This is a very high emotionally charged story mostly involving two women who unexpectedly become very good friends.

As they reveal more things that has happened to them in their lives and they get to know each other more the relationship cements.

It’s by no means an easy read in places as you put yourself in each woman’s lives.

I enjoyed seeing this new pregnant neighbour becoming friends with the lady next door.

The inner most secrets and revelations weren’t shocking, more upsetting and encouraging as they supported each other.

It’s a bit of a “lump in your throat” kind of read sometimes, but there’s an awful lot of caring. I took that from this book.

Talking of books, there’s a book they go by, things that spark joy, and it made me think, there are physical items, people, things in life itself that doesn’t give us joy. So what should we do?

I watched as these two lovely women started to spark joy in their lives.

One part said, you had to ‘feel’ emotions to go forward, you just can’t slam it in a cupboard (physical cupboard or metaphorically speaking) and be able to go forward.

The book gave me all the “feels” as a female.

If you like a good read about friendships, relationships, grief, pregnancies, the ups and downs of life itself with being raw. This is the book for you.

I’ve discovered I do love this authors style of writing so I want to read more by this author for sure.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Forgotten Wife’ by Emma Robinson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Shelley looks out of the window she sees her new next-door neighbours, Lara and Matt, walk up the path to their front door. Lara is pregnant, something Shelley has always dreamt of being but is unable to as she no longer has her husband Greg living with her. The two women soon meet and they gradually become friends, and as they learn about each other they open up their hearts and share their innermost secrets.

‘The Forgotten Wife’ is a beautifully thought-out and poignant story about friendship, love, loss and grief written with sensitivity and emotion, bringing a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. I like the characters of Shelley and Lara whose story is told in alternate chapters, and their experiences are so touching they made me want to laugh and cry in equal measure. Emma Robinson knows exactly how to handle the emotional subjects contained in this novel and her statement that grief doesn’t have an expiry date is spot on. I can wholeheartedly recommend this novel that finishes with a perfect ending and the feel good factor.

When I find an amazing book by an author I haven’t read before – it’s a real treat. When I find that she has a large number of books already published – even better! The Forgotten Wife is Emma’s fifth novel and it’s just beautiful. Having not read Emma’s books before I wasn’t sure of the style of the novel to begin with – as in, I was wondering if this was going in a Thriller direction or something different. Emma wrote with a lot of emotion and did this extremely well. The book covers a lot of subjects and difficult topics to address both in real life and through the written word so to achieve the handling of these in such a good way is brilliant. I won’t say too much more without giving away a lot of the book though.

Emma writes beautifully – vivid scenes, carefully constructed relationships and brilliant characters. Secrets are kept until they need to unravel and Emma paints these within the story well. This is a great choice for kick-starting your reading year with something new and different.

This is the first book I’ve read by Emma Robinson, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. At first I didn’t think Shelley and Lara were going to get along. Shelley appeared to be the type of person who liked to keep to herself, while Lara was a bit more outspoken and pretty much forced herself into Shelley’s life. But it seemed as though it worked out in each other’s favor, as they were both still healing from loses and needed someone to confide in.

Emma Robinson did a great job of leading me to believe this story was going to go in one direction, but as she began to reveal more of the secrets these characters had buried deep inside, I realized the story was going in a completely different direction. One that was full of pain and heartache and it became clear while these two women grew closer to one another that they hadn’t fully coped with their loses.

Overall, I really liked this book. The pacing of the story and manner in which pivotal scenes were revealed was done very well. I also loved the friendship that developed between Shelley and Lara and the little bit of humor that was thrown in there to take away from the dark clouds that hovered over them. I do wish there was a bit more at the end to bring the story full circle though.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3141462224

Shelley lives a predictable life, not doing much more than going to work and returning home Then a couple moves in to the house next door, Shelley isn't keen to make friends with her new neighbours, however Lara, the wife, is pregnant and lonely after having to give up work. Slowly they become friends and the two women bond whilst decluttering her spare room.

This is a quick but emotional read about friendship, kindness and life after loss.

This, once read, is probably not a book I would usually choose, its a book on how an unlikely friendship between 2 neighbours Shelley and Lara changes them both as they battle with their past and present day problems, to hint at those problems would give the story away so I wont!!

