Mary Black and her husband Leo have been living a quiet, happily married life for twenty years. They have two children, their mothers live right next to them and they work together on Leo's lifelong project: researching, publicizing and promoting the late Victorian author Alice Hornby. When Leo announces that he is gay and will be divorcing Mary and marrying his new love, she does her very best to keep everything going, including being Best Woman at the wedding! Mary begins to realize that her life has been rather dull and that she has always been the one to make the sacrifices when they are called for, particularly in her marriage. Once Leo is remarried and moved out, she begins to notice other men, especially Leo's brother Ethan. Ethan has also noticed Mary and the story takes some interesting turns.

This is a well written and very enjoyable book that I strongly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley, the author Kate Field and the publisher Avon Books UK for an ARC in return for my honest review.

The book I fell in love with. What a delightful read. I enjoyed this novel with its modern day life scenario very much. Mothers sacrificing things for their children, relationships changing over time and the heroine having to rethink her way of being in the world. Kate Field's writing is a delight - I loved her expressions and at least one description of an awkward situation had me laughing out loud and still giggling now when I think of it. I'm off to search out the rest of the authors books now.

This was a story of a family tragedy when Marys' husband of 20 years decides he is gay and immediately leaves the family home and marries his lover. Unbelievably Mary forgives him and struggles on with her life without him. Eventually after lots of ups and downs she finds love and a life for herself.

Mary, Leo and Ethan (brothers) plus several other characters make this a tale to remember. She is shocked to the core when she discovers that her husband Leo is actually gay and intends leaving her, especially as she thought they were happily married. Yes it was predictable but it was still enjoyable, despite the fact that Mary came across as dull and acted like a doormat to all and sundry, letting everyone ride roughshod over her, behaving like a saint! Not the usual sort of romance, so that was a nice change, plus it was written in a very engaging style, making the reader root for the heroine, even though you wanted to shake her. Uplifting and frothy, so a great holiday treat!
Three and a half star rating.

This book was a really lovely read. Yes, I could have predicted the end fairly early on, but the path to the end had enough twists and turns to make the story a real page turner for me. I thought the characters were all interesting and together they made the story flow. It’s a while since I have cried at the end of a book, but this one made me do so! Sad tears, happy tears, a mark of a thoroughly enjoyed story.

I loved this book and warmed to the characters.
The story was well written and kept my interest throughout the book.
A great read

Mary's husband Leo has just announced in the most public way that he is in a relationship ... with another man! Mary's organised and structured world being wife, mother and unpaid research assistant for her ex-husband's academic career are now suddenly thrown into turmoil. Her ex Leo doesn't want her but its clear that he doesn't really want her to go to anyone else. Her children Jonas and Ava take the news in different ways, her mother is a formidable and not very understanding person and it seems the only person on poor Mary's side is is darling mother-in-law/neighbour Audrey. Enter Leo's younger, handsome and all round lovely brother Ethan, back from his home in New York after another failed marriage. Now the fun begins!

I love what Kate Field has done with this book. Yes, its a love story but it's not an ordinary love story. There are so many twists and turns that it keeps you gripped until the very end.

All the main characters in this are flawed and that's what makes them relatable. Leo - you just want to slap, Ethan - you want to love, The Kids - mmm teenagers! And even Mary herself is not immune from being imperfect.

Mary is imperfect. She has flaws, physical, mental and she knows this. She has spent so many years looking after others she has no idea how to have any fun herself. She constantly refers to herself as "beige" but I think she is anything but. Yes, you want to grab her by the shoulders sometimes and shake her to try and get her to see what's right in front of her but this is part and parcel of the reading experience.

I would highly recommend this book to others.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Black's contented life is no more. Her husband of twenty years has left her, for another man. While their marriage may be over, Mary is determined to keep a good relationship with her husband, for the sake of their children and Leo's career. They have worked for years on a project very close to their hearts. Some would say, Mary has done all the work and Leo taken all the credit.
When Leo's brother Ethan returns home, it's clear there is a very strong bond between the two. He cares deeply for Mary and is tired of watching people walk all over her.
Another branch in this book is Mary's relationship with her Mother and the mysterious disappearance of her father. The outcome of this was just a little too far fetched for me.
I found this book frustrating. Leo was such a selfish character. He brought out such a rage in me. He treated Mary abysmally and she was just so accepting!

