This is a story of a surviving after losing someone in your life. It goes between past and present and learning to live the new normal. Such an emotional story.

The Light in the hallway told the story of Nick,. a young father and his 18 year old son Olly.
The book went from present day , back to Nick’s childhood.
It was basically the story of how these two very sad men learned to live with each other in the face of a very sad event.
The character development was excellent.
I would recommend this book. It was the first book I read by this author. I will check out her other books.

Bit wary of tear jerkers but this was brilliant. I managed it. There was one moment right at the end where there was a lovely moment from Oliver to Beverly. I could barely hold it together!!

A gentle story about a sudden change of a close 3 person family where the mum passes away with Cancer. If the story concentrated more on the illness, I think I would have abandoned the book but Amanda wrote it just perfectly to not dwell too much on the illness and the passing so wonderfully written with obvious arguments between the young 18 year old Oliver (son) and the young mid thirties Nick (dad). The topic of when is the right time to start another relationship after a partner passes away comes up and beautifully dealt with.

Loved the flashback of Nick to 1992 and his great Summer with his 2 best mates Eric and Alex building up a motorbike from scratch. Both mates are still in his up to date life.

Lots of happenings in Nick's life now to keep you interested and intrigued to find out how they all deal with Kerry's death.

Highly recommend

😨 Quiet moments of despair give way and life goes on: profound🌄
👍👍💔💞
4-4.5🌟 stars
Author Amanda Prowse moved me with this quiet tale of a death in the family and the struggle for survivors to pick up the pieces and go on living. The grief, flailing uncertainty, guilt, angst and resentment churned up when widower Nick finds friendship and joy with another woman, to his son's dismay, were so realistic.

Juxtaposed against Nick's present day troubles are the halcyon days of summer vacation in 1992 when young Nick and his two best friends have a super summer. Their friendship never wavers. With the solid support of good friends, loving parents and the mentoring spirit of his dead wife, Nick makes his way forward.

This is the second Prowse novel I've read this year and, I have to say, although her characters struggle emotionally, both stories were inspirational .

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

The Light in the Hallway is a gem of a book. It's predictable-but in a really good way-sort of like knowing how great your mom's pumpkin pie is gonna taste on Thanksgiving Day. Death and grief are universal, but no two people experience it the same. What's best about The Light in the Hallway is Amanda Prowse doesn't sugarcoat the depths of despair and anger that surely follow the death of someone you love. And she doesn't put halos on Kerry or Nick- their marriage has flaws, and one really deep fissure that almost does them in. Mere kids when they married with a child of their own on the way, Kerry and Nick have just found their marital footing again when Kerry is diagnosed with a terminal illness. For Nick and their teenage son Oliver, Kerry's death leaves them adrift in darkness, but this sweet book shows there is a light at the end of the tunnel..and in the hallway- where it shines bright forever and ever.

Grief and trying to get over it and go on with one's life it's a hard topic for many people and all of us have our feelings and thoughts towards this subject.
After losing his wife and spending her last moments with her, Nick has to carry on with his life and tries to make a good deed towards his son as this notice will change he's just about to start another path in his life.
Living in a small town it's difficult to get away from the gossiping and judging of the people around his life and sometimes he can even shock them but that's what life is, to overcome everything and take that opportunity for a second chance at happiness when it appears.
Overall it's an interesting story that many people will enjoy.

Nick’s wife passes away after a long illness that left her bedridden in a hospital. Nick spent every possible minute with her but they both know the end was near. After she passes, Nick must tell their teenage son, Oliver, who is about to leave for college and is not handling his mother’s illness well. Life must go in but what is the appropriate timeframe for Nick and Olly?

This book started out slow for me but I’m so glad I kept reading. Nick struggles with his own feelings, helping his son, and dealing with his wife’s family. When Nick starts to move on, it shocks his son and his wife’s family. I enjoyed the portrayal of Nick and his new relationships. The book was set in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. As someone who grew up in a small town I can relate and felt for nick as he navigated these tough decisions. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading about second chances and moving on after a loss.

Such an amazing book. I think it made me feel every emotion on the spectrum. A story of love, loss, and perseverance yet still had moments of humor and triumph. It was a true pleasure to read.

