Be prepared for the heartbreak

Wow. This was such a well written book.

This is a story of pain, loss, love, and grief.

Evelyn went through so much during her life but her love with Joseph never faltered.

They have built a beautiful garden together..

Absolutely gut wrenching while being loving and happy at the same time. How is it possible? There were many times throughout this book where I had to stop because I knew my emotions would overtake me. This book really makes you stop and think...and I am a better person for it. This book has the power to change your outlook on life, relationships, death, and dying. It truly is a powerful book.

I loved the way the book traveled through different timelines, showing us glimpses of their past and current life. We really grew up with Joseph and Evelyn and watched their story unfold. It was beautiful. You can tell Amy really poured her life into this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amy Neff for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This story involves Evelyn and Joseph, and their love story. At almost 80 years old, Evelyn received a terminal diagnosis. Joseph knows he can’t live without her, and in order to go out together on her own terms, they plan to end their lives one year from that date. Their children and grandchildren are devastated. The book goes back and forth between the present and the past, and between multiple POVs.

This is a tough book to rate. There were things I loved and enjoyed, but several things about it that I did not.

This was a raw, emotional read. I could relate to Evelyn’s postpartum issues and wanting to find herself after motherhood consumed her. At certain points I got emotional because the writing was so detailed that I could feel the feelings.

But overall, I felt just sad and depressed. I also couldn’t find Evelyn likable and I felt Joseph didn’t deserve her. I don’t know if it was the way their story was written or what, but I just couldn’t find it in me to love her. I know that her mindset and what she went through is real and a lot of her issues stemmed from her relationship with her parents and her traumas, but it wasn’t very enjoyable to read.

This book shouldn’t be marketed as “the next greatest love story” because it caused me to go into this with much higher and different expectations. If I hadn’t gone into it with that in mind, maybe I would have liked it more.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced reader copy to read and review.

The Days I Loved You Most is an insanely beautifully and extremely heart wrenching book but so worth the read.
The book is about Evelyn and Joseph who have been in love for over sixty years and have experienced so much life together. Now they are going to face one of the toughest things they’ve ever dealt with before. Evelyn is sick and Joseph can’t live without Evelyn. They choose to live the best life that they possibly can for the next year. Continually falling in love, spending time with family and having fun. Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Writing: B
Story: C+
Characters: C+
Setting: B
Best Aspect: An emotional story with a lot of love.
Worst Aspect: This start off great but when there was a flashback, I didn’t feel connected to the story or the character and this made me lost interest in the story.
Recommend: Yes.

Beautifully written love story. All the twists and turns of a marriage spanning 60 years. Really enjoyed it.

I loved the premise of this one and was so keen to get my hands on a copy. I bumbled along on this one, waiting for the end. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, and I ended up being very indifferent in the end. I feel like this may have been for an older audience- a sweet story but not for me 🤣

While I am not a big romance reader, I love a great love story, and this one is the best one ever. The story spans decades of Evelyn and Joseph’s life together as they face the biggest hurdle in their marriage. Beautifully written from multiple perspectives, this 60 year marriage is followed from before World War 2 straight through 9/11 and beyond. Fast paced with characters that you feel personally connected to, this book is not to be missed. Definitely the best one I have read this year.

The Days I Loved you Most
by Amy Neff
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Spanning the twentieth century from World War II to 9/11 and beyond, The Days I Loved You Most is a timeless tale of unwavering devotion -- a moving tribute to the enduring power of love and a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope and beauty to be found.
This author was new to me, and I am so glad I requested the ARC.
With a tile like The Days I Loved You Most, I knew this one would leave me reaching for a tissue. This is my first time reading this author. She took a very hard subject matter (sickness) and wrote a beautiful, heartfelt story. This story was heart wrenching but I am so thankful to have read it. I found this to be very reminiscent of The Notebook - which I have read numerous times & will continue to do so. If you want to feel something deeply profound, I highly recommend this book.

