OMG, this book is awesome. The best ever by Amanda Prowse and that is saying a lot. She’s a wonderful author and this book is pure magic. Pure poetry in it’s own way. Such a touching book. A big 10 tissue box read.

Highlights from this book:
AND JUST LIKE THAT SHE SAW THE THREAD DETACH ITSELF AND FLOAT AWAY, NO MORE THAN A HAIR ON THE BREEZE: LIKE HER, UNANCHORED AND AT THE MERCY OF THE ELMENTS TO BE CAST THIS WAY AND THAT WITHOUT CONTROL OR SAY. THE VERY THOUGHT WAS TERRIFYING. SHE CLOSED HER EYES AND LET HER HEAD FALL FORWARD, HER LIMBS NUMB, HER MIND BLANK SAVE FOR THE THUD OF A HEARTBEAT IN HER EARS AND THE SOUND OF BLOOD RUSHING THOUGH HER VIENS AND HER BREATH AS LOUD AS IF SHE WRE UNDER WATER.
‘...HATE AND RECRIMINATION ARE BIG THINGS AND IF YOU LET THEM FILL YOU UP IT BRINGS YOU THE OPPOSITE OF PEACE BECAUSE IF YOU HATE IT TAKES ALL OF YOUR ENERGY-AND THAT’S SUCH A WASTE; HOW CAN YOU LIVE LIFE WEIGHED DOWN LIKE THAT?’

This book will absolutely steal your breathe away. You won’t want to put it down for anything. It starts out strong and only increases with each page. A truly heartfelt story that will have you crying those big ugly tears that only an Amanda Prowse novel can do. This story about a grandmother, mother and daughter is in my opinion told to perfection. Just such a touching and beautiful story.

You will not want to like some of these people but you will. You will love them in fact. They will touch your heart in ways you never saw coming. This book really honestly took me on a high of the best kind. My eyes are so swollen and red from the sad and happy tears I shed while reading. The story of a girl who was raised by her grandmother. Whose mom died. But the twist of this one is one that leaves you wondering, how can anyone do that to a child? You may not understand at first. I sure didn’t. But you will. You will read the letters between mother and daughter and it will help you to face anything. You will feel both’s pain and both’s loss. A mother who gave up her daughter for her granddaughter. A mother who gave up her daughter for her mother.

I could totally understand Victoria’s pain in many ways. Wondering how her mother could have done the things she did. How she could have chosen the path she did. How a grandmother could have done this. What possessed them to lie. To create such a story for a child. The why’s are many and will be answered completely. Victoria is young and alone when she finds out that her mom is not dead but very much alive. Her whole life has been a lie. She feels so betrayed. How can anyone be so cruel?

Sarah had deep problems and her mom, Primrose, knew only one way to help her. One way that would work out the best. Sarah went on her way and eventually lived her life. To the best of her ability she did things that would help her in the long run. She didn’t give up on life. She fought to live. Prim only did what she did out of true love for both her daughter and her granddaughter. I honestly believe that.

This is a very emotional story and it’s told completely. From the beginning to the end no stone is left unturned. All of my answers plus a few more were answered. I loved how this story played out. How the ending was so perfect for everyone. The ending, before the Epilogue, was done so good. It truly was so touching. It had me bawling though. It was just one of those scenes you see that make your heart turn a few flips and you think aw yes, that is how it should be.

This is my favorite book by this author. Her books are always emotional but this one is just....

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmandaProwse, #AmazonPublishingUK for this ARC. This is my own true review.

It’s a 5 star book and the very highest recommendation ever...

Another great book by Amanda Prowse! It took me a while to become emotionally invested in the characters but they were likeable and believable from the beginning and the plot certainly kept me interested while the ‘love’ grew. And grow it did. I snivelled my way through the final third of the book, in sadness and happiness and was so sad to turn the last page.
The novel is a very thought provoking look at familial love and betrayal. How do you cope in losing the centre of your whole world and then finding out that what you thought you knew was built on a lie. The author handles it beautifully and doesn’t hold back. So often in novels there is a terrible betrayal and within two chapters all is forgiven, new circumstances are accepted and the story moves on. Not so in this case and Victoria stayed a fully developed three dimensional character throughout experiencing the whole gamut of human emotions.
I really felt for Victoria and Prowse certainly did a good job of taking me back to my own 18th year and trying to imagine being in her situation.
Her descriptive powers are always top notch. I can see Prim, both as an extraordinary young woman and as the Grandmother, growing old with style and panache. And the house? I can see it, smell the plants, feel the breeze with the French windows open.
For me the stand out stars of the novel were Gerald and Jens. I’ve noticed this before with Amanda’s novels, there are often some joyous cameos of people you’d really love to know in your own life, or who maybe remind you of people you are lucky enough to know.

