The Art of Hiding is a story of family, resilience and finding the inner strength when you're at your lowest for the sake of your kids. This is what poor Nina finds she has to do when her husband Finn is in a car accident and dies before she reaches the hospital. With no real goodbye, she is plunged into a completely different world as she discovers the real mess her husband has left them in - intentionally or not. Her and her kids' lives are completely turned upside down, and the resulting story of how they cope is a well-written, interesting and easy read.

The characters are always a selling point for Amanda Prowse's novels which I've hugely enjoyed in the past. Nina admits she's not perfect, and as her situation becomes more and more removed from the privileged life she used to lead, she realises just how easy things were. At times I, along with Nina, felt a little disgusted at how easy life must have been for her and her two boys, Connor and Declan, and how snobby Nina used to be at times, but eventually they all pull together and do the best they can.

I liked that this book doesn't try to make everything in Nina's life 'so much better' in the end. Things aren't totally resolved but it's really interesting to read how she improves their situation as best she can. Her and the boys really grow as people and I liked that it wasn't overly predictable - and I particularly liked that Amanda Prowse didn't make any character either 'good' or 'bad'. They all had their faults, but that's real life. Nina also didn't suddenly get over her dead husband in a matter of months and move onto anyone else, as is the case in other novels like this, and I liked that the way Finn treated her might not have always been best for her, but that doesn't mean Nina suddenly stops loving him now he's gone.

I'd recommend this novel to anyone looking for an interesting read which isn't too predictable, and it features some great characters. Amanda Prowse has a knack for releasing great reads and this is no exception.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Nina had the perfect life, perfect house, perfect family, perfect marriage until her husband was tragically killed in a car accident.

The language/writing is simple and straight forward, if a bit sophomoric. I guess, not my favorite flavor of reading.

3☆

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book.

I liked reading this book and following the life of Nina and her family and finding out how they would cope after tragedy struck.

Although this is a short read I struggled to finish reading it as it felt like in places the story was going on forever without going anywhere.

Although feeling like this about the book I would still say to those that haven't read it to do so.

This is the second book I have read written by Prowse, the first being The Idea Of You which I rather enjoyed, so much so that I didn't take more than a cursory glance at the blurb before choosing this book. But it has sat on my kindle for a few weeks now waiting for me to work my way through my reading list, to the point that I had actually forgotten what little of the blurb I had read.

Prowse has a way of writing normal everyday women, doing normal everyday things, but in such a way it tugs at your heart strings. In this book we follow Nina and her two young boys as they try to deal with the loss of her husband, their father, and the aftermath of his death. Sometimes I felt so cross with Nina that I wanted to shake her, her sister openly says "I want to be the first person you call", yet she literally calls everyone else, including knocking on a neighbours door for help before calling her sister. But at other times I wanted to wrap my arms around her and tell her it would be OK.

I loved seeing her finding her feet again after so many years of being completely reliant upon her husband, but i loved seeing her relationship with the boys change. But my most favourite thing about this book is that Prowse didnt just wave a magic wand and have everything be ok for Nina, She found a way through without needing to be rescued.

Thoroughly engaging, thoughtful novel. Without spoilers, I was drawn into the life of Nina and all her family and friends. The characters are real and well-developed; the plot realistic. Definitely recommend. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

I struggled through this book. It was well written, I just didn't connect with the main character. She came across as weak and naïve. There were some portions of the story I felt weren't necessary and didn't add anything to it. I didn't dislike this book. But I was not very impressed.

This is not my normal choice of genre but i'm so glad I read it. The story moves at a pace and the characters are entirely believable and likable.
a great little book.

Not really my type of book.

Spoilers Below...

I don't like reading about death due to personal experience and that is what it's about. I gave it a chapter and it wasn't really for me because of this. I'm excited to see what Amanda Prowse puts out next though, as her books are about different topics. This one just wasn't for me, unfortunately...

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse
Nina grew up poor in a working class family, but marriage to Finn, the owner of a construction company changed all that. She now had a fancy house, cars, vacations, an elite private school for the children and all that money can buy. Nina's world came crashing down in a moment, when Finn died in a car accident or was it not an accident.? Upon Finn's death Nina finds out, Finn's company was bankrupt, the school tuition has not been paid and Finn owed 8 million pounds to creditors. The children were kicked out from school, the house, car and anything valuable was ceased by creditors and Nina and the children were left literally penniless. How Nina copes and builds herself a new life is the main plot of this story. Her only support is her older sister who has been estranged from her during her marriage, but now she is very supportive. The plot is very predictable, after the initial difficulties, it all ends well, as expected. Overall, this novel is no more than 3 stars.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

I hate to admit it, but I very nearly stopped reading this after a few pages - dismissing it as a shallow, narrowly focused book likely to appeal to a limited audience. Whilst it fell well outside the genres that I would normally consider to comprise my taste in fiction I found that it had a certain charm that made me want to see what happened to Nina, the central character, and her two sons in the aftermath of her husband's death and the shocking events that followed. Ms Prowse's writing is easy to follow with a good rhythm and she knows how to develop a story and engage the reader. Yes, there were a few cliches and one or two events were signalled in perhaps overly clumsy ways, but overall I felt the time spent reading could not be begrudged. It may be that Ms Prose should also consider screenwriting - something about the book suggested that this could be a fruitful avenue to explore

I'm not sure the title is appropriate, however I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters were absolutely believable. And the pace just right.

