Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Again a very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

A great story of family, love and seeing things from different perspectives. It's quite emotional in parts and shows that not all family relationships are perfect or full of love and great times. Not everything that is broken can be fixed either.

The characters are so well written - you really dislike the ones that deserve it and are on the side of those that have been wronged. I love how Shari writes, You get emotionally involved throughout the book, it takes you intot heir story.

I highly recommend.

This is Me is the perfect summer read. It tells the story of a mother and daughter and their different views on love and family. I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. The story line is interesting and I enjoyed how the book ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

This is a lot lovely book and a wonderful story.
It is told from the view of many characters and with that in mind you don’t expect it to work but in a bizarre way it certainly marries together quite well.
A thoughtful and heartwarming . Well written and good characters
Thank you to both NetGalley and Aria for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

4,5 Stars

The book cover asks "Two lives. Two loves. But which one would you choose?" For me (and probably every reader of this book) the answer is soo easy, because I truly despised Denise and Ray. At first I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, and were looking for reasons that made their behavious at least understandable, if not excusable. But with every chapter about their past together I felt only more and more anger rising up in me. How one could behave like that towards their own offspring I can for the life of me not understand.

The stories of Denise and Claire are told alternating, as well as with chapters from the past and the present. (At the beginning I had to think twice sometimes to remember what happened last in this particular storyline - but this disorientation soon dissolved.) The (most) chapters from Claires present actually felt a bit like a theatrical production. It is set in one room, with new characters entering the stage in every chapter and adding to the dynamic of the story. A stylistic device that was deployed pretty well.

Although half of the story was quite 'uncomfortable', reading the whole book was a joy.

Shari Low's, This is Me, is easily one of this year’s must-reads.

The book focuses on the dysfunctional relationships in a family whose foundation is based on emotional control, and grounded in unstable and shifting sand.

Denise is one of those characters that I tried to like, but I couldn’t - even though I kept trying. Pregnant and married as a young teenager to Ray, Denise goes through life blindly idolizing her husband to the point of alienating her own children. When Ray suddenly dies, Denise is totally debilitated and very much alone, with no one to turn to. Even after she discovers Ray had been living a secret life full of lies and betrayal, and is shocked to find he has left her destitute, she irrationally clings to her obsessive submission to him.

Claire is Denise and Ray’s daughter. The complete opposite of her mother, we meet Claire as she is facing her empty nest crisis. Despite having had unloving and detached parents, Claire is determined to be nothing like them and devotes her life to her children. Her boys are her life – to the extreme we discover. Having lost sight of being anyone but a mother, Claire and her husband Sam divorce, but manage to remain friends.

Claire is going through the whole mid-life, identity crisis. What is she if not a mother first? Luckily, she is surrounded by a wonderful group of friends that encircle her with support and love, and try to encourage her to reignite a spark, and move on with her life.

I am very impressed with the writing style - going back and forth between the timelines and the story lines. Both Denise and Claire’s crises were sensitively, respectfully and realistically dealt with. The author kept your emotions engaged and never level. I found I was angry with Denise but pitied her at the same time and was left wondering about what would become of her. I cheered on Claire’s present, yet felt sorry for her unhappy past and was crazy happy for her future.

This is Me uniquely blends the reality of how some families truly malfunction and the consequences from it, and how tenacity and a gutsy resolve can overcome the damage of that dysfunction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the read of Shari Low’s, This is Me.

This Is Me is a story of family – the good, the bad and the ugly.

We follow our main protagonists, Denise & Claire, as they try to navigate the tides of life that have carried them apart.

Denise, mother to Claire and Doug, has spent her life putting her husbands needs before everything in her life, including their children. She finds herself broken and alone when faced with the loss of her husband after pushing any family and friends away to put Ray first throughout their years together. Now Denise is all that is left and she is struggling to cope emotionally with the decisions she has made over the years.

Claire, Denise’s estranged daughter, is the polar opposite of Denise – having spent her life putting her children’s needs before everything, at the expense of her marriage. It is clear that Claire wants to be and do better for her children and puts her heart and soul into being nothing like the mother who raised her.

