Evan a young widower and single dad is still trying to figure things out 2 years after the death of his wife. After his daughter finds a pair of her mum's shoes he is prompted to look through her things finding a book of letters forming his single dad's handbook. The book then follows his journey through grief to the other side and helps him find his next path. This book may me both laugh and cry and I read it within 48 hours. Having lost someone I loved this year the poignancy of the letters in the book helped me face my own feelings of loss which I felt made it special. This book is really well written and you care about Evan and Violet his little girl and are really wanting things to work out for them. The lost art of letters gives his wife a voice and makes the reader feel like they knew her. If you loved P. S I love you then this is book for you!

Lynsey James has taken the difficult journey through grief and loss and given us a delightful chance to heal with her characters, the widower Evan and his daughter, Violet. Adding in Edinburgh for location and its own glorious back drop and essence, is a wonderful element. Two years into learning to be a single dad, and seemingly failing himself, Evan runs across a book of letters his wife, Claire, wrote during her struggle with cancer. A lifeline of understanding and emotions, Evan certainly needed to hear. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A heartbreaking, but uplifting work of art. A story of love, loss, grief and moving on. I fell in love with Evan and adored Violet and her cat names. This story made my eyes fill with tears but also made me laugh out loud. It's tge first book I've read by this author but I intend on reading everything she's written if it's as amazing as this one.

Wow this book is amazing, It made me howl with laughter but also made me sob, This is the 1st Book I have read by the author and I am defiantly going to read the rest of the books the author has done .

This Book tells the story of Evan and his daughter Violet and how they are coping after the death of Claire wife to Evan and Mummy to Violet who died of cancer 2 years ago and the amazing handbook Claire left for Evan.

I loved all characters in this book and the setting of Edinburgh I have never been to Edinburgh but its on my list visit, if you loved Ps I love you or I wanted you to know Books you love this book

I would recommend everyone to read this amazing book and I read it in an evening

With thanks to Netgalley & One More chapter for the arc of this book for this honest review.

Welcome to The Single Dad’s Handbook, your comprehensive guide to life without me when I pop my clogs!

This book is so sweet, his wife, who died of cancer, wrote him a book of letters to help him. She didn't want him to crumble without her. She writes to him, he writes back.

Beautifully written it explores the taboo subject of death, grief and life after loosing a loved one. I was so moved by this book.

Yes, it's quite sad and tearful but amongst the dark there is light. There is a lot of humour so it might sound depressing, talking about death, but its more uplifting than sad. It's making me think about writing letters for my own family for when I die. Absolutely loved this book

The Single Dad's Handbook was a hit and I just loved it. I knew from the description I would fly through this book and I did. Evan lost Claire 2 years ago and comes across a Handbook she left for him to get through life without her. The characters in this book were all amazing and I fell in love with all of the. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll swoon!!!!!

A heart-warming story filled with character development struggles and some laughter along the way. The father, Evan, has an unconventional job which adds to his personality. Rather than just being a dad with an office job where some novels seem to focus. Family is a core part of the book as it focuses on Evan and Violet’s relationship and how the grow as a pair with Claire, the mother, no longer with them.

It shows the progression of not just Evan and Violet but also the people around the family who too loved Claire. We get to hear their opinions of how Evan should be doing and the typical “It’s what Claire would have wanted”. Together Claire and Evan manage to tackle events such as the first day at school, making friends, and Evan even gets to question how to love again all thanks to the book Claire left.
Lynsey James has managed to write a feel-good book where you follow the characters and hope for them to succeed. There were a few moments where I laughed out loud thanks to careful moments revealed with a turn of a page. Any sarcasm was spot on and a true reflection of human nature.
I would have liked a slightly longer ending maybe including an “adventure” but I would certainly be recommending this to others.

Thank you #Netgallery for the opportunity to read this book.

I may have a little bit of a crush on Evan!

Evan lost his wife to cancer nearly two years earlier and he's still trying to pick of the pieces along with his daughter Violet who is 5. The poor guy is struggling and its obvious how much he loved his wife and how much he loves his daughter. Claire has left him a book full of advice and by reading it he's able to start healing.