The perfect family, CEO husband, private school kids, and that time when everything came crumbling down. Nina, has now found herself in this predicament. This is also a tale about what happens when that all happens and you have to learn to rely on yourself, making yourself you own Superhero. Nina's voyage into finding who she really is and being that independent strong woman is something other woman need to read. Nina didn’t go out and find a man to solve all her problems or use as a tool to remake a life for her. She set out, do what she had to do and she makes it, she conquers it, and that is what a strong woman is capable of doing. Not everyone has the CEO husband and perfect world, but everyone can make a bad situation better and better themselves for it; this book told that tale wonderfully!!

Nina McCarrick is a showpiece wife of Finn McCarrick, CEO of a successful construction firm. Their two boys are at an exclusive private school, there is a swimming pool in the garden and Nina has little to do but make sure that life is perfect for her family. One day her world shatters. She loses Finn , the house, the schools and their way of life in a matter of days.

This is a voyage of discovery for Nina. She needs to find the woman that she once was. The feisty, capable woman she once was needs to build a life for herself and her sons in a place that she hoped she would never live again. Her sons discover that their Mother is more than a doormat & someone to run around after them.

I enjoyed Nina's road to self discovery. She had been cosseted by Finn for so long that when he dies she needs to suddenly be strong. Her sons didn't believe she could do it but her sister, Tiggy did. I like the fact that Nina does not need to find another man to become strong again but is happy being who she has become. Nina and Tiggy are great characters to be admired.

I am not convinced by some of the geography of Portswood, Southampton which is a place that I know well. I also think that the author played very much on its negatives which was slightly unfair. However, it is really not that important to the book and had I not known the place then I wouldn't have noticed.

When Nina and her sons are forced to leave their rich lifestyle only one person (the lawyer) shows any compassion or help. The reactions from the other mothers, supposed friends and neighbours is very negative & snobbish. It would have been nice if there had been just one nice person amongst these people. Just one person who was helpful or compassionate in a small way. The picture drawn of private school families is totally negative which I feel is slightly unfair. Also unfair was the 100% positivity of the people that Nina meets when they move to Southampton and are down on their luck. This was all a little black and white and slightly unrealistic.

On the whole this is a good book. Life doesn't come up all roses for Nina but she & her sons make the best of it. They discover a lot about themselves & become quite self-reliant. I would be happy to read another book by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

A housewife finds out in the hardest way possible that her family has gone bankrupt. She and her children lose all the tangible comforts of luxury, and they will need to dig deep to find the strength to survive. Author Amanda Prowse takes readers from a plush life to the throes of poverty while balancing both with aplomb in the realistic and touching novel The Art of Hiding.

Nina McCarrick lives a charmed life. She has two sons who attend one of the most upscale schools in their town of Bath, England, and Finn, her husband, runs his own contractor firm, McCarrick Construction. Her current home is a far cry from her humble beginnings in Southampton where her father struggled to put food on the table after her mother died. Nina’s life could offer movie makers plenty of fodder for a typical rags-to-riches story with a whirlwind romance to boot. When Nina met Finn on a construction site, she knew she didn’t want to be with anyone else.

Now, all these years later, her life in Southampton seems like it happened to another person. Never mind that Nina doesn’t always feel like she fits in with the upper crust society of Bath. Her two children, Finn, and the gorgeous home they all share more than make up for any shortcomings.

Then, in a moment, everything changes. Nina receives the phone call no wife wants to get. Finn has gotten into a car accident and died. In the days that follow, Nina learns that that’s just the beginning of the bad news. McCarrick Construction had begun bleeding money in the months leading up to Finn’s accident. Nina begins fielding calls from a variety of people and organizations that want their bills paid in full to the collective sum of eight million pounds.

Like most princesses in classic fairy tales, Nina had no clue about any of Finn’s financial dealings and struggles. He always reassured her that he had everything under control, and she never thought about asking for details. Now that Finn is gone, Nina must handle the most difficult aspect of their failing business all by herself: its dissolution.

The bank forecloses on the house, leaving Nina and the boys without a home. Faced with no other prospects for help, Nina calls her sister, Tiggy, and asks if she can move back to Southampton. Tiggy agrees without hesitation, and Nina and her kids move into a cramped two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen the size of a closet and with fears the size of the entire country.

