Poor Heidi, she loses her husband and gains a mystery. Johnny was trying to help but did not give enough clues. When Heidi finds out the son she gave up thinking Johnny did not want her or the baby, has been located she's not sure if it was a good plan or not. To find she has a new family on many levels must have been a surprise but in the end Heidi gets everyone in line and has a happy ending.

What a brilliant book extremely well written with many secrets unfolding I just couldn't stop reading from the beginning to the end. All the characters were well developed and it was very sensitively written and I just loved every page.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant book which I can certainly recommend.

This was not at all what I was expecting and is not my typical read. I thought it was decent enough; I was able to finish it in just a few hours. For fans of family dramas - this was a "light" (not a lot of depth, more surface emotions) version of a Kristin Hannah style type book.

Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for this eARC.

Heidi's world is shattered when her husband, Johnny, dies unexpectedly. His last text message is a photo - is there a message behind it? In the process of figuring it out, Heidi uncovers secrets that threaten to tear her family apart.

.All in all, this was a decent read. My only issue was that it seemed like there were too many buried secrets being unearthed. My indicator of how much I enjoyed a book is whether I go back in to re-read scenes. Sometimes, when I'm just dying to find out how it ends, I realize I've missed details and I want to go back and absorb everything. Other times, i just loved the characters so much, that I want to go back and revisit. And, then sometimes, I get to the end and I'm just done. That's how I felt here. I hit the end and it was done and I have zero desire to revisit any of these characters or scenes.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital advance copy in return for an honest review. I would give this 2.5 stars.

This book didn't turn out as I had expected from the title. The writing was good but I just couldn't identify with the characters. I would have loved to give more stars but I'm stuck at three

Heidi's husband died of an heart attack on a busy street in Poole. After his death she looks at his phone and sees a photo. Convinced this is important she goes there and sees the person her husband had seen.

I was touched by this story about adoption and the hope mother's have, who regret their choices, to find their children. It brought to light the struggles around adoption for the mother. Having to not mention the child again, trying to forget and move on. As the story progresses more secrets emerge. It's an emotional story but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4.5★s
The Day My Husband Left is the second stand-alone novel by British author, Amy Miller. Even after Johnny Eagle’s first heart attack, life for him and Heidi was good: they had two smart, beautiful daughters (Scarlet and Zoe) and a successful upholstery business. When the second one took him from them, in the main street of Poole, they were devastated.

Life had to go on, but Heidi felt distracted, at sea. Zoe had to point out that Scarlet was having relationship problems; and Heidi was having trouble focussing on upholstery projects, although their good friend Max was a great help. Johnny’s last, unsent text had her puzzled: a photo of the main street, right before he died. She recognised the shops, the Blackbird Café…

Johnny’s ashes, in a glazed green pot, sat on a shelf in the workshop, and Heidi talked to them often, but they didn’t offer an explanation. Finally, a visit to the spot, and a chance sighting: could it be? Should she pursue this? Her mother, Rosalind was inexplicably vehement: the matter was done, and she was furious with Johnny for resurrecting the one thing they had kept unspoken in their marriage. It could cause untold harm.

Max was more pragmatic; he believed in grabbing the chance while you can. And he had a theory about Rosalind’s reaction: “‘Perhaps it’s a generational thing or because it reminds her of a difficult time in both your lives,’ Max said. ‘Of course you need to tread carefully, but in my opinion, life is too short to be ruled by your head. (It) might be the most wonderful thing you ever do.’” But the explanation, when revealed, added yet another complication to Heidi’s life.

Heidi told her daughters: “I think your dad planned it this way. He gave us something to deal with, something major, to keep us distracted from our grief. It wasn’t enough to leave me with the business to run!” And from there, a cascade of revelations followed, turning all their lives upside down.

Miller’s portrayal of grief is insightful: “Heidi slipped the phone into her pocket and sat stiffly back in the Chesterfield, putting her hands over her lips. She had to physically hold in her grief, because if she started to cry, she thought she’d never stop” and “She felt suddenly silently furious with Johnny. Him dying meant she was left to bring their daughters up alone. Make the right decisions. Point them in the right direction. Be a father and a mother. What if she got it all wrong? Suddenly she felt the choking weight of Johnny’s absence bear down on her chest” are examples of this.

Heidi is a wonderful protagonist, loving and generous, and the essence of her chosen profession extends into her life philosophy: “Her father Alan taught her everything he knew about upholstery, and working with her hands and seeing the results of hard physical work felt good. Furniture was tactile and practical and beautiful. Over time, her ambitions changed. She wanted to rescue things. Give furniture a new life. She wanted to make tired, sad things beautiful again.”

