A different type of reading for me, but I loved it. Eat read following Luke turning his life around. Thoroughly enjoyed and will be looking to read more by this author.

A refreshing read that felt so different to many of the novels I have encountered recently. The protagonist, Luke, is a grumpy, lonely man and the writer shows how one incident is the catalyst for bringing about change. All in all, we can learn that it is never to late to make a change in your own life.

I warmed to Luke immediately. His grumpiness was entertaining although his loneliness was painful. Luke does not have anyone to turn to and has managed to convince himself that this is what he prefers. However, the freak accident that leaves him the only survivor forces Luke to re-evaluate his perspective towards life. A self-confessed pessimist, Luke struggles to abandon his life-long belief of expecting the glass to always be half-empty. Yet, being reminded of what he has to be thankful for, reflects the journey of self-discovery that Luke embarks upon.

This is a really touching story. Luke is haunted by events from his past – losing both his parents, his sudden divorce – and what occurs during the storm and then at his barbers, really knocks him back. It takes time for him to trust towards thinking positively and I thought it completely endearing the way he makes friends with those living in his block of flats. Despite being much older than him, it showed to readers how a friend can exist in anyone – even if you consider them to be the polar opposite.

Undoubtedly, the theme of mental health is dominant in Robertson’s story. The writer treats this delicately and demonstrates that the importance of mental health is not exclusive to those from particular walks of life. The broad spectrum of characters in this novel all suffer from some degree of anxiety, worry and some have even sought counselling. They are all brought together by the common need of wanting company and to share experiences. I loved this connection that exists and felt warm as I saw Luke’s own network of friends begins to grow.

I am always trying to broaden my reading horizons – having a male author and a male protagonist is a double change for me! I appreciated Robertson’s portrayal of Luke – pessimistic and lonely, vulnerable and mistrusting to finally, accepting and seeking connections. It was a like watching a flower blossom over the novel and I delighted in the closure that was provided. Some may find this quite an emotional story and I imagine many readers would relate to Luke’s experience. I think this just adds to the realism and overall enjoyment of the story.

In this novel, Luke manages to turn his life around. Those around him are also affected by his actions and as a result, I think Robertson is illustrating that firstly, it is never too late to make a change and secondly, never under-appreciate those you have around you.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Luke Craven is a likable character, idiosyncrasies and all. I enjoyed his journey to owning his life. It was a great story, but a little heavy with the similes, metaphors and analogies. Perhaps that was part of the humor, or just the author's style, but I found it a little distracting. Well worth the time to read it though as I found myself laughing, sighing and even tearing up.

I almost put 3 or 3.5 stars, BUT I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The main character was quirky and an oddball, yet relatable. His daily issues were ones that many struggle with, like family expectations, goals and relationships. The others in his life were likable, even the occasional annoying characters. Was not sorry I requested this from NetGalley.

I am a fan of novels by this author and eagerly await a new release and this is the 5th book to be published and did not disappoint.

The story begins with the main character Luke having a near death encounter whilst sheltering from the rain. He is suddenly pushed out of the way from falling scaffolding and debris by complete stranger Iris who is also weathering out the storm, but is not so lucky and loses her life.

Luke a divorcee owns a small barber shop in Manchester and tends to keep to himself; my thoughts were that he came across as a rather quiet yet angry introvert person which could possibly be explained by the breakup of his marriage. Social butterfly Luke is certainly not and the only family in the UK is his cousin Meg who he has always been close to apart from a slight rift recently that neither of them would mend as both being a little stubborn. After the accident Meg is Luke’s constant and they soon resume their strong bond.

It is interesting to read how almost losing his life nudges Luke into changing his perspective as he struggles to transform from a pessimistic half empty guy into the complete opposite. The obstacles he encounters along the way only make him stronger and a much more positive person.

A delightful story of friendships, hope and transformation, which I found both enjoyable and satisfying.

My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC and to Julie for allowing me to guest review on her blog.

Really enjoyed this book. Steady paced, great characters, I was absorbed throughout. Will be reading more Robertson books in the future!

«How to Save a Life» was the shot of positivity I so desperately needed.
In this heartwarming novel, S.D. Robertson explores the possibility of turning your life around by making some minor changes, by being opening to opportunities and by trying to overcome our inner pessimists.

Luke Craven is a “glass-half-empty” kind of guy. This is something we learn right from the beginning of the story [even from the book] and are reminded throughout the entire story. You can probably guess from the blurb and just from this characteristic of the main character what this book will be about. And most-likely you’ll be right.

Luke runs his own hairdresser / barber shop for many years now. He works alone. He doesn’t have many friends. He lives alone with his cat. And he doesn’t hide his negative emotions towards the world and other people. Basically, he is not a nice person to be around.
Until one faithful day, when his life is put at risk and he finally sees the need to change. Maybe this need didn’t come naturally to him and started out as an honorable thing to do for someone else, but slowly Luke starts to see the importance of doing good, of being nice and helpful to the people around him.