Amanda Prowse is a go to author for me and so was delighted when offered an arc for an honest review.
I was not disappointed Amanda is the queen of contemporary, family drama and emotional reads.
Her characters are always so relatable I laughed and cried throughout.
This story revolves around the death of a family member and how the family deal with it..
If you are looking for an emotional read this is the book for you.

Really loved this book! Reminded me of a Maeve Binchy novel. Ordinary people just trying to make it through life. Nick is a solid guy dealing with his wife’s untimely death. He also has to help his son, his wife’s mother and sister, his friends. But he does it all with a quiet confidence I wish more men could emulate. Definitely want to read more from Amanda Prowse.

Another brilliant and beautifully written book by Amanda Prowse describing the process of grieving; through anger, love and family conflicts. This book made me laugh as well as cry. The characters were all believable and anyone who has lost a close love one will be able to relate especially the dreaded first Christmas.

Yet another down to earth, believable yarn from Amanda Prowse. Characters that ring bells with her readers!

I always know, when I open a book by Amanda Prowse, that I am in for an emotional roller coaster and this is so true in the story of Nick who’s wife dies and leaves him trying to keep his teenage son and other family members in a better place at the expense of his own feelings! How does he come through for himself? Well you will just have to read the book for yourself to find out!!

Having read a few of Amanda Prowse’s novels now the one thing I expect to find is a roller coaster of emotion behind every page and The Light in the Hallway was no exception. This contemporary novel is told not only in the present but with flashes back to the past to get a deeper understanding of the characters.

When The Light in the Hallway begins we learn that Nick and Kerry have been in love most of their lives and now Nick is having to say goodbye as Kerry has been ill. This leads to the question of how does one go on without the one you love in your life? Nick is not alone in his grief as he and Kerry have a teenage son who is also now without his mother so father and son both lean on one another as they learn to navigate what comes after losing that light from their lives.

Although a lot of this novel is dealing with loss and learning to cope with that pain and just how one moves on in life there are also moments of happiness and joy to complete that roller coaster feeling the author is known for. The main character takes a journey emotionally while evaluating all of life’s choices and whether the path he chose was the right one or the what ifs things had gone differently in life. Knowing ahead of time to keep the tissues near I thoroughly enjoyed all the highs and lows of this story and in the end would give this one 4 1/2 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A soft, quiet story about a man getting over the loss of his wife and navigating the path forward, this was an at very rare times emotional and predominantly at times an empty story.

We find out from the outset that Nick’s wife Kerry is dying. We don’t know Nick, we don’t know Kerry, so I had trouble forming a connection to the characters and their situation. We see nothing of his relationship with his wife which felt a bit odd as well.

Nick’s relationship with his teenage son was probably the most compelling aspect, however they each felt at times too juvenile and at times too old for their supposed age. The romance was devoid of impact and only served to spur the drama between father and son. Finally, I found the flashbacks largely pointless. Most of them didn’t add to the story in any way and just added to the page count.

Ultimately, this book was written well but with very little plot to support the language. I could summarize the entirety of the plot in 2 sentences. Just not sure what the point was.

I wish to thank Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a delightful book about families, friends and how each person deals with loss, friendships, love and life.
From the beginning it draws you in with childhood close friends maturing into adulthood.

It was a little slow and not a fast read but I liked that feature. I usually read a book much faster than this one but found myself lost in the story when I was not reading it which says I was really into the story. The part of the story about half bike was a delightful parental lesson.

This story is from the male point of view which I found quite refreshing. I think anyone would enjoy it.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.
This book was special. I particularly enjoyed that it was written from the husband's point of view, versus other stories that typically focus on the widow. The way he had to learn to navigate his son's coming of age struggles, along with the reality of being a younger widower was crafted beautifully. Highly recommend.

The story covers the loss of Kerry, Nick’s wife and Oliver’s mother, and the grief that the various family members feel. Bits of their several years of marriage are mentioned throughout the story and I couldn’t decide to like or dislike Kerry due to issues she caused. But it seemed realistic on the good and not-so-good times of a marriage.