This Is Me switches between past and present and between both our main protagonists – which can seem a little daunting in a novel but Shari is an expert and completely pulls it off.

Outside of our main protagonists we are also introduced to a wonderful set of characters who it is a pleasure getting to know.

There is never a moment when you are unsure where you are or what is happening, which is a testament to Shari’s ability to world build as you are completely and utterly drawn in.

Those with experience of family estrangement will find Denise and Claire’s story incredibly moving. Whilst they both have different experiences and views on how everything has happened, they both wind up in the same position, lonely and unhappy. Which begs the questions, were all the choices made worth it? And, are they so different after all?

I boast of Shari’s ability every time I read one of her novels, but she is without a doubt one of my favourite authors. She has an incredible ability to perfectly blend humour and grief to weave this beautiful and heartfelt story.

This Is Me is not just simply ‘words on a page’, but an emotional and transformative journey – and that is why I adore Shari’s work.

I implore you all to give This Is Me a chance, you absolutely will not regret it!

You guys – this story was freaking amazing! I must confess to a slight *pinches fingers* book hangover *sigh* Mostly because I’ve been mentally berating myself for not picking up a Shari Low book before. I mean, hulllo - what’s that all about? *snorts*

Also, quick question: do you hear accents when you read? *nods* YASSSS! *high five* Me too *grins*

So, to find out this book was set only 30-ish minutes (practically on my doorstep) from where I live had me happy dancing. Please note this is not a pretty sight *laughs*

Anyway, enough of my nonsense *wafts hand* On to the good stuff...

How best to describe Denise and Claire’s mother/daughter relationship? *taps chin* Umm, to quote the great Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe drummer): it’s dysfunction junction *snorts*

Told in dual POV via past and present, prepare for an all-out assault on your emotions. My blood pressure was through the roof one minute (where I could’ve quite happily done time for a certain character. I shouldn’t really say that though, should I?), having a wee greet (cry) the next to almost wetting myself with laughter in the next breath.

Certain aspects of the storyline really hit home to me. My own sperm donor was very much a Ray. The only difference between my mum and Denise was she walked away when I was 6 weeks old. As my mum put it, “I wisnae looking after two babies. One was quite enough!” *smirks*

And, then there’s Grandad Fred. Fred caused such an explosion of love in my heart because this man reminded me so much of my own Papa. My Papa admitted he wasn’t much of a father, but he was the best grandfather anyone could wish for, just like Fred, right up until he passed when I was 19.

The out and out scene stealers in the story for me were Josie and Val. Especially Josie. You should see my kindle notes. They’re all Josie, lol. I wanna be her when I grow up. Although, some of my friends may say I’m already there at 40 #nofilter

In all seriousness though, (cliché alert 🚨) this is a story with heart and one which cements my belief that families are defined by love, not blood.

When I choose a book to read there is normally a big battle going on inside my head, so do I stick with the simple easy going books I normally stick to? Or do I try something different? Expand my horizons if you will, and the latter is exactly what I did with This Is Me by Shari Low.

This Is Me is the story of Denise, a woman who put her husband Ray before EVERYONE in their lives, including their children. Then there is her estranged daughter Claire, who has a failed marriage and is suffering from empty nest syndrome. There has been no contact for years between Claire and her parents, until one day she gets a call from her mother...

This book is brilliant! But boy does it goes to extremes! This is no simple book about relationships and a mother making a choice between who she puts first, her spouse or her children, this is rather a book on Perspecticide!

Now Perspecticide is a term, coined by Sociologist and Forensic Social Worker Evan D. Stark of Rutgers University–Newark, is defined as "an extreme form of coercive control over an intimate partner." It has been suggested that it is similar to Stockholm Syndrome, which when I read about it, it made me think that this is one of the worse types of emotional abuses I had ever heard of.

I feel that this is a very brave topic for an author to take on, and I applauded Shari Low for taking on such a difficult subject.