Following Luke’s transformation was pure joy. Even though he started off as rude and unpleasant, in just a couple of pages I was routing for him, smiling and mentally encouraging his deeds.

This is predominantly a slice of life kind of book, with little sub-plots here and there, but all of the author’s attention is on Luke. Even the side characters are there only to help us see Luke’s various facets and to help him through his journey.

As much as I loved the story and message it conveyed, I couldn’t close my eyes to somewhat slow and repetitive writing. I feel like this book needed slightly more editing. The dialogues felt more like an exchange of monologues and the conversations felt too… (I can’t believe I’m going to say this)... polite.

I’m usually the one who cringes from swear words in books, so saying that I found the book “flawed” because it was too polite doesn’t feel right. But that’s exactly what it was! Noone in real life speaks like the characters in this book. If only the conversations were a little bit more polished, they would have felt more real as well which would have added so much more enjoyment from reading «How to Save a Life»!

I will always have a soft spot for the stories that make me want to be and do better. I don’t think this is the best character-driven book I’ve ever read. However, it’s so uplifting that I will make sure to recommend it to everyone, especially during these hard times. We all need a little bit of kindness in our lives right now. And I’m sure this book will inspire many of us to start the change within ourselves and extend the hand of friendship and support to a person in need.

Luke isn't exactly the most positive of people, he could be described as miserable, grumpy or even a glass half empty kind of guy, but he gets by - he's had his fare share of trauma in his life and wears it like a badge. One evening during a horrific storm, a stranger saves his life in a moment of her kindness when he was frozen. Luke feels like he has been given another chance at life, why did he survive when someone with such a bright future lost theirs? Vowing to be more positive Luke vows to turn his life around. Its not as easy as it seems.



Luke is really trying, we see him going the extra mile with neighbours, talking more to customers and generally really trying to consider others but when his acts of kindness bring another horrific even to his door - can he continue on this path or will it finally be enough for him?

"Being positive is opening your heart to the world without being afraid of potentially negative outcomes. It's choosing hope rather than fear. It's opting to live i the now, rather than the problems of the past or the fears of the future."

I really really enjoyed this. It was heart warming and heart wrenching in equal measure, it was kind, it was sad and it was honest. It took someone like Luke who was unhappy, miserable and needed a bit of guidance and showed him that some blue sky thinking could change a life. It could make his life better, but only if he is committed to it. I felt Luke was a really complex character and we get to discover everything that has shaped him gradually. It gives the reader such a clear understanding of him.



I felt this book tackled alot of issues and it did it in a beautifully written way from the homeless, to handling grief - it was all dealt with in a sensitive manner. It teaches us as the reader to take a brighter look at life, how a little thing can make a big difference and most of all. It isnt that easy when your struggling but thats okay too.



I really felt like this book took me on an emotional journey and it was a roller coaster ride, i felt emotionally invested in it and i really cared for Luke despite his grisly nature. He was supported by a lovely surrounding cast of characters that had their own issues, problems and situations they were dealing with.



This was a wonderfully delicate read that sometimes made me smile, sometimes made me want to hug it but most of all, it made me consider positivity . Thank you for the e-arc for the blog tour, it hasnt impacted my review.

Luke Craven is more of ‘a cup half empty’ than ‘a cup half full’ sort of man. Life hasn’t been kind to him at the very beginning of this story and thrown him a series of ‘curve balls’. He detests his neighbours and tries to avoid them at all costs, has no time for socialising, has rowed with his cousin so fiercely that they are estranged and does not do chit-chat with the customers in his Barbers Shop. He doesn’t mix with the owners of other businesses in the same street as his or with casual acquaintances or jolly passers-by. In fact he is short-tempered and often rudely retorts quick fire conversation stoppers to people who just plain get on his nerves. He is actually really unpleasant and down on his luck. He hasn’t got any happiness or joy in his life except for his little tom-cat companion.
One day a total stranger sheltering beside him under a scaffolding awning in stormy, inclement weather saves his life in a freak accident. Her heroism and caring nature actually cost her own life and this totally shames him. He thinks about how friendly and kind she had been to him, even on her death-bed. He feels humbled and he resolves to try to emulate her empathy and do something that he can pay her back with, although she will never even know about it. She had everything to live for and she was destined to a life of helping others, both as a doctor and as a volunteer abroad. He would figuratively make goodness in her name. So begins his life of becoming ‘a cup half full man’, someone who can be proud of his contribution to society. He was a really rich character and, even though he made errors of judgement, dangerous ones, I personally felt proud of him and I knew that Iris, the young lady who saved his life, would also have loved and admired him if she had lived.
This story is wonderfully life-affirming and a real joy to read. I loved having a man as the main character and I enjoyed every page of this beautiful new novel. So much so that I have already explored S.D.Robertson’s back catalogue of four more novels that I am sure will all enrich my reading. In fact I have another downloaded to read already! The author has a background of journalism and his writing is very high quality, full of empathy and compassion. He has created lots of lovely characters in this story, characters I admired and cared about, as well as other less savoury characters. There always has to be an odious, threatening character, as in life itself! But most of all his storyboard was unique; he paced his story wisely and kept some very interesting aspects of his story until the very moment that was best to reveal them. I am so impressed with this novel and cannot praise it enough.
I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Avon, sent in return for an honest review. Thank you so much for my copy. I’m so lucky to have been sent a copy to read for review. These are my own thoughts and I have read no other reviews before writing my own. I loved it and hope that my review will introduce some avid readers to a new author and that they will also recommend this novel to others.

