"The Life You Left Behind" by Debbie Howells is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the transformative power of solitude. This emotionally charged novel revolves around the lives of two strangers, Casey Cassidy and Ben, whose paths cross with the unpredictability of fate.

The narrative begins with a dramatic twist as Casey's seemingly perfect life takes an unexpected turn with a missed flight. Howells skillfully weaves a tale that captures the fragility of life and the profound impact a single moment can have. The author's portrayal of Casey's emotional journey is both raw and authentic, making it easy for readers to empathize with her struggles.

The heart of the story lies in Casey's quest for healing after Ben leaves, leaving her world shattered. The depiction of her year of firsts without him is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Howells delves into the complexities of grief and self-discovery, portraying the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

The introduction of a friend offering Casey a home in rural France adds a layer of intrigue to the narrative. The setting becomes a character in itself, providing the solitude and emptiness that Casey needs to come to terms with her past and find a way to move forward. Howells beautifully captures the essence of rural France, making it a vivid backdrop for Casey's journey of self-reflection.

One of the strengths of "The Life You Left Behind" lies in Howells' ability to craft relatable characters and authentic relationships. The supporting cast adds depth to the story, and each character plays a crucial role in Casey's evolution. The dialogue is natural, and the pacing keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

Debbie Howells tackles themes of love, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit with grace and sensitivity. "The Life You Left Behind" is a beautifully written novel that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories of self-discovery and the healing power of time and solitude. This book is a testament to the idea that, even in the face of life-altering moments, there is always the possibility of rebuilding and finding a new path forward.

We follow Casey in her new life in France, a year after everything changed in a moment. Here she has time to reflect in everything she had and everything she has. New people, new scenery and adventures. In a way it's relatable to all those brave enough to embrace the new after the loss of a life that wasn't meant to be.

Off to the airport to holiday with a friend,
Casey Cassidy never dreamt how that day would end!
A forgotten passport, a chance encounter and then
Her life would change forever again.

This story is told from events now and a year before
A poignant story of love and so much more.
It shows depression is the cruelest hidden illness
Leaving the suffers and those close feeling useless.

Putting back together your life after tragedy and feeling lost
Takes time, healing and comes at a cost.
However, getting through all brings growth and hope,
Learning about yourself and how you can cope.

This is an emotive read, filled with memories and pain
A journey to find self belief, inspiration and purpose again.
Not a story to read when you're already feeling low
But when you're more inspired, then give it a go.

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
It is a very different read and this is my honest review.

This is a heart-pounding novel that will captivate readers from start to finish. The author skillfully crafts a suspenseful narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns, ensuring an enthralling reading experience.

The story introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. As the plot unfolds, their lives become intertwined in a high-stakes game of danger and deceit. The author expertly maintains a sense of suspense throughout the book, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth.

One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its ability to create a palpable atmosphere of tension and unease. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail transport readers into the world of the story, making them feel as if they are right alongside the characters, experiencing the thrilling events firsthand.

It is women's fiction which deals with mental health issues. It is dark and sensitive and at times even disturbing.

Loved this book. The love story of Casey and Ben is wonderful. The loss that Casey endured is heartbreaking. Debbie Howells has crafted a story that, although sad is, in a way magical. The love of Casey's family and the devotion of her best friend Ellie added true meaning to the story. It truly is an uplifting book and gives a much needed insight into depression suffered by men.

Gorgeous book Thankyou for early access. The author tackles issues that resonate with each one of us. What could or could not have been the way!

Well this is certainly a different type of book from Howells and I have to say it was incredibly refreshing to read. We pick up with Casey as she tried to rebuild her life after a devastating loss and see her as she begins to hope for the future. Howells uses a tried and tested technique of eking out the moment of truth of what happened between Ben and Casey, except I thought it was obvious what happened and nothing was gained by slowly revealing the truth. It almost added a "thrilling" edge to the book which is so opposite to the vibe of the rest of the book. I honestly think if we knew the truth from early on, it would not detract from the book and would remove some of the unnecessary dramatics.
I also think the book should have come with a trigger warning, I do not want to be specific, but Howells writes about some incredibly difficult subjects, I struggled myself at times and I am not sure I would have read this if I was fully aware. That being said, I absolutely adored this book. I fell in love with Casey and just wanted to give her a big hug. There is a lot of emotion in this book but it is not all negative, there is a lot of laughter and hope as well. But be warned this book contains a lot of pain and it is a tough read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

The Life You Left Behind

1.5 Stars

Where do I start with this book?


Synopsis:

Two strangers.

One missed flight.

It only takes a moment to change a life.

One year ago Casey Cassidy was happy. She had great friends, a wonderful teaching job and a busy life - until with one missed flight, everything changes.

One year later Casey knows what it means to find that once-in-a-lifetime love people dream of. But when Ben leaves, her heart is shattered.

