Another good read from Amanda Prowse. In this story, Rae is absolutely broken when her husband confesses to having had a brief affair with a much younger woman. To try and get her head straight, she goes off on holiday to Antigua with her sister in law. But will she be able to forgive her husband, or is she really prepared to walk out on everything she knows and start again? A good story with an ending that surprised me! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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Rae-Valentine is living what many would describe as an enviable life. She lives in an upper middle class suburban home, has 2 older children, and a well off husband who helps with his family line of restaurants. At a party celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary her husband Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae's life in tatters. She departs on a 2 week getaway to Antigua to clear her head. She brings along her best friend (and also sister in law) Dolly. During her time away she starts to reevaluate her life and it's purpose. Upon her return she is thrown right back into the mix of her everyday mundane activities and still craves more for herself. She needs to decide whether she wants to try and save her marriage, or put herself first for once and see what's out in the world.

I had a hard time with this book because I didn't like any of the characters! I especially couldn't stand Dolly. She was loud, obnoxious, selfish, and inconsiderate. Howard annoyed me for obvious reasons, but I also didn't even really like Rae. I understand how she felt pulled in different directions but when she was hosting a party she was actually annoyed when people were asking her for drinks. That's what happens when you host something! I just didn't care for her. I did like how the book ended, I just felt like the whole middle part could have been skipped and she should have left him right in the beginning. She never thought to ask if there had been other women and then was caught off guard when she discovered that? Really?? I liked how in the end she was able to just pack up and go, although for someone who was resentful of being on call for the restaurants she didn't seem to have a difficult time taking that money to go "island hopping". That's not something people are normally able to just get up and go do spur of the moment.

I like Amanda Prowse's writing style and will definitely continue to read her books.

A whole series of emotions in one book . I could relate to Rae being the girl in the corner . I cried many tears with her throughout the story and I rejoiced with her at the end of the novel .

Rae-Valentine has always felt overwhelmed by people and places in her life, right back to her early childhood when her gregarious sister took centre stage and all the limelight. Never one to rock the boat she heads off to secretarial college on the advice of her parents, even though she would rather have gone to catering college and learned to cook. There she meets Dolly who's loud and confident and singles Rae out from the class to be her new best friend. Opposites attract and all that. Dolly is desperate to date her brother's best friend so pairs Rae up with her brother so they can double-date - and the rest is history. They click instantly and get married soon after, aged just 18.

25 happy years and 2 kids later, Rae and Howard are still together and celebrating their silver wedding anniversary with all the family. That is until the party's over and Howard breaks down with a confession which rocks Rae's whole world. With a trip of a lifetime to Antigua booked, Howard insists that Rae goes ahead with the trip accompanied by her best friend Dolly, citing work commitments with the family restaurants as the reason for him not being able to go.

On this trip Rae spends many hours looking back over her life, wondering how things have ended up the way they are. Why can't she be brave like everyone else and reach for her own ambitions? Why can she not be selfish just for once and stop being a doormat for everyone to wipe their feet on? She realises she needs to get a backbone - but doing it is far more difficult than making the decision. Especially once she's back in the routine of the UK and at the family's beck and call.

What will it take for Rae to finally step up and speak out? Can she do it or is she destined to watch her dreams slip from her fingers time after time until it's too late?

I definitely recommend this book to women across the age groups - you will at times want to give Rae a good shake and a strong talking to, at others you will want her to tell Dolly to butt out and others you will just want to hug her and share a box of tissues as you have a good old weep together. By the end of the book I loved Rae-Valentine but it was one hell of a journey through the pages of her life to get to where she needed to be.

Thank you once again Amanda Prowse for making me ugly cry in public!

EXCERPT: This evening she looked at the lit windows of the tall houses, standing like sentinels in a proud curve, and wondered, as she often did, about the lives that went on behind them, picturing the people she nodded to or greeted during the course of the day.

'Morning Mrs Williams! ... Yes, it is a bit chilly; stay warm. '

'Hello Mr Jeffries. How are you today? ... Oh, I'm so glad to hear it. If you need anything, you know where we are. '

'Well, hello Fifi - aren't you full of energy today!' Rae loved to pet the cute little Shih-tzu and would smile at Fifi'sowner, the quiet young woman who never responded with anything other than a brief nod and a stony silence, her eye contact non-existant.

Yes, she wondered about the lives of these people, her neighbours with whom she lived cheek by jowl, bumping into them in their pyjamas as they put the bins out, listening to them row, cry, sing. . . She knew so many intimate details of their lives, but not their first names or their favorite colors or even why Fifi's mum was so painfully shy. It was a strange and wonderful situation and one that she felt was peculiarly British; she considered the possibility that if the residents of Lawns Crescent had slightly less stiff upper lips and more open arms, she might have answers to all the above.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: The Girl In the Corner is the poignant tale of a woman who has always been there for her family. But will they be there for her?

Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. They’ve shared twenty-five peaceful years since they were brought together by Dolly, Howard’s larger-than-life sister. But now, on the night of their wedding anniversary, Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae reeling.

Heartbroken, she takes Dolly on her would-be anniversary trip to Antigua and the two women drink and dance and talk like they haven’t in years. But in the break from real life, Rae realises her choices have always been made for her, and suddenly she’s questioning not only her fragile marriage but also her one-sided friendships. Is she really the pushover everyone else sees?

When Howard comes looking for reconciliation, Rae has a choice to make: keep the peace, as she always has, or put herself first for once and find out who she really is.

MY THOUGHTS: I usually love Amanda Prowse's writing, the way she makes the reader run the gamut of their emotions, but The Girl in the Corner felt a little flat to me. Even though I think that most of us have, at some time, suffered a lack of self esteem, I still found Rae hard to relate to. It took me 90% of the book before I felt anything for her and I am still not sure why. . .

It is a perfectly good story. A story many of us are familiar with, either through our own experiences, or of those of friends. It is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship being tested by circumstances, of grief in many forms, of choices made and not made.

The characters didn't seem as well formed as in books I have previously read by this author. And I detested their names! I did shed a tear in one place, but overall this was not a memorable read.

😐😐😐

THE AUTHOR: Amanda Prowse was a management consultant for ten years before realising that she was born to write. Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband and their two teenage sons.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Girl in the Corner by Amanda Prowse for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

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Amanda’s books always tug on the heartstrings with well rounded characters and oodles of emotional turmoil. It covers family relationships and friendships and betrayal. It makes you question what you would do. She has a wonderful writing style that makes you relate to the characters and immerse youself in the storyline.

I always look forward to a new novel by Amanda as she writes with such passion and warmth and this story is no exception.

Rae-Valentine has always felt over shadowed thus the title The Girl in the Corner, by those around her so when her best friend Dolly arranged for her to date her brother Howard she never thought for one minute that he would fall in love with her and marry. Their two families couldn’t have been more different yet somehow Rae appeared to fit in to her new vivacious life.

On what should have been one of the best nights of her life, a surprise 25th wedding anniversary, arranged by her Dolly and Howard, a confession from Howard changes her life forever. A trip to the beautiful island of Antigua with Dolly offers some hope to repair her marriage but instead it opens Rae’s eyes and mind to her life and the possibility of change. Her openness and newly found confidence causes a rift with Dolly, as Dolly is showing that her loyalties to her brother.

This story explores how a woman who has always been led by others find her voice and take control over her own life to eventually become the person she always dreamed of.

My thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC of The Girl in the Corner. This is my own opinion of this book.

I make no secret of the fact Amanda Prowse is my favourite author and I eagerly devour all of her books and have re-read many. I was excited to get my hands on The Girl In The Corner but had been saving it for my Christmas treat. I wasn't disappointed. Once again, Amanda has produced a gripping page turner which I couldn't put down.

This is an emotional contemporary tale of love and deceipt which captivated me from the start. As usual with Amanda's books, there are a great cast of characters who I could empathise with. I really felt for Rae and became so emotionally connected with her character on her rollercoaster journey. There were parts which made me smile and also cry too. I didn't see the twist at the end coming. Fabulous! I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.

I can't recommend any of Amanda's books highly enough - I have loved them all. I am so pleased she writes so quickly as I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a corker! Amanda does it again. I absolutely love all that’s Amanda’s written. Corker of an ending! It’s NEVER too late!

Rae-Valentine appears to have everything; the perfect marriage, a wonderful family and a fabulous life, until the night of her 25th wedding anniversary when her husband Howard reveals something that blows her perfect world apart and makes her question everything she's done in her life so far. After his revelation Rae flies off to Antigua, her anniversary holiday with Dolly, Howard's sister and Rae's larger than life best friend to try to come to terms with what she's been told and try to decide how, or if indeed, she can get past it.

This is a story of love, relationships and friendships and what betrayal can do to all of these. I think many women can relate to being that 'girl in the corner' at some point in their life, I know I can! Sometimes things happen and we question if we had trod a different path would it still have happened, but it's the path we choose that determines how we live our lives, be it right or wrong and that is what Rae had done, she chose to become a Latimer and live that life, not realising until way down the line, it wasn't really the path she wanted to follow, the question she now needs to answer is 'does she follow her head or her heart?'

