I’m a huge Nick Alexander fan and have read most, if not all, of his books (I think!). I never have to read the blurb as I know I’m going to enjoy it, and this one was no exception. He always manages to draw you into the story, and the fact he has tackled the issues of single motherhood, long lost love, domestic violence, alcoholism, and holiday romance is just reason to love his work more and more. This is the story of a mother and daughter, who take a trip of a lifetime for the mothers 50th birthday.
Becky is a 20-something who hasn’t really found her way yet in life; always feeling something was missing and not having had the best upbringing with her single mother, despite being well loved and looked after, she always felt her mother was hiding something. When she finds a ticket to Greece, the questions, and the journey, begin. For me, it took a little longer than I’d hoped to get my teeth into the story, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. It really grew wings, and when we meet Conor, it became a completely different story altogether. Reading the two women’s stories alongside each other was so cleverly done and really made the story what it was - moving, gripping, and completely compelling reading. I’m already onto my next Nick Alexander ARC and thank netgalley for the opportunity to review such wonderful books.

‘Sometimes the worst things make the best things happen.’

You then... Laura is on an adventure, exploring the beautiful Greek island of Santorini and finally letting her hair down for the first time in her life. But she has no idea that heartbreak is lurking just around the corner.

Me now... 25 years later, Laura and daughter Becky are at an impasse, their relationship struggling under the weight of the mystery of Becky’s unknown father. All Becky wants is the truth, but will she ever find it?

A return trip to Santorini for mother and daughter may be just the opportunity they need to heal their relationship and find the truth... and maybe even a little happiness.

This is honestly one of my favourite books of the year so far. I’ve never read anything by Nick Alexander before, and I don’t know how I’ve managed that - his writing is perfection, a perfect mix of realism, heartbreak and humour.

The dual narrative means you get to know the characters really well, and I have to admit I did have to check is Nick Alexander was actually a non de plume - I couldn’t believe a man had constructed two such real, relatable female characters. But he did, and they are lovely; two characters that you grow to love and care for so much that you end up finishing the novel in no time at all!

I won’t say too much about the plot, as there are some real unexpected moments, but I will say that while there are some truly heartbreaking moments, there are also some lovely turn of events that make it a really warm, romantic read.

I honestly can’t say how happy I am with this book, and I will definitely be looking at his backlist. For now, I’ll end on a quote that I feel sums up the heart of the novel -

‘I often think nice is underrated these days... we value cleverness and intelligence and strength. Money too. But nice is incredibly special.’

Wow. Just wow. This book has taken me through every possible emotion and so much more: fear, hurt, heartbreak, loss, anger, frustration, love, warmth, humour, hope, encouragement and enjoyment. I simply couldn’t put it down because I was enthralled from start to finish! There are enough twists and turns that you can never be fully sure about the direction the story will go in next but not so many that you are on the edge if your seat and unable to enjoy the book. There is a perfectly crafted mixture of easy-read chapters and thrillingly surprising chapters. The descriptions are spellbinding and make me long to travel to Santorini! I would highly, highly recommend this book as it truly is a captivating read – 5*!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Nick Alexander for the opportunity to read and review his latest novel. This is a new-to-me author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The title of the book explains the style of the writing - the "you then" part is the story of Laura in her youth, going on a vacation to a Greek island with a man she hardly new, and coming home pregnant. The "me now" part is the story from her daughter, Becky's point of view as she struggles with not knowing anything about her father except that he died and the story is off limits to discussion. When mother and daughter decide to go back to Greece for vacation, the past and present come together.

This was a very enjoyable read and the descriptions of the Greek island beauty make me want to go there now! I definitely felt transported to a different time and place.

Growing up without knowing her dad, Becky had made up stories about him. Whenever she questioned her mum Laura about it, she'd clam up, make up excuses.
Laura had also grown up with just her mum but her mum had been deeply religious, even as an adult Laura didn't have freedom from the strict rules.
The story flits between Laura and Becky; we learn about their lives, loves, dreams and as time goes on their hopes.
The story is brought together when mum and daughter finally go on holiday together in Santorini. Incidently great descriptions of the island, the culture as well as it's hidden treasures.
A great easy read.

This was a cool format, where the chapters alternated between the mother and the daughter. I very much enjoyed this story and the characters. Would highly recommend.

A beautifully written book. This book transported me to the beautiful sunny island of Santorini.
The book is well constructed and the description of detail makes you feel like you are there in the places.
This is a true gem of a read and certainly one not to miss

Mother daughter travel In Greece some of it was too travel guide for me and less story but I loved it and I love travel books and mother daughter relationships so this was all I wanted in a book

This was an easy book to read. The story centres around a mother and daughter who go on holiday to Greece. As the holiday progresses, the relationship between mother and daughter begins to change. Becky the daughter realises that her mother has not been truthful regarding her father who she believes to be dead. Set on a Greek Island it weaves a story of love loss and sadness. The description of the island is magical and the reader gets a real sense of the setting. In essence this is a love story of the past and Becky gets to discover who her father really was.

A little far fetched in places especially around the discovery of her father on the island who is Norwegien but that does not distract from this happy easy to read book.