Left facing a year of firsts without him, piecing her life back together seems impossible. But then a friend offers her a home in rural France.

In the solitude and emptiness, Casey needs to comes to terms with what’s happened and find a way to move forward. She has no idea where that will take her one year later...

Review:

There are very, very few things that I enjoyed about this book. – there were even moments when I had to call my friend to rant about how much I did not like this book, how often it was actually ridiculous.

It took forever to get through, yet felt like it was too short based on the content and how it was written. It only took me a few days to read, but felt like weeks by the time I was done.

We follow a story of Casey, before and after the death of her husband Ben. Before, as they meet and their whirlwind love story told in snippets of moments, vs after, when Casey moves to rural France into a house her friend Kevin gets for her by knowing the owner.

To begin, there is no warning before reading this book that there is a suicide, nor the fact that Ben doesn’t leave the relationship or breakup with Casey, he commits suicide. I think that it would have been a good warning to have – or at least something more than a synopsis that sounds like the main character is getting over a traumatic breakup.

Secondly, there is not a single character that had a good arc. Casey comes to rural France, drinks a lot of wine in her pyjamas, takes care of some stray cats, reads a diary that was more interesting than the actual story but had a horrible representation of bipolar disorder, went to a bar, tutored a kid for maybe 10 pages, and talked a lot about how she never knew her husband had depression.

The dealing of Ben committing suicide was one of the worst mental illness representations I’ve seen in a long time. His reasonings didn’t feel real, it all felt superficial and that the author just really wanted to put some information out about how the world is changing and the dangers of the meat industry – but didn’t even do that well. It was all in snippets that didn’t align well, especially with topics as rough as the ones brought forward.

Once you realize what the tone of the book is, it feels like it’s almost too late to not finish it, but too far from the end to enjoy it. The topics of depression, bipolar disorder, the meat and food industry felt like they were barely researched and it was all off of memory from research that happened months ago, there was no in depth to what was being felt by the characters, it was all very glossed over. Along with moments that should have been more in depth – Casey telling Ben about her sister and her guilt, confessing her guilt to her mother etc. were all very surface level and read very fake. There was no real emotion anywhere in the book other than when Casey finds Ben.

The book comes to an end with Casey going on a retreat that she had bought for Ben, his suicide being taken as “this is what I was made for” and “everything happens for a reason” – Ben’s death being necessary for Casey to do good in the world with what Ben was passionate about. The last few chapters are supposed to be uplifting and joyful compared to the rest of the book, but it felt so rushed and false-hopeful when it comes to the rest of the content that I had to sit through.

Overall, I really struggled through this book. I love darker themed books, but was not at all prepared to be frustrated with the writing style, the content, how the content was handled, and how it all wrapped out. So much was missing by the end and it left me more annoyed than satisfied by the end of it.

I would just like to thank NetGalley for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

It has a past and present timeline. Her writing style is very well done. It evoked so many emotions. It was raw and a nice break from all the thrillers I have been reading.

This is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Beautifully written and sensitively crafted, The Life You Left Behind perfectly captures the reality of life after loss and touches on heavy subjects with honesty. Very well written, a completely absorbing read that had me in tears one moment and grinning the next!

A beautifully written book with many difficult subjects handled sensitively. A dual timeline book seamlessly jumping between times . This book is a very powerful read , beautifully executed. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Debbie Howells for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Not the read I was expecting. I found this quite dark and depressing, and it left me feeling rather sad when I finished it, I can appreciate the writing itself, but the story sadly was not something I really enjoyed. Sorry.

The synopsis looked amazing, and I couldn’t wait for our MC’s redemption and light at the end of the tunnel moment, but the story we had to follow until it got lighter, was very dark. Sensitive subjects like suicide, mental health problems and death were around every corner, leaving me very heavy while reading this. Only in the last few chapters did it feel like I can take a breath of fresh air. As a mood reader, I just don’t think I was in the right headset for this particular story, the writing style was easy to follow and you get drawn in very easily, it was just wave after wave of wallowing darkness as I read this book.

So even though this might not have been for me, it could definitely be for you. Its very emotional, and I feel a lot of readers will relate to the depression Casey feels, but it felt a bit repetitive at times. It wasn’t a bad read at all, I just didn’t find it a page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