I've loved all of Amanda's books and this was no exception, Rae really resonated with me and I was urging her all through the book to put herself first for once. I loved her character and really hope we see more of Rae-Valentine and her adventures in a new story. I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the auto approval and will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Rae and Dolly have been friends since they met in college, Rae eventually marrying Dolly’s brother (Howard) and enjoying a happy marriage. The story is about Rae who has always been the shy ‘girl in the corner’ character who accepts that she will always be considered second best (in her parents’ eyes) to her sister Debbie Jo. When married with a family, putting their needs first rather than following her own desire to study to become a chef, being at the beck and call of her family and husband Howard’s business partnership.
Rae is a ‘nice’ well developed character, but as a reader, you want her to become stronger, more independent and consider herself for a change. Following Howard and Rae’s anniversary party, Rae finds out something about Howard which shakes her world and motivates her to re-consider her future.

I found the book to be a relaxing, enjoyable read, but quite slow in places with little happening to move the story forward. I loved the humour between Rae and her gregarious best friend Dolly, it reflected how important true friendships are. The book moves between humour and tragedy so empathatically, showing how skillful and talented the author is.
The book is about relationships, discovery, and betrayal within family and friends, and I didn’t expect the ending which came out of the blue. I loved this book and would definitely recommend.
#TheGirlInTheCorner #NetGalley

Review posted at Amazon 27/12/2018
https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/create-review/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_wr_but_top/thankyou?asins=B07FJWRVD7&channel=glance-detail-thankyou

A little bit of a slow start for me, but I did enjoy the book, once complete. A mix of relationships, loss, friendship, and making decisions on whether to stay or go.

Having been the 'girl in the corner' myself, this book was totally relateable and real to me. Luckily I can't relate to the marital issues! So what would you do if you found out that your husband of 25 years had had a throwaway fling with a younger woman? Probably, you would react in the same way as Rae-Valentine does.

An easy to read, emotional, contemporary fiction of love and betrayal that just flows beautifully throughout and which demonstrates why Amanda Prowse has just made it to the Christmas Amazon Kindle chart bestseller's top spot.

Huge congratulations to Amanda Prowse on the early success (once again!) of this book and many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

Thank You to Netgalley, Amanda Prowse and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me the oppertunity to read this book.

This book was very moving at times and had me reaching for the tissues. I Dont really know what to say about this book without repeating the many versions of the outline.

I did like this book, I thought that the story telling was good and Amanda made you feel like you were there with the characters, kind of like a spirit watching everything unfold.

The story is very life like and I can feel and imagine someone's life actually being like this.

all in all it wasa good read.

Rae-Valentine has always been the girl in the corner, trying not to be noticed. At a young age overshadowed by her all singing, all dancing older sister and then later by her loud over the top best friend Dolly. Shoot forward then to the evening of Rae's 25th wedding anniversary, she feels she has it all, a beautiful house, doting husband, great children, but a revelation to her later that night but someone near and dear to her brings it all unstuck.
Will Rae find her voice and come out of the corner? Or will she continue to allow herself to be defined by the people around her?
A very believable book with a lot of humour that balances out the grief and sadness.
Thank you Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publication and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The girl in the corner by Amanda Prowse.
This was a lovely read. I loved Rae and Dolly. How Dolly spoke with Rae was funny. Looking forward to reading more from Amanda Prowse. 4*.

I love Amanda Prowse’s books and always look forward to reading her latest novel. I enjoy her heart-warming stories and her writing style. ‘The Girl in the Corner’ is about childhood sweethearts Rae-Valentine and Howard who have shared twenty-five seemingly perfect years together, however just before their Anniversary trip to Antigua Howard tells Rae a shocking confession. Reeling from Howard’s heart-breaking betrayal, Rae takes best friend Dolly on her Wedding Anniversary holiday to Antigua. The friends have a lovely time eating, drinking, and chatting; Rae has a total beak from her ‘real life’. Howard then appears wanting to reconcile with his wife but Rae has experienced life without Howard and has made some dramatic life decisions herself.
I read this book over a weekend and could not put it down, I love Amanda’s writing style and the narrative from Rae’s perspective flowed nicely. The characters were likable and realistic and I was rooting for Rae-Valentine from the start. I was hooked from page one and the heart-warming narrative kept me turning the pages well into the night.
Another five Star book from Amanda Prowse, which I definitely recommend.

3.5⭐️
Another hit from Amanda Prowse, if you’re a fan you’ll definitely enjoy this one. I enjoyed it but found it was a little harder than usual to relate to. The main character frustrated me a little but then that’s probably the intention! Rae-Valentine has always been in the shadow of the more dramatic, louder members of her family. She puts everyone else first and is taken for granted by them. When she learns about a betrayal it makes her see the light and find out what’s most important in life.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this E-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much away.
Rae Valentine has always felt inferior and allowed others to take the lead. After 25 years of married life Rae is beginning to find her voice, beginning to roar.
The characters are wonderful and the love within the family is real. At many points I was fully engaged with the plot and characters, laughing, crying and hoping with them. At one point the plot seemed to stutter, but them Wham, another situation occurred.
I have read several books by Amanda, all different but all very good.