Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this author and was highly delighted a nice easy read a great way to escape a cold wet day.

A memorable, roller coaster of a journey!! This is one I will go to bed thinking about for weeks.

It has been some time since I loathed a character as much as I did Leo. What a piece of work! Obviously that is a testament to Kate Fields writing - to be able to create a character that produces such feeling in a reader is amazing - but seriously WHAT A PIECE OF WORK!!!

Mary is an incredible character that you can't help but love, I loved watching her flourish in the face of betrayal - despite Leo's attempts at holding her back. The Man I Fell in Love With is an emotional read and a testament to Kate Field!

This was just what I needed on a cold and wet January day! When Mary Black spots her husband holding hands with a handsome man her whole world implodes. After 20 years of marriage to discover the man you love has been hiding a secret like this most people would just crumple but Mary is made of stronger stuff than that and so begins her new life where she can begin to discover who she really is.

Beautifully written.

Wow, having had a good friend in a very similar situation this was an emotional read. It was a page turner and I was drawn to how the main character showed real dignity and resilience.
Real love is putting that other person completely first in pursuit of their happiness.
Highly recommended

Relationships at their best. All actions were made by people doing what they thought to be best at the time and what seemed right. These actions had enormous impact on the individuals involved and changed the course of their lives for the better or not - who knows?

Mary and Leo Black have been together since their teens and married for 20 years, that is until Mary publicly discovers her husband is having an extra marital affair. Having spent her whole life devoted to her family Mary finds herself out on her own and floundering in her newly single life in stark contrast to Leo whose new relationship is thriving. Even with her husband gone Mary still finds herself living in his shadow, trying to keep everyone happy to her own detriment with memories of the past firmly holding her back.

Leo is not only a cheat, but also extremely selfish individual when it comes to every aspect of his life. An academic, he is well renowned for his published books, however it’s Mary’s hard work and research that brought them to fruition, yet he omits any acknowledgement of this. He moves out and on with his life seeming not to even glance back at the mess he has left behind.

In stark contrast his brother Ethan, home on secondment from New York, shows Mary nothing but kindness and support, firmly standing in her corner throughout as she begins to uncover a series of lies and betrayals that see the life she thought she knew unravel before her eyes.

Could it be that missed opportunities from her past may have lead her down a different path ? Mary ultimately finds herself having to make some difficult choices to rectify mistakes from the past, but they could rip her family apart.

This is the second of Kate Field’s novels that I have read and boy what a rollercoaster it is! Thrown straight into the story as Mary discovers her husbands infidelity we then follow her story as she starts to rebuild her life and discover who she really is. Whilst I loved Mary’s character; more than once I wished I could reach in and give her a shake for being so passive in her reactions. She often allows herself to be manipulated and controlled by her ex-husband, Leo, making herself tantamount to a doormat. However, Kate has done an amazing job of ensuring as the story progresses that as a reader we can understand and emphasise with why Mary displays such behaviours.

On the flip side I can’t say anything nice about Leo’s character, in fact I can’t think of another I’ve disliked quite so much in a while. There were a few occasions where I glimpsed some hope that he would redeem himself, but sadly I was mistaken. It felt to me throughout that he wanted his cake and eat it; by which I mean he wanted to move forward with his new partner but wanted to hold Mary back, keeping her dangling like a puppet to be utilised at his command.

The Man I Fell In Love With kept me thoroughly entertained and I found it a real page turner despite the ending being pretty predictable. It offers a real in-depth look at the family dynamic’s of not just Mary and Leo’s relationships but also the wider family circle which made for a really interesting read. I found all of the characters to be well written and believable, finding my opinion of them changing upon the discovery of each new nugget of information which kept my intrigue piqued.

This book has a bit of everything; family drama, betrayal, lies, self-discovery and romance all wrapped up neatly to make a perfectly formed story. It’s a ‘will she, won’t she’ story with an edge that’s well worth a read.

