The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper is the fifth novel by Zoë Folbigg aftehr The Note, The Postcard, The Distance and The Night We Met that I have te eARC of.

Each book so far has been brilliant and memorable. I couldn't wait for the next book by Zoë and I was hooked by this just as I was by all her others.

Each woman in the book was so different and I liked the book premise. Zoë Folbigg has a real talent for writing books that pull me in and keep me there and that are so emotional and heartfelt. The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper was no exception.

Now, I am waiting for Zoë's next book!

Thanks to Zoë Folbigg, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars.

The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper by Zoë Folbigg was the first book I have read by this author and I found it an interesting read especially as its not my usual read! Whilst at Sebastian Coopers funeral there are 3 women there and they all have connections to Sebastian..........His ex wife Clair, who is the mother of his 2 children and his sweetheart, Desiree, his ex lover and Noemie his new love of his life.
This story takes us back throughout his life leading up to his funeral! I loved the way this book moved between the past and the present, from Sebastians and Clair's teenage years in Jersey, through to Uni and then they marry and have children......Things go wrong and they drift away from each other and start new lives........Then 2 his new woman in his life Then, Bang..............everything changes.............and we go to his funeral.....

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Description 🔖

Family and friends are gathered for the funeral of Sebastian Cooper and that includes the three women in his life. Clair who has been around for the longest and has been Seb’s only wife. She’s the mother to his two children and and she is furious with Seb for leaving them without their father, but she is also confused and feeling lost; not knowing her place. Desiree is who Seb left Clair for. She is heart broken and keen to keep herself to herself whilst she questions if she should even be at the funeral. Finally, Noemie, Sebastian’s latest lover and the last one to see him alive. She is by far the most open and noisiest mourner in attendance at the funeral.

These are three women who all loved Sebastian in their own way. Three women who are all mad at him for dying. Three women who’s lives have changed forever. Except only one of them was the true love of Seb’s life and only one of them knew the truth about what happened.

General Thoughts 🤔

My first impression of this book was that it was probably wise to grab some tissues, because I was going to get upset. I hadn’t read the blurb and had gone in blind, so starting the entire story with Seb’s funeral was a bit of a shock to me. However, I quickly settled in and found myself embroiled in the good, bad and ugly that was these characters.

I really enjoyed Part 1 of the book and was intrigued about where the story was going to go. I felt somewhat let down by Part 2 of the book as it didn’t feel like a whole lot happened and I felt a little bit like I was going through the motions. However Part 3 picked up again and ended up being my favourite section of the book; the ending especially.

Characters 👫👭👬

Although there were quite a number of characters in this story, I didn’t find it difficult to follow who was who and where the relationships were. There were some characters that I really liked, some that I didn’t like and some that I liked to dislike. For the purposes of this review, I’m going to concentrate on the three main women from the book.

Out of the three women, Desiree was my favourite, but this was likely because she was the woman I can relate to most. She was career driven and ambitious and I think she had put a bit of an emotional barrier around herself. Until she met Sebastian. Even then, her walls didn’t completely fall. I was all in on their relationship and rooting for them, even though they didn’t start off in the most conventional of ways.

I disliked Noemie. She was narcissistic, sly, dramatic, selfish and a brat. I was disappointed in Seb for letting their relationship get as far as it did as from an outsiders perspective, it seemed doomed from the beginning.

Clair was the one person I thought could see that Noemie was completely wrong for Seb. I didn’t feel strongly about Clair, but I definitely didn’t dislike her. Her and Seb were childhood sweethearts, but they turned into different people and grew apart in their adulthood. Granted; Seb did not handle the situation well at all but I think Clair was unable to admit that their relationship was troubled long before they finally separated.

Writing Style ✍️

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style and tone. The story wasn’t complicated or difficult to follow but it was engaging and made me want to keep reading to find out what paths the characters were going to end up following.

I really liked the switch between timelines chapter by chapter. It kept the story moving along at a reasonable pace and the chapters in the past helped to provide context as to why the characters were behaving a certain way in the present.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

This was a book that for me, started strong, dipped in the middle but peaked at the end. I felt like I got to know these three women like they were friends or acquaintances and there were times I wanted to reach into the pages and give some of them a good shake. But I also loved them (ok, maybe one of them not so much). The ending sucker punched me and I am still reeling over it; talk about bittersweet. All in all, this was a good book to get my reading juices flowing again and I would definitely recommend it for some cuddled up weekend reading.