This one was a hard read only because it takes about taking one’s life. While I understand that the husband doesn’t want to live without the wife and they make a pact to die together, it was still difficult to read. This was advertised as a romance, but I don’t see anything romantic about suicide. Unfortunately , this one just wasn’t for me

I really was taken by the premise of this book. It’s about a couple in their later years. She gets a debilitating diagnosis from her doctor. The couple decide to end their lives together in one year because they can’t imagine living without the other. The rest of the book chronicles their lives and the lives of their children that lead to this point and their decision. The story goes back and forth in time. I really thought this book would move me, but it frustrated me and at times bored me.
The plot was weak and seemed to really drag at times. The characters didn’t seem to be very soundly structured and I had a hard time finding them believable. I found myself rapidly flipping pages and skipping over stuff because I needed the plot to move faster.
I enjoyed the writing and the way the writer described different areas of the setting, I just needed a plot and characters that were better developed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is what happens after the Cinderella story, the real life twist and turns of a relationship. You would think that with someone willing to join their partner at the end of their life that the actual life would be extraordinary, but it wasn't and that's why I liked this story so much because the author is willing to show us the vulnerable sides of this couple, with its doubts and frustrations and at time misunderstandings that would lead some couples to not stay together. And yet when faced with the possibility of leaving or staying with each other Evelyn and Joseph always choose to stay together even when the alternative path was very attractive.
I loved being involved in Evelyn's and Joseph's cycle of life. I loved how they met, I loved when they had their children and grandchildren. I loved what they were interested in and how willing they are to accept others flaws. I loved their time on the beach and I loved how close they all became at the end of the story, it is wonderful.
Lastly, it'd funny I live in Connecticut and I can relate to cold winters and driving to Bradly International Airport and being on the beach. It made me chuckle.

I want to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row and NetGalley for an advance copy of this story about real love and the reality of living.

<B>No one in love gets out of this life unscathed.</b>

<i>But it was the hardest days. The days I was lost, the days I thought I’d lose you. When everything fell apart, but you were all I needed. Those are the days I loved you most.</i>

This book is the comfort of sitting on your grandparent’s porch and listening to them detail the story of their lives. It is an emotionally gripping story of not only love, but a bond, forged over a lifetime. From growing up together to growing a family of their own together—Joseph and Evelyn detail their successes, dreams, tribulations and heartaches. They know they cannot live without each other, so when Evelyn’s health takes a turn and her prognosis is grim, her and Joseph make plans to leave this world together. Their kids aren’t keen on their idea, but over time, they begin to realize how many memories and how much love they can pack into their last year all together.

This story goes back and forth between the present and past, with the main narrators being Joseph and Evelyn, and some chapters narrated by their children, Jane, Thomas and Violet. The story is heartbreakingly beautiful and the style reminds me a lot of The Notebook. I was sobbing at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an ARC for me to read and review.

I was expecting a moving love story, but sadly, this book fell short of my expectations. The synopsis blew me away, so I admit I had extremely high expectations when I began reading. While Joseph and Evelyn had an enduring love story, I never felt fully invested in it. Both leads didn't feel fully fleshed out, and there was lots of telling readers that the leads had a great love rather than showing us. Overall, I wanted more from this story.

Thank you to Park Row and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I read the synopsis I just knew I had to read this. What a tragically beautiful love story. Unfortunately I wish there were just a few less people involved. I found it difficult at times to keep everybody straight and remember who was who.

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff was a good book, but not great. It had moments of potential but ultimately fell short in several areas. The characters fell short, lacking the depth and complexity that would have made their stories more engaging. While some aspects of the plot were intriguing and held my interest, many storylines were left open-ended and seemed to drag on without closure. This left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied as I reached the conclusion. There were parts that were fascinating, but overall, it felt like the narrative could have been more cohesive. Was a lot like The Notebook, but not as engaging.

“I consider her lined face, the age spots on her cheeks. Our entire life like a series of shorter marriages to each other, linked in their similarities, but distinct. Familiar, but changed. Even in marriage she has never been mine, even now as we face our end together. She has never belonged to anyone but herself, and I have never belonged to anyone but her.”

The Days I Loved You Most is a stunning real portrayal of marriage and aging. Evelyn & Joseph have been together for what seems like forever. After Evelyn receives a difficult diagnosis and starts to decline, they decide to end their lives together in a year’s time. Evelyn doesn’t want to turn into a shell of herself and Joseph can’t live without her.