When I read the synopsis of this book it sounded like a love story with a twist so I went a head requested a copy on Netgalley and I’m absolutely over the moon I did. Kate’s writing is so easy to follow and when I had to put the book down it was very easy to get back into the swing of the story. With having a crazy life I certainly needed to read a book like this in amongst all the craziness.

Obviously I was totally drawn to Mary, she knows instantly that her husband is going to leave her for another man and decides to not kick up a fuss about it for the sake of her children. I was hoping that Mary would put up more of a fight for her marriage but it clearly wouldn’t be the same if she did that. She comes across as a very shy person that doesn’t really speak her mind though I was willing for that to change as the story goes on (you will definitely have to read it to see if she does change her attitude) I found the other characters very likeable and they obviously have Mary’s best interests at heart (especially a certain man!) It wasn’t clear till near the end of the story what Mary was going to do with her life but I loved that as there were many twists and turns in the meantime! I was so happy with the ending that I’m sure Kate could write a sequel and I for one would read it!

I’m certainly looking forward to any future novels that Kate releases as I will definitely be reading those in the future. If you want a love story with a twist (as mentioned before) and want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside then I would totally recommend you read ‘The Man I Fell In Love With’ I give this emotional, feel good story a very deserving 5*/5* 😊

Thank you to Avon Books UK and Kate Field for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.

If you want a light, easy read that will not challenge you and end in the most obviously expected way, then this is for you. Perfectly good chick lit but it could have been so much more. Disappointing.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I read this book in one sitting on a cold miserable Sunday afternoon. Well written and lovely characters. Well worth a read

I'd never read a novel by this author before so was really intrigued to find out if I would enjoy it and if I would like Kate Field's style of writing. However, I can confirm I was pleasantly surprised - it was a really lovely and heartwarming read. It's also funny in some places which makes the book even better in my opinion! As well as this there are lots of twists and I honestly really felt for Mary when her husband came out as gay.

However, Mary takes it in her stride and the ending is beautiful. I'm really glad I got a copy of this novel to review as I really enjoyed it.

Here's a question: what would you do if the man you loved, had children with, and thought you'd get old with, suddenly came out as gay. With a boyfriend-near-fiancé. At a very public event. With you finding out, along with everyone else. My immediate reaction would probably to either start shouting or crying, but that's not quite what Mary does. Luckily, she didn't have to. I was *probably* shouting and crying enough for the both of us, while reading The Man I Fell in Love With.

The story
Sometimes there’s a right person for one half of your life, and a right person for the other…

After twenty years of quiet, contented marriage, Mary Black can’t help but find her eyes drawn to a particularly handsome man at a Christmas party. But her world is suddenly turned upside down when she sees her husband Leo next to him, holding his hand…

For the sake of her children, Mary has no choice but to pick herself back up and start again. She hosts a family Christmas that includes her ex-husband and his new partner. She copes with her children wanting to spend less time with her, and more time with their “fun” dads. And she tries her VERY best to ignore Leo’s hunk of a brother, who has been living in New York for many years, but has just come back to town…

As Mary tries to reshape her future, the past unravels, exposing secrets and lies that rewrite the story of her life and leave her questioning where her loyalties really should lie. After living a life of sliding doors and missed opportunities, can she finally put herself first and take a chance that could change everything? Sometimes life begins at the end of your comfort zone…

The opinion
Have you ever wanted to smack a character? Like really hit them across the head, either with a magazine, or with some firm truths? If so: be warned. This book is filled to the brim with those characters. Whether it be Mary, who just seemed to let herself be walken over constantly. Or her daughter, who - in a perfect "the present mirrors the past" takes all her anxieties about her dad leaving out on her mother.

Oh, and of course, then there's said dad. And honestly, I want someone to give Leo a good kicking in the behind. The selfishness, the thick-headedness, the absolute lack of caring and the amount of betrayal he puts Mary through? I wanted to reach through the screen and scold him like nobody's business. That being said - if Mary had just had a bit of a backbone, she probably wouldn't have let her (ex-)husband treat her like that. But it's understandable, you know, what with Mary's dad leaving inexplicably when she was a kid and her craving a safe and calm family-life...

