I just love reading Amanda Prowse's books. "The Day She Came Back" was an excellent story, told in a gentle, emotional, and relatable voice. Victoria, graduating college, being raised by her lovely grandmother, suddenly encounters life altering surprises (more like "shocks"). I really enjoyed this novel, and as always, adore Amanda Prowse's resolutions. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for the reader edition for review. All opinions are my own.

A compelling story with many emotions.

Victoria has been raised by her dear Grandmother who passes away unexpectedly one day. Faced with the harsh reality of being all alone in life, Victoria goes through the steps of planning the funeral and greeting mourners. One mourner catches her eye, and then shocks her by revealing that she is actually Victoria's mother. A web unravels from this point - what happened to her? Why was Victoria told that her mother was dead? Is there any chance to repair the relationship and forge ahead?

This book was so good, I don’t know what took me so long to read it! Right from the start I could not put this book down. This is a beautiful story about a young woman trying to find her place in the world. I loved the plot, the characters, the whole story. If you’re looking for a feel good book to read, I recommend this one!

When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient—she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim’s funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead. As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth. To live a full and happy life, Victoria knows she must not only uncover the truth, but find a way to forgive her family. But after so many years, is trusting them even possible?

I have to be honest and say I did not think I would like this and as a result put off reading it for a while. Well how wrong was I! Prowse has written a really beautiful family story, it is simple but maybe that is the joy of it, pure simplicity leading to very real emotions. A read such as this needs very strong characters and Victoria is definitely strong. I liked her very quickly and wanted to follow her story. Victoria is not the only strong character; Primrose and Sarah are equally strong and I loved getting to know all of them and their story.

I think the plot description gives a clear idea what the read is going to be about but what it cannot capture are the very real, human emotions at the heart of this read. Prowse writes about some very sensitive subjects and does so with great care whilst ensuring they add to the story. I found myself swept away and experiencing every extreme emotion the characters go through. I laughed, cried and fell in love. This is story telling at its best.

'The Day She Came Back' is a very strong yet emotional read about a family. This is full of hurt, anger but most of all love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book. I thought the storyline was engaging and I wanted to see how it worked. Very good. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion

The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse is a tale of familial love, fear, coping with grief, and how one must understand the intention behind a lie told by a loved one. The protagonist is an 18-year old Victoria who, on her grandmother's funeral, finds out that her mother is very much alive, and not dead as she was told throughout her childhood by her now dead grandmother. The story then revolves around how Victoria overcomes the emotional burden of such a lie, and how she goes on to make peace with her estranged mother.

The familial relationship between the three generation of women is depicted beautifully. The rebellious nature of the teenager protagonist under dire circumstances, and then her coming around to make amends for her unruly behavior, make for a natural read.

With an interesting and a well-paced storyline, the book makes for a satisfying read, and leaves me craving for more works by the author.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Recommended.

This book left me feeling very nostalgic. A wonderful story that captured every single emotion.. One I'll definitely be recommending to my family and friends

When She Came Back by Amanda Prowse, explores the complex relationship between parent and child, specifically mother/daughter. Eighteen year old Victoria has lived with her grandmother her whole life, taken in after her mother continued to abuse drugs. Victoria grew up awkward and shy, with just one good friend from school and her grandmother to keep her company. After graduating high school, she and her friend planned to see the world a bit before moving on with their goals. However, her plans radically change when her grandmother unexpectedly passes away and her mother appears at the funeral.

Though the grandmother and mother made irrevocable decisions that impact Victoria in ways they did not imagine, Victoria ultimately realizes that trust and forgiveness may be the way to her finding resolution with her past and creating a worthwhile future. With complex relationships and unexpected situations, Prowse keeps the story moving toward a meaningful resolution. A compelling read that also will be good for discussions and book clubs.

(I received an early copy of this book though NetGalley and have written an objective review)

I adored Anna and Theo and read them back to back so was THRILLED to read this new book from one of my go-to writers. Amanda Prowse is an author I turn to when I want to bury myself in a story and this book delivered in that cosy, compelling way of hers. I was lost in her writing about Victoria and Daksha about to embark on their gap year. The journey is filled with family secrets, heartache and lesson to be learned. It turns into an emotional and heartbreaking journey for our young character Victoria who we grow so attached to while reading this book. What a great read. Thank you for this book NetGalley. Review also posted on Amazon, Facebook and Goodreads.