This is such a beautifully written book about grieving and starting over. Its about going through the darkest times but still coming out in the sunshine. It's a sad topic, but the book is filled with so much love and hope. One of the best reads this year.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

The Single Dad's Handbook shows the progression of Evan and his daughter Vivian after his wife Claire passes away from cancer a few years back. Evan is doing his best to maintain the household all while Vivian goes to school for the first time. During this time of transition, Evan opens up a binder his wife had made with letters addressed to him with categories for scenarios. As situations arise, Evan begins reading the letters and gets motivated to take his life back. He even enters the online dating world, plans a halloween bash and reunites with old friends. Loved watching the progression of Evan and the bond with Vivian and his best friend Hannah.

I really enjoyed this book but I felt that the Hannah character was a little underdeveloped. I found it difficult to connect with her. Other than done. Thank you so much to netgalley for the ARC.

This book serves as a reminder to truly live life and embrace the magic it contains. Claire certainly epitomized that and it truly showed in her letters. What she and Evan had was a great love and true partnership. Evan certainly did miss her but it was in his choice to truly start living again that his relationship with Violet and in turn Hannah grew to the better. A wonderful and heartwarming read.

This was a beautiful yet heartbreaking novel describing the story of a loving husband that lost his wife to a horrible disease and now has to navigate through the turbulent waters of single fatherhood, with the help of letters from his late spouse. A real tear jerker!

A well told story telling the story of Evan. His wife, the mother of his daughter died of cancer 2 years before and although he is trying to hold things togeher, it hasn't been easy. His wife, Claire, wrote a series of letters before she died and Evan refers to these .
This book is full of emotions, grief, obviously given the storyline, but there are also funny moments, frustrating times and as a reader you also experience what Evan is going through, He has a good network of people to care for him and his daughter. I liked that this book felt so truthful , that in this situation you do not always get everything right and you regress and progress whilst grieving. Little things can set you off (loved the episode with the red high heels!) .
Thank you to Net galley for a great read in exchange for an honest review .

Evan and his 5 year old daughter, Violet, are at breaking point. Evan’s wife, Claire, does two years earlier from cancer and he is muddling along. He finds a book left by Claire with her guidelines and words of love and comfort for those moments when he can’t cope. Following her advice he begins to move on and repair his relationship with Violet and be the best Daddy he can.
This was such a fun yet emotional read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Single Dad's Handbook by Lynsey James is a heartbreaking, yet ultimately uplifting, read from an author who is new to me, but one who has certainly been added to my radar.

Evan has lost his wife Claire to breast cancer, leaving him as the sole custodian of their five year old daughter, Violet. As Evan continues to struggle two years after her passing, he finds comfort in the letters that Claire has left behind, with advice not only on how to raise their growing daughter, but offering acceptance of Evan's need to move forward and find happiness again.

This is a beautiful story that will surely resonate with anyone who has ever lost the person they believed would be their forever.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC.

The single dads handbook is a touching emotional yet uplifting read! Evans wife Claire is dying from breast cancer leaving him to bring up their daughter violet on his own, so she writes a handbook of letters to cover most eventualities as she won’t be there herself!The letters are poignant, tear inducing at times but also frank and funny and provide Evan with much needed advice and guidance as he deals with his grief as a single dad, the process of grieving is never easy but Evan after a few set backs starts to live again with the help of the handbook,a dating app, his mum and friends.
A lovely read that could have been bleak and dismal but was anything but and well worth a read.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

You know it’s gonna be a five star review when you’ve read a whole book in a day!!!!

This book is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!!!!!! I loved every single page of it and Evan is my hero!

@lynseygram has created a beautiful masterpiece that is up there for me with “PS I Love You” it is just exquisite. I love how Claire has left letters for her husband to navigate him through this tricky world that is parenting and Lynsey has dealt with it in the most beautiful way. Her writing style is gorgeous and I’m frantically buying more books of hers on my kindle!!

Gorgeous, gorgeous book 💕

This was a really powerful and touching book. Your heart is already broken for Evan as you know he’s all ready experienced the loss of his wife. What follows is the story of a man, who’s barely holding on, his 5 year old is becoming more distant, his business partner doesn’t trust hi, and his friends are pushing him to date again. When he’s at his lowest he finds a book filled with letters written by his late wife...a kind of guide to survive without her, and with her help he manages to see glimpses of light again. The letters were funny and heartbreaking at the same time. You can feel the love between them and how her words are really powerful. You read a lot of books following the story of a single mum so it was really refreshing to read a story about a single dad, one that doesn’t pull any punches, is raw, real and at times painful. The author did a really good job with this tough subject. Haven’t read anything from her but will check out her books