An easy to read chick lit - no real twists but inspirational to anyone recently bereaved or seperated.

When Nina McCarrick's husband Finn dies, she thinks that will be the hard part. When she starts uncovering his secrets she realizes she may not have known her husband at all. Great writing, Nina is a great character and you keep turning the pages!

I really don't know how she does but another fantastic book by this fabulous author. Her books are all just brilliant in every way.

At first, Nina appears to have it all, a good life, good kids, good husband, The kind of life, we all dream about. Then she realizes it was all an illusion. At first, I felt sorry for her and angry right along with her. But Nina picked herself and dusted her self off. Proving that she mettle and gumption. An excellent read!

I was once again in an airport with a delayed flight. I hadn't chosen a book for the trip and flipped through my downloads. I opened The Art of Hiding, read a few pages and was hooked. The story and characters drew me and held my interest. It is a family story of perseverance and warmth. The only drawback was that it may have been a little too sweet, but otherwise it was enjoyable and well worth reading. I will be looking for more of Amanda Prowse's books.

Nina McCarrick has an enviable lifestyle, a beautiful home, 2 boys who go to an exclusive school, a doting husband and life seems pretty perfect. But Nina has never really fitted into the exclusive school community, preferring to keep herself to herself and taking pride in making her house a home for her family.
When Nina’s husband Finn, is killed in a car crash, Nina’s world comes tumbling down and she has to do everything in her power to make sure the boys are ok. What then follows is a story of heartache, perseverance and the road to discovery.
This is the second book I have read by Prowse and what really draws me to these books are the characters, they are so realistic and each situation is believable. Nina has been molly coddled by Finn her entire marriage, he wouldn’t let her work and she wanted for nothing so when Finn die’s it’s a real struggle for her to find a job. Her two boys have only ever known the life they’ve had to leave behind and Nina’s guilt at the situation they are in is heart-breaking.
From page one The Art of Hiding draws you in, I felt like I was on a journey with Nina,  walking alongside her. I loved the blossoming relationship she had with her sister Tiggy. Very different characters but that sister bond pulls them together and Tiggy, was a wonderful character too. Nina’s boys Connor and Declan were portrayed perfectly too, all they’ve ever known was a perfect life so the struggles they go through were very realistic.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Hiding, it’s heart-breaking at times and I really felt a lump in my throat reading some of the scenes but its a story of a families self discovery, the resilience that they find when things are really tough and  the bond between mother and sons and two sisters. I definitely highly recommend The Art of Hiding.
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I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I wasn't sure what this was all about, but it seemed interesting, so I jumped on the chance to read something different. The book is good overall, a bit over descriptive in parts, but overall a very good story. Nina lives in a rich, over protective bubble made by her husband, Finn. Her sons go to a private school have everything they think they want. Then one day, it all comes crashing down on them when Finn dies in a car accident. Nina must make some sudden decisions and them move back to where she grew up. I found myself tearing up many times during this book as I traversed the year with Nina and her boys. I absolutely loved the story, and I would have given it 5 stars, but she was overly wordy and it kinda took away from the story.

This book was very interesting and hit home for me. I am very independent and always feel that I need to be in control of my own financial wellbeing. I don't know how I would ever react in Nina's position. I feel that she handled it extraordinarily well and is stronger because of it. Great story.

Nina is living her dream life, two boys in private school, a luxury house and a gorgeous husband. Then her husband dies, leaves her in debt and all the luxury disappears.
This is just a feel good book and a reminder that the best things in life don't come from having money.

This a cracking book. If you enjoy Cecilia Ahern or Jodie Picoult novels, then I think this would be a book for you. It's been a few weeks since I read it and I can still remember all of it as if I'd only just closed the book. The writing draws you in so you feel like you know this family personally. I was unsure at the start whether I was going to be able to take to these people as they all seemed spoilt, stuck up and very superficial. Once the financial security disappeared it was quite fascinating to see how the family attitudes and dynamic changed.
It's quite an intense book that will keep you wanting to read a bit more. There is no real "grip you by the throat" suspense but it definitely works on your emotions as you read. Absolutely brilliantly absorbing and covers some interesting issues without being too heavy.
I love Amanda Prowse as an author and have yet to find a book that I don't like.
The only downside , and the reason for dropping a star was that some of the situations were a tad unrealistic. I wish that I had the moments of good fortune that come along in this mother's life. The solutions to the difficulties were a bit too easy in places, things just don't work this way in real life.
Having said that, I really did enjoy it and want to thank Netgalley wholeheartedly for allowing me the privilege of reading this.

I could not finish this. Weak and whiny and totally clueless from the start.

This is a novel about a woman who thought she knew the man she was married to. When her life starts to unravel she realises she did not really know her husband. She has to leave everything behind and fight for survival for herself and her family. This tells of her struggle. Another excellent Amanda Prowse novel which I simply could not put down

This was an excellent book. The journey I went on with Nina and her family was a sad, touching and also uplifting one.
Life takes us unexpected places but love brings us home and I believe love and the triumph over adversity was the thing I shall hold close when I remember this book

This is the first book by Amanda Prowse I have read and I throughly enjoyed it. The family in the story went from having a luxurious lifestyle to losing the father and breadwinner and then losing everything else.

