Waiting to Begin

Another fantastic read by Amanda, I loved the young Bess and the older Bess s, the whole story was just wonderful, bit gutted now I've finished it

An absolute masterpiece of storytelling from the incomparable Amanda Prowse. Yet again she has tapped into a rich seam of human life, love, friendship and family and crafted it into the most moving and life affirming book. I wept for Bess, the central character and I think every woman, of any age, will relate to her in some way. The dual time frames of the story, set when Bess was a naive, trusting sixteen year old and her middle aged self today, were so skilfully handled . It made me realise we all have the younger versions of ourselves living within us, still carrying the scars, pains, insecurities and loves of our teenage years. I don't want to spoil the story by giving away any spoilers but I can,say the family dynamics and characters are a masterclass in creative writing. With a few strokes of her pen, Amanda has created a fully fleshed , loving and lovable family unit. The adorable parents with their unconditional love and support, coupled with their little foibles and rituals ,leap from the page. We all know someone like them (in fact I see a little bit of myself, rushing down on the morning's of my children's birthdays so I could play the Happy Birthday record on repeat , to greet them -not as original as the adorable Ed' s harmonica rendition but my ritual).   Bess and Mario have reached a crisis point in their marriage and again, so many couples will empathise and take stock of their own relationships once their children have left home . We all hold secrets and some can be more damaging than we realise. I am in awe of Amanda's unerring ability to give voice to so many diverse facets of human lives and interactions. I was left really needing a sequel- the ending certainly gives huge scope for one and I think other readers will share my reluctance to say goodbye to these brilliant characters. Please Miss, May I have some more ?

Another great book by Amanda. I don’t know how she keeps churning them all out and all as fantastic as the previous book. A moving emotional story in places that had me hooked from the first page. It makes you realise how the choices you make when you are younger can affect your whole life to some degree. The main character Bess was very likeable and I really felt for her. I.m just sad the book had to end. Can’t wait for the next book. I 1000% recommend this book and author.

Thank you Netgallery for this book to review.  I have only recently discovered Amandas books and have been rapidly working my way through them so was very eager to start this one and i wasnt disappointed.
Very moving from the beginning it gives a great insight into a young girls confidence levels and how easy they can be destroyed and the knock on effect this can have in later life.
Great book, well written and a really captive story with small snippets of humour here

This book is so new that there wasn't even a synopsis, but with Mandy's books I don't need one. I know that whatever the book is about, I will love it, and this was no exception. Her books are based on events that could happen to any of us. Bess made mistakes, as many of us have done, at the age of 16 , and these mistakes shaped her life until she was 53.  Luckily, she opened up about her past and eventually became happy. There is so much scope for a sequel here and I hope there will be. Another must read.

"You should take the time to think about your life. You need to live a life you like."

This is absolutely one of my favorite Amanda Prowse books ever!!

There are two timelines to follow in this novel. 
One takes place in 1984 and the other in 2021. They are told by the main Character named Bessie..
Bessie, at the tender age of sixteen year old, was loving her life, best friend, boyfriend and her family until she made some unwise life choices.. 
 The secrets she has kept as a teenager, ultimately follow and threaten to destroy Bessie and her  closest relationships well in to her fifties. 
 Will Bessie ever be able to like her life and herself? Can the secrets be told and forgiven?

The heartache, heartbreak , fear, anger, sadness, and resilience will create tears, laughter, and hope for the reader! I highly recommend this novel!

This was a powerful and emotional read.  The story centres around Bess and two memorable birthdays, one her sixteenth in 1984 and her 53rd in 2021.  This is so much a story of love and loss against a family background with  a sprinkling of secrets, how certain small decisions and subsequent events, can be long lasting and affect so many people.  Totally believable set of characters and the scenarios they find themselves in with sadness touching on mental health plus a good dollop of humour.   A resounding 5 stars which left me wanting to know what happens next.

