Amanda Prowse has such a talent for writing deep, meaningful books that are sure to pull at your heartstrings. Her new book is no different - it's well written with characters you come to love.

A wealthy housewife becomes a widow after her husband dies in a car crash and finds herself and her two sons penniless after it turns out her husband was on the verge of bankruptcy. Forced to return to her hometown and start again, leaving behind a life of luxury to live in poverty, she embarks on a journey to rebuild her life. Likeable characters make this for an enjoyable read.

This is a fairytale but backwards. Rags to riches and back to rags. The story didn’t feel quite as fresh and innovative as I had hoped. But it has a moral to it which is a nice change. It makes the reader think about what I s important in life and what truly holds value. Seems like we could all take a moment to remember this. I enjoyed the casual writing style in addition to the storyline.

I, unfortunately, was unable to finish this book. I pushed through past the midpoint, but I was not able to connect to the characters in such a way that I dreaded picking up my kindle. I also struggled to connect to the book in general. This could be entirely attributed to where my brain is so please do not go off of my review. If this book appeals to you, please read it! I will be trying again in the future.

this book was really enjoyable.. the relationship between the mother and her sons was believable and I could feel their discomfort and suffering. its another brilliant piece of writing by Amanda I look forward to reading more.

Gripping Story of the folly of Wealth:
One day you've got it all: The perfect husband, the big house, the fancy 4X4, kids at Public School, foreign holidays at every break.
But what happens if you then lose it all. And then go bankrupt with hardly a penny to your name. Can you hope to rebuild your life?
Amanda Prowse explores this conundrum in "The Art of Hiding". A gripping read which makes you question what is the real basis of a happy family life.
As ever, Amanda Prowse serves up a brilliant thought-provoking novel about an ordinary family. Well a sort of ordinary family! The book was a pleasure to read.

This book was sad but hard to read. It didn’t keep my attention at all.

This book did not keep my attention how I hoped it would. In this story, the main character, Nina, is living a lavish lifestyle with her husband, Finn, and their two sons. One day, Finn is "killed" in a car crash, leaving Nina and their two sons behind to fend for themselves. They thought they would be in great financial shape, given that Finn had been so savvy - but they come to find out they are broke, and before you know it, their home and things are being taken from them. They go to live in a poor area where Nina was raised and where Nina's sister is still living and have to re-build their lives. I think the characters in this book really irritated me in their sense of entitlement and brattiness when things went downhill for them.

The moral of the story here is basically not to completely lose yourself in a relationship to the point where you have no control and are left in the worst of circumstances. It also emphasizes that money isn't the key to happiness, and the concept of who will be there for you in the worst of times. Overall, not an awful story, but I just didn't get the warm fuzzies from it that a lot of other people expressed in their reviews.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It is very sad but I didn't feel a lot of connection with the characters.

I had a difficult time reading this book. While it certainly brought strong emotions I didn't care for this like I thought I would. I did not finish this book.

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse (c/o NetGalley) – Nina is happily married and a stay-at-home mom to two boys, living a life of luxury. When her husband Finn dies in a car accident, she discovers that he has been hiding their huge financial problems. Her house is repossessed and she must start a new life with her sons. She moves closer to her sister and begins to find herself, discovering that she’s stronger than she believed. I didn’t hate this book. It just was a very slow read for me. I didn’t realize that Prowse has written so many other books. I am not giving up on her as an author yet and may try some of her other books.

Nina has it all, a loving husband, two wonderful children and a fabulous big house of her dreams. That is until her world is torn apart from the death of her husband Finn who dies in a car accident, leaving her reeling in grief.

What Nina didn’t know was that her husband’s building company was bankrupt and owed millions. Within weeks of Finn’s untimely death Nina is dealing with losing her home and all her possessions with no-one to turn to. But she has to stay strong for her young sons and keep moving forward.

This was a moving tale of loss and keeping your head above water when you have to survive. This was an enjoyable read and really made an impression on me.

When Nina McCarrick’s beloved husband Finn is killed in a tragic road accident, Nina loses everything – her soul mate, the father of her children, her best friend. But there’s more, Finn has kept secret that the once prosperous building company he owned is bankrupt. Overnight Nina, along with her two sons, Connor and Declan, loose their palatial home, their luxury car, the boys places at the local prestigious private school.

