I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

What a warm hug of a book - so uplifting and emotional with beautiful blossoming friendships.

The story follows Izzy, a new young mum who begins to build a budding friendship with her elderly neighbour Arthur, when he delivers a parcel to her that had been accidentally delivered to his address.

Izzy is a character that really resonates with me personally, as a new young mum who's whole life is turned upside down after the birth of her daughter Evie, and Izzy's struggle to cope with the demands of motherhood. As a mother to a 1 year old and a nearly 3 year old, this is acutely applicable to myself at the moment. Nobody is ever really honest about what to expect with parenthood, and despite my loving to be a mother, parenting is so hard, as Izzy finds too. The feeling of not feeling quite good enough, losing your identity as an individual as you try to fulfill the role of mother, wife, friend, daughter. The lack of sleep and change in emotions and feeling so alone and feeling as though you don't even have the energy to verbally communicate how you feel without feeling complete mum guilt feeling like you are betraying the love you have for your child. Izzy definitely is relatable to this and it is made even harder by feeling indirectly unsupported by her husband, by his seemingly effortless adaption to being a parent.

84 year old Arthur is a neighbour I wish I had! Everybody needs an Arthur in their life. He is such a character and I love his grumpy, abrupt and direct manner that can be misinterpreted as he is going through his own personal struggles with adapting to living alone after the death of his wife 2 years prior which has left him feeling very lonely and depressed.

Their chance encounter leads to the development of such a beautiful friendship that was such a beautiful story to read, and I was so sad when it was over.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you again for this arc.

I could see that this book was 100% about asking for help and honestly I loved that message. Both Arthur and Izzy had these wonderfully rich stories and were both as stubborn to ask for help. Although I didn't finish the book (the PND storyline was too much for my mental health currently) Its 100% a me problem and I think for the right person this book would honestly be a 5 star. I can tell that the author has a great talent and look forward to seeing what they come up with next!

From the first few chapters you could easily mistake this for a rather depressing book - we have Izzy who is struggling being a new mum, and Arthur who is ready to check out of his own life.

But as these two neighbour's orbits interlink, there os change and hope in the air, as they both without realising are helping each other massively.

It's a lovely and heartwarming story, that uplifts you, and its a book that will get you thinking.

Beautifully written, this is a story that will stay with you long after you finish it.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Found this one too much of a downer before it ever picked up... Threw a wet blanket on my enjoyment of this one, unfortunately

Lovely read with great host of characters, and emotional moments woven throughout. I loved the writing and just really liked everything about this one.

A really stunning read. I adored every page. Lovely story! Just Beautiful! Will definitely read more from this author.

I could equate with this book so we’ll - as a young mother the sleep deprivation caused by a colicky baby turned me into a zombie. More recently caring for my partner with cancer I became sleep deprived again but didn’t realise the extent until she’d passed away and I had the chance to rest but couldn’t as everything was so raw. Well written and poignant

This book resonated with me on so many levels. I remember how desperately hard I found life with a newborn - the sleep deprivation especially, and the constant crying.

Then there was Arthur's determination to remain in his own home and his horror at the thought of going into a nursing home; I had an aunt who had to, and the first home was appalling. Then there was Author's loneliness and the overwhelming grief; this describes my mum perfectly.

This story isn't a melancholy one, however. It is full of warmth and friendship and love, too, and the way the author blends the light and the dark, the happiness and the grief together onto one wonderful whole is quite remarkable.

A warming, uplifting book, and one which I was sad to finish. Any chance of a sequel?

Sadly not for me. The start was just too sad and I thought it might just make me miserable if I carried on reading so I stopped

I absolutely loved this story of community and friendship, of starting over and finding happiness. Beautifully written, heartfelt as well as heartwarming, it’s guaranteed to break your heart before putting it back together again.

Told from the dual perspectives of Izzy and Arthur, we hear the story of two individuals who are struggling. Izzy, a new mum, is struggling to come to grips with motherhood and the loss of identity that accompanies the feelings of doom she feels daily. Arthur on the other hand is struggling after the loss of his wife and is reluctant to be admitted to a care home, and instead wants to leave his married home on his terms. Their unlikely friendship and bond begins to make a difference on both of their lives.

This novel of lighthearted fun and warm friendship also tackles deeper themes of post natal depression, loneliness, suicide and grief. I really found myself warming to both Izzy and Arthur, and the tumultuous feelings and suffering they are both experiencing. The sensitive topics are handled with a loving touch and approach, feeling both sensitive and compassionate without ever feeling forced or contrite. The friendship between the duo shows the power of kindness and reaching out, and how even the smallest of gestures can make the biggest difference, especially to those who we may not think are suffering. Ultimately this is a feel good novel, and I'd recommend it to fans of [book:All The Lonely People|51642969] and [book:A Man Called Ove|18774964].

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and HQ for my copy!

Friendship can be found in the most unlikely of places. A lovely supportive tale of two souls in need of support. I’m sure a few can relate to Izzy and new found motherhood! Touches on sensitive subject matter - suicide.

I had to put this book down just because I don't think I'm in the right mental state for it. I will however be picking it back up when my mental health improves. I will update my review then.

What a lovely read, the characters are amazing which made the book enjoyable, it was such a heartwarming easy read. It made me Laugh out of loud too.

This was such a lovely book. It had everything I needed. Perfect characters. Warm friendships.

New mum Izzy is finding motherhood overwhelming and not quite what social media portrays. Three hours sleep, no time for herself and a feeling of failure. While not being a mother myself I couldn't relate to being a new mum but I could easily see how it must feel for some people. I loved seeing her relationship with Arthur flourish and grow, and her journey to see how wonderful she is as both herself and a mother.

As for Arthur. Dear Arthur. I adored him. I wanted to wrap him in a blanket, bring him home and have him as my grandad. I loved hearing his stories about his late wife, Pearl but it was heartbreaking to see how lonely he was, how invisible he felt and to know his secret.

Alternating between the chapters for Izzy and Arthur and having them as our main characters was wonderful. This multi-generational novel shows just how much a person can change you, your perspective and become a huge part of your life. Seeing their respective struggles diminish and their joy in life return was so heart-warming.

A wonderful cosy read full of love, respect and big life decisions. A perfect read.

Thank you for approving me for this great ARC!

The characters were loveable and make the whole book enjoyable. I’m so glad I got the chance to read this before anyone else.

It was such an easy read, I could barely put it down. Made me laugh so much.

firstly i must say how much i love the cover of this book: it’s not only graphically pretty, but also full of symbolism. i thought i like it enough before actually reading this book, but after doing that it appeals to me even more.
im a huge fan of books about friendships. i believe friendships are the most important relationships in our lives and i was very excited to see how izzy&arthur’s relationship is going to develop, according to the fact that they were (at least seemingly) very different people.
this story deals with a lot of important topics and i really liked the way the author portrayed them. they were something i’m not entirely familiar with, since ive never been pregnant or lost the life partner, so i was very interested to know the insight of the people who had experienced those things.
it’s not only the story about friendship, but also loneliness, postnatal depression (that is definitely not talked about enough) and grief. because of that, it is really worth familiarising with.
3.5 stars.

Lovely intergenerational story about new mum Izzy and her neighbor Arthur. They're both having a difficult time with life at the moment and strike up a friendship that helps them both.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for the ARC.

A lovely story about two people in very different stages of life. I could totally relate to Izzy and also empathise with Arthur. An overall lovely read.

Thanks for letting me review this book