WOW. I absolutely LOVED this book!
By Your Side has everything I love and need in a great book: emotional depth, romance, humour, and mystery.

I was drawn in immediately, I honestly couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting.
Ruth has a way with words. She writes beautifully and with real heart.
I loved reading from the perspectives of Linda, Levi, Diana, and Rachel. I also loved the rest of the colourful characters: Fergus, Brodie, Struan, and Dougie.

Levi and Diana's story was heart-wrenching. Linda's heartache had me in tears. By Your Side had all the feels.
This is the first book I've read from Ruth Jones, but it definitely won't be the last. I'll be on the hunt for all of her previous novels after this.

I very highly recommend.

5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Australia, and Ruth Jones for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Ruth Jones’ TV work (Gavin & Stacey, Stella) I’ve been keen to experience her much-loved fiction writing also. By Your Side is her fourth novel, but better late than never I say, in line with the carpe-diem feel of this later-in-life drama.

Fellow Stella fans will immediately connect with Jones’ leading lady, Linda Standish. She can be bolshy and opinionated, but mostly in an upbeat, glass half-full way, and she’s a bit of stirrer of those she feels need to live a little bit… which I loved.

But, her take-charge persona and self-deprecation are crucial lines of defence for her heart once broken. The mysterious lone-wolf Levi’s back story is emotionally rich and highly compelling also. Even this novel’s second- and third-tier characters are vividly drawn, relatable and endearing.

Jones really does have a special talent for crafting authentic characters who shine bright when they are pushed outside of their comfort zones. In By Your Side she displays her knack for highlighting the humour in these moments too. Multiple giggles burst out of me while reading.

Jones’ employment of alternating character narrative perspectives and switching timelines to explore the multi-faceted themes of love, parenthood, grief, healing and second chances, felt very organic, never forced or formulaic. This story, and the emotions it plumbs, are strong and always leading, rather than the construct.

Ruth Jones’ By Your Side is contemporary fiction that I think strikes the perfect balance between enjoyment and emotional journey. It is a highly accessible and entertaining novel that tackles themes with enough gravitas and nuance to provoke deeper thought and personal reflection. Highly recommended reading. 4.25 Stars