Saying that I DID enjoy it, it was a quick read but full, full to brimming tbh with emotional content and ‘situations’ but then right out of the blue ( when actually I was moaning in my head about how easy the main ‘secret’ of the book was going to be ) there was a massive change of direction and it will catch you, as it did me, unawares and it’s really clever and game changing for the book

Both Lara and Shelley are ok character wise, I think they will get empathy from all readers and their path to friendship is interesting in so much as they skirt around it then bang they are inseparable

A moving read covering many subjects that is well written and reader friendly and leaves you feeling good!

7/10
4 Stars

It was ok, but nothing spectacular. It took me a long time to connect with either character, and most of the 'twists' were a bit too obvious for me. I don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't read it again.

A great read. This book was recommended by a blogger and she was right, it is well written and had me putting it down for a few moments to think about it. The relationship between the two characters was lovely in the way it developed.

Emotional story of two women who meet when one of them moves into the house next door the
other. Thanks to the NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this excellent book.

This was a gentle, thoughtfully written book about the impact of loss and grief on a relationship and more specifically on an individual—in this case, two women who become neighbours and gradually forge a strong and genuine friendship based on their shared experiences. Emma Robinson maintains the suspense in this novel by gradually revealing the true extent of each woman's loss and the twists and turns in the story keep the reader on edge. There are some truly sensitive insights about the trauma of miscarriages and the careless way that women are often treated in this situation. This is a novel about the strength of friendship and the support one woman can give to another. My only criticism is that I found Shelley to be a very indecisive character, prone to a great deal of dithering and second-guessing every action she makes. But perhaps that's a testament to the strength of Robinson's character development. Overall I did enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Robinson and Bookouture for this ARC.

What a wonderful story. It hit all the feels, made me cry a bit, and was just generally great. I really enjoyed this one, and will be looking forward to more from Emma Robinson.

I have read a few books by Emma previously so was looking forward to this one and was not disappointed!
This is a heartwarming read about heartbreak friendship and secrets we keep!
Lara and Shelly become friends much to each other’s surprise when Lara moves in next door,as their friendship gradually develops and blossoms it becomes apparant that they both have secrets to share and both need each other’s friendship, with much emotion and tears as they declutter Shelley’s spare room they reveal their secrets and the bond of friendship grows and develops as they both go on emotional journeys towards acceptance!
Thank you net galley for this early read.

Oh wow, this was such an amazing and beautiful book!

It's often a very sad story but every cloud has a silver lining and that's why the sad tears will be replaced by happy smiles and maybe some tears as well towards the end. :)

When you meet someone new, you know very early on whether you want to become friends or not. And when there is a click, there is a click. You feel like you can open up your heart, but some things are too painful to reveal straight away.

There is a sentence in the book that says 'You have to feel in order to heal' and I never thought about it like that before, but it's most certainly true. If you let people in and you can let it all out, you feel a lot better afterwards.

Usually I am wrongfooted in thrillers or in crime stories about the identity of the culprit, but here I was a few times too about the way the author would lead us. And it left me gasping ...

Heartbreaking, heartwarming, wonderful story told by the two main characters Lara and Shelley. Keep your tissues handy. You might need to wipe a few teardrops... 

I understood every emotion and the need to build a wall around you when you grieve, but you have to take it down sometime too. 5 stars

Thank you, Emma Robinson and Bookouture

This novel is an intriguing portrait of neighbours becoming friends. Their approach is tentative when they begin to converse. Shelley is reticent, negative, not coping emotionally and is consumed with past trauma, whereas Lara is a more eager participant. Both women have past traumas which take a while to be revealed. I became immersed in the lives of these two women. It’s fascinating how Shelley and Lara eventually learn to trust, like and open up to each other. I'm not a huge fan of self-help books but grudgingly admit that "Make way for joy" had its place in this scenario. The changes and influences the friendship wrought were heartfelt. The dialogue and narrative were exceptional in opening up their reservations and advancing the fragile start to their friendship. My favourite quote from this book would be, “In order to heal, you have to feel.” This resonated with me in spite of never experiencing their problems. I think it expresses well that people may seem unfriendly and unapproachable, but there’s a reason, and they deserve a chance. It’s like the old adage that you can’t tell a book from its cover, for instance. Refreshing, food-for-thought, poignant book with REAL characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