After a terrific beginning with vivid, compelling premise, this promising story veered firmly and stubbornly into trite, formulaic, and exhausted. I read to the end for two reasons: I wanted to see if the author regained their narrative strength and I wanted to see how several intriguing subplots were resolved. Neither one occurred. For the entire novel, I presumed that I was reading the work of a talented-enough, earnest twenty-something young woman with a huge heart and enormous social conscience, comfortable with dropping into the prototypical "romance" novel of thinking/agonizing/wailing/wondering/dreading/doubting/ad infinitum boring. That's the last half or three-quarters of the book, the thinking and agonizing and the swift easy resolution of those fascinating subplots (the one that staggered me the worst was a blithe "I guess I'll never know" with respect to complex, unique dreams). *sigh!* I hate going on about this, but I can't help myself. There are lovely gems of phrase and vivid characters, but those occasional sparkles are not enough to save this story. Great premise, indifferent, flat and aggravating execution.

This story is about Luke who owns and single handedly runs a barbershop. Luke is a very pessimistic person. We find out later on why this is. One day Luke is walking home from work when there is a bad storm. He takes shelter under some scaffolding where a woman is also sheltering. The scaffolding is not secure and the woman pushes Luke out of the way. In doing so she saves his life. This sparks a change in Luke and he decides to change his life for the better.

I did enjoy this book overall but I felt that Luke was portrayed as a much older man than he was supposed to be.. I thought that incorporating Luke’s dreams into the story was really clever. I had a lot of sympathy for Luke. The ending was too predictable for my liking.

When Iris pushes Luke out of the way of falling scaffolding- everything changes. He's had a really rough go and is in the pits, not so much living as existing. Her selfless act, however, makes him rethink his life and he realizes that he has to wake up. It's not this easy, really, to deal with depression but Robertson has written the sort of novel that argues for kindness. Paying it forward means more than dropping extra change at the cash register; Luke slowly comes around to the realization that he to act. Thanks to Netgalley fo the ARC. This was a good read in the midst of the current troubles but its positivity will resonate whenever you pick it up.

Absolutely a perfect read in this pandemic season. It offers a really important lesson at choosing positivity instead of negativity as the way to move through life. Wonderful characters who choose to make a difference in the life of the homeless. Loved this book!

This is such a different read ,Luke is a hairdresser ,a bit grumpy with a very pessimistic attitude but he gets through life though it is a lonely one .Then his life is saved one night in a freak accident by Iris and he decides to change his life and turn it around because of her.This is a heartwarming story that is full of hope.There are some brilliant characters and I enjoyed this book very much .Many Thanks to the Publishers the Author and NetGalley for my preview copy in return for an honest review .

A feel good book about a guy down on his luck who seems to get a second chance at life! Heartwarming with lovable characters who really make the story great!
Luke is a glass half empty kind of guy, looking down on others and just plain miserable after losing his parents and getting divorced in the same short span. It doesn’t matter that it has been several years since those events, he still hasn’t gotten over it. This all changes the day of his brief meeting with Iris. Standing under scaffolding, waiting out a storm, the two strangers strike up a conversation but then tragedy strikes and the scaffolding comes down and Iris pushes Luke out of the danger and herself into it. Luke has no idea why he was the one who survived instead of the kind hearted doctor who everyone loved. He goes to her funeral and finds himself so overwhelmed that he vows to lead a better life and honor the woman whose life was lost!
Luke makes several new friends along the way who help him see a different side of life and change that half empty glass into a full one while helping others!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