The Life You Left Behind by @_debbiehowells another NetGalley read. I won’t go into to much detail about what this book is about, the beauty of it I think is reading it and letting it all unfold. Let’s just say Casey Cassidy goes on a personal journey that will see her grow and change. I absolutely loved this book, definitely have the tissues ready! I haven’t read anything by this author before but can’t wait to see what’s next and it’s a book that I will remember. I could relate to this book and what Casey was going through sadly and I just wanted to get in the book, hug her and tell her everything would be ok! This book deals with some tough subject, death, grief, mental health to name a few but yet it feels like a light hearted read. It deals with those tough subject with confidence and head on not shying away from the reality or the consequences of these subjects and is powerful yet not in a dark and sad way, if that makes sense. It will make you want to cry inevitably but it will also make you smile, laugh and think. If I had to have one criticism it would be that at times if felt that the environmental message that the author was trying g to get across via the characters was in places to much, that’s just my opinion, the author is obviously passionate about the subject, as this certainly comes through. This book is full of love, but it’s raw and honest and that’s what I liked about it, Sadly in my life I’ve experienced grief like Casey in my 20’s and my husband has mental health his, so maybe this is why this book a cord with me and believe me the author has got it perfectly right. I will be recommending this book to everyone and is one of my favourites of the year. Can’t wait to see what the author does next ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have a teensy little confession to make – yes I know another one. Although I have Debbie’s other books on my ever increasing ‘to be read’ mountain, I haven’t actually read one yet. Having enjoyed reading ‘The Life You Left Behind’ as much as I did, I am now rather cross with myself that I left it this long to discover how flipping great her books are. The synopsis of ‘The Life You Left Behind’ really appealed to me and so without further ado I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle, grabbed a box of tissues and settled down for what proved to be one hell of a read and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Life You Left Behind’ but more about that in a bit.
I loved the character of Casey Cassidy and I warmed to her from the very beginning. In fact it didn’t take long before I felt as though she had become a friend of mine and I started to feel all protective towards her. When we first meet her, it’s obvious that something has happened in her life leaving her feel as though she had had the rug pulled out from under her feet. We don’t find out exactly what happened until later in the story but little clues are given as the story continues and they fit together like a jigsaw. Casey is a lovely young woman and she seems particularly vulnerable when the story starts. Casey needs a period of time to be able to heal herself and build her life up from scratch again. I kept everything crossed that she would be able to find happiness again. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I was drawn into this story from the synopsis alone. When I started reading the story itself, I knew that I wasn’t going to be moving very far from the couch for the rest of the afternoon as I wasn’t going to be able to put the book down. That’s exactly what happened. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hands but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I was rooting for Casey. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I soon got to the end of ‘The Life You Left Behind’ and I had to say goodbye to Casey. I found ‘The Life You Left Behind’ to be the true definition of an unputdownable page turner of a read. I was gripped by the story from start to finish and on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The Life You Left Behind’ is superbly written and then some. The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to ad easy to get along with. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a gentle pace throughout but that suits the tale that Debbie is telling. Debbie clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very thorough way in which she describes them. Reading this book took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns and well you get the picture. I found Debbie’s beautiful writing to be so convincing that I went through every emotion that Casey went through. I love the way in which Debbie makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Life You Left Behind’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Debbie’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

THE LIFE YOU LEFT BEHIND by Debbie Howells is a heartfelt, emotional novel jumping back and forth in time to tell Casey’s story of love and loss, loneliness and happiness.

I thoroughly enjoyed Howells’ story, which was clearly written with great thoughtfulness and care. THE LIFE YOU LEFT BEHIND handles mental health topics delicately, and feels honest, genuine and real. Casey and her story will stick with me long after I’ve read the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

This is a truly powerful story of love, loneliness and mindset. Its insightful into mental health and the importance of a support network. I really enjoyed it, but did find it a little repetitive, but I understand that's how mental health can feel sometimes!

A heart-wrenching tale about love, loss and healing, Debbie Howells’ The Life You Left Behind is a haunting and gripping page-turner readers won’t forget in a hurry.

A year ago, Casey Cassidy had been on top of the world. With a great job, a wonderful circle of friends and a very busy social life, everything seemed to be going Casey’s way – until fate intervened and one missed flight ended up changing the entire course of her existence. Twelve months later, Casey had experienced unimaginable loss and grief when she had lost her soulmate. Ben had been her entire world and the thought of spending the rest of her life without him is simply unimaginable.

Heartbroken, alone and desolate, Casey needs to heal, regroup and figure out what she is going to be doing next. Everything seems hopeless and desperate and Casey doesn’t know where to begin – until a friend throws her a lifeline and offers her a home in rural France. With nobody to intrude upon her solitude and surrounded by memories of the past, Casey needs to take this chance to come to terms with what’s happened and to move forward and forge her own path.

Will she manage to pick up the broken pieces of her life and write a new chapter? Or will old ghosts prevent her from embracing a brand-new beginning?

I’ve read and enjoyed many of Debbie Howells’ domestic thrillers and was looking forward to reading my first women’s fiction title from her and I was not disappointed. The Life You Left Behind is an emotional yet uplifting tale that explores grief, pain, loss and the ties that bind that will bring a tear to the eye and leave readers inspired as Casey triumphs over all the obstacles standing in her way.

Well-written, hard-hitting and immensely satisfying, Debbie Howells’ The Life You Left Behind is a powerful read from this very talented writer.

Emotional and hearwarming read. Great characters. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.