This was without a doubt an exceptional read. My emotions were pulled from left to right from the onset of this book and the writing completely captivated my senses and left me reeling. What a journey..... I've had to sit and let the story fully sink in before picking up my pen to write this review as I want to give the book the justice it deserves.

The narrative expertly transitions various time lines in the lives of several characters. On paper this sounds complicated but Shari competently maintains control of the story at all times and from a reading experience, the character and time shifts heightened my need to read on and find those all important answers.

To dive into the details of the plot I would state that this is a finely thought out study into lives lived, choices made and consequences gained. It is certainly not your average chocolate box rom-com but rather a gritty, heartfelt exploration into life in all its ugly glory.

Several narrative threads weave around each other, but for me the stand out portrayal belongs to Denise. I was pulled into her complex life from the opening pages and felt that I couldn't stop reading, out of morbid curiosity, at the sheer bad and gullible choices one person can make in life and the car crash aftermath it leaves behind. But I must say that each and every character was created vividly and as for one particular creation....I've never silently screamed so much at a single character in my whole entire reading experience.

This is Me is a raw look into life with unapologetic realness that I know will stay with me for many years to come. This is definitely one story not to be missed.

Well hello you fabulous emotional roller coaster! This book stirred up a wide range of emotions for me and I am sure it will for many others. The reason being is that it is so realistic, quite frankly it could be called This is Life, because it sure is true to life!

The focus is on two women, Claire and her mother Denise and their dysfunctional relationship. Choices have been made in the past that have torn them apart. Denise has chosen to put her relationship to her husband Ray first and has chosen to cast her children aside to please him. After growing up in this toxic environment, Claire decides she will never be like her parents. Claire's focus is on her children and nobody will come in between that, not even her own husband.

I was completely shocked at Denise and her husband Ray and how they treated their children. It made me angry and sad. Yet I guarantee we all know a Denise and Ray. Denise was so blinded by love that she became obsessed with Ray and he could do no wrong. When Ray dies suddenly, her world is tipped upside down. I must admit I had trouble feeling sorry for her. She fell victim to the manipulation of Ray and wanting to be a good wife to her wonderful husband. Was he that wonderful? You be the judge. As she struggles to function after his death her world continues to crash down around her and she is all alone. Denise has burnt all her bridges- no friends, no family, complete isolation as Ray would like it.

Claire on the other hand was a more likable character and I could relate to her more. I am sure we all know a Claire too in our lives. She was just trying to be a good mom and was fueled by her own experiences. She did allow her relationship with her husband Sam to suffer and she did pay a price for it. As we all know there is a fine balance with relationships and it is often tipped unevenly on the scale.

I flew through this book as I was fascinated with the family dynamics and I wanted to know how this would unfold. This is my first book by Shari Low and I loved her writing style. She made me feel like I knew the characters and truly got my emotions going. I feel that an author that can pull you in so strongly that you get angry, sad and truly having empathy for her characters has done an amazing job.

I am such an enormous fan of this author, her complex characters, and her amazing sense of humor! This is Me was not as light-hearted as some of Low’s novels and at times this one had me twisted in knots.

Denise put her husband first, he has died, and now she is alone. Claire put her children first, they have grown up and gone away, and she is divorced. Nevermind, that the natural order of things is to grow up, leave your parents, and we all eventually die… But the overall premise is did either woman make the right choice regarding their spouses and children? Do you put your spouse first? Do the kids come before your spouse?

I would hope the majority would feel that neither way is right, but it is about balance, however, I have seen very distinct and extreme examples of both.

As always, I loved Shari’s writing style, dialogue, and quirky, yet down-to-earth characters while reading This is Me. This novel has heavy themes surrounding family, love, choices, and regrets. I can’t say that this was my favorite of Shari’s novels because it hit a little too close to home for my liking, but it’s a wonderful novel nonetheless!

P.S. This would even be an interesting book club choice….

*Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A heart warming and thoughtful read.
The story is told from various viewpoints but it still gels together well.
There is also moments of humour in this book

Best-selling author Shari Low is back with a thought-provoking, emotional and believable tale that is easy to relate to and absolutely impossible to put down, This Is Me.