I knew from the very beginning that this novel was going to be a brilliant read. Emma Robinson writes beautiful, vivid and interesting stories that pull on your heartstrings, and this one is a real corker. I have always awaited her new novels with excited anticipation and have never, even once, felt disappointed. In fact I would go so far as to say, her storyboards seem to be getting better and better with each poignant, thought-provoking and emotional story.
Meet Shelly, who was married to Greg for ten years before he left her. She has now retreated into herself. She so badly wants him back, but she knows they can never be a couple again, or at least only in the treasured memories she holds on to in her broken heart. She is angry, lonely and isolated. She misses him every day of her life. She is paralyzed in a time warp. Work has become her total lifeline: when she is there she thinks about other matters and her mind is taken off her brooding, lonely situation. Greg used to be her absolute soulmate; he paid all the bills and arranged every household matter. She just loved his constancy and was grateful for the way he treasured her and looked after her. At work she had respite from all the responsibility, bills and thoughts of what she should be doing. Her friends are all gone. Greg was always the sophisticated, sociable rock she depended on for everything, even her social life. Without him she is bitter, desperately unhappy and unfulfilled, left only with what ifs?
Meet Lara, who is married to Matthew and who is just moving into the house next door to Shelly. Straight away Shelly notices that she is heavily pregnant. Lara introduces herself with a cheerful smile and her big, warm personality. She is a bit like Greg in many ways; kind, friendly and a brilliant organiser. When they meet, Shelly gradually rediscovers her joy in friendship and quickly the two women build a very strong relationship. Lara is staying at home, well away from her stressful job as a solicitor. She must be careful in her late pregnancy and Matt checks up on her from his workplace multiple times a day with phone calls and texts, so she really welcomes Shelly’s friendship. She is used to being in the hub of a busy office, being kept busy and amongst friends and she too, is lonely on her own when Matt is at work. It’s a friendship both of them welcome with open arms. It was a relationship made in heaven. It was meant to be and they relished their growing mutual support.
But both of these ladies are harbouring heart-breaking secrets from the past, which still govern their present-day lives. This novel is about their friendship and how they build up trust in each other, helping them to sort out what has gone so tragically wrong with their individual lives. I fell in love with them both, becoming more and more involved in their story, so gradually unfolding. I really rooted for each of them; full of compassion, empathy and understanding. I loved their mutual support and growing love for each other and I loved the thrilling ending of the story as well. Believe me this story was absolutely stunning and so well worth reading. I drank it in and was further rewarded with each and every page.
I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Bookouture in return for an honest review. Thank you most sincerely for my copy. I recommend this novel most highly. I think it is unmissable and I know you will be very glad you read my review.

This is a new author for me, but one that I will look out for as I devoured every word and thoroughly enjoyed this amazing book!!

Shelly meets her new neighbours Lara and her husband Matt. Shelly is still coming to terms with her husband leaving her a year ago and has a spare room full of his belongings.

Shelly and Lara gradually becomes friends, they are both hiding secrets from each other and are both feeling lonely and isolated. Lara offers to help her clear Shelley’s spare room as she is heavily pregnant and feeling bored at being home all day on her own. This chore is therapeutic for the pair of them.

The book is told from Shelly and Lara’s points of view. I loved the way their secrets were slowly revealed and how how this created a strong bond between the two neighbours.

A heartwarming story about the importance of friendship and trust. For me it was an emotional journey making me both laugh and cry.

I would definitely recommend this book and author!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Emma Robinson for the opportunity to read and review this book. The Forgotten Wife was a heartwarming tale of grief that will stay with you long after you have read the last page. Neighbours Lara and Shelley have more in common than the street they live on. Both women have been through a lot lately and are grieving for love lost. Can they help each other recover. With the help of a book Making Room for Joy both women bond and find happiness and friendship.

The Forgotten Wife is a moving story about neighbors who develop a close relationship. They are supportive and help each other work through tragedies each experienced prior to their meeting. Their developing closeness and, eventually, trust that slowly began to build allowed them to share their burdens with each other. Their journey is very real and the exquisite details provided by the author gives the reader a believable glimpse into the lives
of Lara and Shelley. Thank you to NetGalley.

Wow what a twist this story has.It's such a pleasure to read a story that is fresh.The subjects dealt with are disturbing.And as a reader when your done if you don't come away with a different view on feelings concerning miscarriage and death you haven't read the book.The best part was "JOY" and I will leave that for you to discover.Believe me it's worth it!
Thank you to #Net Galley and #Bookouture for the Arc.It was a pleasure to read and review.

Shelley is lonely after her husband leaves her and when new neighbours move in next door she finds a friend in Lara.
A slow moving story of friendship and secrets.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.