This is not what the story is about. It's about the human spirit,it's about change, but most of all it's about family and who is there for you when your life changes,who turns their back on you and who stays around.

Although I didn't cry reading this story there are parts which are very sad. I wanted to reach out to Nina's two boys,one a teenager and one only ten. Nina found out a lot of things about her marriage after her husband died. She thought she had the perfect life but didn't realise that he had isolated her from friends and family,put her in a bubble and when the bubble burst she had no one.

The only negative point I have to make about this book is that is too short with less pages than most novels I read.

This is a story about finding strength after tragedy and regaining what you hadn't even realized you had lost in the complicated maze of life. After Nina's husband unexpectedly dies, she is forced to pick up the pieces for herself and her sons. Always the one to rely on her husband to take care of everything, she is faced with the difficult challenge of finding the courage in herself and putting their lives back together. Through the process she must learn to forgive not only her husband, but also herself and together they all begin to heal and settle into their new normal and heal. This book by Amanda Prowse is touching, heartbreaking and at times just so darn frustrating because you want to reach between the pages and lend a helping hand.

A moral tale really of what's really important, possessions, or family and friends. After a tragic event, life changes completely for Nina and her family. Whilst first very upset and resentful of the life they must now lead, she and her sons slowly begin to understand that they can move forward. The story involves the recognition that the privileged life that they used to lead may not have been as perfect as they thought and that sometimes it's the simple things that matter the most. A compelling and ultimately satisfying read

enjoy life still goes on, and Nina realises that

In common with many avid readers, I'm a big fan of Amanda Prowse and she never lets me down. While this story does have a few niggly implausible moments, on the whole I found it an incredibly enjoyable read. Nina is a once-wealthy housewife who suddenly finds that she and her sons have to adapt to new lives. The parts about the boys' heartbreak were very moving and Prowse captures a mother's love extremely well. She also shies away from any cliched endings where the reader might expect the heroine to be rescued, and instead leaves the reader with the satisfaction of a more realistic positive conclusion.

I have enjoyed some of Amanda Prowse's books in the past. This book, while well written, but it started out very shallow & I had a hard time connecting to the main character. I stuck it out & the book got better by the end, as I could finally relate some to the main character.

Although she grew up dirt poor, Nina McCarrick has lived a charmed life since she met Finn while waiting on her father at a construction site. Swept off her feet, they married fast. He insisted he wanted her to be a stay at home wife, even before the children arrived. So she put her dreams of becoming a nurse aside, and managed their luxurious home, taking care of the kids who go to an expensive private school, running errands, and, her big concern, arranging flowers. Her life is enviable- isn’t it?

Then Finn is killed in an auto accident. Suddenly, not only has she lost the husband she loved, but she discovers that their life was a sham. The house was being foreclosed, putting her out on the street. The business is bankrupt and no longer exists. The school fees are in arrears. Nina and the kids are basically tossed out with the clothes on their backs- everything else is removed by creditors.

Thankfully, Nina has a sympathetic sister, Tiggy. She also has an uncle who owns a flat, and it happens to be between tenants. With a roof over their heads- as long as the money in her purse holds out- she sets out to rebuild her life. Her younger son is sympathetic and a cheerleader for her; her teenaged son is cynical and resentful. She has no real marketable skill set, and her job hunt is discouraging.

The hiding is not just the secrets her husband hid from her, but how she hid her authentic self to please him. Hiding can create some terrible results. It’s an okay story but didn’t really move me. Three stars.

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse is the story of woman who must rebuild her life when her husband dies and the life she had disappears. Nina McCarrick is 34 years old with a wonderful husband, Finn, and two sons, Connor and Declan. One day she gets the dreaded call that no one wants to get. Finn has been in a car accident. After the daze and shock of his death and funeral starts to clear, she learns that Finn had been hiding terrible secrets which leaves her and the boys destitute. Having to leave their post home, they move back to her childhood home to Portswood, Southampton to be near her sister, Tiggy. It is a world away from the life they are used to; but Nina tries to their new home comfortable. As they adjust and move on with life, Nina begins to question herself, her abilities, even her own strength. She rediscovers who she was before Finn came into her life and dictated everything for her. Can she finally follow her dreams she long pushed aside? Will she be able to forgive Finn for his mistakes? Can she and the boys truly be happy in their new life and home?
This is the third book I’ve read by Ms. Prowse and while I enjoyed it, I must say it wasn’t as good as the other two. The Art of Hiding was so fast paced, I felt it was over too quickly. Even though it takes place in England, I feel this story could have taken place anywhere in the world. The pain, the anger, the tears, the recovery is universal. Questions can be running through the readers’ heads: “How could Nina not know?” While Finn never really speaks a word in the story, only through memories, he is a strong influence and you understand how Nina did not know about the details of their life. It wasn’t her job to know, which angers me but it fit the story. It fit Nina as she focused being a wife and mother. I think my favorite character is Tiggy. She was blunt and helped Nina realize what she gave up without really wanting too. If you’ve enjoyed Ms. Prowse’s other books, you will enjoy The Art of Hiding.

The Art of Hiding
is available on Amazon
in paperback and on the Kindle