This is a really good read. Sad in places and happy in others it tells the story of Jude and Ella. It is beautifully told and a pleasure to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book showed great representation of identity and loss. I would recommend even though at times I got a little confused with the plot

Never have ten little words ever held such powerful meaning, at least not for the characters in this heartbreaking drama.
I am always with you. I will always be here. Those are the words that little Ella’s mum Jude used to whisper to her before deciding to abandon her daughter and drown herself at sea. Such a desperate act has defined Ella’s life so that growing up into adulthood those words are a constant refrain, an echo of a past she cannot leave behind.
Shunning family life with aunt Carolyn, relationships and friendships, Ella prefers to live a self contained life, with just her cat Dolby for company, yet she has remained in Hastings, the seaside town which is where it all began. For Ella has never come to terms with her mother’s death, instead believing somehow, someday Jude will return. When Ella reads a classified ad in a newspaper containing those same ten words she instantly believes this has to be a sign, a slim possibility that her mother is still alive. With the mystery gathering momentum, reading through a box of unopened letters addressed to Jude is what propels Ella on a journey towards the truth surrounding this tragedy. Taking herself out of her comfort zone and away from her job at the Musical museum, Ella travels to Edinburgh where Bertie, Jude’s one true love, lives, determined that this is the starting point for her long held questions to finally be answered.

It’s Ella’s search for her mother that provides the main focus for this novel with a timeline alternating between the present and Jude’s past. I couldn’t understand why Ella harbours such resentment towards her aunt Carolyn but having been abandoned at such a young age I suppose it’s inevitable Ella would have issues with allowing herself to be truly loved. Unfortunately she does come across as terribly self pitying so rather than feel sympathy for her I mostly felt exasperation. She’s a character completely in denial, pretending that she’s fine living in a shell but being in a situation whereby you’re unsure if your mother definitely drowned or deliberately walked away to begin a new life somewhere else can’t be easy. I’m not sure which of these scenarios is worse, hence why up to a point I felt Ella had every right to feel such hurt and anger. Except I felt her anger was misdirected so letting these feelings fester for thirty years means she’s missed out on so much potential happiness. I couldn’t help but feel sad for a character so terrified to move on from her past yet her self pitying became too repetitive for my liking. Thats not to say I didn’t feel incredible anger towards Jude for abandoning people who clearly loved her and can’t imagining committing such a selfish act.

I much preferred reading about Jude’s past life if I’m honest. Her ambition to become a recognised successful singer in London rather than confining herself to singing in the pubs of Hastings showed a driven character with more spirit than Ella seemed to possess. Her chance meeting along the promenade with Bertie and brother Frank ultimately leads her life in another direction, seizing an opportunity to settle into a life in Edinburgh with her adoring man. These two are like chalk and cheese and whilst opposites attract I had no doubt their own love story was doomed from the beginning. Bertie is such a true gent and probably my favourite character and I loved the musical aspect to this storyline.

There’s plenty of emotion is this drama to potentially tug at the heartstrings yet I thought it tended towards the melodramatic and left me dry eyed rather than reaching for the tissues. I wanted to be moved to tears by this story but for reasons I can’t pinpoint that didn’t happen. Tackling such serious topics as suicide, abandonment and Alzheimer’s should provide plenty of reasons to make the reader a blubbering mess because there’s no doubt the storyline is overwhelmingly sad. I thought the ending suffered from being too transparent and predictable. Uncovering secrets and lies that have multiplied over thirty years revealed a tragic waste of at least four lives which could have so easily been avoided.
This was my first time reading a book by this author and although I wasn’t bowled over, neither did I completely dislike it. All in all Ten Little Words was likeable enough. It just didn’t set my world alight but of course you may beg to differ. My actual rating is 3.5 stars!!!!!
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC.

I loved this novel, the characters were charming and a fantastic plot. A easy read to relax to. I will definitely be recommending this author to others.

‘I am always with you. I will always be here.’ The promise Jude Morgan repeated to her five-year-old daughter, Ella, before disappearing, leaving Ella to be brought up by her Aunt Carolyn. Ten Little Words by Leah Mercer is a family drama with a mystery at its centre, although it’s fair to say I guessed the ending quite early on. This didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel, although at times I found Ella’s impulsive actions puzzling, as at the beginning of the novel she is portrayed as a loner, content with her own company. This is a gentle read, following characters filled with pain who must reach out to find happiness.

CAn ten words bring Ella to live again? Since her mother left when she was five years old, Ella is been hiding from the world, not really living, not loving even drifting away from her aunt. But when she sees an ad in The Post with the ten word her mother always said to her she stars wondering if she is really dead or if her mother will be alive. Ella will star a journey to find her while finding herself in the process. A wonderful story about love, family, forgiviness and so much more.

