Thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union publishing and Amanda Prowse for this ARC. A family torn apart from the privileged life they knew, to a life of struggle, because of a tragedy. The body of this book was good but I would have liked more of a mystery and some twists and turns.

What do you do when everything you have ever counted on falls apart? Nina is living the life she always wanted with her husband and her two boys. When her husband is killed in a car wreck, Nina feels like her world has ended, but she must find a way to go on for the boys’ sake. When her husband’s will is read, she discovers that things were not as they seemed.

Nina had never worked outside the home. She had grown up poor, but after meeting and marrying Finn she wanted for nothing. When Finn dies, everything starts to fall apart one piece at a time.

This is a story of a very strong woman in a very bad situation. Nina has to keep it together for the sake of her boys. She vows to do whatever she has to do to provide for them.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a protagonist who refuses to give up.

A story that will touch your heart. Tragedy, overcoming immense difficulties, and learning to survive will leave the reader inspired. Truly one of the best books I have read.

I love Amanda Prowse and her latest book does not disappoint.
Its a story of survival, family, love and not taking your life for granted.
Nina is a mother who has everything: handsome Husband, 2 children, a lovely home and more money than she knows what to do with. Then tragedy strikes and she loses everything. She takes her sons and moves to a run down flat and starts over again.
I found the story believable, engaging and well written. Loved the ending and how they all grew as a family and even Nina herself blossomed without hiding behind money and her Husband.
Definitely recommended!

In many ways I think Amanda Prowse is a bit like a modern day Catherine Cookson. In this book she has done a good job writing a modern day 'riches to rags' story with a recently widowed mother (with two children (who are used to private education and the finer things in life) who suddenly finds herself in dire straits and not knowing which way to turn as her heroine. Using strength of character and the moral values that had been instilled from an early age she turns hers and her sons' lives around. It's an easy and entertaining book to read.

Nina McCarrick was living a fairy tale life, with two smart and attractive sons, a huge home with all the trappings of success, and a handsome hardworking husband who owned a successful construction company. Connor and Declan attended an exclusive private school, while Nina focused on maintaining the perfect home for her family. Though Nina often felt insecure around the other rugby moms, she wore the latest fashions and expensive perfume in an effort to fit in. While watching Connor’s rugby match, Nina received a phone call that would change her life forever.

After Finn’s death, Nina discovered they were over eight million pounds (over ten million US dollars) in debt, and the company was in bankruptcy. Creditors stormed the house one afternoon as Connor arrived, pushing their way in and removing anything of value towards the debt. Nina managed to salvage a few possessions, and with no other options, Nina and the boys moved to Portswood, the lower-income section of town where Nina and her sister Tiggy had been raised.

Though it was a bit painful to see Nina try so hard to fit in, to remake herself over to be one of the rugby moms of Kings Norton College, I applauded her strength and courage in building a new life with basically nothing remaining from the old. With no nest egg and no employment history, she found an apartment, she found a job, she supported her kids, and she charged ahead with building new friendships and enjoying a close relationship with Tiggy.

“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”

I cannot believe how quickly I got through this book and I must admit I'm becoming a bit of an Amanda Prowse fan. I have read previous offerings by Amanda Prowse but I must admits this one is definitely my favourite so far.

Nina McCarrick leads a charmed life funded by her charming husband Finn, who keeps the money rolling in whilst Nina plays the role of housewife. Her life is uncomplicated and a far cry from the life of poverty that she grew up in as a child. But with one swift roll of the dice Nina finds herself in familiar territory when Finn tragically dies. Her cushioned life swiftly starts to fall apart as she and her sons, Connor and Declan, lose everything. It seems Finn had hidden the fact that they were in debt from his unsuspecting wife and only when she is contacted to pay owed school fees does she realise that something is wrong.

Losing their beloved family home and all of their luxuries the McCarricks have no choice but to start again. Can Nina overcome the prejudices that she has built up over the years? Can she prove Finn wrong and go out and forge a career of her own? How will she get on the career ladder without any relevant experience?

