Another brilliant book. Some of the topics covered in this story are close to Amanda's heart: military life and mental health issues.
Strong, lovable and realistic characters are cemented in this story.
Hidden family issues surface in the lives of sisters Nora and Kiki. Both have struggled to accept the past but with different aspects.
Gordy and Ted need to feel needed but they have plenty of love to give. Can the four of them overcome the past and look to a solid future?

I'm a fan of Amanda's books anyway so I was excited to read this one. I loved it! Nora is a great character. I laughed and cried throughout. Brilliant.

Amanda Prowse has written another wonderful novel in Picking Up the Pieces. Long married Nora and her husband Gordy are set to return to England after their latest military posting in Cypress. When Gordy announces that he thinks they should consider a divorce, Nora is shaken. She knew things hadn't been great between them, but she didn't think it was THAT bad. Then she receives a call saying her sister is in the hospital after a suicide attempt and she is needed to take care of her young nephew. She quickly heads back to England in turmoil. Can she take care of a child? She never wanted children, so how will she cope? And most importantly, WHY would her sister try to take her own life?

As she walks through the next few weeks she realizes she was wrong about so many things, but is it too late to save her marriage, settle in one place and find true happiness? Thank you to the author,Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the fourth time I have read a book by Amanda Prowse and again I am really impressed with a story that celebrates the strength of women in a variety of circumstances. I really love the way the author tends to write about older, middle-age women, because I think it adds so much depth to the story and their experiences.

Picking Up The Pieces is the story of Nora, married to military man Gordy, who feel as though their marriage is on the brink. When Nora returns to England to care for her sister’s son whilst her sister is unwell, Nora realises just how much she’s missed out on in her life by not having children. The book also looks at Nora and Kiki’s early life and the experiences they had by having very distracted, neglectful parents.

The storyline of Kiki’s mental illness was approached with great sensitivity and I liked the way things were resolved in the storyline which reflected both how hard it can be to have a mental illness and see a path forward but didn’t feel as if it was too quick to be resolved in the story.

I thought the most genuine and heartfelt scene of the whole book was when Nora and Gordy talked and argued as they were on the brink of divorce. The dialogue seemed so real and I didn’t know which way they would go with their relationship. I did really feel that things worked out in a way that made a lot of sense for the book and for the characters and I admit to being in floods of tears by the end of the book. It’s a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A really great heartwarming book showing the lives of two sisters and the different perspectives they both had on their early lives. Nora has to struggle with a lot of issues from her childhood and has a very loving husband who had to deal with her. I felt sorry for Kiki but I fell in love with little Ted.

Having been an Army wife for 20 years, I recognised many of the situations in this book. Being a mum is the default setting for an army wife, so not having children really marks Nora out - and would have made her life more challenging.
An enjoyable book, great for a holiday or long train or plane journey.

A coming of age story but in the case of Nora it's coming in adulthood. After the early death of her parents she's been scared of letting anyone get close including her husband. When she hears her sister is in hospital she drops everything to care for her Nephew Ted. During this time she starts to realise what she's missed in her life, but is it too late to make amends?
As with many Amanda Prowse books she tugs at your heartstrings and gives her readers a lovely tale with relatable characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the advanced copy of which I'm under no obligation to review

What a fantastic read. I loved Nora's story she is married to a soldier and they move around a lot and just when they start having some problems a tragedy occurs and she finds herself looking after her sister Kiki's seven year old son Ted. Dont want to give anything away because its a wonderful read, loved the way her background was written into the story Amanda Prowse really draws you in so you get invested in the characters.and there is always an important subject at the heart of the story which really resonates with the readers. There is always difficulties in families and misunderstandings happen and sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself so that you can be there for each other and with the help of some fantastic friends of her sisters ,Nora and Kiki finally come to terms with the events of the past so that they can finally start being close again. A brilliant ending to a great story which was emotional ,heartwarming and healing. Highly recommend this book a well deserved 5⭐read .

Emotional, heart wrenching and beautiful, all wrapped up into one story, where the difficult subjects of mental health and attempted suicide are driving the story forward and dealt with sensitively.

Nora puts her own life on hold to step in and cover her sister's whilst she is recovering from her suicide attempt. With no children of her own, Nora is thrown in at the deep end when she has to go and look after her seven-year old nephew Ted.

It's heart warming how Kiki's friends rally around Nora to help her with Ted, but gut wrenching how they are all trying to understand why they didn't notice that Kiki was unhappy and struggling.

In the process Nora's own marriage goes through a transformation, and in an extra layer to the story, we are given snippets from her childhood in Spain. Everything is brought together in a beautiful, feel-good ending.

Trigger warnings: mental health and suicide attempt

Another exceptional book by Amanda. I have read and loved every one of her books and this is no exception. An emotional storyline that wrenches at your heart. Very sensitively written about mental health issues and the effects it can have on close friends and family. An easy 5 star read.