The Day She Came Back is the newest book by Amanda Prowse. One hot August day, life began as normal for Victoria. She and her friend, Daksha “Daks” Joshi were going shopping and her gran, Primrose “Prim” was enjoying her tea and asking the girls to bring home some baklava. Unfortunately, it all ends tragically when she comes home and finds that Prim had died. Suddenly, Victoria’s world is turned topsy turvy and upside down. With the help of her friends and her grandmother’s friends, she gets through the first few weeks. But on the day of the funeral and mysterious woman comes and announces that she is her mother, a mother she lost had died from a drug overdose when she was a baby. At first, Victoria refuses to entertain such an idea but what if she is telling the truth? Why would Prim lie to her all those years? Angry, grieving, and shocked, Victoria struggles to trust anyone that she begins a downward spiral. Can anyone help her now? Once she learns the full story, can she trust anyone again?
The Day She Came Back is filled with very real and raw emotions from grief to shock and anger. I would expect nothing else from Ms. Prowse as her stories are very real and relatable. Imagine a day when you realize that everything you knew in life, everything you trusted, was a lie. It is heartbreaking and soul crushing and yet you must find a way back to a place of security and trust. Could you do it? When you find yourself at rock bottom, do you stay there or find a way to pull yourself back up? This is that story. Victoria must learn to find her security again, to come to terms with the life she knew with Prim and the lies she told. Although, it is not among my favorites of her books, I did enjoy it as Victoria, a young girl on the brink of adulthood is suddenly thrust into a big, cold world without a clue which way to turn. While I didn’t agree with Prim’s decision to lie to Victoria about her mother, but I understand her motivation. I highly recommend The Day She Came Back.

The Day She Came Back
is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

loved loved this book, just started reading this author and finds every book a joy to read, highly recommend it!

Amanda Prowse is one of my all time favourite authors and one of a select few who can bring out emotions that I didn’t even know were hiding in me! She completely gets female relationships and family dynamics and writes insightful books about them that every woman should read. It was my mum who actually introduced me to my first Amanda Prowse book as she is also a huge fan and I am confident that she will also enjoy The Day She Came Back as it has at its heart a mother/daughter relationship-even though it’s one that falls outside the perimeters of the expected. Victoria has always wished she had her mother to talk to but she died shortly after she was born, as did her father. She was brought up by her maternal grandmother Prim and they have a wonderful relationship but she still wishes she had her mother around when she needs that comfort and wisdom. When Prim dies, Victoria is devastated as now she has no family left but the appearance of a strange woman at Prim’s funeral is about to open up some shocking family secrets.

This is such an emotional journey for Victoria as she tries to come to terms with the fact that her mother didn’t die but is in fact very much alive and well. The sense of betrayal she feels was to be expected but there are layers to Sarahs story that have to be uncovered one at a time to get to the bottom of why Victoria was told her mother was dead. The storyline flowed well from start to finish with an addictive hook to keep the reader emotionally focused on this likeable girl and her journey to discover why she had been abandoned as a baby. I loved watching her adjust to life on her own after Prims death as she became an independent adult having to make her own judgement and decisions. Some of those decisions were bad but others showed the caring and supportive adult she was developing into. The ending was the perfect cherry on the top of the cake for me as it brought everything together in an affecting and realistic conclusion.

Whilst this is a powerful and affecting novel it is also an uplifting, life affirming read that focuses on a little talked about family dilemma. The relationship Victoria and Prim had was beautifully handled and as a grandmother myself I recognised so many little things that cemented that very special bond. Amanda Prowse has once again worked her magic on this emotive subject delivering a compelling story throughout. I loved every single page!

Amanda Prowse is a wonderful author who through her beautiful story telling manages to take you along the journey with the characters. I am never disappointed. We are first introduced to Victoria and her beloved grandmother who raised her when her mother died. Or did she? Victorias life is filled with tragedy and sorrow so when her beloved grandmother passes away she yet again has to deal with all of the emotion that comes along with mourning the death, except there is much more. She discovers secrets that rock her world and everything she knew and believed. Love, heartbreak, family secrets, trust, lies, drama and all kinds of feelings are explored and trust me you will feel each and every one of them. As I do each time I finish anything by this author I eagerly await for the next one.

This novel told a very interesting story. Victoria was raised by her grandmother. She had a wonderful life, but longed for her mother. She had been told that her mother died when she was a baby. The story unfolds and Victoria is now 18.
At this time her life changes radically. Her grandmother died and she is left alone. What transpires next sets Victoria on a brand new course.

This is my first Amanda Prowse read and I will definitely look for others. The story is captivating and the narrative brings you along a journey of love, lies, forgiveness and discovering truth.

It took me a while to get into this story. I am so glad I kept reading. This is a beautifully written story about the lives of three generations of one family and the consequences of decisions they have made. I laughed and nearly cried and got totally caught up in their world.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Oh my, another book of feels. Ms. Amanda Prowse is truly the Queen of Emotions. Her power to make every word pulse with energy made the story come alive. Absolutely amazing!!

Victoria had always been told that her mum had died due to drug overdose. She was brought up by her beloved nan, Prim, who was her world and her biggest support. One day, Prim died. Victoria’s life shattered. After the funeral, a woman approached her to speak a few words – I AM YOUR MUM!