I enjoyed the past when Nick and his friends were young and innocent and then to the present day and their friendship. The Half-bike part of the story was entertaining and an excellent learning tool provided by Nick’s dad. It was good to see the three boys as adults and how they ended up so differently than what they expected.

Nick seemed quite innocent and surprised when they got pregnant at a young age and seemed overly accepting of the problems Kerry caused later in their marriage. His age is mentioned but at times he seems too naïve and other times as if he was much older.

The story was quite slow for me and while I enjoyed the English slang, I started to skim portions of the book. I had heard so much about the author and her work so was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it that much. The majority of the book was sad but had a happy ending.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

Right at the beginning of this book, we know Kerry is dying. When it happens, we are hurt but can move on, as we don’t know a whole lot about her. Left behind are her mother, sister, husband, and son. Her husband, Nick, is strong, but we can feel his pain. Son, Ollie, is unable to show his emotions. Until he is. And then the entire story has you reaching for a tissue box. Less than 3 months after her death, Nick takes Ollie to his first year at college. Within a day, Ollie wants to come home. Nick drives there to get him, only to find things are not what he expected. A year goes by over the course of the remainder of this book… during which time we understand the profound loss Kerry’s death has had on her family.

She wasn’t a saint. She wasn’t a sinner. She was human, made mistakes, and will be missed by many. Nick, on the other hand, has a group of friends who get him through each day. Through alternating chapters, we see Nick’s life as a young teen with these friends… going through first love, becoming men, building friendships… each chapter tells us who he is today. We also see shades of Ollie in his father. Nick’s life is tough, but he is determined to succeed. He and Kerry had Ollie when they were 18, so he’s only 35 when she dies. His life is far from over… but how does his family react when he begins to date Bev?

Throw in a few complicated situations at work, Ollie’s first girlfriend, an issue with Nick’s in-laws, and money problems… this book covers so many heartbreaking moments, it’s tough to get through without stopping for a breather.

You never know what genre you are going to get when reading an Amanda Prowse book, will it be funny, romantic, sad or scary? I had no clue when requesting this book on NetGalley as there wasn’t any blurb on there or Amazon (it has since been updated!). So I requested it blind knowing that all her books are well-written regardless of the genre.
This was an emotional and very sombre book about a man that has lost his wife, and if he makes one wrong move, he will potentially lose his teenage son as well. He’s having to learn the rules of mourning and fast. Apparently, it is unacceptable to go out for a pint of milk the day after your wife dies. It is against the rules! It is hard to remember the bad things about a relationship when one half of the couple dies. You only remember the good, so when you need to start moving on, it becomes a tricky situation. This is what Nick discovers when he starts to feel attracted to another woman. All the usual guilty emotions ensue. So this is a book about acceptance and overcoming the loss of your other half. It made a change for the husband to be the one left behind. I’ve read so many books where the wife loses her husband, but this is the first this way around.
The chapters are very long, some stating 45 minutes long when starting. This can be a real hindrance to reading a book. I had 30 minutes before my husband was due home to read some of this book, but I was faced with a 42-minute chapter. I knew I wouldn’t get it finished before he arrived back so didn’t end up reading it until later that night. Had there been ten-minute chapters, I would have read three of them and felt as if I’d achieved something. Long chapters can be daunting, I’ve said this many times before. Luckily, at the end of each chapter, there was a section set back in 1992 following Nick and his friends when they were ten. This did break the book up a little.
However, the relevance of these chapters is a little ambiguous. Yes, little tidbits of what happened back then are referred to in the present, but I don’t feel as if it had much bearing on the bigger picture. If it had been when he had met Kerry and him messing about with his mates, it would have made more sense. However, it was just a fun summer when they built a bike; he hadn’t even met Kerry at this point in his life. I kept waiting for the past to be relevant, but it didn’t really happen. It was like reading two separate stories within one book.
The pace of the book was a bit slow, but the topic and the characters kept me interested enough in it to continue reading. I did keep hoping something significant would happen, and it does pick up a little in the story towards the end, but it did still plod on a little.
It was still a very heartfelt and heartbreaking story and enjoyable enough to read, but I probably won’t remember much about it in a week or two. It won’t leave a lasting impression.