I really enjoyed this book - it follows several characters of varying ages and stages in life, which all interweave and make for an interesting and enjoyable read.

The sub-title says it all...."An emotional and heartbreaking story about love and loss". How do we live without the love we once had, when death or depression, or other storms of life take their toll? A series of letters take us on an emotional journey to the realization that it is never too late to be the love someone wished we could be.

This book was a change of reading for me, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is a story of love, friendship, mental health issues, marriage problems and many more. Helen and Alex are having marriage problems as Alex has fallen into deep depression and has moved out. The second love story features an elderly couple, Geoff and Connie. They are also having as Connie has developed dementia and Geoff, who is in his 90s, is struggling to look after her. Helen, who is a bus driver, finds a journal that contains anonymous love letters which seem to mirror her current situation and wonders who has written them. I thought I has guessed who it was but I was totally wrong.
This book is an enthralling read, fabulous characters with different problems and anxieties and a must read for anyone who enjoys a good love story. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a beautifully written, wonderful book. I was totally caught up in everybody's lives from the start. This is a story about love and loss. Emotions are pouring out of this book. I feel rung out after reading it. There is so much in this story about love and relationships and coping with loss. There are a lot of lessons for life.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

It has been a while since a book has physically taken my breath away with such heartfelt emotion.Its about love and loss. That was some powerful letters from James, so glad that the letters will help Helen what's it be like in love and life?

I've not been quite so moved in a long time. It's a heart rendering novel in places. The Geoff and Connie scenario stung me forcibly with a vivid, alarming portrait of dementia and the unconditional love of a carer needed to cope with it. The characters are well fleshed out. Helen was an admirable resilient character determined to make the best of things. I wasn't too impressed by James. He made too many mistakes which he could have sorted out better than he did. It's a food-for-thought kind of book that keeps forcing you to review your judgements and opinions. There are a lot of modern issues involved. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Oh, Anna Mansell, what have you done to me?!

What a fabulous bunch of characters in this book! Helen finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation in her marriage, completely unaware of the demons her husband, Alex, is trying to fight. Whereas, Geoff, is trying his hardest to fight battles for both himself and his wife. I’m trying to be careful with spoilers here, so of course there is a lot more to each of the characters lives than the above.

Have you ever been the type of person to sit and write your feelings down, hoping they make a lot more sense written down than in your head? Many of you are probably nodding your head right now! I’ve never been good at expressing my own feelings yet someone in this book seemed to be pretty good at it. Funny how we are all different, isn’t it?

I was so pleased that Helen found comfort in someone elses written feelings at a time she needed them the most – I had no idea how her situation with Alex was going to pan out, but the emotional element of it regarding mental health was very powerful and very relatable.

Geoff and Connie, wow, what a storyline written from the heart, and what a relationship to aspire to! I was captivated by their relationship, but the situation they had unfortunately found themselves in was utterly heartbreaking. I didn’t just read about two characters where Geoff and Connie were concerned, I felt like I had found long lost family. I will hold my hands up and say that I cried – I’m not ashamed to admit it! I don’t think that I would have been able to stop the tears from falling even if I tried. Their connection is a beautiful gift to be discovered – relish in it!

‘I Wanted To Tell You’ is a thought provoking, insanely beautiful and poignant read which left me with half a heart broken, and half a heart filled with a joy. Anna Mansell has delivered in every sense of the word, and I am sure that she has made a very important person proud.

I am jealous of every person who gets to read this book for the first time and discover the beauty which lay beneath each of the characters barriers, whilst also being part of a powerful and beautifully written story of love, life, loss, and strength.

This book goes over two main stories, two couples who are experiencing challenges. One couple is fairly young (in their late 30s) and the other is an older couple. Helen is a bus driver whose husband seem to be stuck in a rut. He lost his job and is having a hard time being proactive, Helen is trying to help the best way she can which isn't always helpful. Goeff is in his 80s and caring for his wife with Alzeihmer's and having a difficult time with the fact that he is too old to do this on his own.  Both couple are going through some really hard times but are leaning with time to let go. The relationships in this book are difficult and filled with heartbreaking moments. I loved this book because it wasn't just another fairytale but a truthful story of love with all the heartaches and messiness it entails.

This is the first time Ive read anything by this author. It most certainly will not be the last. This is an incredible book. I defy anyone to read it and now feel something. Love, old and new, developing and waning, loss both emotional and physical, changes good and bad, acceptance, honesty, denial, self reflection, complacency, acceptance and so much more. Helen, a local and clearly cherished bus driver knows everyone on her route is at the very core of the story. She and her husband, who at one time truly and deeply loved each other have lost each other day by day, bit by bit without even noticing. Helen finds a little bundle of beautifully written letters signed by “the love you wished I could be” on her bus that are woven throughout the story. Along the bus route we meet a group of wonderfully interesting, real, kind and good people and get little peaks into their lives. How they lean on each other, teach each other and learn to move forward is magnificent. If we all took the time to get to know each other imagine the good that we could experience, even if just for a moment. Geoff may be my favorite person in this book. Everyone should know the kind of love he shared with his beloved wife. I recommend a box of tissues when handy when reading this incredible love story.