Denise worshiped the ground her husband Ray walked on. Married for over 40 years, Denise had dedicated her life to her husband. There was nothing and nobody in the world that was more important to her than her husband. Ray was her entire world and she put him on a pedestal and had willingly sacrificed her relationship with family, friends and her own kids for her husband. Ray was all that mattered to Denise for theirs was a marriage built on a rock-solid foundation of love, trust and mutual respect. Or so she thought. Denise had given up everything for Ray. But as she learns when Ray is no longer a part of her life, Denise realises that the husband she adored was not the man she thought him to be. Ray was a man with plenty of skeletons in his closet and plenty of secrets in his heart. Rather than a marriage made in heaven, Denise had spent her life married to a man she didn’t know the first thing about. Now all alone, Denise faces a lonely future with past betrayals and cruel deception snapping at her heels. Will Denise manage to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and start anew? Or has Ray managed to destroy everything from beyond the grave?

Claire is Denise’s estranged daughter and a polar opposite to her mother. While Denise had neglected her because she was so focused on Ray, Claire had gone the other way. She is dedicated to her family and there is absolutely nothing she wouldn’t do for her children, but Claire’s determination to be everything her mother was not to her offspring has seen her having to sacrifice her own marriage. Claire hadn’t minded this as her main concern has always been her kids’ well-being, but her children no longer need her. They are getting ready to fly the nest and they are going to leave Claire to rattle around in an empty house with nothing to look forward to and nobody to care for. Claire had sacrificed her own happy ever after, but had she left it too late to find the happiness she so richly deserved?

Can Denise and Claire start afresh and live life on their own terms? Or will mistakes of the past ruin any hope of a future they might have?

A writer who stands shoulder to shoulder with women’s fiction titans like Marian Keyes and Jojo Moyes, Shari Low continues to get better with every book she writes and This Is Me is a first class tale of motherhood, the ties that bind, families and relationships that is wholly mesmerizing and simply unputdownable. Shari Low creates characters that are brilliantly drawn and wonderfully real and we can relate and emphatize with her characters because they have worries, insecurities and fears which are similar to ours and which have effected us at some point in our lives.

A fantastic read that you will not easily forget, This Is Me is another winner by the fabulous Shari Low!

4☆ A Thought Provoking, Poignant and Heart warming Must Read!

This is Me is a poignant and Heartwarming read about being a Mother, Choices, Outcomes, Relationships and second chances.

The story tells of mother Denise and daughter Claire and their fraught relationship together.
Denise and Claire have one thing standing between them, stopping them bonding... Denise's Husband and Claire's Father Ray.
But now he has passed away....
Can the two of them repair their relationship or is it too damaged?

Denise is grief stricken now husband Ray has passed away.
Claire is determined not to make the same mistakes her mother made, when she made her husband a top priority. Putting his happiness before her children's.

Claire vowed to always put her children first.
But again that came at a price when Claire's marriage ends and her children have grown up and moved out!

Which of the women got it right?
In my eyes neither did!!
But I'll let you make up your own mind.
Each of them are suffering in different ways.

This is Me is a thought provoking read, that is definitely relatable, it's a poignant and compelling read with a good dash of humour to keep it light.
It's told in different points of view and timelines which seamlessly weaved together.
The Characters are relatable, strong and well thought out.

I would definitely recommend this enthralling read if you are looking for a Women's Fiction, that's a heart warming story of fraught relationships, second chances and family drama.
That is thought provoking and has a good dash of humour then you will love This is Me by Shari Low.

Thank you to Aria Fiction for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Yet another triumph of a book from Shari Low. You are absolutely guaranteed a good read when you pick up one of her novels.

The story focuses on two main characters, Denise and Claire, mother and daughter, but with a difficult relationship.

The plot flicks back and forth between Denise’s story and Claire’s, and between the present day and the past. As the story develops we see what has made these women who they are today.