I found this book a truly emotional read due to difficulties I am going through myself but that made the book all the more relateable. From moving into their tiny little flat and to having barely any money to scrape by Prowse captures the true emotions and desperation that the family are going through. What made it all the more emotional was the fact that the family were still having to cope with the grief of losing their husband/father. Declan's reactions in particular were heartbreaking.

I was hoping for a happy ending in that everything would be restored but that would not be a realistic read and I'm glad the book ended as it did with an air of positivity. I also loved that it did not have any needless love interests appearing. Grief takes a long time to overcome and I'm glad that Prowse stayed true to the story.

Another good story from Amanda Prowse, with characters you care about and are rooting for. Slightly surprised at being able to play rugby at the new school, although it was necessary for the story. I received a review copy, and was very happy to read this.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
When a wife doesn't get involved in any of the household finances and allows her husbands to controll all of them, the results can not always be good.
A story of a family torn apart by deceit and lies, but also about a woman who above all else, stays strong for her children.
Good book!

The title of this book has a double meaning, I had thought it meant something to do with artwork but it was not the reason for the title.
The author follows the life of an ordinary woman from a poor background who meets her soulmate who happens to be much richer than her. Then follows the lascivious lifestyle most of us dream of, going shopping and not having to think about what we buy
But alas this way of life doesn't last and Nina and her children are dealt a double blow.
The author has incorporated many of today's worries in this book and there is something we can all relate to.
I loved this book made me think about the real value of money

Meh. This book was a fine way to pass the time on the plane and in a waiting room. The characters felt underdeveloped and parts of the plot felt rushed and tropey but I liked the premise of Nina learning to care for herself and her boys after the unexpected death of her husband (a plot point that needed more attention) There’s actually a ton of really good financial lessons tucked into the book which was a pleasant surprise. ARC from NetGalley

I quite enjoyed this book - a good holiday read although I must admit I found Nina a bit unbelievable as a character. I'm not sure that a modern day woman would be so subservient to her husband and not have a clue about financial matters and only be interested in being at the beck and call of her family. Having said that it was good to see that her attitude changed and that she was in fact more resourceful than she had thought.

This is not my usual kind of book and I not sure that I would be interested in reading more from this author. A reasonable sob story with a happyish ending.

I deeply enjoyed reading this eye opening story, The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse. An emotional tale and a reality check for Nina, the main character, and her sons. As tragedy hits their family, they painfully rebuild, face uncomfortable truths, and find unexpected support systems as well as develop new priorities in life. Certainly inspiring as well as thought provoking, to examine our own lives and illusions. I highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Prowse, and Lake Union Publishing for the copy of this wonderful book.

Was interested in this story, the potential was there but I wasn't a massive fan of the book. Sometimes the writing felt a bit immature and the language used by the young boys was unrealistic for their ages. In saying that, it was fairly easy to read and I did download it from Amazon onto my mum's Kindle for her to read.

I realize this book is uncorrected, however, given the author is considered a 'Best Selling Author' I expected a better start that would catch my interest, it fail miserably. The thought process of this author must have been severely distracted given the jumbled sentences. I couldn't get past the first chapter.

A change from the usual thrillers I read, I really enjoyed this book. The characters are so well written and I couldn’t wait for the story to unravel.

No.Just, no. I don't deal with heroines that are useless and clueless. I couldn't finish this book because frankly, the turns were pretty obvious and could be seen from a mile away. It is also the fact that in this day in age, who really is this coddled? I simply could not connect.

You can have nothing but empathy for Nina, a rich housewife and mother of two boys, when her world implodes - her husband dead, house repossessed, no money and having to start her life again from scratch. She returns to her humble origins, full of loathing, but turns this in to a story of finding happiness. Uplifting.

If you like this sort of book, you will love this. I chose it for a plane journey and was a bit annoyed at the happy ever after-ness ending.

A good enjoyable read, although it was hard to believe that Nina was not aware of any of the problems looming ahead. As she battles to get life back on track for herself and her two sons she comes to realise that her wealthy background and good lifestyle are not the most important things in life.