Although this was a bit slow going I appreciate the storyline and pleased with the way it ended. The story builds through Ella, in current time, and Jade, from about twenty until Ella’s birth. One event in Jade’s life changed her course forever, causing her to make tough decisions she thought were good for her daughter. I mentioned the book moving slowly but at about 80% I couldn’t put it down, we were finally getting answers and emotions. Ella has been like a robot moving through the motions of life until she spots something in the classifieds that makes her question everything. I’ve read Mercer’s books before and enjoyed them, even if this was not a favorite I will continue to read her works. My copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley, review offered voluntarily.

Ella had believed her mother Jude was dead. But hen ahe read a newspaper advertisement saying the same ten words her mother used to say to her, she wonders if her mother is still alive. Her aunt gives her a box of belongings and a man that holds the key to the answers Ella is searching for.

For reasons I couldn't quite put my finger on, I couldn't take to Ella. She was just five when her mother walked out on her. Ella has shut most of the people out of her life. The story moves at a slow pace. The story is told from Ella and Jude's point of view. It's emotional and angsty. It's a bit predictable in places but overall it's an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing Group Uk and the author Leah Mercer for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What happened when Ella was five? Did her mother Jude really die or did she just disappear? Told in dual time line- Jude's story in the 1980s and Ella's as an adult questioning all she's known- it's a story about a woman coming to terms with her life. Ella's never connected with anyone, not with her aunt, not with her colleagues, not with a man. Is this because her mother left her (however it happened)? That's the constant refrain in her head. The publication of an ad in a local paper with the words her mother always said to her sets her off on a quest. Jude, on the other hand, heads down a rabbit hole of sorts. There aren't many surprises here (I guessed what happened and why) but it's a well done character driven read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

There were so many things I liked about this book, but it still didn’t Wow me. I liked the characters, but I think the pace got me down, it just moved so slow, without much happening. I just wanted to tell everyone, “come on, time to move this along”.
I think my sympathies went out to Carolyn, Jude’s sister and Ella’s aunt. This poor woman just tried to take care of Jude, after their parents died, but Jude was just self centered and horrible to the one person left in her life. When Jude runs off and disappears, leaving 5 year old Ella with only Carolyn to care for her, history repeats itself. Ella walls herself off and denies Carolyn the love the child she has never been able to have herself, rejecting her and her husband Rob, as she mourns the mother she lost.
Ella is a broken child, unable to make friends or connect with anyone. Having been told her father died early on, and she is unable to bond with anyone.
This is a story of profound sadness, loss, disappointment and estrangement. There is barely a feel good moment until Ella meets Bernie, her mother’s one time fiancé, who she also abandoned and his caring neighbor Angus. Bernie has never been able to get over losing Jude, as the letters that Ella found reveal.
It’s hard to imagine that anything could have been resolved in this sad tale, but Leah Mercer manages to pull it all together into a neat little ending. As in her other books, that I have also read, her character development is well done, however complicated. Her descriptions of the England seaside was lovely as well.
This is a good vacation read and I thank #Amazon and #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own. I enjoyed the journey.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Ten Little Words’ by Leah Mercer in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thirty years ago Jude walked into the sea at Hastings and was presumed drowned although her body was never found, leaving behind five-year-old Ella to be taken care of by her sister Carolyn. Ella comes across a small boxed advert in The Post which reads “I am always with you. I will always be here” but has no contact details. It unsettles her as she’s never known whether her mother is alive or dead and she decides it’s time to find out the truth.

The story of ‘Ten Little Words’ is told through two perspectives, Jude who in 1980 is an aspiring singer and longs to go to London, and her daughter Ella who’s never given up the hope that her mother’s still alive. It’s an enjoyable book with pleasing characters and an interesting plot and although the ending is a bit predictable it hasn’t detracted from my enjoyment of the book, the ending of which has left me feeling happy with the outcome.

A truly emotional heart rending story of family drama’s and above all love.the main characters Jude, Ella, Carolyn and Bertie were really well described and I felt as if I knew them all, along with their little foibles. I thought that the dual aspect of the story telling Jude’s side as she grew up and Ella’s from when her mother left her. The duality merged nicely into one by the end. It could be said to be a little trite at the end by some but I felt that it brought closure in a beautiful tear jerking way.
Great read and should be tops on the summer reading list of many as it is a nice heart warming story.

Enjoyable read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

For some reason the title of this book put me off slightly but I read it anyway and I am SO glad that I did.
I loved the two different storylines and the way they were entwined and really enjoyed the way Ella's and Jude's stories evolved.
This is the first of Leah Mercers books that I have read and I look forward to reading her others.
Loved this book!

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In "Ten Little Words", the main characters are Ella and her mother Jude. The story is told from both perspectives: Ella's present and Jude's past. Ella lost Jude at a young age, but when she sees a ten word phrase printed in the newspaper that was only said between her and her mother, Ella begins to question everything. Could her mother be alive? If she is, why did she abandon Ella?