The blurb itself evoked so many thoughts in my mind, imagining the scenario of how it would be for that eighteen-year-old to learn everything she knew was a LIE. I loved how the author showed me normality before pulling the rug off my feet. The drama started with a bang but soon became the wave of change.

Victoria was so real, I could feel her pain and betrayal. Disbelief on knowing the truth and her need to escape it all. Acceptance came slow, but when it did, it brought forth a peace to the heart. The journey of the mother and daughter to reach a point where they could form a bridge and walk together was filled with ups and downs. More downs than ups.

The characters did what they thought was right, yet the repercussions proved them wrong. But real life was like that. You could just live your best and wait for destiny to fill the rest. The author revealed every facet of Victoria, from good to bad, as she found the strength to understand the circumstances and start the process of forgiveness.

The emotions the book invoked made me search for a tissue or two. The author was brilliant in the way she directed the pace of the story. Very touching.

This was my first book by Amanda Prowse and I'm not totally sure how I want to review it. I struggled with it a bit at times (staying into it), but the fault may be totally mine. I'm more than a little distracted right now.
Having said that, the characters were interesting and the premise of the book was good. I think my main problem with the book was that Victoria was so young. It would have had more impact for me if she had been slightly older than her eighteen years and matured more while still missing her mother. I did think that the things revealed in the letters between her mother and her grandmother at the very end brought a good conclusion to the story. Extremely well done.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

This is the first book I've read by this author. Her characters are developed so well, you can feel what they are feeling. This is a fascinating, heartfelt story of Victoria, who has been raised by her grandparents her entire life. Her grandfather dies when she is 9, and at age 18, she comes home to find her dearly loved, grandmother, Primrose, who is affectionately called Prim, dead in her chair. Victoria has believed her entire life that her mother died when she was a baby, and her father died before she was born. With both of her grandparents gone, she feels totally alone, except for her best friend Daksha. The setting of this book is in England, however, Victoria travels to Norway, where a vivid description is given of this beautiful country. Without giving away a spoiler, Victoria discovers, upon the death of her grandmother, a big family secret. As she seeks answers to some life-changing questions, and comes to terms with some disturbing events, I personally felt the uncertainly and turmoil Victoria faced. This book is beautifully written and a page turner. I think the use of the "F" word and a few other words could have been eliminated, as they didn't add anything to the story. That's my personal opinion. I gave it 5 stars because of the expert writing of a fascinating story. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved The Day She Came Back! Victoria is a fantastic heroine- sympathetic and relatable, she had me cheering for her and crying with her the entire time! This was my first book by Amanda Prowse but it definitely won't be my last!!!

Following the death of Primrose her beloved grandmother, Victoria discovers that the mother she thought was dead is very much alive. Looking for answers but unable to challenge Primrose she looks to Sarah for answers. Can she forgive her family for all the lies. A journey covering pain, bereavement and addiction. Amanda Prowse never fails to deliver.

This will yank on your heart strings. Just a well told family story with its own twists and turns. Do we really know our family that well? No but discovering secrets and then facing them is the path you must take. Read this wonderful story. Happy reading!

For her entire life, after her mother’s death, 18-year old Victoria’s life revolved around her wonderful, mischievous grandmother Prim. When Prim suddenly dies, Victoria is devastated. She’s now alone in the world and totally unprepared. Or is she alone? A woman who says she is her mother enters her life and Victoria must come to reexamine her life and her future based on what she learns from her.

Through the heart wrenching examination of lies, guilt, love, re-evaluation, Victoria makes her painful journey from a naivety to maturity. I wasn’t sure how the story of a teenager would appeal to me, but the more I read, the more I realized that, while Victoria was young, a lot of what she was experiencing was applicable to anyone at any age. Not the details, but the emotions and examination. I cried along with Victoria and smiled along with her and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.

This book is a great read. I absolutely loved it!! The characters were well developed and easy to understand. This book has so much to offer.

What happens when your whole life has been a lie. Your beloved grandma and only relative suddenly dies. But she is not your only relative. How do you overcome the betrayal and the new reality.
A story of the reason why and life is not just black and white. Hard decisions, mending bridges and love.

I received an eARC of The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse from Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I gave this book 5 stars! The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse is an emotional read about struggle, family drama, love and learning to forgive. The characters were brilliant. I loved this book!

Eighteen year-old Victoria has lived with her grandmother, Prim, all her life; her mother died soon after she was born.
When Prim dies suddenly, everything changes. Victoria thinks she has no one left except her best friend, until Prim's funeral. A woman turns up at the funeral, claiming to be Victoria's mother.
Thrown into confusion, Victoria struggles to cope; she embarks on a whirlwind romance with a boy she has fancied throughout school, she alienates her best friend Daksha, she tries to find out whether the woman is telling the truth and, if so, why Prim lied to her.
Sensitively written, with interesting characters, this is, for the most part, an enjoyable read.