Their lives quickly spiral, dragging Nina back to her humble roots, forcing her to confront the way that during times when money was plentiful she’d chosen to ignore her sister, Tiggy, and everything reminding her of her deprived past.

Prowse is particularly skilled at drawing believable characters meaning that every step of the way I found myself willing Nina on – to find a job, to make her new home cosier, to make her peace with Tiggy. But for me the two characters who truly made this book a five star read were Nina’s sons, teenage Connor and ten-year old Declan. They were so realistically and sensitively portrayed as youngster’s not only grieving for their father, but also having to cope with major change being thrust upon them, during a time when life should’ve been carefree and fun. With no wish to create a spoiler, it was angry, brooding, caring Connor who in the end reduced me to tears.

The main message of The Art of Hiding is that it’s spending time with people, rather than material possessions, that brings true happiness – being there for family, supporting each other through life’s ups and downs. A perfect read for Christmastime – or any time of year.

This was my first book by Ms. Prowse and what an emotional journey she took me on. The book starts off with quite a sad event that changes our heroine's life irrevocably.

Thanks to her husband, Nina has to learn the hard way that the life she and her boys have been living is not what they thought it was and when they move back to Nina's family home their new reality begins.

I loved this book so much. The writing is beautiful while the characters are well developed and the story moves at the right pace for what the characters are experiencing. Nina has to really step out of her comfort zone to now be the bread winner for her family and we see her grow and change into a strong woman that can do anything she sets her mind to.

The author allowed me to feel a variety of emotions and that's one of the things I love best when discovering a new to me author...someone that has the ability to escape my everyday life with the beauty of their words. This is a book that everyone should read and take this journey of growth and love with Nina McCarrick.

Well Amanda has gone and done it again (no surprise there though). Fabulous book full of her usual treats.

Nina has the perfect life until her husband Finn and he dies in a car accident, from there her life of luxury disappears, questions are asked and her life begins to unravel making her question who was she even married to and did she even know him at all?! It’s about loss and grieving and family and secrets and lies (what more do you want?).

Fantastic book I couldn’t put it down, read it in one sitting and refused to budge to do any other task but get a cup of tea! A must read!!!

This is yet another page turning book by Amanda Prowse. Talk about pulling at the heart strings! Each book that I read by this author leaves me eager to read the next.

A beautifully written story of loss and family relationships. I loved the characters but couldn't tell you who my favourite was, as all had their own problems to overcome. I am not going to write what the story is about as I do not wish to spoil for others, but I do highly recommend.

My thanks to Amanda Prowse, Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest review.

Nina McCarrick is living her dream life. She is married to a loving and hard working husband, she has 2 adoring sons, and they live in a beautiful big house where all their needs are taken care of. When her husband is killed in a car accident she discovers he had been living a lie and they are essentially bankrupt. She and her sons are forced to move out of their home and say goodbye to their luxurious lifestyle. Nina goes back to her humble beginnings and realizes that what she had previously taken for granted may not have been so important after all.

This was my first book by Amanda Prowse and I very much enjoyed it. All her characters were relatable and, for the most part, likeable. Given how much emphasis is placed on "keeping up with the Joneses" and the constant need to have the next new iPhone it was refreshing to read what could happen when those things are suddenly out of reach. I loved Nina's character and how she spoke to her boys. She dealt with an impossible situation with grace and an optimistic outlook and I loved her for it. I'm looking forward to reading more from Amanda Prowse.

I believe the biggest take away from this book is that things are just things. Family and love should always be what matters most!

Nina has a perfect life with a beautiful family and house. Her husband Finn swept her off her feet when she was 18 and has never had to work a day in her life. Her boys Connor and Declan attend a prestigious school. They have a house with a pool, fresh weekly flowers and dream holidays.
Finn dies and Nina's world is thrown over. It is so much more than loosing her husband as she is loosing the only life she now knows. She worries how her and her boys will cope. She find support in her older sister Tiggy, who she has grew apart from since starting her life with Finn. She helps her to start a new life where her old one was tarred with hard memories as a young girl.

*I won this book off of Netgalley for my honest opinion*

This book is about a woman who identified herself as only a mother and wife. She finds herself a widow with a mountain of debt she did not know existed. This is a story about a woman who came from poverty, married into money, and then ironically, circles back to how she was raised. Only this time, she has to figure out how to navigate a world she hasn't lived in years with two young sons who just lost their dad. It is an inspiring story to read about how to overcome seemingly tremendous circumstances.