I am sad to say that I did not enjoy this book. It was extremely depressing. Maybe it's because we are in the middle of a pandemic and something this deep is difficult to process during these times. Jude's character reminded me very much of Daisy from "Daisy Jones and the Six". In my opinion she was downright selfish and not very likeable. Ella wasn't much different because of the walls she built up from her childhood trauma. I found myself reading the book in big chunks, but then dreading to pick it up again due to the depressing plot and unlikable characters. I would give this book a 2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Ella's mother Jude whispers the same ten words to her every night at bedtime. When Jude walks into the sea one night, and never returns, Ella's world is turned upside down. Thirty years later, seeing those ten words in a classified ad takes her on a journey of self discovery, and to find out if her mother could really be alive.

I felt that this story dragged on. Ella spent a lot of time blocking everyone out so she couldn't be hurt again. The first half of the book plodded on far too long. While i liked the different perspectives of Ella and Jude, the story itself was highly predictable and a little too Hallmark movie perfect for my tastes.

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

"I am always with you. I will always be here"

These ten words 5 year old Ella's mum, Jude would say to her each night at bedtime. That is until one day when her mother walked into the sea, never to be seen or heard from again, leaving Ella to be brought up by her aunt, Carolyn.
Now 30 years later those very same ten words have appeared in the announcements of a national newspaper, on her mother's birthday no less.
This pushes Ella to delve into her mother's past, to find out what really happened, what made her mother walk into the sea that day.

Ten little words by Leah Mercer is an enjoyable book, with dual perspective, across alternating chapters, making it a very easy read. The time difference between Jude and Ella's points of view, works well and the storyline very heartfelt.
I went through all the emotions with this book, I loved reading it so much.

5/5 Would definitely recommend.

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my review. I wish to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read & review this book.

This book wasn't really what I was expecting. The beginning was a bit of an emotional punch, and I both wanted to see what happened next, and was afraid to read more. I felt like some parts of the book really went fast, kept the pages turning. But then it would slow down and I'd consider not finishing it. Not really a good balance. But I';m also not really a fan of books told from various POV's and time lines, as this was, because it can be confusing. And, for regular readers of thrillers and domestic psychology thrillers, it was a bit predictable. But not a bad read.

Review of eBook

Despondent, Jude Morgan walks into the sea, leaving her five-year-old daughter behind. Raised by Jude’s sister and her husband, Ella finally relinquishes her belief that her mother will return one day.

But ten little words in a cryptic classified advertisement throw her life into uncertainty. Is it possible that her mother is still alive? Determined to find an answer, Ella sets out on a trail of discovery that promises to change everything she believes.

Told alternately by mother and daughter, the unfolding story juxtaposes Ella’s present with Jude’s past as it reveals the effects of life’s vicissitudes on each of the women. Filled with emotion and angst, the story keeps the reader involved as it explores how a family, caught in the turmoil of grief and loss, deals with the consequences of the choices and decisions they’ve made.

Nuanced, believable characters populate the narrative, but readers will find little suspense in the telling of the tale. Unfortunately, the narrative’s denouement seems to fall into place far too easily to feel credible. Although readers may find Jude’s rationale for her actions rather insubstantial, it is important to note that the larger story is in the relationship between characters and in the ways in which lives are touched by trauma, betrayal, resentment, trust, hope, and love.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley

<i>I am always with you. I will always be here.</i>

Those are the ten little words spoken by Jude before she walked into the ocean and never came back... Jude has been declared dead, but her 5-year-old daughter, Ella, never believed it. How could her mother leave her? Didn't she whisper those ten little words and promise to always be there? Now a 30-something-year-old woman, Ella has a job...and that's about it. She is barely living, distancing herself from her aunt Carolyn, her colleagues, and any other person in her life. No social connection. No love. No emotion, period.

Told in two interwoven storylines, Leah Mercer reveals fragments of Jude's youth as an aspiring singer while capturing Ella's inner turmoil in the present. We initially get hints of the darkness Jude was battling, in Ella's fuzzy reminiscence of her childhood, yet mostly we see her joys, dreams, and romance. So what drove her mother to abandon a helpless daughter and walk into the ocean, disappearing without another word?

Though Ella is hesitant to admit it, she has never given up hope that her mother would return. And one day, a newspaper advert appears with those ten little words, renewing her hope that her mother is still alive after all. With languorous prose and heavily used metaphors, Mercer explores the internal battle waged within. Ella must confront herself and the unanswered questions about her mother. Mired with the whole gamut of emotions—bitterness, sadness, anger—<i>Ten Little Words</i> can get a little repetitive in its introspection and indecision. I started disliking the alarming rate at which Ella vacillates between wanting to track down her mother and not doing. Nearly every chapter, Ella claims that she is "done" chasing Jude, and by the umpteenth time, I just stopped believing her. Though I could understand the motives of Jude, I had much less sympathy for Ella, who steadfastly treated the loving aunt who raised her coldly and heartlessly.

As for the payoff, the ending felt inevitable and cliched, unable to redeem the many pages of internal struggle. One of my greatest pet peeves is when a story is constructed almost entirely of huge misunderstandings, and unfortunately, that is the biggest blemish on <i>Ten Little Words</i>. To read a whole book and predict the ending, with characters that never fully manage to break away from two-dimensional molds, leaves a disappointing taste in my mouth.