Amanda Prowse does it again! It’s is 1:46am and I am writing this review in bed, in the dark with my eyes red rimmed and sore from crying. 
A story told in present day and flashback to the mid eighties,it is seamlessly and deftly handled with each time period having its own distinct feeling and subtle differences in language. Bessie our heroine is...HURRAH... a slightly over weight middle aged wife and Mum. I’ve read so much wonderful fiction over the years but for the last ten it has seemed that the female protagonists have remained 28 years old and I somehow have not. Having three adult children and a long marriage under my own belt, so much of what Bessie felt and she and Mario had become was utterly relatable. 
To begin with I was worried that Bessie really was a rather negative and whining person, clever of Prowse as she was showing me exactly what Bessie had been showing to Mario for so many years. I guessed her secret very early on but what made everything completely clear was the party at the rugby club and the hideous things Tony said to her. From then on I could see how Bessie the grown up had been formed. 
As is usual with Prowse’s novels I stayed up far later than I ever intended to and read with feverish speed towards the end desperate to know what Bessie’s final ‘fate’ would be. Also as usual, the tears of sorrow and heartbreak had barely stopped when the tears of happiness began flooding out.

Thanks to Amanda and #Netgalley I received an ARC of this book. I devoured it in 3 days. I had not read a synopsis so I didn't know the story beforehand but with Amanda's book I don't need one. I found it hard to put down. It is mainly about Bessie it goes between 2 timelines around her 16th and 53rd birthday. The book flows between the 2 seamlessly. It is a book about mistakes made, courage and hope. I love Amanda's writing style. I was in flood of tear and sobbing for the last few chapters.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3692848369
Also posted on Facebook

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.   I have liked everything this author has written and this was no exception.   Great storyline, great characters.   A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Oh my heart...I loved this book!!  This sweet well written book brings out all the emotions. It made me cry, laugh and smile throughout. Highly recommend this wonderful book by Amanda Prowse!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC for Waiting to Begin by Amanda Prowse.  I found her writing style to be enjoyable, but the story and the characters were very depressing. The main character had an event when she was 16 that impacted the rest of her life and everyone that was involved with her was impacted. So, the two stories being told were from when she was 16 and when she turned 53. The only reason I kept reading was to get to the uplifting, happy part which didn’t happen soon enough for me. 
I do want to reiterate that the author’s writing was very good. At this snapshot in time, I prefer happier stories.

I’ve been a great fan of Amanda Prowse for many years. Her books are believable, relatable and deal with real life situations that many of us have faced. There wasn’t even a synopsis for this book, but I was sure I’d enjoy it and I’m glad to say that it didn’t disappoint.
The story swings back and forth between 2 of Bessie’s birthdays - her 16th in 1984 and her 53rd in 2021. We learn how the events of the former, shaped her into the woman she became and how events leading up to her 16th birthday changed her life forever.
Amanda breathes life into all the characters, keeping them real and relatable and making you laugh and cry as you follow them from the first page to the last.
Being 53 myself, it was very nostalgic reliving 1984 and brought back many memories.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked on this book from page one. The book flits between 1984 and 2021; Bessie's birthday. 
As a young sixteen year old Bessie had a secret she shared with Lawrence. Her best friend Michelle likes the boys too. Her world falls apart when she fails her exams and she finds out that the secret is out.
Years later she's married to Mario with two grown up children but her mind constantly goes back to when she was 16 and hearing those visious names that were spat at her.
Can she make peace with herself before it ruins everything she has?
Everyone must of had spiteful words said to them that they've never forgotten, with Bessie the SECRETS, are slowly killing her marriage; can she discover herself before it's too late?

Heartwarming and breathtaking and utterly capitvating. This book has it all. Love, loss, determination, doubt, happiness, anger and ultimate acceptance that life really is what you make of it. I loved every single character despite some being less than desireable. The depth and emotion that comes from them is just superb. This is definitely Amanda writing at her best! 
I am sure that most people can relate to some of the situations that are faced within the covers. I know I certainly could and I'm no where near 50! There were times I wanted to reach into the book, between the lines and really shake, slap or scream out to the characters. Which I suppose comes form having an outside perspective on life and yet I was so much a part of Bess's journey and the emotional rollercoaster as she tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs in life. I felt honoured to be able to walk the journey with her, to relive those experiences and really felt both Bess and Mario's perspectives. Another spellbinding and stunning read!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Waiting To Begin, just as much as previous Amanda Prowse novels I have read. It was thoughtful and emotional with endearing characters and a well written plot. As is often the case, I guessed what would be revealed but not why, and I wasn't disappointed  This made it even more appealing to me. I read into the night to finish it as quickly as possible.

