This is such a beautiful book. It deals with mental health and the power of friendships. The author writes about mental health so sensitively. The book was a bit slow to get going.

This was a good book. Parts heartbreaking... I felt for the characters and felt like I was there with them. I would definitely recommend this book.

‘Picking up the Pieces’ by Amanda Prowse is a standalone novel that centres around Leonora ‘Nora’ Brightwell. A forty-something army officer’s wife whose unhappy childhood has led her to barricade her heart from emotional entanglements to protect herself from being rejected. Nora is going through the motions of life without ever living. The one grounding relationship in her life is with her husband, Gordon ‘Gordy’ Brightwell. However, their connection has been frayed with unspoken resentment and neglect on both sides. Just as things reach their breaking point, Nora receives a phone call that her baby sister, Kristina ‘Kiki’ Morris, has been hospitalised, and her 7-year-old nephew, Ted, needs her to look after him. While Nora is nervous about suddenly becoming responsible for a 7-year-old, her desire to help Ted through the situation with as much love and care as possible begins to heal her emotional scars.

Nora grew up the neglected and lonesome child of two bohemian artists who loved each other with an all-consuming passion but had no time or inclination for their daughter. After moving to Spain to pursue her father’s career, her parents packed her off to boarding school. They showed little interest in Nora as she grew older, with the only bright spots of affection being from the housekeeper, Luna, and the infrequent visits to her father’s mother, Nana Dilly, for holidays.

“She remembered what was said, and even more the sensation, the feeling that her voice, her view, nay her very presence was probably unwelcome.”

When Nora is twelve years old, she comes home for school holidays to discover that any crumbs of affection she may have received in the past have been usurped by the arrival of her baby sister, Kiki. Even Luna is occupied with the new baby, leaving Nora increasingly isolated. Soon after, tragedy strikes, and Nora and Kiki’s parents are killed in a car accident. Nora hopes Nana Dilly will take her in as she has always regarded her as a sanctuary. But Nana Dilly only wants baby Kiki and Nora is sent back to boarding school, thus removing the last safe space that she had held in her heart. With all her emotional connections severed, Nora learns to keep people at a distance to avoid being hurt in the future.

“Don’t let too many people in, don’t give them the chance to reject you.”

Being shaped by her childhood loneliness and rejection, Nora now acts as a passive participant, lacking the self-confidence to go after anything she wants. Moving frequently to new postings due to her marriage to Gordy, a career army officer, she has not made any friends or connections, judging that she has little in common with the other wives as she firmly doesn’t want children. Rather than trying to find other overlapping areas of interest with others, she keeps herself apart and relies heavily on Gordy to anchor her. However, Nora and Gordy have stopped communicating with each other over time, allowing minor petty annoyances to fester and grow. This has exacerbated Nora’s loneliness, and she struggles to express this to Gordy. She has also maintained only a superficial connection to Kiki and Ted, and whilst she does care for them, she doesn’t actively involve herself in her sister’s life. Instead, their relationship was eventually relegated to the occasionally obligatory phone call for essential events.

“It’s hard to love when you have grown up without being loved.”

Right when Nora and Gordy’s marriage reaches its breaking point and divorce is mentioned, Nora receives a phone call informing her that Kiki has been hospitalised after being found at home attempting to take her own life. Leaving behind her uncertain future with Gordy, Nora goes to take care of her nephew Ted. Nora has no experience raising or caring for children, but she tries her best to shield Ted from the world's harsh realities. There is an occasional misstep, but she continues pushing herself out of her protective shell as her desire to help Ted starts tearing down her heart's emotional barriers. In caring for Ted, she begins to care about others and forge new connections that, in turn, help her start to heal. She starts to ‘pick up the pieces’ of her heart.