An enjoyable read. I just felt is was going to be more about finding out your husband was gay. It did turn into easy chick lit which is not a bad thing.

**Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this for free in exchange for an honest review**

**3.5 Stars**

This was an an solid, if slightly predictable read for me. I liked the characters although I feel like our main character, Mary, was a bit too complacent about the happenings in her life. For a book with quite a few highly dramatic events, it was very undramatic. That's not to say it was boring, but there is a very nonchalant quality to them. Mary tends to put herself aside and think. of the greater good so it was satisfying for her to come into her own though I wish that was a longer portion of the book.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this and I will likely check out other books from this author.

As advertised, this is definitely a 'love story with a difference'. Enjoyed Mary's journey to finding true love and fell in love myself with all her family & her story

This is a different book than I was expecting. I was expecting a traditional finding love in middle age story (if there is such a thing). I got something very different and hugely enjoyable instead. I thought Mary is an amazing character. The life she’s known for twenty years is thrown into chaos when her husband leaves her for another man. Mary knows before she’s officially told as soon as she sees both men together. Her dignified, adult behaviour is almost heart-breaking. I felt she gave up so easily and wanted her to fight more but this would have been sad and pointless given the circumstances. I felt she was too nice at times, very quiet and wanted her to stand up for herself more. The book has a lot of twists and turns. This is a great read.

I wasn't sure before starting this book what I would think but I loved it. I lived the whole story with Mary and her teenagers hoping everything would work out for her in the end.

Good read, complex and interesting charatcers, didnt end the way i thought it would, i really enoyed it.

OMG this was such an amazing swoony romance. I flew through this book and loved every bit. Mary was such a relatable and grounded character, I really enjoyed reading her story.

Nobody is more stunned than Mary when her husband, Leo, tells her he's leaving her for another man. They have two children together so she has no choice but to pull herself together for them. But she finds it difficult when her children want to spend more time with Leo and his partner.
This is my first book by Kate Field. To begin with, I found the story quite difficult to get into but once I got to grips with it, the pages flew by. I liked the writing style and there was a good mix of characters - my favourite was Leo's brother Ethan and I wish there was more of him in the book. The scenes in which Leo and Mary spoke about their job wasn't interesting for me. But overall a highly enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to what Kate brings out next. (KD)

The Man I Fell In love with is such a delightful story with characters that you will fall in love wirh, I felt like I had known them forever, I enjoyed it very much.

A very enjoyable read with wonderful characters! I loved the character development. A great beach read or a lazy winter day. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

What would you do if the man you love leaves you for another man? That's the dilemma our protagonist Mary faces, when she finds her husband Leo, holding hands with another man.

Katie Field takes you through the life of Mary Black, whose whole world come shattering down when her husband announces that he's in love with another man. The character Mary displays many relatable characteristics making her an apt portrayal of the many women out there. From her emotional journey to the turmoil that boils through her is what many women today and what goes unsaid and unnoticed. Due to her childhood abandonment issues, it's clear how she always wanted to choose a life of contentment. Her world revolves around keeping her husband, mother-in-law and children happy, irrespective of how she feels and what she wants with her life. There are moments you sympathise yet feel angry at her.

With each page as the story progresses, you see the lies, deceit, and secrets that pushed Mary down this life path. It's a good read and you'll suspect what's coming next, which will be right mostly, only with a little more subtlety.

Once you get hold of the story, it's difficult to put the book down. It's a story of self discovery and it balances humour and romance really well. The story's genuineness makes it a good read and a gives you a sense of escape for a little while.

Oh how I can empathise with beige Mary. A thoroughly enjoyable book touching on many aspects of family life. I loved it,