‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ is the latest book by Katy Collins.

Izzy has always taken everything in her stride but motherhood is proving more difficult than she thought. She keeps telling herself it’s just a phase but the dark clouds are starting to appear. Neighbour and widower Arthur might be in the winter of his life but he’s not ready to be packed off to a care home. He’s determined to do things his way. When Izzy hears about Arthur’s big move, she offers to help. But Arthur isn’t telling her the whole story. It takes courage to admit you need a friend and when you feel invisible, all you need is a ray of hope. After all, what if the best is yet to come?

If you like stories of new beginnings and friendship, then this book is for you.

The story is seen from the perspective of new mum Izzy and her elderly neighbour called Arthur, who she rescues one night when he falls over. The story centres around their unlikely friendship as they both deal with milestones in their lives, Izzy is adjusting to becoming a first time mother and Arthur is clearing out his home, two years after his wife’s death to move into a retirement village.

The pair are a lovely duo and scenes with together make for really sweet reading. Arthur and Pearl were unable to have children, so Izzy and her baby Evie give him the opportunity to be a grandfather figure which he dotes on immensely. Izzy is a relatable character, she expected motherhood to come naturally but she has struggles that her husband Andrew seems oblivious to which was very frustrating reading. She finds a kinship in Arthur and their shared project which gives them something to concentrate on and bond over.

The story alternates between the perspectives of the pair and it’s uplifting to see them grow in friendship as well as confidence as Izzy gets more comfortable with the mother role.

This story is a beautifully written one that flows at a lovely pace, captivating the reader with moments of poignancy and nostalgia. Emotional and heartfelt, ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ is a life affirming story of hope, forgiveness and will certainly strike a chord with its relatable and engaging characters.

You can buy ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Where to start with this book review! Arthur and Izzy are characters that will stay with you for years to come! Both characters are so relatable and personal that they become members of your own family that you are championing! The plot of the story is such a pertinent issue in today’s society, more so having been in a global lockdown for over a year! This story is a MUST read and it will stay with me as one of my favourite books ever. I already miss Arthur and Izzy and would love a sequel!

Beautiful story that was uplifting and had just the right amount of twists and turns in the plot to keep me hooked. I liked the way that the chapters alternated between both Arthur and Izzy’s perspectives as it really helped to add depth to their characters. I found myself really caring about what happened to them and their unconventional blossoming friendship was an absolute joy to read about. There were incredibly sad moments in the plot but equally there were lots of lighthearted moments that made me smile. Some parts of the story were predictable but ultimately I enjoyed this book and the positive ending to the story. I highly recommend it.

I honestly don't know where to start with the book. Captivating, endearing just beautiful from cover to cover. This has left me with a massive book hangover so much so I've struggled to choose another book. The characters were just perfectly written, I felt I knew each adn everyone of them. One of the most gorgeous relationships I've ever read about. We all need an Izzy and Arthur in our lives. I could go on and on but the best way to understand how much I loved it is to read it. Utterly fantastic

A really lovely easy read about friendship and letting people in. A great and uplifting book that I really enjoyed,

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review. I have loved Katys other books and followed her very own love story.

I sat and read this in a afternoon and what a joy it was. Uplifting and heartwarming . This is the tale of 2 strangers at different milestones in their life ,neither very happy. What happens when they enter each others lives?

As a mum I could relate a lot to Izzys struggles!

There were many moments that made me smile. Katy has captured both characters perfectly despite being completely different.

Written with warmth , humour,love and sensitivity as it explores some touching subjects. Let hope and the wonder of new friendships into your heart this spring.

I highly recommend if you are fans of authors like Milly Johnson and Cathy bramley.

This was a delightful, feel good story. Great characters with a community feeling which had rewarding results. Lovely conclusion.

I loved this book! 💕
.
New mum Izzy is finding motherhood hard and she keeps telling herself it’s just a phase but the dark clouds are starting to appear. Neighbour and widower Arthur might be in the winter of his life but he’s not ready to be packed off to a care home. He’s determined to do things his way.
When Izzy hears about Arthur’s big move, she offers to help. They develop a friendship but Arthur isn’t telling her the whole story.
.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME was great and I really enjoyed reading it. So uplifting and lovely, and perfect you want a heartwarming read. I loved the characters, especially Izzy and Arthur, and their friendship was so sweet. I found Izzy so relatable as it took me back to those early days of motherhood. 😫 Urgh...they were tough and Katy does an amazing job of capturing all those feelings and worries in this book. There were some very poignant moments as Katy tackles some very important issues with compassion. Have I mentioned how much I love Arthur?!!😍

This book was just what I needed to get my reading mojo back so thank you Katy! Such a joy to read and a reminder that it is ok to ask for help. Highly recommend.⭐️

The Best is Yet To Come is a story about unlikely friendships, and centres around new young mum Izzy and Arthur, her elderly neighbour. Two of the loveliest book characters ever. They live in the same cul-de-sac but and are only vaguely aware of each other, they don’t even know each other’s names. Arthur is an octogenarian, widower and is leading a pretty reclusive life with little or no interaction with anyone other than his nephew Jeremy. He’s a man grieving the loss of Pearl the love of his life and has little joy in his life, she was his life.