And that's the thing about this book: at times, each character behaved like an absolute idiot. Whether that be intentionally, because they didn't know the whole truth, or something else entirely: idiots they were. But Kate Field always manages to make the character's actions completely understandable. You see where they're coming from, you see why they react the way they do...

Another thing I really have to credit the author for, is how patient she is with her characters. There's no rushing through stages of grief, there's no "suddenly changing personality"... There are, however, fragments like this - that actually made me giggle out loud:

Audrey was a terrible patient, every bit as bad as I expected: not because she was demanding, but because she refused to make any demands. I had to go round earlier and earlier each morning to try to catch her before she attempted to dress herself; if it carried on, there would barely be a gap between putting her to bed and getting her up.

Can't you just see it happening? Going to help your neighbour and having to outsmart her so that she'll actually allow herself to be helped?

The rating: 4.5/5
All in all, I really enjoyed The Man I Fell In Love With. I finished it in one sitting, and I found myself alternately laughing out loud and aching for Mary as she saw not only her life, but also her past get torn apart and reconstructed - all within the course of a year. I honestly don't know if I would've been able to handle everything as gracefully as she did. So, you know, for now I'll just stick to hoping it won't ever come to that. And look up the rest of Kate Field's work. Because apparently - I've been missing out on some great books!

-Saar

I really enjoyed this book. Mary, in her late thirties with 2 teenaged children, suddenly finds herself divorced, as her husband Leo comes out as gay. Leo has met and fallen in love with another man. This is the story of Mary trying to make sense of her new life, something that is made even more complicated when Leo's very attractive brother returns home from New York. This is a good read with some well described characters. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I really liked the sound of this book but unfortunately I couldn't get into the story and gave up. Not for me.

Leo and Mary Black have been married for 20 years; have two children; one dog and a comfortable life. Then Leo drops a bombshell - he is leaving the family home to start a new life with his boyfriend .
Initially I found Mary's behaviour incredible, how could she be so cold and forgiving? As the story developed her reactions mirrored her character and the whole scenario became believable.
I was very pleasantly surprised reading this book and would recommend it.

This sounded like such an intriguing read but I couldn’t get into it at all. I may give it another go in the future, as I was very intrigued as t what the big secret was, but not enough to hold my attention at this point in time.

4.5 stars.

Gripping isn’t a word I expected to use in connection with a book described as an “uplifting romance” but I honestly couldn’t put Kate Field’s latest down.
From the explosive start to the swoon-worthy last page, The Man I Fell In Love With is an epic and rather unexpected rollercoaster.
From the cover, I thought I knew what I was getting. I imagined light, fun, heartwarming. It is that, in places, but it was also dark, heavy on the realism and heartbreaking at different points.
It made me feel things I never expected to. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad but what I did know is that, without a doubt, this is Kate’s most ambitious book yet.
There’s no easy way of saying this - Leo is simply awful. He might seem harmless on the surface but that’s dangerous in itself. He’s selfish, unsupportive and possibly even a misogynist (or at least that’s the way he came across to me).
I wanted to punch him - and I’m not a violent person.
Yet, this book is so cleverly written, that I could completely see why Mary not only fell for him but stayed with him for so long.
There were moments even I softened towards him.
In fact, it felt like the narrative tapped into a growing awareness about male and female roles, relationships and behaviour that we are really still coming to terms with.
It was also the reason that, even though I wished Mary completely lost it with him after everything he did, I also understand why she didn’t.
And that was unsettling, to say the least.
As for rating this book. I asked myself the following:
Did I like reading it? Absolutely, I couldn’t put it down.
Was I happy with the way it ended? 100%, no question.
Did I enjoy it? To answer this, I had to really think about what I like about reading books – and that’s complicated. Sometimes I like easy reads, sometimes I like to be challenged. I expected this to be an easy read and yet I was challenged. Did that lessen my enjoyment? Maybe, slightly.
I can't say I loved it as much as Kate's last work but I do think she has written a book she can be proud of.