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.

It was an ok book. But it wasn´t for me. I thought I would find some mystery in the book. Maybe because of the cover or the blur but when I read the book I discovered it wasn´t for me.

It´s about a normal girl, Victoria, living with her grandmother, Primrose. She thought her mum was dead but when the granma passes away she discovers her mum is alive.

The book mainly is about Victoria coming to terms with the feeling of having a mum. The mum that she´s missed so many times, during Christmas time, birthday celebrations and all the important events in her life and being able to forgive her grandmother because, after all, she knew that her mum was alive.

The ending was ok but , as I said, no mystery whatsoever.

The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse

When her grandmother, Primrose, passed away, Victoria is bereft, but she has survived tragedy before. How do you forgive the family that lied to you?




This book was not my usual genre. Was a very emotional and sad book. It didn’t really appeal to me.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

I absolutely adore this authors writing. Reading her stories I love to grab my favourite drink, sit in my reading chair and get lost in her words. The Day She Came Back is another awesome read from this talented author. I’m not gonna go into the storyline.

I do believe you need to jump into this blind. The story is told in such a way you can imagine watching it on the tv. I felt as if I was on this emotional journey with Victoria.

Well done to the author on another amazing story

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this novel. Victoria is an 18 year young woman who has lived with her Grandmother Primrose, since she was a baby. A self admitted math nerd, Victoria is happily planning a backpacking trip through the Far East with her best friend Daksha, when her world is turned upside down, and her life will never be the same. Long held family secrets are revealed forcing Victoria to re-examine everything she thought was true about her life and family. The author perfectly captures the inner monologue of an 18 year old girl who is unsure of her place in the world. The characters are well written and I could clearly see them while reading the book. Would definitely recommend.

This was a beautifully rendered story. It is about love, loss, betrayal, secrets, family, and finding oneself. The characters were very realistic and memorable. I couldn’t stop reading.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I submitted my initial review before I had finished reading this book, excited about my initial reaction, and now I need to revise and update my review. This was my first Amanda Prowse book. Thank you so much for offering the book on NetGalley because I'm pleased to discover this writer's work!.

This was overall a compelling novel with an interesting premise. At first I was intrigued! The characters are complex, kept me interested and for the most part are believable. My heart went out to Victoria and I found her journey poignant, but at the same time I got frustrated because there was a lot of repetition with her thinking the same things over and over again about how she’s been lied to. This got tedious and I ended up skimming parts of the book. I ultimately don’t believe that her mother would have never contacted her all this time no matter what deal she made with her mother. And why was the grandmother 84 years old, when Victoria was 18 and her mother Sarah gave birth at 21?. There was one line that said Prim took a long time to conceive Sarah but even so, I did the math and Prim would’ve had to be 45 years old when her daughter Sarah was born which is pretty unrealistic. Again thank you for the chance to read the book.

What began as an interesting novel quickly turned into an After School Special!

If this were a Young Adult book, I would 100% recommend with 5 stars. It flows easily and believably... However, it is written for somebody about 40 years younger than my 54!

Thank you for the opportunity.

I really enjoyed this sweet story of love and loss. Victoria, a teenager in England raised by her grandmother, discovers after her grandmothers death that her mother who she thought had died shortly after her birth, is very much alive. As you can imagine, Victoria is angry and also sad to learn they had lied to her all these years. But they had a very good reason to do so. I found this to be a wonderful story of discovery and forgiveness as mother and daughter reunite and learn about all they had missed.

Victoria had a lovely life with her grandmother Prim(rose) in an amazing house in a small English town until the day she finds Prim has passed. Victoria is left unmoored and not only has to deal with the loss of her beloved grandmother, but the reappearance of her mother who she believed was dead. The book is truly a page turner that follows how Victoria deals and grows after many changes.

Really enjoyed this book I loved the relationship between the main character and her grandmother. Highly recommend

This book was full of angst, pain, sorrow, and yet... it is also so redemptively full of love and forgiveness.

Victoria was raised by her beloved grandmother Prim who died unexpectedly. At Prim's funeral, Victoria is faced with an unexpected surprise that will upset and upend her world as she knows it.

Victoria experiences all the sorrow of loss as well as the hopefulness of a future she did not expect.

I enjoyed the writing and the story--and recommend this book!