Izzy is married to Andrew and is on maternity leave. She was always considered a strong, capable, organised and in control. Fast forward a few weeks past the birth of daughter Evie and she is now feeling Invisible and utterly useless. Her gorgeous daughter is not playing ball. Izzy spends all of her time feeding or changing the permanently screaming bundle of joy. Izzy is at breaking point.

The author, Katy Colins has sensitively tackled the very real subjects of post-natal depression, loneliness, grief and loss, counter-balanced with friendship, love, laughter and new beginnings. I smiled, laughed and was chocked up on more than one occasion reading about the lives of Izzy and Arthur. The descriptions played like photographic stills in my mind, I could clearly place myself in the book with them.

As I read about Izzy’s struggles as a mum, those feelings of not quite being good enough, the feeling that everyone else is coping better than you - the abject misery of not being able to settle your child chocked me up. They are, I’m guessing imprinted into the memories of most new mums, I know they are in mine. Nobody talks, nobody shouts for help, because we don’t want to appear failures, I would have been lost without my mum, I so felt for Izzy without hers, the emotions bounced off the pages and settled in my throat, a lump that I was unable to swallow. Andrew, Izzy’s husband seems to be taking to parenthood like a duck to water - what baby? His life hadn’t appeared to change - in fact he seemed to be working even more and still managed to live his life whist Izzy could barely have time for a cup of coffee. It would be so easy to pass judgement at this point - I might have?!

I loved Arthur, what a character, I loved his grumpy, brusque manner - his rudeness and down to earth, say it like it is attitude. He was beginning to struggle to live alone, something his nephew Jeremy was aware of and kept trying to push him towards a home - I was firmly in Arthurs corner on that subject and thought Jeremy was uncaring and all about ensuring the security of his inheritance and not having to be responsible for Arthur anymore!

Izzy and Arthur meet when he delivers a parcel that had been mis-delivered to him and a connection is made. An accident occurs that see Izzy and Arthur drawn together and a tentative friendship begins, when Izzy offers to help pack up Arthurs house ahead of his move to a home. Their blossoming friendship was just beautiful to read - my heart melted as they each took strength from their time spent together. I could have spent the whole book hugging them both.

The story ebbs and flows and watching Arthur and Izzy grow in strength and character was like a warm hug wrapping itself around my heart - such an emotionally uplifting read despite, or rather because of, the hard hitting subjects at the heart of The Best Is Yet To Come. I totally loved this book and have no hesitation recommending it to anyone who loves a book that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Izzy and Arthur are the most unlikely of friends, but they saved each other. This story tackles some intense subjects such as suicide, post-natal depression and loneliness but does so in a light-hearted, yet sensitive way.
I gave this book 3 stars as, although it was pleasant and an easy read, I found the plot quite predictable.

I have to confess that when I first started this, I was concerned it was going to be a rehashing of books that have been done before. Soooo many ‘new Mum’ books where the husband is a completely selfish idiot (and Izzy’s husband is exactly that) and then the recent Mike Gayle book ‘All The Lonely People‘ where an octogenarian befriends a young, single Mum. But actually, ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ soon found its own voice.

Izzy is struggling with the demands of a new baby – and her husband, Andrew, is out at work all day and then still socialising with friends and doing sport in the evenings – he is so selfish and really needed a slap.

Arthur is struggling having lost his wife almost two years before. He has a nephew who looks in on him – but otherwise is all alone.

They strike up an unlikely friendship, along with Izzy’s baby daughter Evie.

Both parties gain so much more from their friendship than they first expect.

I also really liked the way the peripheral characters – other neighbours in their cul de sac, Joan at the charity shop, the vicar – and all interwoven through the book – just like they would be in real life.

Whilst this is a light, fluffy, gentle hug of a book – it also deals with post natal depression, loneliness, suicide and sudden death – but not in a ‘heavy ‘way. It’s a really lovely, simple read.

I really enjoyed this – and was in floods of tears at the end (mostly due to the surprising thoughtfulness of a teenager – with a couple of my own, I know how rare that is!)

A heartwarming tale of and unlikely friendship between a lonely pensioner and a struggling first time mum. I really enjoyed this

Huge fan of this author and this is another absolutely superb read. I have nothing negative I can say about this book. It has been a great read filled with interesting characters and a unique plot.

CONTENT WARNINGS: loneliness, suicide, death of a loved one, grief, postnatal depression, cancer.

This book was just exactly what I needed to read right now and I fell in love with it from the first page. It has the perfect balance of lighthearted fun whilst addressing topics that are both importance but sensitive that make you shed a quick tear or two.

I think I could write individual essays on how much I adored both Arthur and Izzy. Katy Colins has managed to create two extraordinary characters that developed so remarkably throughout, building such a warm and wonderful friendship.

I am sure there are so many readers who are going to relate to Izzy straight away. I am not a mother as of yet, but I can't even begin to imagine how tricky it is to navigate your way through motherhood and I really empathised with Izzy's character and her struggles and my heart went all warm and fuzzy seeing her finally realise what a wonderful mum and woman she is.