I ended up not reading this book because I couldn't get into it. I found the writing style to be boring and couldn't get myself to finish the novel.

I really enjoyed this book by Kate Field, an author whose work I have not previously read. The storyline of this romance was quite unusual and covered endings and new beginnings. The writing flowed well and the characters were very personable. An excellent, light read.

3 to 3.25 stars

Mary has always, since the age of 8, searched for a family, security and the surety that nothing will change. During this time she’d married, given up her opportunity for a university degree, studied and worked on her husband’s work, and managed to divorce herself from her own emotions – being the giver in all things. When her (very selfish) husband decided he was coming out – without actually telling her anything, just making an appearance with his new partner at a school function, Mary is devastated and lost. Convinced that the ‘rumors’ of her ‘turning him gay’ have impacted all of her life – all of her eggs were in one basket with a cowardly man who didn’t bother to respect her: and she expected NO DIFFERENT. See – this is where I had the niggles of a first difficulty with Mary. She didn’t expect anything better or more for herself – she even made excuses for Leo’s despicable behavior, his selfishness, his disregard for all of the research, editing and rewriting she’d done to ‘improve’ his life and career – never giving a thought to herself.

But – I digress – for there are two brothers: Leo, the one she married, and Ethan – the one she would (had she ever allowed herself to ‘feel’ anything) have loved. Or does love. But she’s so consumed with self-recrimination and blaming her mother for being ‘judgmental’, and worried what the neighbors will think that her tentative forays into self-actualization are stunted and often wrong-footed. Fortunately, the people in Mary’s life: from the rather secretive mother-daughter duo who have an unpublished novel from one of Mary’s favorite Victorian-era writers who happens to be her ex-husband’s holy grail, to her ex-mother in law and friend who is gently pushing her and Ethan together, to her mother with a ‘secret’ that really wasn’t a huge surprise with all of Mary’s obsession about her father disappearing when she was 8 and how she allowed her fear of abandonment and upheaval taint her entire life. Get along by going along was more the epitaph of her life – her own lack of confidence, fear of emotion, and worry about gossip had put her into a box, and she sealed it tight.

What emerges is a very slow and far too long overdue series of challenges and choices that have Mary actually finding her own two feet and moving forward. All of the paths were marked for the best choices – she just had to be brave enough to take them. And finally, she does. While I do know that people will wallow and hide from situations, afraid of the changes that are required, Mary’s iron-clad grasp on “what she’d always done” was a tenacious one. Yet, the story made me want to see just how she’d finally move forward (if at all) and whether or not she’d actually realize that her anger, fear and longing were viable and useful emotions, not just things to fear. With a few passages that almost had me throwing the book aside in frustration as the “turned him gay” theme reappeared – a solid prejudice that has no basis in what I considered a relatively intelligent and thoughtful woman, the attempts to make the family relationships continue and gain some sort of ‘normalcy’ in a very unusual circumstances, Field’s writing never lost track of the growth and revelations that Mary needed to face on her way to tomorrow.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”https://wp.me/p3OmRo-agW /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The Man I Fell In Love With is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last.

When Mary Black’s husband Leo leaves her for another man after 20 years of marriage, her world is turned upside down. Trying to do the right thing for her family, she agrees to everything Leo asks of her until she finally realises that she’s been manipulated and used.

While I liked most of the characters in this book, I absolutely despised Leo, a selfish self-serving individual who put himself first throughout their marriage. Leo continues to have an influence on Mary’s life until she finally stands up for herself to discover her happy ever after.

A well written and entertaining book which I enjoyed. It provoked a range of emotions including a desire to punch Leo. I am looking forward to the next book by this author.