Fabulous book

Starting at Sebastian Coopers funeral I didn’t know what to expect but going back to each point in his life, from meeting and marrying Clair to having children and back to present day having three loves grieving him along with family and friends reminiscing a very happy, sad but fulfilling life which ended way too soon.
I was sucked in right from the beginning loved the setting of The Channel Islands, London, Norfolk and Miami, I was even intrigued about a painting mentioned and had to look it up!
I loved most of the characters, a few annoyed me immensely!
Had me intrigued throughout with a very satisfactory ending.

I was instantly drawn to this book purely for the fact it has my son's name on the cover. Anyone else do that?! I can't be the only one surely 😂

Anyway... The title is pretty intriguing in itself so I was quite looking forward to getting stuck into this one. The book is really easy to get into and it flows really well. I liked the dual timeline in it as it was really nice to get a good background.

The story is current time which was Sebastian's funeral and then it jumps back in time to moments in his life with his three loves. I enjoyed the story but I didn't feel myself reaching for the book very often as I just found it wasn't gripping me as I would have liked.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We meet the family and friends of Sebastian (Seb) Cooper, gathered at his funeral and as the story goes on, we meet the loves of his life and take a trip into his past. The author introduces his children and family that shaped his life, while leading us all the way to his last days. It's not until the end that we are told what happened but this doesn't detract from the story. It was a good read.

It took all my concentration to figure out who all the characters were and where they fit or influenced the life of Sebastian Cooper. I’m sure everyone has an opinion on which love they like but I’m equally sure it won’t be Noemie ( don’t ask me to pronounce it) she was so annoying.
The story isn’t a hard read but not a lot happens so my interest waned. The one thing I wanted to know was how Sebastian had died ( that isn’t a spoiler because it’s clear he’s dead from the start) but it didn’t end up being worthy of my suspense.

This is my second book by this author and I found it so compelling! It is a family drama set around a man, Seb’s untimely death. The narrative alternates from present to past and the reader hears about Clair (Seb's first wife), Desiree (Seb's other woman) and Noemie (Seb's latest). I was engrossed from the beginning, always wanting to know more. Clever and very well executed. I look forward to reading more from Zoë Folbigg.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Boldwood Books via NetGalley.

The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper is certainly a unique book, and one you have to read for yourself to understand. Not that it’s a complicated book but it’s hard to describe what you may or may not like about it.

For one, it goes across many genres. The blurb gives a sense of a thriller but I don’t think the story of Seb’s death warrants that title. For sure, it is a romance novel. In fact, it covers three romances. I got caught up in all three romances in different ways and, through these stories, we get to learn what kind of person Seb was.

I both liked and disliked Seb. He was what one would call a “loveable rogue”. However, there were many decisions he made that I didn’t like and he certainly isn’t the man that any woman should be overly romanticising about. Still, it was difficult not to feel empathy towards him and like him as a person. That pull in my emotions made this book a good read.

Overall, I would call this book a family drama. It actually does a good job of highlighting the many different family make ups we have today and normalising them. The best scenes are those from Seb’s funeral. The author did a fantastic job in building emotion. I certainly shed a few tears.

This is only the second book I have read by this author, and it definitely won't be the last as this is a great read.
The story is told as a dual timeline (the present -at the funeral of Seb Cooper) and in the past for each of his three loves. There are three parts to the story, one for each if his loves. I found that once I had got to the end of part one I had to keep reading as I wanted to know what the woman was like who he had ended his marriage for, and then it was the same when I got to the end of part two. I have to say this must be due to the author's engaging writing.
I highly recommend thus book.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for this read and the tour Spot.

When I requested this book I went into it completely blind and I am so glad I did. Its a beautiful, thoughtfully written book, that handles the subject of grief perfectly. I love the different timelines in this book and the way they merge together to build a seamless narrative. The emotional storyline is written so sensitively and it makes you feel the characters feelings so deeply. If you see this please don't let the topic of grief put you off, this book is so heartwarming and real.

I will definately be lookinf for more Zoe Folbigg because I loved this so much
#TheThreeLovesofSebastianCooper #NetGalley.

I could not wait to read this book. I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would. Still, though this has just about everything for the reader to dive into.

This is such a well- constructed story which weaves together three storylines. Sebastian is the common factor and you find out how their lives are intertwined. From the start, you realise that Sebastian has died as they are at his funeral. How and why he died is not revealed until the end. My sympathy for Sebastian seemed to ebb and flow as the story unfolded but as it became clear how important his family was to him, I began to like him more and more.