I hope you have your tissues to hand when you dive into this beautifully heartbreaking story because believe me you are going to need them. It has been a while since a book has physically taken my breath away with such heartfelt emotion. I was drawn into the plot at the first word and didn't come up for air until the concluding pages and what a journey it was indeed. The writing is open and honest and emanates a sense of loss that can be overwhelming at times but I felt that every word was heightened with a love and emotion that radiated off the pages. I loved the mysterious letters that laced a journey throughout the book like an unfinished story haunting the pages and adding that element of wonder as to who the sender and recipient could be and creating additional layers throughout the book.

The characters were created with care and precision and I loved each and every one of them. Now, where do I start when describing Geoff and Connie? I don't want to go into to much detail as I don't want to give away any hints or spoilers but I will say that they're childhood sweethearts with a lifetime full of joy and love that has been left delicate and fragile over time with life's cruel twists of fate. What comes across in their relationship is a love to strive for, it's not perfect but it's true, honest and emotional. Geoff's fierce protection for Connie is both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time and I hung onto his every thought of love for her. I've never shed so many tears over characters as much as I did for Geoff and Connie. Helen's story faces several trials and tribulations and provides many moments of comic relief. But there's also heartfelt emotion to be found in her journey throughout the book. She is an instantly likeable character with a personality that shines brightly and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way hoping for that happy ever after. But I must say that a true highlight of the book came in the form of James who added an additional depth of truth and emotion to the storyline that was both surprising and heartwarming.

I loved everything that this book stands for and I can't praise it highly enough. The level of love and emotion that this book gives out is on another level and truly special. I urge each and every one of you to grab your nearest copy and start reading and please whatever you do, do not forget your tissues.

I love this author and trust her. She's one of those authors whom I will read no matter what they write for she knows how to spin a story and she can transform even the most ordinary, mundane things into intriguing stories that I feel I am experiencing for the first time, seeing with new eyes. She weaves magic through her words and with this book, she has taken that to a whole new level. This author is exceptional, going from strength to strength with each book and this book, wow! It is an absolute masterpiece. I experienced so many emotions while reading this book. I felt for all the characters. I lived every word. I came away shaken. This is a story that will stay with me. A book that is so much more than a story. It is an experience. Please read it and tell your friends. Very highly recommended to everyone.

Have you ever looked at someone and thought ‘There are so many things I wish I could tell you, but I can’t / don’t know how’? It happened to me. Sometimes the words escape us, sometimes the person is already too far. Perhaps the time is wrong. The weather is shitty. Or we are simply blinded by our vision of what we have and don’t remember the essence of love.

Last year, I read my first Anna Mansell novel and I was so moved by it, changed by it, that when I saw the cover and the synopsis for I Wanted To Tell You, I grabbed my chance and picked the book. It felt as if the pages, still unopened, were already whispering to me. As if the novel was waiting for me.

Now I may sound maudlin (don’t worry, I’m sounding maudlin, the book isn’t!!!) and if it is not your first visit on Chocolate’n’Waffles, you might be surprised. Even I am surprised! Still, I can’t deny that I was different when I closed the book.

For me, one of the biggest issues of our time is that we don’t take time. We don’t see what is just here, because there are bills to pay, work to do, kids to take care of, books to read, bath times and friends. We say ‘I love you’ and we mean it. However, saying it is often not enough.

Time stopped when I began reading I Wanted To Tell You. There was just me and those characters. Lives I was intruding to better understand mine.

I Wanted To Tell You has three different voices. Helen is a bus driver. Kind, married, lovely, caring. I have lots of good things to say about her and she is my second favourite character.
Geoff is an old gentleman with a big but scarred heart, who has loved his family more than anything, and who fights to save a love he thinks he can’t live without.
In between are scattered love letters. Insightful, wise and painfully beautiful love letters. I remember wishing I had someone to write some for me. To put words on feelings that are unique but universal. This is what Anna Mansell reminded me. Love, in its different coats, is the most common feeling. It doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the strongest and amazing parts of our lives. It simply is at the heart of everyone’s existence, no matter if we want it or not! I really sound like a romantic, now, don’t I? Next, I’ll be reading Christmas novels!!!!