I was immediately drawn to the premise of this story. What an impossible choice to make - living as someone other than yourself or not living at all. Evelyn & Joseph’s story was so thought provoking and I really enjoyed the dual timelines of their life in the present and their love story as it evolved in the past.

The Days I Loved You Most is a true testament of marriage, love, and the hardships, as well as beauties, of life. It made me think about so many things and it took my breath away many times throughout. I’m so happy and thankful that I had the opportunity to read this beautiful book. So many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Days I Loved You Most is one of those “once in a lifetime” books that have the power to change you or just stay with you forever. Evelyn and Joseph have been together their entire lives, and when Evelyn gets a terrible health diagnosis, they decide to live one last year together before they will end their lives. Most of us know this going in, and yet it is still heartbreaking to read. Alternating between their past and their last year, we get to see the highs and lows of their love story. It’s truly beautiful and devastating, and I will not stop thinking about it anytime soon. After all, it begs the question…what would you do if you knew you had only one year left to live?

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

The Days I Loved You Most tells the love story of Evelyn and Joseph over the years, primarily from their perspectives, but also occasionally from the perspective of one of their children. The book starts with Evelyn receiving a rapidly degrading Parkinson's disease diagnosis that leads her and her husband Joseph to decide that within one year they will end their lives. Evelyn, so that the disease doesn't strip her of being able to live the type of life she wants to live, and Joseph because he can't imagine living a life without her. I've never experienced a love like this, so I can't honestly put myself in their shoes. Most of the book tends to focus on the obstacles and challenges they face with each other and their children throughout their lives. There's the emotional bump when they overcome those obstacles, but it does tend to make the book feel emotionally daunting; there isn't much recovery time to appreciate all that's good in their lives. I did struggle with the pair too. I wouldn't call Evelyn selfish, and I don't blame any person who wants more to their life than being a spouse and parent, but it does sometimes feel like she gets so wrapped up in her own needs, wants and desires that she doesn't see how destructive it is to the people that matter most to her, something that comes back to bite her with her oldest child Jane. Joseph is just the exact opposite-he's so often content with what he has and the ability to live his life with the woman that he loves that he needs a push to have his own identity. The reader will see both sides, the children of Evelyn and Joseph that struggle to understand how Joseph can't see anything in his life worth living for once Evelyn is gone (including them and grandchildren) and how a relationship between two people for so long makes it hard to imagine as half of what's always been a whole. Neff explores all the complications that come in a relationship, and shows that what looks like a fairy tale on the surface is still real life with all the messy emotions and desires of imperfect people. Be prepared to experience an emotional roller coaster with this story. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE DAYS I LOVED YOU MOST is an epitome of what it means to live and in the end why we go through all that we do. It is as beautiful as it is emotional, breath-taking as it is heartbreaking…. A true honor and privilege to have read Joseph and Evelyn’s story and how their life together, love and family came to be. I fell in love with this story.

Evelyn is the life of the party and adventure-seeking, wants to see what’s beyond her hometown, and Joseph is quiet when it comes to small talk, softer and prefers to stay in the town he was raised, the town where he fell in in love with Evelyn as a kid. Completely different, yet the exact same when it came to their love admiration and respect for one another.

I deeply loved and admired the garden metaphor of life of how there is beauty all around us and how our love and family is grown, loved and tended to. I felt so much love in the Myers family that I wanted to be apart of it and felt warm anytime the family was together. I appreciated how significant of a part Evelyn and Joseph’s kids play a part in the story. Jane is independent and adventurous, like her mother, Thomas is mysterious, and Violet is the romantic one, her heart on her sleeve. And watching over time how the family navigates and processes Evelyn’s diagnosis and her decision about it was profound and moving.

I loved the emotional depth and all the layers woven into the story... making it feel like a masterpiece. Seeing how Evelyn and Joseph evolve over the sixty years they’ve known each other and growing more into who they are. Part of me was afraid I wouldn’t like the ending, but it was absolute perfection. So much more I could say, but this book is an experience one must experience for themselves, and I hope you’ll be that person.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.