Miller gives her characters wise words and perceptive comments: “Heidi was struck by a thought about wounds: bandages covered cuts and bruises, signalling to others to offer sympathy. But what about the invisible wounds people carried in their hearts? There were no bandages for those, yet the scars ran deep and lasted a lifetime. If there were physical bandages for emotional hurts, perhaps people would be kinder to one another.”

“‘The more love there is floating around, the better, in my opinion,’ Walter said. ‘You can never have too much of the stuff. I’m close to the end of my life now and I wish I’d loved more loudly, more expansively, just more. Because before you know it, you’ve run out of opportunities’” and “Things don’t always work out how you want them to. People often aren’t who you want them to be” illustrate this. A delightful, funny, heart-warming read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture.

#TheDayMyHusbandLeft #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, my favorite publisher Bookouture and Amy Miller for an ARC to review.
Based on the cover and description I thought this book was going in a totally another direction.
After Heidi's husband died she was faced by a puzzle to decipher, a shot of a street showing strangers and store fronts!
An enchanting book about second chances and not giving up on the people you love. A book about forgiving yourself for your past mistakes and learning the hard way that life is too short not to seek your lost chances.

Bittersweet Family Drama 💔

After nearly losing her husband Johnny a year ago, Heidi worries when he doesn't come home after a business meeting, thinking the worst, which is sadly confirmed. On receipt of Johnnys belongings, Heidi sees a photo he was about to send her, but is unsure why... Heidi visits the area to endeavor to work out why he took it. This eventually reveals quite a surprise for Heidi, taking her back to an earlier memory... resulting in an emotional dilemma for her.

The Day My Husband left is an emotional rollercoaster for Heidi and family, unraveling this gift leads to more family secrets being uncovered. With lots going on, can you really please everybody all of the time? Bittersweet family drama, which will tug at your heart strings.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Have read this authors other books and really enjoyed them. I felt this book was slightly far fetched at times,there was
not much of a story really just secrets from the past that just kind of rolled out I found it rather disjointed. Heidi is rushing in without thinking twice and getting what she wants with no thought to anyone else.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Good story, good characters but it was just okay. Have read a lot of this genre lately

The Day My Husband Left Me took me a little while to get into but once I did, I found myself enjoying the story between Johnny, Heidi, Zoe, Scarlet, Max and William. Lots of family secrets came out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This was a lovely story about a very engaging, warmhearted character who was struggling with her grief. You will find much in common with most of the main characters as they are flawed but very likable. Mostly I believe they are just like most people you know, happy. sad, angry, confused, helpful, annoyed. I think the author does a good job of building her characters a little at a time until you felt like you knew them personally. All in all, a delightful read.

Thank you for the advanced copy. Was ideal for a Sunday read.
An emotional and moving story that kept me reading until the end, dealing with a difficult subject area.

Everyone needs a Tuesday in their life.

I was expecting a missing person story based on the title. This book isn't much of a mystery; it’s more about domestic drama and revealing secrets from the past. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and the main character seemed determined to get what she wanted despite the feelings of others, and did some things that seemed a little crazy. The book is easy to read with some eye-rolling moments. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 rounded up!

So.....I was definitely expecting a DIFFERENT story than the one I got, based on the gorgeous book cover with the broken crockery, the title “The Day My Husband Left” and the blurb...”When he died, he left a mystery but can she find the truth.

The synopsis says that at the moment that Johnny Eagle is dying, he snaps a photograph of a busy street scene, and the photograph is a message, that if deciphered, holds all the answers...

That is....if his wife, Heidi, can piece together the clues.

Was it a photo of a person who kills him?
What is the mystery?
That snippet made me request this!
I WANTED to know!

BUT, if I had continued reading the remainder of book cover...the teeny, tiny print below the author’s name, would’ve given me a clearer picture of the ACTUAL story written on the pages inside.

It reads, “A totally, heartwarming page turner about love, loss and lifelong friendships.”
That teeny, tiny print is the most ACCURATE part of the book cover.

So, DO pick this up if you are looking for an engaging family drama, with likable characters!
I DID enjoy spending time with Eagle family, and learning ALL of their juicy secrets!

But, DON’T pick it up thinking if you are looking for a mystery/suspense story, like I did.
Because that is not what you will be getting.

I received a gifted copy from the Publisher and it was a pleasure to provide a candid review!
Available SOON! January 21, 2021

Second Chances and Secrets

I usually don’t read this genre, a mixture of women’s fiction and romance. The title is rather a misnomer, Heidi’s husband didn’t leave her, he died; he had a fatal heart attack and died on his way home.