What a brilliant read which is set in two different periods in time and centers around Bessie as a sixteen-year-old with hopes and dreams and Bessie in her 50's wondering where the time has gone and what happened to her dreams. The young Bessie makes a terrible mistake when her judgment is clouded by her attraction to the boy they all want to know and be with. Why did he choose Bessie she is ordinary and there are prettier girls around. She soon comes to realise why he chose her but why did he lie to her and make her look so bad in the eyes of her peers. The older Bessie is stuck in a bit of a rut and although she has a husband and two grown-up children she still thinks there's something missing in her drab life. Amanda Prowse is a master storyteller and her books drag you in and keep you hooked to the very last page. I absolutely loved this book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I do love Amanda Prowse books and can never put them down.  This was no different.  I loved it and was captivated from the beginning reading it in record time.  Love and friendship together made this book a must read.  Moving from the present day to the mid 80s was beautifully executed each era with its own idiosyncracies.  I felt so sorry for Bessie and happy for her in equal measure, This is my favourite Amanda Prowse book.  It kept me gripped to the very last sentence and how I smiled to myself when I read it.  Brilliant.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amanda Prowse. waiting to begin 


Oh my word Amanda Prowse you have created yet another amazing masterpiece in your latest book waiting to begin. I have had to wait a day or two before writing my review as it has left me with a book hangover and has filled a place in my thoughts. I can’t stop thinking about it even now . I couldn’t put it down once I had started reading it and devoured it in a day. I was so excited to find I had been approved by #NetGalley as I love all your books. 

Waiting to begin is a beautiful yet heart wrenching in places story of the human condition and emotions and unconditional love and is split into two parts the then and the now and contrasts Bessies experiences over her birthday when she was 16 and a few decades later on the day of her 53rd birthday. It made me laugh and cry at various intervals and also brought back lots of nostalgia and memories of the 1980s as I was reading. Amanda has a brilliant way of capturing the experiences faced in life and turning them into highly relatable and sensitive stories that many readers can relate to.

Found this book a real slow burner, have always loved Amanda prowse but feel on some of her last few books that she's losing her edge, maybe due to so many books being released.  I did enjoy it but just didn't live it.

This is such a great read filled with heartbreak and betrayal and loss in a few different ways. Bess learns at sixteen not to trust people and loses the one person she has known from an early age and there are parts of Bess in all of us, again Amanda has written the type of book that is impossible to leave down.

Thanks verbally for allowing me to read This book  Bess had an incident in her life that happened when she was sixteen that shaped her life. I enjoyed the different characters in this book.

Oh my goodness, what an emotional and compelling story! From the first few pages I was utterly hooked. Amanda always manages to touch my heart with her characters and their situations, and this book was no different. I found myself willing on Bessie, to find her happiness again and to live the life she so craved .
It’s was beautifully written and I loved reading every page 💗

I found the first half of this book frankly tedious. It was worth persevering, though, as the second half was better. Still a little predictable, but a good tale all the same. A lesson in why not to let the past affect the present too much. Most of the action cleverly takes place on 2 specific days, neither of which pans out as hoped or expected.

Another stonking  5 star read . Live, loss, family friendships, heartbreak and family secrets , all brought together in a fantastic book . Praise again for Amanda Prowse

Another amazing book from Amanda Prowse. Such a rollercoaster of emotions. This story centers around Bess. With flashbacks to the younger Bess in the 80's and back to her current life as a middle aged woman. I see a bit of myself in Bess, maybe all women do. One decision can change so much. I think that's why I love these books so much because they always seem to relate to me. You will need your tissues.

Every woman who has wondered if she was good enough will be moved by Bess's story. This story touched my heart and I could relate to Bess in so many ways. On the day of her 16th birthday Bess's life changed forever. On her 53rd birthday, she is reflecting on the path her life took and the weight of secrets she's kept for over thirty years. From the youthful hopes at age 16 to her weary examination of life's disappointing moments,  Amanda Prowse writes with tender insight about the relationships a woman has with her mother, children, friends and spouse. This one is a must read, but be sure to have a box of tissues nearby.