Nora is a deeply wounded character; her emotional journey is sometimes painful and heartbreaking throughout the novel. She has been shaped by a childhood of constant neglect and rejection from the people who should have loved her and held her close. While there were times that I wanted to reach in between the pages and shake her for her passivity, especially early on, her character evolves and grows and comes into her own by the end of the novel. The story slowly develops, and whilst I understand that the pace may not be for all audiences, I think it helps given the serious subject matter contained – mental health and childhood trauma. The chapters are rather long and include plenty of flashbacks to Nora’s childhood that help to understand her actions and character. Interspersed between the main Nora chapters are little snippets of a secondary plot surrounding a painting of her fathers and attempts to contact her about returning it. Do I think this secondary story is necessary? Not really, but they are short and enjoyable without taking away from the focus of Nora’s journey.

The only thing I struggled with in this book is Nora’s relationship with Gordy. I didn’t particularly appreciate how Gordy acted towards Nora at times. Nora suggests seeing a therapist about their marriage problems, and Gordy dismisses it without even considering the idea. Nora tells Gordy how he sometimes smothers her and forces her into social situations against her interests; Gordy ignores her concerns and says it's for her own good. He never feels like he genuinely supports her passion for plants and gardens and is instead more focused on his career and his needs. He is lovely to Ted in their moments together, but apart from that, I didn’t like him with Nora.

Overall, ‘Picking up the Pieces’ is skillfully written, and I was thoroughly engrossed in Nora’s story. The sensitive subject matter is thoughtfully explored, and as the novel progresses, I found myself unable to put down the book as I had become fully invested in Nora. I have previously never read anything written by Amanda Prowsee, and sitting here in the excellent book afterglow of ‘Picking up the Pieces’, I find myself wondering how that could be! I look forward to exploring more of her titles.

It is highly recommended for fans of expertly crafted contemporary fiction.

5 out of 5 stars!

DISCLAIMER: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this review. While I received a free copy, this review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

tbh this book wasn't for me. the beginning was very slow and i kept putting it down without wanting to pick it back up. dnf at 50%. is this all to say that you shouldn't read it?? absolutely not! this book is heartwarming, well written and completely transforms you into the beautiful broken life of an abandoned child finding family, friends and love along with you. im sure ull love the characters and story as much as i did.
i just needed a faster pace book and it couldn't hold my attention. not it's fault- im such a mood reader. i will 100% pick up the pieces ;) of this book when im in the mood for it. currently in female dragon slayer saves the world kinda mood so that's hardly this books fault. go read it and tell me if i should continue!
thx netgalley as always for sending me this book i promise its good

Oh my, how I've missed reading Amanda Prowse! Picking Up the Pieces is a heart warming, poignant story of family love - Nora and Gordy are moving back to the UK following a posting in Cyprus when she gets some heartbreaking news that means she has to look after her 7-year old nephew, Ted. Looking after Red brings all manner of hidden feelings to light! Loved it!!!!

I read this wonderful book quite a while ago but I fell behind on writing reviews, and am trying to get caught up now. Luckily this one stuck with me so I am able to remember it and be able to write about it. This author tends to write books that I do remember even long after I finish reading them. Her characters are always so REAL, are ones that you can either connect with, or at least are curious about enough that you want to get to know them more or want to read more about them. I felt like that with Nora. I am drawn to books about family relationships and Nora had her share of dysfunctional and difficult issues and circumstances since she was a child. Nora, not having much self confidence, and at a crossroads in her marriage and life, is a character who truly developed in many ways and became a stronger, more anchored person once she made the decision to leave one life behind and go to her sister. She was forced to make many decisions along the way, and it was hard not to feel emotional for her. The strong bonds of friendship were prevalent throughout this book, which made me feel so happy about because Nora truly needed that. It was great to see positivity in Nora’s life once again and see her change her life around. Very moving and heartwarming, though with triggers.

This is a fantastic book! I love Amanda Prowse books as she is such a talented author who writes stories with heart. A character driven plot that shattered my heart. A real emotional read that touches on tough topics with respect.

