This book was a quick easy read, but I really enjoyed this story and would love to read more from this author.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I received a copy of this from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For me this was a really slow book and it took me quite a long time to get into. I kept waiting for the pace to pick up but it just didn't. The story was good but I didn't feel compelled to keep reading. I would happily put it down for a few hours and do something else instead.

This is an ok modern romance. It held my interest to the end. However there are better books to read out there.

Such a shame this book started out really well with some funny bits. But then it just seemed to lose focus and drag on. Sorry I just couldn't finish it

I've actually had this on my TBR pile for quite some time but never seemed to be able to get around to reading it, I'm quite disappointed I waited as this is an absolutely fantastic and beautiful read about a woman trying to find her place in society again. Not to mention learning to juggle being a single mother to 2 children and trying to make a success of her business.
Amelia (Ami) is happy (kind of). She is trying to run a branding company and get that to land the biggest account of the companies history. But inside she is fighting her own emotions and self esteem issues. Ami is probably one the of the most down to earth characters I've had the pleasure of reading about in a long time.
Lars (Ami's husband) I wasn't much a fan of. He seemed to make everything about him and that got up my nose a bit.
Fiona's writing style was brilliant, I loved it! I loved how we go from the present (2017) and Ami's past years with Lars leading up to him wanting a divorce. This story is very much about being an independent woman and not needing a man to complete you. I truly loved it and giving it a 4/5.

I read this book not knowing what to expect, and this book had its moments. It had both warm and sweet parts along with the realities of life. It showed the rocky road of marriage and responsibilities between Ami and Lars. This debut from Fiona Perrins showed the strength of a woman, and though a relationship and being a couple was good, Ami could still find herself and become independent. The writing was humorous with a huge dose of reality. It kept my interest going. Overall an enjoyable read!!

The authors writing is exquisite, descriptive and heartfelt.
Everything about this story had me thinking and wondering what should she do.

This wasn’t all that bad but it wasn’t exactly what I expected so this review is strictly how I feel; my own little foibles. It does not in any way reflect on the author’s ability to tell a story. Some of the reviews mentioned another Bridget Jones type story, which is why I wanted to read it. It’s about a young couple who have been married for ten years and have two kids and have come to the hard facts of not getting along anymore for various reasons so they are divorcing. The wife is a complete mess in the beginning and can function. As time goes by, though, she learns to get back on her feet and eventually knows what she wants in her new life. Outside of one or two scenes, there was no humor in this story. No Bridget Jones. It was actually kind of depressing to me. Some of the characters are not believable to me. It does have its happy ending. Everything works out for everyone. I would still recommend this to people, as I said, it wasn’t that bad. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I'm a little iffy about this book. There were times I really enjoyed it, but there were also time where the main character was just too much for me. The writing style of the author saved this book. I think I could recommend it, but I think it would only appeal to a certain audience. I honestly plan on rereading this book to see if I like it more the second time. 3 and 1/2 stars.

When I first started to read this book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
What I found was a real, true to life story that happens to many, written in a beautiful way. Fiona captures your heart with this particular novel, and it is one I can definitely recommend reading.

Sometimes the end is really the beginning...

I love when I read a debut novel and end up enjoying it! The Story After Us was a very relatable book for me and I imagine will be for many married women especially with kids. Ami and Lars are bogged down by the routine of family life and blooming businesses. Lars seems to have lost sight of his at home obligations to his wife and children while trying to provide for them. We are given flashbacks into the beginning romance of Ami and Lars and the journey that has lead them to their current predicament. Luckily we also have Ami's best friend Liv who provides a bit of comic relief to an otherwise sad situation. I found the book to be believable and I couldn't wait to get back to it to see how it ended.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the story. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I do look forward to reading more by this author.

I enjoyed this book so much. I felt as if the characters were people I knew. Ami, Lars, their children, their friends and family, they were all likeable in their own ways, and I felt affected by their stories.

The story is told in three parts. In part one, we go back and forth between the beginning of Ami and Lar’s relationship and where they are now. It’s both sad and compelling to see how a relationship can break down, and hard to see where they can go from here.

In parts two and three, the story moves forward. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling it for readers, but it makes for such an engrossing read.

It’s difficult to believe that this is a debut novel. The characters are so rich, the dialogue so real, and the story flows so perfectly. It’s got everything you’d want in a book, there’s realism, humour (some very funny moments actually), happiness and sadness, and above all, hope.

I can’t wait to hear more from this very talented author. Great book, highly recommended.

This story will feel familiar to many people. Ami has somehow lost herself, she’s become mum. Wife. Cook. Housekeeper. But no longer ami. And her marriage breakdown is adding to the sense of loss and isolation. And yet the writer uses humour and directness tontackle these topics and makes the story warm, poignant and altogether remarkable. Loved it!

Ami and Lars's marriage is on the rocks, Ami is struggling with her business and having to look after 2 young children, the mortgage needs paying and the bills are mounting...... sound familiar! She is totally unprepared however when Lars says he wants a divorce, it's one thing moaning at the amount of time he spends working and not being with his family but total another thing for him not to be coming home at all!

A good story, I enjoyed the characters although didn't like Lars and that it wasn't just a lets get back together book. The flashbacks to better times worked well so you got the background of the marriage.