A fabulous novel again by Amanda Prowse. Bessie has been happily married for over 25 years and with two lovely children her life should have been perfect, but she has carried a secret for over thirty years and when  she suddenly starts having problems in her relationship she realises she must finally reveal her past before it destroys her life forever, Beautifully and sensitively written with characters you can warm to instantly and a beautiful emotional story , and I shed tears of joy at the ending. Read in in a day it was so good definitely a 5 ⭐read

WAITING TO BEGIN
BY AMANDA PROWSE

I usually love all of Amanda Prowse's novels but this one was disappointing for me. There are two timelines here concerning Bessie the main character and her family which are 1984 and the present. There isn't much happening. Bessie and her best friend in 1984 both like the same boy but Bessie is keeping a secret from her best friend. In both timelines it is Bessie's birthday to which she isn't very enthused at her Birthday gifts.

In the 1984 time line Bessie is disappointed because she discovers that out of 362 people in her class she comes in at 361 (2nd lowest in her class). Her dreams are dashed at becoming an airline hostess and on her way to a dance she learns that her boyfriend has announced that they have had sex to another boy when they had made a pact to each other to tell nobody. This complicates the fact that she had rehearsed a speech to break it to her best friend that her relationship with the boy they both like is not going to turn out as Bessie had hoped.

In the present day it is also Bessie's birthday but she is married to someone else where the doldrums of marriage has set in. She is now in her fifties and has a son and a daughter. She is feeling underwhelmed by her husband's remembering her birthday by his lack of a card. She calls him at work and he surprises her by coming home and he discloses a long ago disappointment that happened that he feels that he didn't get his needs met.

Usually I love Amanda Prowse novels but this one I felt I am in the minority compared to other reviewer's here on Good Read's. This one seemed superficial and less compelling in both the plot and characterization's. This surprises me that I don't feel like this one is very relatable to me.

Publication Date: June 8, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Prowse and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with my Arc in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#WaitingtoBegin #AmandaProwse #LakeUnionPublishing #NetGalley

Another exquisite tale from Amanda Drowse, one of my favourite authors. I really felt for Bess throughout. Difficult to put down- read in one sitting! Would highly recommend.

WOW!! I was only going to read one chapter before bed and ended up reading the whole book.

The story alternates between 1984 and 2021.

In 1984 we meet sixteen year old Bessie ‘A big girl with big dreams” she has her future all planned out and wants to become an air hostess. She is best friends with Michelle and they are inseparable. Bessie has an exciting secret that she hasn’t told Michelle about Laurence, but sadly Michelle also likes him!!

Bessie goes to get her exam results and she is in for a disappointment that will ruin the rest of her birthday. The day gets worse as later at the rugby club she is told some home truths and realises her secret was not so secret!!

We meet Bessie again in the present time, she is married to Mario and they have two grown up children. It’s Bessie’s birthday but she is not happy with her life and has been thinking about when she was young and had ambition and hope.

I loved this book!! You get to see how the past has shaped how Bessie is now. She has been Keeping a secret from her family that has always haunted her, but she needs to face those demons before she can enjoy living life again.

A beautifully written book that had me enthralled. 

A MUST read!! I would have have given it much more than 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Oh my goodness, Amanda certainly knows how to pull you in!   Waiting to Begin is a story told in two timelines - 1984 and 2021 - of a young woman's life and her life now.  I really felt as though a was Bess' sister, travelling on the journey with her.  Fingers crossed there's a sequel........

Another storming brilliant book from Amanda.  She has this gift of storytelling that you are hooked from the first page that keeps you awake at night because you want to know more.  The characters do not leave you.  This story was no different.  Very very moving that will have you in tears as well as joy.  This is the story of Bess who made choices when she was young, through no fault of her own, the characters that she surrounded her life with and the effect of those choices that she has carried through her life.  Thoroughly recommend. It's a great book

I write this as tears are streaming down my face. Wow.. is all I can say. This book has all the emotions putting you on a roller coaster ride. The highs and lows. 
Such a fantastic read.. more than 5 stars.. 
This is going to stay on my mind for awhile. Book hangover in all the best ways

Thanks to the Author,  the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Another fabulous read from Ms Prowse! I loved being transported back to 1984 and found it brought back so much nostalgia for me. Jeannie and Eddie were so like my best friends parents at this time. A beautiful story throughout.

