know someone like them (in fact I see a little bit of myself, rushing down on the morning's of my children's birthdays so I could play the Happy Birthday record on repeat , to greet them -not as original as the adorable Ed' s harmonica rendition but my ritual). Bess and Mario have reached a crisis point in their marriage and again, so many couples will empathise and take stock of their own relationships once their children have left home . We all hold secrets and some can be more damaging than we realise. I am in awe of Amanda's unerring ability to give voice to so many diverse facets of human lives and interactions. I was left really needing a sequel- the ending certainly gives huge scope for one and I think other readers will share my reluctance to say goodbye to these brilliant characters. Please Miss, May I have some more ?