After years of arguing over her husband Lars not being around and always being away on business, Ami hears the words she never truly expected, “I want a divorce.” As Ami tries to come to terms with her husband leaving, caring for their two young children, and struggling to keep her small business afloat, she reflects on their past and what she really wants for her future. She quickly realizes that her children are most important, but as she tries to save her ad company and Lars suddenly starts making changes she never believed possible, Ami wonders what is really best for all of them.

Congrats to Fiona Perrin on publishing her debut! The Story After Us was a fantastic novel that I quickly found myself engrossed in. I truly disliked the husband Lars, regardless of which phase of himself he was in, but I did like Ami and sympathized with the changes in her reality. Ami was probably one of the most honest characters that I’ve come across in a while, but oh my goodness this woman was as indecisive as they come. I appreciated her commitment to her children and her job, but as her parents guilt-tripped her and Lars was busy proving what a changed man he was, I felt worn out and frustrated both with her and for her.

Ben was by far the best part of the novel, almost a light at the end of the tunnel. Despite his occasional arrogance and the complications regarding logistics and circumstances between him and Ami, I thought he was absolutely fabulous. Moreover, Ami’s best friend Lily was amazing. She was gorgeous, drank too much, hooked up with too many men – but was not only a wonderful friend to Ami but an overall bright light whenever she was in the story.

I feel that Perrin’s writing was incredible, especially coming from a debut author. Unfortunately, I have two bits of criticism… First, I felt the book was too long. Honestly, when I came to part 2, I felt like it should be nearing the end. Then came part 3… However, a lot did happen in this novel and I can respect the fact that Perrin was letting everything play out. Secondly, I feel like I’ve read similar stories so often lately! I was looking back at other novels I’ve read over the past few months and the reviews and I realized I am seeing a trend with novels that begin with a relationship ending, then weaving the tale of their relationship between past and present explaining what went wrong, and then the inevitable “will they or won’t they reconcile?”

Despite my issues with the familiarity of the main theme of the novel, I recommend this one to lovers of women’s fiction, especially those that realize the perfect ending isn’t the same for everyone!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Aria Fiction for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars

I was actually quite looking forward to reading The Story after us because the synopsis spoke to me on so many levels. Especially this sentence made me want to jump straight into the book: “Ami can remember when she used to have a dynamic and exciting career and a husband who she loved more than life itself, and who was equally smitten with her... Now she has two children, a terrifyingly large mortgage, and no idea who she has become” Lucky for me I don’t have a husband who can’t stand to be in the same room with me. But still it is a possibility when you are in a long term relationship and I think it is quite hard to find books who deal with all the chances your relationship goes through after you “become a grown up”.
And the book really set of on the right foot with me. I absolutely adored the first half of the book. It focussed on all the problems that were thrown at Ami and her relationship with Lars. In flashbacks we get to see their relationship build throughout the years. And I couldn’t stop hoping they would make it, after all the book is called the story after us. But maybe I am just a big, soggy romantic who is still happy in her marriage and wants to see other people happy to. It might be considered a spoiler and if you don’t want any spoiler skip to the next paragraph! The story after us isn’t about the couple finding their way back to each other. I know spoiler, but I have all the right reasons to tell you this. Because I would have gone into the book completely different if I had known this. And then my rating might have been higher. So not a “we found our way back to each other story.” More a “finding our way in life without each other”. Nothing wrong with that just a different kind of story.
Perrins writing style was wonderful. It was funny at times, but also very descriptive and so very real. As a working mom of two children I felt Perrin really understood how life was. And it especially made me think about what the hell we are doing. Because Lars and Ami’s marriage is on the hill and when you read their story it becomes perfectly clear that it wasn’t a huge mistake that drifted them apart, but very small things who all added up to that point of no return. It’s the cell phone on holiday, the taking a quick call during diner, the but I have to work argument when the children are sick. Sometimes it felt like a mirror and it made me so incredibly glad that my husband is always by my side.
One point of critique for me was that the overall message of the book was that life is possible without a man. Ami is a strong, independent woman who gets stuff done by herself. It’s really the theme of the whole book… but why was the ending so out of sync with the story. I mean don’t get me wrong I absolutely love romance and butterflies, but it seemed to clash a little bit with the overall storytelling.
While reading The Story After Us I kept on thinking that Ami was like a grown up version of Bridget Jones. The version that actually got married, had kids and got herself a real job. I wouldn’t mind drinking a cup of tea with Ami. As long as she would leave her friend Liv at home. Liv is without a doubt somewhere on the top of my most horrible friends in fiction list. I just can’t understand that someone like that would be best friends with Ami.
Anyway, absolutely lovely read that keeps it real and makes you change your mind about how you want the story to end multiple times while reading.

Review will be up on my blog in the month of august.

The Story After Us is incredibly heart warming. I think a lot of people reading it will be able to relate to the character Ami. I just felt for her, she is dealing with so much, I just wanted to be able to give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be ok and I just wished she would get her happy ending.

When Ami meets Lars, his Swedish good looks and charm win her over and they date then marry and have two young kids. A decade passes and things aren’t the same between them. They want different things and see each other less. When they do see each other, they fight and it’s not a great atmosphere at all. The book is written in Ami’s POV with flashbacks to happier times between her and Lars. I liked Ami’s character and also that of Liv, her supportive friend. Fiona Perfin’s writing is realistic and has a quick pace. The characterisation of everyone is spot on and I felt for Ami and the children as her world was shattered by Lars.
Thanks to Fiona Perrin and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest and. voluntary review and a stop on the blog tour for this title.