Waiting to Begin
Amanda Prowse
Publication date 6-8-21
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a beautifully written story about secrets, forgiveness and letting go. This story is told through Bessie’s point of view from 1984 and present day.  Bessie is struggling as a teen in 1984, because of her choices her dream of attending university is shattered. Fast forward to present day Bessie is unhappy- she is married and has two adult children she seems to be stuck in the past and always waiting for something.  When she delves into her past mistakes she realizes that instead of waiting for a good life she needs to embrace and let her secrets free and then maybe she will be happy. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Amanda Prowse’s books as they always stay with me. 

Sending a sincere thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Waiting to Begin for my honest review! Can’t wait to see what comes next!! 

Review posted on my Instagram blog
www.instagram.com/donnasnotsosecretbookdiary

Goodreads 
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12409011-donna-beiderman

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Wow! I absolutely devoured this book. I couldn't put it down. I think many of us of a certain age will be able to emphasise with Bessie as a teen and the adult Bessie still reeling from bad life choices. I cried a lot!

I found this book a bit slow to begin , but it was definitely worth sticking with it. The story of Bess, her young life and her older self and all the blame and shame and secrets that were destroying her life and people around her.  It made me stop and think about all the pain, hurt and misunderstanding   that can radiate from a situation like this, when self doubt stops someone from reaching out and asking for help.  I really enjoyed the book and raced through it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.  This book is written on Bessie's 16th birthday and flashes forward to her 53rd birthday.  The decisions she made as a 16 year old has affected her, her whole life and it has taken this long to realize it.  This story is so sweet, I cried through the last 3 chapters. #waitingtobegin #amandaprose #June2021

Amanda Prowse is definitely one of my topping five favourite authors!
I don't know how she manages to write in such a way that really gets the emotions going but she does.
Bessie is celebrating her 53rd birthday and in doing so takes us back to the 80s and remembers her 16th and how her life has shaped.
One heck of a book
Thank you netgalley.

This is my first book by Amanda Prowse. And i loved it. Amanda has put words to the various thoughts a character thinks. And these thoughts each reader might have had at some point in their life too. We seem to live the character. Though one may think, Bessie was so stupid to be so careless, you ultimately empathise with her and wish her good. She definitely did turn out much stronger, an after effect for her stupidity. 

This book compelled me to think on my life too. Very few authors have compelled me to do this. 

A good one from Amanda. I am now eager to read her other books too.

When I read a book by Amanda Prowse it feels like slipping on a cosy comfortable jumper and this book was no exception.

I could relate so much to Bessie the main character, I am a similar age and the details in the storyline had me taking a walk down memory lane. I remember taping the top twenty, applying sun in to my hair and loving Chelsea girl. Bessies story jumps from teenage years to modern day and explores the choices she made and how they have impacted on her life. 

We all had dreams when we were young and without the experience of life, many of our dreams were shattered. This story explores secrets, forgiveness and letting go. Learning to love yourself and accepting past mistakes is something we can all benefit from. Secrets can weigh us down and sharing them can have such a positive effect on not only ourselves but those around us. 

I raced through this book, my heart breaking at times for Bessie. Truly a beautiful emotional book with Amanda’s unique ability to weave a story that touches the reader. If I could give this book more than five stars I would. 

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this brilliant book.

Another strong and beautiful tale from this wonderful author that no matter the subject, situation, setting, manages to steal your attention (and in many cases, your heart!) from the first few words on the page. 

This one was absolutely relatable to anyone in a long-term marriage, I’m sure at times we all feel life is passing quickly and have we achieved all we wanted... Bess has a reason to feel this way and her story is beautifully told by her 16-year-old and now her 53-year-old selves. 
Bess allowed a traumatic event around her 16th birthday to shape the rest of her life, her new relationships and even those relationships with her children. She is left feeling a bit worthless upon turning 53, and not really seeing what is in front of her which is damaging the one great thing she has, her family. 