I'm afraid I couldn't get into this book. It was a DNF for me in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t for me!! I couldn’t stay interested in the book whatsoever. I kept putting the book down and drifting off

A good easy read
Slow starter but got better the more I read
A well written story
Can’t wait for her next book
Thanks NetGalley

Once I discovered her, it didn't take long for Amanda Prowse to become one of my favorite authors - and happily I can say that she hasn't disappointed me yet. I particularly enjoyed this one, since there were some parallels between Nora's life in the early bits of the book and my own life as the wife of an Air Force pilot. Different military branches in different countries, yet some things are universal for military spouses. And while Nora and I may have made some different life choices, hers were just as valid for her as mine were for me, and it was a glimpse into what might've been for both of us had we chosen differently. But that's only part of this book, and much more of it focuses on Nora and her taking guardianship of her young nephew just as her marriage is imploding. Childless herself, she feels totally adrift and incapable of being the parent 7-year-old Ted deserves. I always say that Amanda Prowse writes stories about ordinary women who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, and how they cope and prevail. This book was another wonderful example of just that.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This was a beautiful story! Wonderful characters and an enticing storyline kept me hooked. Emotional as always.

Another absolute winner from one of my favourite go-to authors!

I love Amanda's books and couldn't wait for this one. It didn't disappoint.
I love the way she writes about every day life, takes a subject and puts it together in a book, a story written in a way that we can all learn about that subject. Very emotional, couldnt put the book down, read it in 1 day

Another brilliant book by the amazing Amanda Prowse, who always manages to get to the heart of women's friendships, multi-generational living and adds a sprinkle of real life to make you laugh and cry alternately.

Nora and Gordy, who is an Army Officer have had a happy but childless marriage, and been stationed in many countries and packed up and moved home countless times. However, during the moves of not forgetting any of their belongings, they seem to have lost themselves and their love along the way. When they finally return from Cyprus to England are they going via the divorce court? One of the paragraphs that gave me a lump in the throat of memory from my own life was "they were both standing on the edge of the end, waiting to see who jumps first!" wonderful writing Mandy.

Out of the blue they are asked to look after and become legal guardians to Nora's nephew as her sister Kiki has been hospitalised following attempted suicide, and all three of them feel lost and overwhelmed with the new living arrangements. Nora struggles to offer unconditional love and care to Ted, when she believes she has never known it herself. She soon learns that kindness is sometimes all you can give, when every day it is a struggle just to get out of bed.

Include in the mix the school gate traumas for mums (let along a woman who became a mum to a 7 year old overnight), the idea that Nora is making it up as she goes along and desperately looking to Gordy to save her, Ted and their marriage this makes for a heartwarming family story.

Along with the sadness I must include the bit that made me laugh, when Nora is trying to explain to Ted what boarding school is "it's like a sleepover without midnight feasts, games, books or toys and definitely no tooth fairy!".

This was such a sweet and heartwarming read. Tragedy strikes and all of a sudden, our MC, Nora is guardian to her 7 year old Ted. Nora is feeling disconnected from her husband Gordy. This book had all the feels. I loved the bonding relationship that was built with Ted and Nora. This was such a wonderful story as always by the author.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Picking Up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I've read Amanda's prior books and will tell you that she continues to knock it out of the park with her newest release. This book will draw you in and give you all the feels and make you fall in love with the characters. Heartwarming book!

A beautifully written and emotional story. I loved it, and my heart was with Nora.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Nora and Gordy. They are a married military couple. They are moving every couple of years. Nora becomes legal guardian of her seven years old nephew Ted. Nora and Gordy have issues but together they work them out and work on their marriage.

Nora’s life has not turned out as she thought. She is living in Cyprus with her husband, who is in the army. Nora doesn’t like socialising with the wives of other officers and leads an isolated life, pulling away from everyone, including her husband.

Following Gordy’s promotion, an argument ends with Gordy saying he wanted a divorce and then, before she had a chance to react to this, she receives a phone call, telling her that he sister was in hospital and she was needed back in the UK to look after her young nephew.

The story follows Nora’s struggles to care for her nephew, manage her own emotional turmoil, but she is helped by her sister’s close circle of friends.

I have read a number of Amanda Prowse books and I always find that she writes beautiful life stories and I would recommend anyone who likes contemporary dramas.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Another great read by Amanda Prowse. She never fails to deliver, with great characters and stories that keep you turning the pages. Would definitely recommend