Heidi is now a widow with two children, Scarlet and Zoe, college age approximately. They loved their father, Johnny, and Heidi is bereft from the loss; Johnny was young, in is 50’s. He worked with Heidi in an attached workhouse, serving as an upholstery shop. Johnny and Heidi knew each other as teen-agers. Heidi made a “mistake,” and became pregnant at sixteen. Her mother, Rosalind, would not allow her to keep the baby, and sent her away to an aunt to give birth and give the baby boy up for adoption. A few years later, Johnny and Heidi reunite and marry. They have a wonderful marriage and Johnny is a perfect father to his girls. The baby boy, William, is never discussed and Heidi does not know what happened to him.

After his death, in the midst of Heidi’s mourning, she discovers the existence of her son, William, and Rosalind’s out-of-wedlock daughter, Tuesday (real name, not kidding). Heidi wants to the best mother and daughter possible while creating a new family. It is not smooth sailing, there are ups and downs, and the reader is the audience to the machinations of every cast member. Emotions run the gamut amidst issues with the new family, including unwanted pregnancy (again), alcoholism, gambling, anger and erratic behavior. Heidi wants to be a saint to everyone and help them all and she often accomplishes her goals. I did find Heidi’s addiction to swimming in very cold water to rejuvenate herself and gain equilibrium quite remarkable.

Nothing else in this novel is surprising, albeit the consistent additions of another person, tragedy or commotion in almost every chapter.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with the pre-published book for an honest review.

I find the title of this book a bit strange.
The narrator's husband didn't 'leave'. He didn't disappear off to Asia with a backpack to find himself. He didn't shack up with his Pilates instructor. He keeled over and died of a massive heart attack.

Do people say their husband 'left' under such circumstances? I'm unconvinced.

But that's just the title; what about the book?

This isn't my normal genre but I am drawn to the occasional bit of domestic drama when the protagonist is a 'woman of a certain age'. I've had it with Bridget Jonesian singletons and want characters with a bit more experience who aren't just hunting the next transactional fling.

Heidi and her husband had a baby when they were still at school and put him up for adoption. They didn't talk about it with their children who were born after they married quite a while later. This book is about the nature of family and its challenges, about how new family members change the dynamic, and how you have to be careful what you wish for as it might not be what you expect.

There are some lovely characters in this book, especially the supporting cast of friends. The themes I most enjoyed were around upholstery (my mother used to run a small business doing that) and cold-water sea-swimming - fascinating stuff. Did I believe the family dynamics? Not always. Some relationships formed way more easily and with a lot less jeopardy than I would have expected whilst others looked doomed from the very start. And at the end....... well, it all got neatly and tidily tied up in ways that stretched my credibility.

It's an easy read, a good-news plot, a quick diversion from the current world problems about seeing family and friends. It's nice to think about a world without lockdown and social distancing for a few hours.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

The Day My Husband Left
Author: Amy Miller
Genre: Women's fiction

Heidi's husband Johnny dies suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack. Without having had a chance to say goodbye, she is devastated at the loss of her soulmate of more than 25 years. His phone shows his last clicked photo as one taken just outside the cafe where he collapsed. Was this a fluke click, or was he trying to tell her something before he passed away?

The book is quite catchy at the start and its easy-going flow helps you keep your steady pace. Until about 40%, I could not keep the book down. But then it began getting repetitive. I couldn't connect with a couple of decisions made by the lead character, Heidi. She comes off as insecure and unfocussed, not being able to look at the long run. Considering that the entire story is from her narrative standpoint, all the flaws in the book are mainly Heidi's flaws.

There are many memorable characters in the book, with Zoe, Max, and Tuesday being my favourites. They come off as the most practical and believable of the entire lot. In fact, most of the supporting characters are good. The inconsistencies lie mainly in the portrayal of Heidi and William.

I had picked up this ARC mainly for its attractive cover and catchy title. No complaints about the former, the cover is gorgeous. But the title gives a wrong idea about the book and misrepresents the content of the book. I think readers will end up disappointed with the story if they take the title as literally indicative of the content.

Overall, it's not a bad book, but it could have been better.

My rating: 3.5

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

We all should have a Tuesday in our lives! She resonated such positively and joy. What struck me was despite the great love that the family had for each other that Heidi, Zoe and Scarlet hid behind such secrets. No wonder the deception caused such chaos. Johnny may have left behind a lot including his search for William but what was evident was his great love for his family.