Delving back into events surrounding her 16th birthday, losing a friend, failing her exams and being heartbroken over a boy, we are gathering a picture of what has made Bess feel like she has not lived or achieved what she wanted to in her life. But it doesn’t take long for Bess to realise, through a stupid mistake, that everything she has is all she needs. There are some tense moments in the book where you want to shake her and say wake up! But without spoiling anything, Bess’s story left me smiling and thinking about the characters long after I finished the book. 

Her parents are adorable, so relatable, with elements I’m sure we can all see in our or someone we knows parents. Mario, Bess’s husband, a wonderful father and hardworking man, yet Bess needs to work herself out of her blindness and see what she has, or she may lose it...

The ending to the book was truly wonderful, and I believe we could hear more from the other side of Bess’s story which would be an amazing sequel! 

I feel there’s so much more I could say about this book and the characters that shape the story, but I wouldn’t do justice to the ease at which it is written and the way you read the story which absolutely compels you to think on the things that we take for granted in our own lives. 

Once again, thank you to Netgalley and Amanda Prowse for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC.

There’s always something very homely, and grounding about Amanda’s books that I completely loose myself in them once I start. 

This book flits between 1984 and 2021 and gives you the full backstory as to what has gone on in Bess’s younger years, and totally explains why she is like she is today. 

Bess is such a great character that I just wanted to take her under my wing and love her for the upset that “the secret” was causing her throughout her life. 

Yet again Amanda has written a book that is so easy to imagine and to relate to, with such lovely characters that you know they will stay with you for quite some time.

Another great read by Amanda Prowse. In this book we meet Bessie and her family  the chapters alternate between 1984 and 2021. In August 1984 Bessie  is celebrating her 16th birthday, getting her o level results and looking forward to her school dance and meeting up with her boyfriend Lawrence.who no-one knows she's been having sex with On this day her best friend tells her that she wants to be with Lawrence. Thus is the first devastation for Bessie on what should be a happy day. 
In August 2021 Bessie turns 53, married with two grown up children, she feels life is missing something going back to her childhood.
A heart warming tale with lovely characters. I loved it
Received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

A very moving book, brings tears to your eyes.

The story goes between 1984 and 2021 with two best friends Bessie and Michelle, On Bessie`s 16th birthday she gets her exam results which are horrendous and the day gets worse with her splitting up with her best friend Michelle.

Bessie turns 53 with two grown children and the past catches up with her, she is unhappy with life as it didn`t turn out how she expected.

I just couldn`t put this down and finished it in one sitting, as an older reader I sympathise with Bessie and wonder where the time went and why didn`t it go as planned, I`m sure lot`s of readers can relate to this.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the Arc copy in exchange for my honest review

Waiting to Begin is another brilliant novel by Amanda Prowse...I'm not sure how she does it! In this novel we follow  Bess on two important birthdays, her 16th and her 53rd and how the decisions, changes and actions taken on the 16th have affected her life on her 53rd.  At each birthday she has come to a crossroads and discovers how cruel life can be. How she deals with things at 16 has a definite impact on her at 53 and has affected her entire life.

Out of heartbreak come hope however, and this often seems to be a theme of Amanda's novels, along with the novel that she has written with her son. A powerful message, especially in today's world! Thank you to the author, Amazon UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Another excellent novel by Amanda Prowse which I couldn't put down, and would thoroughly recommend to anyone who loves a good book.   Features Bess from the age of sixteen through her life ups and downs.

I used to really enjoy books from this author but sadly I have not done so with this one or last few she has written.

I am sure I will be in the minority with this but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Another great read by Amanda Prowse. In this book we meet Bessie and her family the chapters alternate between 1984 and 2021. In August 1984 Bessie is celebrating her 16th birthday, getting her o level results and looking forward to her school dance and meeting up with her boyfriend Lawrence.who no-one knows she's been having sex with On this day her best friend tells her that she wants to be with Lawrence. Thus is the first devastation for Bessie on what should be a happy day.
In August 2021 Bessie turns 53, married with two grown up children, she feels life is missing something going back to her childhood.
A heart warming tale with lovely characters. I loved it