Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we’re setting out sites on a title on tour with Rachel’s Random Resources that seems to be in a particular vein I’m reading at the moment. What I mean is, I’ve run across several titles in a row that explore life, well, not to impinge on the title of today’s book, but “after the one”. Is it a new trend is lit? Is it simply a trend in my own reading? Good question...and one I actually pose to all of you. Have you too noticed this as of late? Anywho, getting back to today’s tour, let’s shine the book spotlight on my latest venture through the epages...
After the One
by
Cass Lester
About the book...
April 16th is always one of Charley’s worst days of the year.
It’s her husband’s birthday, a painful reminder of his death four years ago.
So naturally, her car breaks down.
She nearly gets run over trying to catch the bus.
And then she’s made redundant.
Her friends see the redundancy as a chance for her to start again and live the life she always wanted, but since being widowed Charley has clung to familiarity and avoided change like the plague. Then, out of the blue, her mother-in-law Pam pitches up in need of a place to stay after walking out on her 40-year marriage.
Together, Charley and Pam find themselves at a crossroad. It’s not easy to move on after The One, but they can’t stand still forever.
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You know that common thread I mentioned? I was seriously getting some deja vu when I first started this one because another book started out very similar, minus the passing of the loved one. After getting over that initial double take, I was back on board with Charley’s friends and family trying to coax her back to life.
It’s hard enough when change happens in your personal life, but when work also turns you for a loop, that lack of routine is enough to get anyone down. Lucky for Charley, she’s not alone...in respect to her aloneness as well as a support system. You see, her mother-in-law is experiencing her own marital changes (the cheating louse!) and is in some serious need of time to regroup. Charley’s fund dilemma provides the perfect excuse for away time as well as a chance to help her help herself to the life that she still had left to live. Between her and Charley’s circle of friends, they help shake the cobwebs off our gal, while navigating their own obstacles, and rediscover all that life and love have to offer.
I felt for Charley, I really did, because she was surely having a time of it. Change sucks at the best of times, let alone at the worst. I honestly think she was quite the trooper for how she handled all the hands invading her life, and couldn’t feel prouder for when she was able to stand up and say what she really wanted, and though it may not look like to perfect life to anyone else, it was her choice. Second to her finding her voice, but only just, was when she discovered her heart once again. That’s not to say that it wasn’t there, and still beating, but it wasn’t open to opportunities, and once the door was prized from the frame, the flood of feelings, the liberation from herself and all that held her back was immeasurable. Pam was actually an intrinsic part of that forward motion as well. Through helping her find her way, she was able to get an inside look at grief and separation from the inside out...enabling her to find her footing, as well as help this daughter of her heart.
All in all, a read with so many characters and story lines, it’s like trying to prize out the Brady Bunch siblings from each other, but the bonds they share, the tasks they undertake, and the Prosecco nights they imbibe on, create memorable moments and stories to share from the lessons they learned, and the love they helped grow. It reminds us that loss is a part of life, but it’s the not the end of it...and those that are no longer with us will always be in our hearts.
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About the author...
Cass Lester spent many years at CBBC having a fabulous time making award-winning programmes including Jackanory, Big Kids, Kerching! and the Story of Tracy Beaker. She has published a number of children’s books and is now having a fabulous time writing adult fiction.
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Special thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as the ebook for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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