An absolutely heart warming and inspirational read, a very happy read, despite death and depression being a major part of this very thought provoking book. It is lovely to have a male lead character, who is not a person that you can immediately warm to.
Luke is a hairdresser, 40 years old, who is a grumpy sod, and carries a great deal of emotional baggage. His parents are dead, he is divorced, and he had a quarrel with a family member that he used to get on with.
Walking home one night, in a storm, he takes shelter under some scaffolding on a building with a young woman. The wind strength increases, and there is an accident, he and this woman end up underneath the metalwork, both badly injured. Through this misfortune, Luke gradually starts thinking of others, and being a more content person, as he realises that he has been given a second chance to turn his life around and make a difference, not only for his own well being, but for others in society, that are neglected and need a hand up, rather than a hand out.There are lovely interesting and compelling characters, and they challenge perceptions and values that have been instilled from childhood, a happy life, or disappointments. Part social commentary and part ghost story, this looks at homelessness and focuses upon dignity and kindness, and how the aim should be to support, not denigrate and humiliate those more unfortunate.
I loved the character of Rita,, she is a real tour de force, so full of energy and no wonder Luke feels comfortable with her. It’s like having his mother back, he feels safe. Meg, his cousin, is very supportive, once their quarrel has been acknowledged and sorted out. This story is full of hope and positivity, life isn’t plain sailing, and the average person gets knock backs, but learns how to survive.
Well researched and so positive, the perfect book for the COVID-19 crisis. Things will get better, you must try to find the hopeful person inside. I will leave reviews later. Thank you for such a thought provoking read.

This is a completely unexpected treasure. As we set off on our journey with Luke, I was not sure I liked the style, or indeed the character, in this book. The dialogue and explanations of Luke’s inner voice seemed over simplistic and somewhat unsophisticated: we join him as he is closing up his (cheap as chips type) barber shop and makes his way home through the inclement weather. Then alarmingly his life is in danger, he survives but only due to a stranger’s bravery – a doctor – and she saved his life at the cost of her own.

Slowly we learn that Luke’s life has fallen apart over the past few years, first the death of his parents and then the end of his marriage. However, the death of Iris, the doctor, has led Luke to examine his own life and his negative viewpoint and he determines to be more positive.

What follows is very uplifting. The simplistic revelations of the plot are a device that manages to conceal the huge changes that Luke is undergoing. Changes that have dramatic impact for him, his friends and acquaintances, and the growth of a more positive attitude, demeanour and a return to Luke’s engagement with the wider world and Society.

Top notch tale bursting with optimism and a salutary tale in this Covid19 lockdown days. Think positive and be kind.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

He goes through a long battle with himself and goes through more than anyone could imagine but he is a fighter although he wouldn't admit it himself! All in all a great read and I would recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy for my honest review (less)
flagLike · comment · see review

I loved this book. It follows the main character Luke - a barber who tends to be pessimistic about life and has had a few tragedies in his past to deal with. He is saved during an accident by a stranger who passes away from her injuries. Attending her funeral Luke comes to understand the person she was and the importance she played in so many peoples lives. He decides then to embrace his second chance at life and live his life as fully as possible no matter what life throws at him. As we follow Luke's journey it provokes questions of can he keep being this going especially when things get difficult,
It made me think - is it possible for one moment to change your life? and if you make those changes whose life would it impact?
This book for me was about strength and resolve and the importance of love. There were lots of characters I love and it was a life-affirming, heart warming and emotional read.
I would recommend this book, it is not an author I have come across before but I will be looking out for more books.
I gave this book 3.5/5 and many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This was an interesting story, how does one come back from the experience that Luke had? Being a pessimist, Luke looks at life as the glass is half empty until he experiences situations that would affect anyone. I enjoyed how he re-discovered the meaning of life and those around him. I have since added more of his books to my TBR pile.

📚Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC📚

I have read all books by this author, all different and enjoyed them all. This was a heartwarming story, beautifully written with good descriptive characters.

I can thoroughly recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book, as soon as I started reading it I was attracted by two facts. 1 - that it was written with a male main character and 2 - that it was set in Manchester, the Northern Quarter to be precise. I can’t think of many other books I’ve read that have a male lead so this was interesting to me straight away. When I discovered the setting it was another reason why I had to read the book.

I could picture the scenes and events of the book from recollections of streets that I’ve actually walked down myself. I’ve even had my hair cut in the northern quarter albeit it not from a local barbers!

The story takes you through the ups and downs of Luke’s life and although I couldn’t directly relate to any of the issues he faced, I felt like I wanted to know what was happening. There are a few quite vivid scenes which I think the author writes about so well. You get the seriousness of them but don’t feel too grossed out.

I also really liked the inclusion of the homeless community in this story, a subject a lot of people would avoid but it actually makes you open your eyes to the things happening around us.

Really enjoyed reading this book, it wasn’t what i expected on the tin but I’m glad I read it and will seek out more books by S.D. Robertson in the future.