My Husband's Wife: the Sunday Times bestseller

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The addictive My Husband’s Wife is populated with messed-up yet sympathetic misfits who remind us that the past can maintain a stranglehold on the future. The beginnings of fear and doubt begin to creep in and soon the rug is pulled from under her, all that she has known her security, her safety net is gone as Phil announces he is leaving and won't be back. The first opens with the events surrounding Lily and Ed’s first meeting with Carla, and closes with the dramatic outcome of Thomas’ re-trial.

This book is not groundbreaking but it does exactly what it says on the tin, and sometimes thats enough for me. The plot whizzes by incredible fast, packing so much trauma into the pages, but with the characters being one dimensional, I didn't have empathy for any of them. Many thanks to Simeon Prowse and Head of Zeus for my copy of My Husband's Wife to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog. There were moments of rage on my part, moments of tears and frustration and pure, pure despair, because Prowse manages to capture so strikingly the emotional rollercoaster that Rosie was forced upon.And correct me if I'm wrong but Rosie is related to Jo, Martin's wife after Poppy from Will you Remember Me? When the love of her life, husband and father of her two adored daughters, Phil, leaves her for a rich and highly successful women (who, of course, we hate), Rosie thinks she should question her outlook on life. When people all around her let her down, and hurt her and frankly treated her like shit, I went from deep indignation to feeling incandescent with rage I was SO angry. S. debut have much in the way of nuance; only a general sheen of unpleasantness that settles over every interaction, be it personal or professional.

Many of her ideas strike during morning dog-jogs along the beach followed by a dip in the sea - no matter how cold it is! I've gone from laughter, to anger, to disbelief at some of the decisions made, to almost being in tears due to my depth of feelings for the family at the centre of the book, back to laughter. But Rosie's world and all her quiet contentment is about to come crashing down on her when her husband reveals he is leaving her for another woman. Really, I mean honestly, I experienced such a gamut of emotions I was quite exhausted by the time I’d finished the book!Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national and independent Radio stations including LBC, Times Radio and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour.

The blurb does suggest that Phil takes the children and I kept waiting for this to occur (not that I was looking forward to it or would relish a mother losing her children) as I thought this would happen instantly. I enjoyed reading about the interaction between characters, particularly between Rosie and her brother-in-law, her mother-in-law and her father-in-law. I must admit that I did find it hard to warm to the main characters, as they didn't appear to have many if any redeeming features but I guess that is representative of real life, where you can't expect to like anybody and everybody.I was quickly immersed in the world of Rosie and her family because of Ms Prowse’s seamless narrative style. I suppose Rosie's own childhood and how she feels about the past slightly affected how she dealt with the present. And that was my real issue with the book, the title was misleading as I was expecting her to eventually pick herself up, dust herself down and carry on but she didn't and more importantly didn't want to.

With the added sparkle of a few surprise visitors along the way, this was such a devastatingly beautiful story that turned my emotions inside out. That’s when this novel’s seemingly unending trove of delicious disasters and deceits meld to reveal what all these characters are hiding . She has a husband who she is certain loves her, two young children, Naomi and Leona, who make life interesting at times with their antics and a job which may not suit everyone but it suits her. Although I didn't enjoy reading about the imaginary exchanges between Rosie and her mother (too cringe-worthy for me, unfortunately), I enjoyed the whole backstory to Rosie's childhood, and about her parents.Living by the seaside in Woolacombe we are invited along to sit with her on her favourite bench overlooking the sea where she goes when she needs a little “me time” time to think, and I swear I sat beside her on that bench and felt the sea breeze caress my face as I joined Rosie inhaling the faint aroma of apples which to her signify that the Mother she never knew is close by. Amanda Prowse has written yet another beautiful, moving and heartfelt novel with My Husband's Wife, making me once again think, laugh and shed a tear. She goes to sit on her favourite bench on the north Devon cliffs, and thanks her lucky stars for her wonderful husband, her mischievous young daughters, and her neat little house by the sea.