Years earlier Nina had ambitions to become a nurse, but after marrying Finn she let herself get swept away with the idea of being a society wife. Now she’s strapped for cash and has to find a way to support herself and her family. As she begins searching for any form of employment, Nina discovers that she does, in fact, have what it takes to fight back one day and one job application at a time.

Author Amanda Prowse doesn’t hesitate to drill into the harshest details of Nina’s situation. Even in this day and age, Prowse asserts through Nina, some women allow their partners to run the most important matters of the household. Nina reacts in a way that will feel real to readers. She doesn’t come up with sunny platitudes and greeting card sayings to face her abrupt change in lifestyle; instead she cries and argues and in one memorable scene even throws up her latest meal. Nina’s helplessness will shock readers because they will be able to see shades of themselves in her.

Her move to Bath from Southampton, too, rings true. Not once does Prowse let Nina have anything too easy. The book ends on an optimistic note, true, but Nina fights with every ounce of energy to earn that ending. By the time the last chapter begins, readers will be ready to cheer Nina on to a better life. Even in that better life, though, Prowse makes no promises. The setup for an improvement in her situation comes because of an internal change in Nina, not another dramatic change in her circumstances.

A welcome change from the typical British novels set in and immediately around London, readers will definitely want to Bookmark The Art of Hiding.

When Nina got married, she was eager to embrace the life so different from the poverty she grew up with. Her husband, Finn, only wanted to take care of her so she never had to worry about anything again. Fast forward many years and Nina has what she feels is the perfect life: 2 sons in a prestigious private school, a beautiful home, and a doting husband. Her life has revolved around taking care of her family and home, and that is the only place she feels comfortable. When she gets the call no one wants, she is devastated but figures they will make it, because Finn has left them well provided for. When she finds that not only does she not have a clue about anything financial, but they are so far in debt that they are losing everything, she does the only thing she can do: call her sister, pack whatever they can manage, and move back to where she grew up.
Nina and her boys all have to figure out how to make their new life work in vastly different circumstances than they are used to. Nina, desperate to support her boys, realizes she has no marketable skills and is willing to take about any job. She also has to rebuild her relationship with her sister. Her kids have to adjust to a new school and lifestyle. All of them have to come to terms with the loss of Finn and the realization that he may not be who they thought he was.
There is so much in this book I could talk about. It takes some harsh truths from Tiggy and taking some chances for Nina to rediscover the person she was and lost somewhere in her marriage.
This, to me, was an amazing and heart-wrenching book. You will find yourself cheering Nina on with tears in your eyes. This was family and strength, and, once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. The author's development of the characters, their stories, and the realness of the emotion kept me glued to the pages.

This was by third book by Amanda Prowse, but it won't be my last. She has a really wonderful way of creating real characters, many of whom I would like to know. Nina is definitely among them. I felt for her, and was immediately drawn in by her story. It is not a mystery, but I still found myself consistently intrigued and turning the pages. The ending was a little tidy, but not in an irritating way. I look forward to whatever this author comes up with next!

I found the plot was interesting, though a little predictable at times. Personally, I found Nina's submissiveness as wife and mother and generally as a woman to be very irritating, so experienced some difficulty in being empathetic. There were issues explored around class and equality that gave the book some weight.

We all think we know people well, especially those we live with. However, for Nina Mc Carrick the opposite is true. Her husband is killed in a car accident and her life of luxury unravels ever so quickly because she is unaware of the mountain of debt her husband has run up, eight million pounds of it to be exact. Use to a life of luxury, she and her sons, already suffering from the death of a spouse and father, lose everything, They move back to a neighborhood from which Nina tried to escape and through perseverance are able to pull together the threads of their life.

While I thought the book had a strong beginning, for me it seemed to fade as event after event fell into a pat order. For me there was many things that just didn't ring true. I found it hard to believe that the family could adapt as well as they did to the happenings of their lives. The characters of the children were presented as perfect presentations of perfect children. Even though the eldest boy, a teenager, was resentful for a bit he feel into line and espoused an attitude of such overall acceptance n a relatively short span of time. The youngest son was perfection, too much so in my mind. I know what it is like to raise children and in the telling of this story, Nina had not a bit of trouble with her boys especially her youngest one. Normal children would have reacted differently and for a much longer space of time. It just didn't make much sense to me that these children raised in luxury would have embraced being cast into the role of poor kids.

So for me this which started out to be a most promising read ended up being only a mediocre one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an unbiased review.

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC - I give this book 3.5 stars

I have read this author before and have enjoyed her style of writing - usually writing about everyday events - things that can happen to you and I. As in this book - an enjoyable easy read about loss family and friendship values and re evaluation of who you really are and what you can achieve when you really want/need to.

The book floated along nicely , not much of a storyline but I connected with the characters and the struggles that they were all facing - even the little boy Dec who realised his life had changed and would never be the same again but was able to be brutaly honest yet funny too.

I'm glad a rich man didn't come along 'and rescue' them which I thought was going to happen at first as the book seemed just a little too 'twee'.

Easy read strong characters nice story