Or not. Because the reason why those human, authentic life stories move me in such a powerful way lies with the person who writes them. Anna Mansell has a magical wand, a realistic and heartbreaking style, like a water coming from the purest fountain. She expresses what I am too shy to do myself. She allows me to be the woman who hopes.

Helen tries to save her marriage. Geoff tries to save his and his wife’s lives. The letters save everyone.

You know the ‘happily ever after’ we are fed as kids? I never believed it. Life doesn’t stop sending you hell after your wedding day. Often, it’s just the beginning! So when Helen’s seemingly happy life explodes when her husband decides to leave, she has no clue what to do. Chapter after chapter, helped by those anonymous letters, she discovers a new way of looking at things. Are we aware of how we live, how we see things? When your partner hits a rough patch, what are you supposed to do? All those questions leave us hanging, helpless. I felt Helen’s confusion in my bones. Would I have done better? Could I be a good wife? What on earth does it even mean to be a good wife? You can’t lose who you are for a relationship. But you can’t eat away the space either. Gosh I’m glad I’m single!

I take this back. I’m not unhappy, but this novel showed me the most amazing love story I have read. Geoff and Connie, who grew old together until this nastiness that is dementia claimed his wife. Can you abandon the person you love? The one you promised to cherish? What becomes of your life when the woman who gives it sense doesn’t recognise you? I cried my heart out and used all the tissues in the house. My heart ached so much I doubled the sugar dose in my tea. With sensitivity, with subtlety, and most of all, with love, the author takes Geoff’s hand and leads him to the other side. What does it mean? Read the book to find out for yourself. All I can say is that the toughest hearts won’t resist.

What about poor Helen? You know I love blaming the husband. Yet, this time, I didn’t. Miracles happen. While the novel focused on Helen, each character is flesh and bones, blood and sweat, and you can’t help but explore all sides of what happens. I Wanted To Tell You isn’t about who is right and who is wrong. It is about the power of love, loss, and the strength it takes to stand up, or to give up.

There is a special place in my heart for everyone in this novel. Anna Mansell made my bladder burst with comfort tea, she made me smile and cry, sometimes at the same time. She tugged at my heartstring. I Wanted To Tell You is a love song for everyone who needs a real hard look at what we look for and isn’t afraid of tearing up the dressing to see what’s underneath. Each word speaks as much to your soul as it does your heart. This novel is life in a bottle. Intoxicatingly good, perfectly addictive, amazingly spot-on. A raw jewel!

I liked this book at lot. It was well-written and emotional. This novel follows the life of two couples at different stages in life. It is more than just a story- it is also almost a guide for life and love. This was a different kind of book for me. I was just expecting a light-hearted romance but I got so much more from this novel. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Helen is a local bus driver. One day she finds a bundle of unsent love letters which have been left on her bus. The same day, her husband Alex tells her he is leaving. Helen has no idea why or what went wrong, but in trying to work out what is going on in her heart and head, she turns to the bundle of letters and finds that there is something in them that is helps her to begin to make sense of everything.

I have read the previous book by this author and found it to be highly emotional and heart-warming. This one is just the same! The blurb gives you the impression that the story is going to tug at your heart-strings, but it doesn’t tell you by how much! Helen is such a beautiful character, you can’t help but feel empathy for her and for her situation. The other characters in the book all fit so well with the storyline. You can relate to them all and I found I gave these characters equal empathy that I gave Helen.

I loved reading this book, and I know it sounds strange that I can love a book that is so full of sadness, but it was so beautifully written that there was no other way of putting it. The book had me hooked from the very first page and I can only compare it emotionally to being on a rollercoaster with so many lows and highs of emotions and feelings. It took me through so many different emotions, and whilst it was full of the sadder things in life – mental health problems, marriage problems and loss – it was also full of love, friendship and belonging.

A moving, heart-warming and beautiful read. Without any hesitation I would definitely recommend this book.

Anna Mansell is a rare find. Her books are always super emotional and incredibly relatable. Her characters come to life and spring off the page to engage you from the first page and feel like people you really know. That's a gift!

