The first 3/4 of this book were absolutely fabulous but I found the end to be a bit far fetched and a let down. Is worth reading for the first part of the book but I would save my money and borrow a copy.

Sometimes life can be utterly miserable. You may find yourself in situation where life has broken you down and left you in the middle of the road. But life as we know doesn't end there. We have new beginnings. And this book is all about a person on their new journey on a new road. The book touched my heart. I could not put it down and with I became a person who took the journey with the character too.
A lovely book.

On the last day of their family holiday Nora is totally blind sided by her husband's revelation that he is very unhappy with family life, has been seeing a therapist and plans to leave shortly after they return home as he "needs space." He seems oblivious to the "bomb" he has set off and naively thinks somehow Nora will be fine with it. She had no idea how he was feeling and was caught up int he routines of family life and juggling that with her job as a kindergarten teacher. I was fascinated to read about this scenario as it is one that is very familiar to me. The couple are younger (late 30's) than friends who have been in similar situations in their late 40's or 50's. They also don't seem to have any financial difficulties which helps matters enormously.

The story follows Nora through her day to day life as she feels shock, grief, anger, acceptance and tries to hold her family together. I felt the story faltered a bit towards the end. The diary type exposition of retelling how Nora cooked dinner etc. became a bit tiresome. and slowed the narrative pace in the latter third. However, I pretty much devoured this book. I really felt for Nora and the sometimes poor but very human decisionsshe made. It felt realistic about how things in life are pretty messy and that we never really get full answers to our questions or insight into what is going on in another's mind..

I wasn't going to choose this book as I disliked the cover - it look's like a Hallmark card or illustration from "People's Friend" magazine but I'm really glad I read the full description of what it is about, as for me, it was a real page turner.

I read this book because I was curious about the author who started writing later in life. The writing is tight, almost at times claustrophobic. We are given a blow-by-blow account of a young married couple, Brad and Nora and their two children.

Without any real warning, Nora is blindsided by Brad, and in a split second their lives are put into a turnaround. Brad and Nora and both left floundering from the shock, but are forced into separation. Each takes different paths, and over the course of three years to get themselves back to some stability. There is much heartbreak, and many breakthroughs as these two navigate being apart and learning to deal with their lives, and their children.

What is great about Kirby’s book, is that she really does put the reader through what probably is very real to many people who are faced with difficult decisions with long-lasting effects. Nora is particularly indecisive, and Brad is more controlled. There is also problems with the kids. and some unexpected consequences to Nora's dating.

My only criticism was that it was a bit padded with family trips to and from one house to another. Family dinners, etc. I think as the author is so good with writing about human dynamics, I would like to have had more information about the boyfriend Nora had during her marriage hiatus. I do like that the author really emphasized the growth of both characters, and drove home the point that people can change and grow over time given they work at their issues.

Thank you NetGalley for another reading experience.

Nora and her family are on their last day of their annual two-week vacation, when her husband Brad tells her he has been unhappy, been seeing a therapist, and wants to take a break from their marriage. Nora is completely blindsided, while Brad has thought everything out. He thought he would stay in their guest room until he found a place to live, and when Nora thought about it, she said no. You want to leave, then you leave now.
This is Nora's journey, of going through the pain of separation, picking up the pieces of her life, and facing not only the present but also her past. Her journey takes her through many levels, as she looks at her past she sees things a little different, as she looks at the present, she wants different things because of what she has learned, and going through this part of her journey, and seeing how she ends up.
Becoming Nora is the perfect title, because we see her becoming the person that she is meant to be, instead of a people pleaser, being responsible for others happiness, and all the other things she has learned. Reading the book gave me insight on different ways of dealing with a separation. Some of it, I even am going to apply to my own life, without the separation.
I received an ARC from Proving Press through NetGalley.

Kirby wastes no time catching the readers attention! Poor Nora goes from a life of bliss to a life of “what in all the world” just happened. But as with all things in life, until we deal with our own issues nothing external will truly satisfy us. Will Nora decide to face Nora or will she wallow in heartbreak? I love books that reflect true character development because it draws you in. “Becoming Nora” is a very real portrayal of family… who as we know put the “fun” in dysfunction!

Becoming Nora was a surprising novel about a married couple who suddenly come to a breaking point in their marriage. Brad drops a bomb at the end of the family's annual two-week vacation at the beach. Brad shatters Nora's life when he tells her he needs a break and wants to move out. Nora is a kindergarten teacher and Brad is an accountant. Though they have different approaches to life, Nora always believed in their love. Now, left with Jack and Claire to manage along with a full-time teaching job, Nora has to navigate through her life with a broken heart and huge doubts about herself not being lovable.

MFK does a brilliant job of creating a real-life Nora, a woman with multifaceted possibilities in today's world. Nora has never-ending opportunities as a 21st-century woman to create life as she wants. The usual stress of living in two homes tears at Jack and Claire but I think Nora handles it all brilliantly. With the help of her best friend, Ann, Nora puts herself back together and faces life, a new life, with much courage and strength.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC.

A story all about new beginnings. I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down as it drew me in immediately and before I knew it I was in the middle of the book!
The character depth was amazing!

It's Nora's last day of vacation. She'd never guessed her husband would choose that moment to say the most famous words. I need some time.
Surprise and hurt will overwhelm her at the beginning, But as time goes by, she becomes able to examine her marriage under a different approach. And her life starts to move on. It will be a period full of growing and understanding. But mostly, a time to allow herself to become a truest Nora.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. It's well written and the warm emanating from all the characters is fabulous. Even if I fell in love with some of them, I must say I couldn't feel bad about any of the others. There's some inner empathy that's unusual to find when reading these kind of stories.
The author made a great job developing Nora's character.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nora’s husband suddenly wants to separate and this causes her to re-examine her life and their marriage.

The first part of the book was fine but the last was slow for me. Too much overthinking things.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Lovely story of new beginnings.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.