Another great read by Amanda, beautiful, sensitive and totally pulls at your heartstrings!
Childhood experiences past and present, mental health issues, marriage and relationship problems and the wonderful gift of friendship, community and family!
Nora and her sister Kiki are not particularly close due to having had very different childhood upbringings and memories, their adult lives couldn’t possibly be any different, Nora married to Gordy a military man is well travelled, comfortably off but not happy in her relationship and feels lonely! Kiki is a single mum to Ted surrounded by friends living paycheque to paycheque.
When Nora is unexpectedly called upon to look after her nephew Ted, realisation hits as she softens, embraces friends, reconnects with her sister, experiences the love of a child and ultimately rekindles her love for her husband as barriers are lowered and a new feeling of acceptance and happiness takes over!
Although sensitive mental health issues are involved overall you are left with a heartwarming uplifting read that I would highly recommend.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

Another 5 star book from Amanda, which I was privileged to read as an arc. A lesson to be learned about family ties and mental health. Highly recommend

This book has left me in a puddle of emotions ..I've been on a wash and spin cycle and its left me wrung out! I was totally invested in Nora' s story and it threw up so many long buried memories and emotions of my own childhood and my own beloved sister Nora (Noreen). How damaged we all are in our way and how unaware we are of what's happening in the lives of those closest to us. Even the cameo roles in the this sumptuous book were intriguing, relatable, lovable and totally absorbing. I love the circle of friends surrounding Kiki and how much better life would be if we all had such friends. The description of army live, along with its constant moves, loneliness and impermanence was so accurate. I wanted to throw my arms around Nora and Gordy and ease the pain bubble they were both locked within. Such believable, well fleshed characters who's pain was so raw it broke my heart. I don't want to spoil the story but I stayed awake all night unable to leave them until I knew their ending. There's only one thing I would have changed..with the power invested in the author's pen, I'd have made Nora pregnant. Amanda leaves so much of herself on every page, just how much I realise ,as I'm also reading Women Like Us at the moment which is her own life story. This writer just gets better and better and no experience goes to waste. Every thing she endures, everything she experiences or observes gets woven into the most magical, spellbinding books. Bravo!

This was a fantastic read. The author did a perfect job blending the characters and the background. It was a great read.

Picking up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse has written a brilliant, gripping, spectacular book.

This book takes us on a journey through Nora and Gordy's story.
With real life experiences and raw emotions that one faces in life.
Dealing with some rough decisions and hardships her journey only makes her stronger in the end.
Her story is one that will touch you and leave you feeling all sorts of emotions.
Prowse knows how to write an awesome story and I loved this one from the beginning to end.
Exquisite, heart-warming, emotional and engaging... This was one I absolutely enjoyed the hell out of.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Amazon Pub UK,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Picking up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse

Another wonderful book by the author. She always manages to get to the very heart of what makes the human tick . All aspects of relationships are covered including the ones we experience with ourself.in this case mental health .
As Nora and her British Army officer husband, Gordy, pack up yet another home and leave the sun of Cyprus for the drizzle of England, she can’t shake a feeling of regret—at her failure to follow her own dreams, but also, if she’s honest, at having ended up an officer’s wife at all, drifting through a life of temporary homes and temporary relationships.
A great storyline which really pulls you in and is totally believable . I wanted life to turn out well for Nora.

This is novel that doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects. Written sensitively and with compassion, I loved it. A really fabulous read!

Heartbreaking, bittersweet and funny in places. Amanda certainly writes the type of book that tugs at the heartstrings without being emotionally draining. I love the relationship between all the female characters and you don’t need to be biologically related to have that sister bond which is how it should be.

Picking up the Pieces is a beautifully written book. Amanda Prowse takes a tragedy and turns it into the coming together of a family. I love how she also potrays how people can have an affect on other's lives even if they don't know it. I enjoyed seeing Nora and Kiki's perspectives of their childhood and how the same events can look very different to different people. I will be looking up more of Amanda Prowse's books.

Another Amanda Prowse book to dive into? Don't mind if I do! I am a huge fan of her magnificent writing, and I was not disappointed at all by the beautiful story that is Picking Up the Pieces.
Nora is a military wife, used to accompanying her well-decorated husband Gordy wherever he is stationed, but life is beginning to feel tiresome. She's lost all sense of roots.
They are on the brink of collapse when a phone call shatters what was her life, as she rushes to be a support for her sister, Kiki, and little nephew, Ted.
I don't want to reiterate the story to you. What kind of review would that be?
But what I will say is that Amanda Prowse has sensitively dealt with the fragility of mental health here as well as delving into how childhood experiences can shape your thinking and way of life more than you know.
Nora and Gordy are two people you could be friends with. Kiki and her masquerade as a happy single mum remind you that you should never judge a book by its cover.
And I have to mention the little diversion to the story that comes in several snippets from Spain, that weaves another layer of magic into the inevitable ending.
Beautiful story. I read it in a day, and I have to admit to being a little sad when it ended, too!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.