ARTHUR. Oh Arthur. What a man. He has a piece of my heart and always will do. Grief is never a process that can be navigated smoothly. It is a process that is completely unique and different for everyone who experiences it. My heart broke so many times reading his reflections on his marriage with Pearl. There is so much more I could say about the wonderful man but I don't want to give away any spoilers!!

To summarise: this felt like a warm hug in the form a book. The way Katy Colins handled the sensitive issues that are discussed was done with such empathy and sensitivity which is so important to me. The list of helplines for these issues included at the end was cherry on the cake for me and I cannot wait to dive into more of Katy's work.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HQ and Katy Colins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Izzy, a new mum, is struggling. All the other mums seem to have their shit together but Izzy doesn’t. And no one seems to be seeing this.

Arthur, an elderly widowed gentleman, sees her. He sees that she needs help but he has his own struggles. While he sees Izzy’s, can she see his?

As Izzy and Arthur’s lives interweave, we are given a story of struggle and hope, love and loss, feeling invisible and finding friendship in the most unlikely places.


✨ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨✨

Katy Collins has written a beautiful story that will tug at your heart strings. She has created characters who are loveable and real, they could quite literally be your neighbours! Did Arthur steal my heart three minutes into reading the first chapter? Yes, yes he did. Did the plot line explore important topics in an authentic and delicate way? Yes, yes it did. What Katy did, in a subtle and thoughtful way, was teach us not to make assumptions and judgements about people. There was some sort of revelation for every single character that encourages us to assume the best of people and not the worst.

If you’re looking for a contemporary fiction novel that will provide you with a bit of release from whatever’s going on in your life, pick this one up. Just be ready for the emotional investment you’re naturally going to end up pouring into it.

Actual rating 3,5*

I really enjoyed this book, it's well written nad bothe fun and very sad. Shows reality of new mothers who think every other mum around has it all figured out but her. I'm also a new-ish mum and I can totally relate. Mums are constantly bombarded with mixed messages (formula vs breastfeeding, natural birth vs csection, give your baby this, don't give your baby this, don't hover, keep an eye at all times). It's quite confusing really. And when you add all these insta-mums with their "perfect" and "glam" life with their "perfect" and "glam" babies, one can really start falling into a dark pit of despair.
I liked how the book showed how we're all don't know what we're doing and we're just figuring things out as we go.

The thing that bothered me about this book, and what prevents me from giving it 4*, is the fact that more than once it was mentioned that andrew (the father and husband) should HELP with kid and around the house.
Like, no....
If you live in the house you don't HELP around - you just do the work. If the kid is yours then you don't HELP with it - you parent.
Words have power and constantly saying that men shoud help with the kids more and help around the house more puts all the responsibility on a mother. Like it's her job to do everything and she's the one responsible for parenting and the father just swoops in on his white horse and graciously HELPS.

Oh this book is just everything I needed right now. Katy Colins has created amazing characters in Izzy and Arthur, and I love the friendship that begins between these unlikely two. I found I could relate to Izzy quite a bit. It’s clear that she’s struggling to get to grips with motherhood and finds the every day things quite hard. And although I didn’t struggle to nowhere near to the same extent as Izzy, in the beginning I totally had those feelings of wondering if you’re doing everything right, worrying that the house wasn’t as tidy as it should be, all while keeping a little baby (and yourself) alive and well! It’s a lot! And it made me love see Izzy’s journey and realise just how good she is and to see her flourish as a mother and as herself.

And Arthur. Oh Arthur! My heart ached for him. I wanted to go and give him a hug! I loved hearing about his marriage to Pearl. And although I hated knowing his secret, I just still loved him. If you’re a Pensioner in the Pages fan you’ll love him! I could just imagine Eileen from The Switch meeting him and that is a story I need to read!

I loved that this story had two main characters that both developed so much on themselves for the better, and that although they are complete opposites, they helped each other on that journey. I am a sucker for a dual narrative and I was not left disappointed with these two.

A lovely heart-warming novel about two unlikely friends! This was an uplifting read, especially at the moment. I loved the characters of Izzy and Arthur and how they helped each other through difficult times. The book touches on many delicate subjects very sensitively from the struggles of motherhood to grief. It's definitely a read that will stay with me.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Ah this one is just a hug in a mug, one to pick up for some easy lovely huggy storyline.

This is a lovely, heartwarming story but also very sad in places. Never more so than right now with all our social distancing and isolating has the circumstances we find ourselves in highlighted how easy it is for people to find themselves out on a limb. Feeling cut off from everyone else with no one to talk to and feeling very much alone.

This is a delightful and touching read about how friendships can be found just when you need them most.

"No one told her it was going to be this hard". This sentence alone makes Izzy a highly relatable character to a lot of new mums out there. She's real and easy to like. Arthur is also highly loveable (although a bit stubborn). I enjoyed the way these two people, generations apart, could help each other so much, it's very heartwarming. This book will be easy to recommend to my book-loving friends who enjoy honest and heartfelt tales.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this lovely book.