Like this book a lot. I struggles with the past and present for about four chapters but then got into it. I really enjoyed the character in it I wished I’d saved it for my holidays it’s a great Holliday read

I really liked this book a lot. It was well written with great characters both wonderful and evil. My only complaint would be that at times, it seemed like a travel brochure for the Greek islands. More story, less travelogue! I still thought the book was very good and would recommend it.

This was a slow burner for me, but buy the end I was truly invested! I was looking for a new light read and this fit the bill perfectly.

I loved the chapters alternating between the points of view of mother and daughter; it was a unique approach focusing on Laura's childhood and how it influenced the adult she became, and the mother she now is to Becky. I found Laura quite annoying at first, a bit dippy and without much personality, but learning about her past and her own strict, religious upbringing shed some perspective on this.

I felt that parts of the book reinforced the idea of a woman as a mother figure - Laura and Conor have both had tricky childhoods, but while Conor uses his as an excuse for his angry behaviour, Laura has to put her own scars aside and look after him; she feels sympathy for him, but why, when he treats her so badly? After Conor hits her, she says she needs to get home ASAP, and yet after leaving him at the bar, she goes back to their apartment and gets a full nights' sleep, before waking up, doing her makeup and standing admiring the view. Why would you not just grab your stuff and leave the second you got back to the apartment? Surely you'd be terrified of him turning up and attacking you again?

Laura's self esteem seems really low which isn't surprising given her oppressive upbringing. Given that, I can see why Becky finds her frustrating - she's withholding information about her real Father, and shuts down the subject every time it's raised. However I think Becky's attitude when she meets Lief is really quite childish. She's 24 but is in a mood because he's an 'ordinary guy' and not the superhero she'd hoped for? I could imagine that reaction from a child but not a young woman.

Some aspects seemed a bit far fetched - pushing someone off a cliff and there being zero repercussions - but overall I enjoyed this novel. One to be patient with - it gets better as it goes along! 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I have never read a Nick Alexander book before but I'm glad I read this one. I found it a nice easy read and one that I just couldn't put down.

The book is written in dual-narrative between mother and daughter, Laura and Becky. Laura's chapters depict her life in her early twenties and a holiday she took to Santorini. Becky's chapters in the present tell us of her holiday back to Santorini with Laura.

Throughout the chapters we learn what happened to Laura when she was younger, mistakes that were made by her and how her life was changed. Becky begins to understand who her mother was and why she is like she is today.

I have never been to Santorini myself, but a family member has. The way is was described in the book is exactly the same as the pictures I had the pleasure of viewing. I felt as if I was there, I could imagine the beaches and the sunsets vividly. In fact, I now want to go on holiday there.

All in all, this was a superbly written book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was definitely a page-turner for me.

This is a beautifully written story about love and loss. A lovely book to curl up with for a few hours.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book.

I loved this story, and have already recommended it to all of my reading buddies.

Laura (Mom) and Becky (daughter) have always been on their own. The story is told from one chapter being Laura's voice and another chapter being Becky's voice. For as long as she can remember, Becky has been told her father had died, so she has created ideas of who her father was, and the kind of man he was. Laura, as long as Becky can remember, has been a Mom who cared for her, and loved her, but there was something always missing. As Becky got older, she felt her Mom wasn't truthful with her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Somewhere in the story, something draws them to Greece. They are both at places in their lives where they're free to go, so they do, and come to see their true selves.
#NetGalley #YouThenMeNow

Great story and settings. Love the characters. Will be looking at more from nick as this is my first

After reading Nick Alexander's The Things We Never Said, and loving every page of it, I just had to get stuck into You Then, Me Now.
It is a beautiful story of, love, loss and finding yourself.

You Then, Me Now is a tale told by two women - one mother and one daughter, both telling a story from age 23. Nick Alexander interweaves both stories towards the end of the novel when the big question is answered: who is Becky's father?

I found Laura's (the mother) chapters the most interesting and the ones I looked forward to. Becky's parts were not as compelling, which makes sense because she's not the one who holds the key to a mystery. To me, Laura came off as sympathetic and sheltered. Her response to abuse at first made sense to me, as many victims think, "It's the only time" or "It's the last time." I thought that the final few chapters told from Laura's perspective were the best pieces of writing in the entire book.

I felt that Becky's chapters were not as well-written, especially once they're in Greece. I felt like she was written as more of a 17-year-old than a 23-year-old adult. I did not feel as sympathetic towards Becky's actions as I did Laura's.

It also seemed like the last few chapters were rushed - which could have been on purpose to give the narrative the whirlwind experience that's happening to the characters. I enjoyed how the big reveal went and how the narratives came together, and, besides feeling rushed, I couldn't put the book down during it.

Overall, 4/5 stars! My first novel by Nick Alexander, and I doubt it will be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#YouThenMeNow #NetGalley

I loved this book. Really well written with strong characters. Told in two timelines with 25 years between them I loved the setting in Santorini and having been there could visualise every spot. A gripping story with some heart wrenching moments but some good humour also. I was very moved by some of the scenarios of how Laura felt while being with Conor and what she owed him due to circumstances. It was so well written and hard to believe this is a male author. Growing up during this time this resonated with me. An excellent read.