It’s a story about love and family, and also friendship. Claire has some wonderful friends, including some of my old favourites from Shari’s previous novels. Denise has isolated herself from so many people, including her own family, due to her all-consuming love for her husband. Now Denise is on her own, and feeling the effects of having pushed everyone away.

This is a book that will completely pull you in, it’s such a page-turner. It’s got love, laughter and such a wonderfully flowing plot, with characters that you feel you know.

Highly recommended, a great read.

Well, Shari once again did not disappoint, I loved it! I love how shes sets up her stories, this one shows the viewpoints of two different women (a mother and daughter) over different time periods of their life. Their stories unfold and intertwine beautifully and we once again see characters from previous books written into the story.

The book delves into the lives of Denise and Claire and the decisions each make based on whether they put their children or their partner first. Both choose differently and it is interesting to then see how their lives develop. As a mother who has two children she adores, I felt more in common with Claire and felt she was definitely the more likeable of the two women. It was however, interesting to see what happens to Denise. I think women need to find a balance and both of these characters took quite extreme views at either end of the spectrum. Children have to be a priority as they depend on you when they are young, but you also have to help them grow and learn, and remember after a few years, it will be back to just you and your partner again.

I can't recommend Shari;s novels enough, not just this one but her other's too. I feel they are modern, honest and not the often 'a little too frothy and happy' that chick-lit can be if that makes sense! There is a little more grit and reality to what she write, which I really admire. Definitely one for you all to check out, go go go!

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Katherine Hayward Pérez 's review May 12, 2019 · edit
it was amazing
bookshelves: netgalley

Wow, just wow! I was blown away by This is Me.

Shari Low's latest novel focuses on Denise and Claire, a mother and daughter both experiencing the loss of Ray, Denise's husband and Claire's father. He was everything to Denise and was often first for her in every situation.

For Claire, he was much less important and her task was looking after herself and raising her two boys. Now teens, they are going off to uni soon. How will she cope without them?

Things are fraught to say the least between her and her mum, but when one man provided the link that made you family, who do you turn to? How will each woman cope with the loss of Ray? Will they build bridges?

This is Me was gripping, sad and fast paced and is an emotional rollercoaster.

There are secrets, struggles and conflicts in what I think is a must-read/ listen. 5 stars.

Thanks to Shari Low and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have reviewed many of Shari Low's novels now and enjoyed them. I can't wait for the next one!

Shari Low is one of my favourite writers and I’m pleased that this book helped cement that! I really enjoyed how the book was written from the perspective of Claire and her mum and their attitudes to relationships and parenthood. A brilliant read

'This is Me' is a story of ordinary people, who are forced to look back on their lives when a pinnacle person in the family dies, unexpectedly. Denise (the mother), is grief-stricken at the loss of her husband Ray. She has devoted her life to him, and now she has no direction. Claire(the daughter) despised her father, and because of him is estranged from her mother. She chose a different path with her children, but now they're living their lives and she wonders if she should have done more to save her marriage.

This is a story of regret, hindsight and the possibility of a more positive life for both women, but first, they relive and hopefully learn from the important milestones in their lives' to date. The retro flashbacks in this book are evocative for anyone who lived through them. Youth clubs and David Soul in the late 1970s and Take That and 1999 in the late 1990s and the millennium.

The cast of characters, some of which have appeared before, add depth and interest to the plot. There is a notable disparity between the network of support Claire has, compared to her mother.

Life choices are the key theme to this story, and ones every woman who has a partner and children has to make. Denise and Claire's choices are husband or children, most people's choices are less defined and make accommodations to facilitate different times in the child's life cycle. However, the scenario's and the characters are believable and realistic.

'This Is Me' is a story of family, friends and the dynamics that are part of every family. Claire is determined to be the antithesis of her mother, but in doing so fails to find a balance in her family life. The importance of nurturing in childhood is explored in this story because it shapes the adults we become

A dramatic interpretation of ordinary lives and relationships filled with emotion, guilt, hate, humour and love, demonstrated through believable, flawed characters. It is both emotional and engaging to read.

I received a copy of this book from Aria Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.