Oh Alice what a story you have just given me.what i went through reading this story with Alice,for Alice was too much but in the best way possible that a book can do that to us.
this book was just so real and so raw in places. but also so comforting and seeing for others who might get so much from reading themselves in this book or at least in parts. and bravo to Susan who writes this book with such kindness and compassion.all the while making this about Alice and creating in us all her cheerleaders. and maybe for others in our life who are behind doors going through their own "stuff"
when they lose their child you get to see this from such angles. from the loss for a parent and then to their remaining son. i felt so much for this little boy who had lost his brother, and then what he gets sent to a school where he then goes to lose his dad via and affair. i loved how she wrote and championed the sibling story in this too. it was all so aware and insightful.
it didn't hide away from the clear and awful parts in this the book but it also never punched you in the gut with it just for doing so's sake.
because it somehow gave you hope. it somehow in what comes next for Alice uplifts you and make you smile for her. she creates her own path. its not ours, it may not even be one we'd ever choose but you dont care because somehow Alice is in your heart now and you want to watch her come through this with joy. and watching her find this made me smile so much. Thomas coming into this book was a little sparkle and i loved that addition.
all in all i think Susan has done one of the best jobs ive seen in a while of making sure she depicts all the emotions from more than one characters of all ages and what happens to them and why after such a loss.
the time span in the novel was also something that worked so well. i love how it gave us such scope to really follow this family. it felt somehow a privilege to do so. it felt so real and true at times. so close and emotional for us as a reader too. and only good writing and good stories can do that to me.

This was so real and raw. Alice’s has been through so much, from her son dying to her husband basically cheating on her in front of her face (not a spoiler, happens in chapter 2). The audacity of david is actually insane.

I loved how Alice was able to break free and have a little fun. I wish the ending was a little more drawn out, but I understand why it was kinda vague.

I loved Alice and how she was able to navigate through losing a child and a marriage over the span of 10 or so years. She is way stronger than I could ever be, but I loved putting myself in her shoes.

Thank you to the publisher, Porter Street Press and Netgalley for the ARC to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a quick 📚 read thst was engaging and kept me wanting to know how the story ended. I really connected to the heroine, Alice and also yo her son, Tobias and the struggle they went through. This book was written in third person but I still felt that I could step in s ide Alice's head.

Her and her husband David lose a son when he's 4 to a infectious disease. They decide to move their draining son , Tobias out of public school in DC to a private school ( I believe he was about 10 when the story began but there were multiple time jumps). Alice has suspicions that David is having an affair with Tobias's friends mother and when she gets a call from the mistress amd David walks out on her she feels like her world has collapsed.

I wouldn't say David is the hero in this story, cheating bastard, lousy father and husband who put his own needs above his child's yes but hero nope.

The hero is Thomas, who is a 35 year old grad student when he moves next door to 47 year old Alice ( ooh yes those that enjoy reverse age gap plus angsty chick lit strap in..this story is a angsty, drama filled ride). Thomas probably isn't what I call a knight in shiny armor but Thomas is holding his arm out to Alice on the pier as she bobs against the current of her life that previously set her adrift. Thomas is her muse that gets her interested in music and composing again. Hes the ine that puts a smile on her face and to me as a reader...thats enough.

I would have appreciated a epilogue but other then that I have no major issues with the story.

Id recommend that you read this lovely book.

A short story about moving on. I appreciated seeing Alice go through the stages after losing a child and a marriage ending. It is a deep topic but was handled lightly.

Because I so enjoyed this book, I was anxious to get to the author's notes & acknowledgements when I finished. I thought it might lend some background to how she was able to narrarate Alice's range of emotions plus the Family members. It turns out that someone that the author knew went through a smiliar life experience & she translates it all for us to feel.

I also will now read her previous books because this book felt like it flowed from chapter to chapter. with an ease.

Divorce can be as devastating to Children as a death in a Family. Here is where the author excelled at capturing the unspoken emotions and later actions of the living Son.

It is a book to tell your girlfriends about - I already have. It would be a terrific book club selections. If you live long enough in a relationship and/or parent, this book could be easily relatable.

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.

This story pulled me in from the first few pages. I appreciate how Susan structured the book, with its alternating timelines. Usually, that irritates me, but in this case, it worked exceptionally well. Getting a glimpse into this family’s lives was a treat. There is a lot of emotion packed into this novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.