I Wanted To Tell You is breathtakingly beautiful. The premise is intriguing and fascinating and the letters brought a whole other dimension to the story. It's such a unique way of having a story unfold and I read this in 2 sittings. Bravo, Anna

I would like to thank Bookouture and Kim Nash for asking me to review this wonderful book and to be apart of the blog blitz.
After reading the blurb I was completely drawn into the plot. I wanted to know who's letters they were, there is something so sad about them being signed from 'the love you wished I could be'. Would they help Helen in her situation, hoping that Alex is the love she is wishing him to be?
As the pages begun to turn, and they did really quickly as I found that I was unable to stop reading once I started, I found myself completely lost in this story. My heart ached, broke and re healed itself again by the time I finished the book. My mind was totally blown by the amount of emotions I felt through out.
Helen and Alex are having trouble in their marriage, but not all is as it seems. There is also another love story running along side our main story and through Helen and her job driving the local bus, we get to know Geoff. Geoff's wife Connie is suffering from dementia and being in his 90s himself he is learning that he has to at some point come to terms with saying goodbye to her. I adored reading these stories side by side and they way they are linked is very clever.
Geoff is by far my favourite character, I felt every emotion with him and felt like I was sat alongside him. Anna can sure tell a story, her writing is unbelievable. I think she owes me a box of tissues or two! I still find myself thinking of Geoff.
I could relate to Alex's story on a personal level and could see for sometime that it was perhaps going down the route which it went down, but it by know means took anything away from the story. It was perfectly written and in amazing detail with great depth and so clever with the letters at the beginning of most chapters as Helen read them. I enjoyed finding out who the letters were by and it was no one I guessed. The letters are the central part of the story and the way they bring everything together shows amazing talent.
I loved this book. It is a must read for anyone who loves a good touching emotional love story. I am now on a mission to buy up all of Anna Mansell's other books to read!

I have never read a book by the author before, but after seeing what it was about, I simply had to and I can assure you I was thrilled.

The prologue already has you wanting more and little by little the story develops and my pile of soggy tissues increased.

The story is about love, but sometimes loving someone is not enough. It's about stepping in and trying to fix everything, but sometimes it's not the right solution. It's about needing space and craving attention at the same time , but getting it does not make everything right. It's about making difficult decisions and doing what is best, but best for whom?

Sometimes taking a step back it the first step forward ...

Even if you have found the love of your life, your bed of roses might contain some thorny ones.

A beautiful touching story that pulled my heartstrings to the limit in every possible direction.

Thank you, Anna Mansell, Bookouture and Netgalley.

The book opens with a letter written by an anonymous person and signed off “From The love you wished I could be”. You don’t know who this person is or even if they are male or female but it does set the tone of the book.
Helen’s husband is out of work and from her perspective doesn’t seem to be doing much about it. She has taken on extra shifts in order to make sure bills are paid, yet she seems to have more time for two of her regular passengers on her bus than she does for her own husband. When he ups and leaves without telling her where he has gone or how long he will be away she is understandably angry but she does not try to see why he might have done this. She has got so used to coping and trying to find a solution to problems that somehow along the way she has managed to just take over everything even though you can see that she doesn’t always feel like the strong one. After finding the book with the letters on her bus although she knows she should hand it in she can’t help but read them as she sees parallels between what the mysterious person had been going through and her own life.
Geoff is struggling to hold things together as his wife slowly loses her battle with dementia. As the women he loves dearly and credit with making him who he is slips away before his eyes he fights everyone at every turn who is trying to help him. He is determined he is going to look after her in their own home no matter what. He feels guilty when she goes in a home for a few days and it just makes him even more determined that he is not going to desert his wife just when she needs him most. I think his part of the story got to me the most as I can’t imagine how heart breaking it must be to watch someone slip away from you in so many ways yet still be there in the occasional moment of clarity. It must be a real battle between what is in the best interests of that person against what you feel you should be able to do.
James has been homeless for some time and Helen lets him ride on her bus for free so that he can at least be warm for some of the day. He appreciates her kindness and they have a kind of friendship that they both draw on throughout the book. In fact it turns out that James helps Helen far more than she first realises.
This book will certainly take you through a whole host of emotions, and I was quite surprised how it made me feel at times. It tackles subjects that are quite often glossed over in real life not just in books as even today they are not really talked about. I loved the letters that are inserted throughout the book and I found myself wondering who had written them. They showed a real struggle with things they had been dealing with and were clearly written as a way to make sense of things they had been going through. There was also the clear bond between three people who on the surface had little in common but despite this found strength from each other at different times in their lives. This is the first book I have read by Anna Mansell, but if this is what I have been missing out on then I am sure it won’t be my last.

Great book ,great characters , great story about love , lost ,forgiveness . I love James , I love letters written with so much love and passion . Thank you Net Galley and publisher for this opportunity ,I really enjoyed !
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I’ve not read anything by this author before but that’ll certainly change as this was a fabulous read.

Helen is a bus driver, married to Alex with a son, Tom. She’s happily married until Alex changes everything by moving out. When Helen finds some unaddressed letters on the bus she decides to read them. Reading the letters changes her views on a lot of things.

I loved the secondary characters in the story. It adds so much to the storyline.

I absolutely love these characters. Well done to the author on portraying such well written relatable characters. If your looking for a well written beautiful read then I highly recommend this story.
I’m so looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.