The three women who featured in Sebastian's life are all very different with contrasting desires. In some ways, they reflect different times in his life. The story is at times quite heart-breaking but at others, a real feelgood read. You also see how the women and his family are dealing with loss and separation. The effect of his father's deceit when Sebastian was a boy seems to have never left him as he knows only too well the consequences his own treachery will have on his children. Still there is genuine affection and love in the book. It is an engrossing read which is well worth a host of superlatives.

In short: love, loss, treachery and affection
#blogtour

Thank you #Netgalley and #rachelsrandomresources for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Zoe Folbigg is a new author to me, the title enticed me as Sebastian is the name of my first boyfriend :)!!!

There's a lot of going back and forth through the years, We are led back to a Funeral and the mystery of a life lived and the guests who come to pay their respects.
So many secrets and lies, the book is slow in some parts and hardly putdownable in others. Memories of love and pain, dance parties, truths uncovered and my favourite song of the time, Baby I love Your way by Big Mountain.
Totally, loved this book and fully recommend it to anyone who likes to uncover secrets and lies.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this story, but the synopsis had intrigued me and the publisher normally always publishes great books so I jumped at the chance to read this book.

This story was less character driven than I had expected. By the end of the story Clair, Desiree and even Seb had grown on me, but I still didn't feel like I really loved them, or really knew them. The story was entertaining from start to end and I really did want to know what had happened to Seb, but I think the highlight of the story for me was Violeta, Desiree's grandmother. I wish she could have her own story!

What to expect:
- dual timeline, present (2019) funeral of Seb and past, starting with his first love as a teenager
- mystery about how Seb had 3 loves, one after another or at the same time?
- mystery about how exactly Seb had died
- the messiness of relationships ending
- 3 very different women, 2 quite nice, 1 horrible

I have to confess this is my first book by this author, but I enjoyed it very much, so won't be my last for sure.
I really appreciated the narrative alternating from present to past and from each of the characters' point of view, It kept me engaged and always wanting to know more: clever and very well executed!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story starts on the day of Sebastian (Seb) Cooper's funeral. The circumstances of his death aren't immediately revealed and are a little bit of a mystery driving the story forward. The novel alternates between different POV's and between the past and the present. We learn about the three different women who have played big roles in his life -- his first wife and the mother of his children, Clair, the woman he left Clair for, Desiree, and his latest girlfriend, the wildly unlikeable Noemie. As the story proceeds we learn about the trajectory of his life and the events that have shaped him and his family. I really enjoyed this well-written, character-driven novel.

This is my first novel by Zoe Folbigg and I absolutely adored it! The Three Lives of Sebastian Cooper is such a unique story, told from the perspective of people in his lives and the impact he had upon them. Upon his untimely death, loves past and present come together to mourn the man they all loved and who had a huge impact on their lives.
I love how the reader is taken on a journey through Sebastian’s life from meeting his first wife, their divorce and the lover involved and up to his current wife to be. It’s a look back through his life from the perspectives of very different characters. There is also the added mystery of how Sebastian died and who he was with/what he was doing.
This is such a tender and intricate story that is really driven by the different characters. Some of them you shouldn’t like but I couldn’t help myself as I felt their imperfections and insecurities were laid out on the table, exposed and leaving them vulnerable. Looking into Sebastian’s life in such an intimate way felt so real and personal and I often found myself feeling completely different about things than I would have expected.
I went thorough every emotion available throughout this book and really felt everything the characters were going through. I grieved, cried, became angry and experienced joy at the expense of each character.
This is such a unique and fabulous novel and I am so pleased to have discovered Zoe’s writing. Highly recommended.

From the very beginning, I could tell this book was going to be something different – but I also knew it was one I was going to love.

Sebastian Cooper’s family and friends are gathered for his funeral, after – although we know nothing about the detail until far later in the book – what has evidently been his untimely death. And among a substantial cast of characters, every one of whom plays their part in the story, we are introduced to the three women in his life. Clair, now on the verge of her second marriage, was his wife for twenty years, the mother of his two children; Desiree was his mistress, and the catalyst for the end of his marriage; Noemie was his most recent girlfriend (perhaps not one of his wisest choices… although she’s certainly grief-stricken), and the last of them to see him alive. The book is essentially the story of Seb’s life – from his teenage years in Jersey, the experiences that shaped him, through his successes as an architect (and his failures as a husband, father and life partner) and his personal life choices, through to its unexpected end – told from multiple perspectives, with the story circling back to the day of the funeral with the past and present woven together, the relationships with and between the different characters becoming ever clearer, along with the mess he left behind.

The characterisation in this book is simply wonderful – entirely real people, some of whom you really like, others who you might rather prefer to avoid. Seb himself is particularly complex, and my sympathy for him constantly ebbed and flowed – he behaves badly at times, and he has his reasons, but his choices and decisions are sometimes so flawed that he drives you to anger and despair. It’s a story about the complications of family relationships, of romance and betrayal – and it engages on a wide spectrum of emotions, from the moments of complete joy, through the times of confusion, and into the depths of anguish and sadness. The writing is absolutely superb, every emotional note perfectly hit, the book’s whole construction extremely clever, the different threads deliciously tangled – and it’s a really cracking story that engaged and enthralled me from beginning to end. And, I must say, what an ending – it rather broke my heart, but everything about it was absolutely right.

I’ll look forward to reading more from Zoë Folbigg – an exceptionally talented writer with a particularly special touch. I loved this one – a five star read from beginning to end, and very highly recommended.

EXCERPT: Jane had decided before the service that whatever the whisperings were, or whatever the family thought of each other, she was going to bend over backwards to make every woman feel valued and supported. The mothers, the wives and the lovers. They would all be grieving. But she just couldn't place the middle one or remember her bloody name as she began her introduction, did the housekeeping stuff and welcomed everyone who had travelled near and far to get to Northill today.

Clair . . . Noemie . . .

As if the Lord himself were jogging her memory, she saw the sad eyes of a beautiful woman halfway back; staring at her, dimples in her cheeks even though she wasn't smiling. She wore a black blazer over a cream blouse and a wrap that had fallen off one shoulder.

Desiree, that's it.

ABOUT 'THE THREE LOVES OF SEBASTIAN COOPER': As friends and family gather for the funeral of charming and charismatic Seb Cooper, three women sit in the congregation, mourning his loss.

First there is Clair, Seb’s wife and partner of twenty years, and mother of his two children. Furious at Seb for dying and leaving their children without a father, Clair isn’t sure of her place, and has been left baffled and bemused by the conflicting stories of Seb’s last days.

Then there’s Desiree, the woman Seb left Clair for. Heartbroken, self-conscious, and wondering if she made a mistake coming today.

And the third and noisiest mourner of all is Noemie – Seb’s lover and the last woman to see him alive.

Three women who loved Seb in their own different ways.

Three women whose lives have now changed forever.

But only one woman knows what really happened at the end…and only one truly had his heart…

MY THOUGHTS: I did NOT like Noemie AT ALL. Now that I have that off my chest . . .

Overall, I didn't enjoy The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper. I felt that the premise had so much unrealised potential. I failed to become invested in either the characters or the storyline.

The book begins with Sebastian's death. We don't know how he died, just that he did and that his two children were overseas with him and his third partner.

Then the timeline moves between the funeral and wake, and Sebastian's past life and loves. Now,I wish that I could say that this is a character rich novel, but it's not. I liked Clair and Desiree, detested Noemie, but never got to really 'know' them.

Okay, so it's not a character based novel. A mystery? Well, no. Okay, we don't find out until the very end of the book HOW Sebastian died. And really? - it's an anticlimax.

I debated abandoning this read regularly. I'd read a chapter or two then go clean the oven, clean the windows, wash the floors. You get the idea. My house hasn't sparkled like this for months . . . I persevered only because I thought that the manner of Sebastian's death was going to justify the whole journey, especially when certain aspersions are cast on the character of one of the three women. Although her mother repeatedly shouts, 'She had nothing to do with his death!' Which only made me more than suspicious.

Sorry, but the only part of the book I loved was the Epilogue. At that I teared up.

⭐⭐.25

#TheThreeLovesofSebastianCooper #NetGalley

I: @zoefolbigg @bookandtonic

T: @zoefolbigg @BoldwoodBooks

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #mystery

THE AUTHOR: Formerly a magazine journalist and digital editor, Zoë started at Cosmopolitan and has written and edited for titles including Fabulous, CosmoGIRL!, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, i newspaper, Healthy, Top Santé, Mother & Baby, ELLE, Sunday Times Style, ASOS and Style.com. Zoë wrote a weekly column in Fabulous magazine documenting her year-long round-the-world trip with ‘Train Man’ – and now lives with him and their sons in Hertfordshire. (Amazon)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Boldwood Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper by Zoë Folbigg for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage