I was engaged and frustrated in equal measure.

The dowdy nature of Bess’s lifestyle, her rusty car, shoestring life felt cliched- the compared the friend who has it all.... no one is middle of the road. Added to which I get frustrated by those who never say what they mean/want and swallow the important things.

However I do think Amanda is an excellent story teller and these things aside the actual writing and draft of the tale was great - I was really engaged with the story. And shed a tear for MJ.

Amanda Prowse is an author whose books I often struggle to read successfully. Commencing Waiting to Begin and experienced none of my previous doubts. I enjoyed this novel and found it well written and researched. The chapters alternate between August 1987 and 2021, the birthday of Bessie, the main character.

At school and sitting exams, Bessie and her best friend, Michelle have found music, make up, clothes, boys and first love. The writing is poignant, witty, full of laughter and sadness. And, I cried!

This is a story of growing up painfully, envy, emotions, and friendship.

I give a 4-star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I would like to thank Lake Union Publishing, AmazonUK Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this emotion packed book.

It seemed like the book was going to be a bit slow in the beginning but I soon was enthralled with the story and the characters. Bessie was a typical teenager until her life imploded when she turned 16. From there on nothing happened as she hoped or planned and 37 years later everything just blows up again. It seems that you can’t hide from your past. The story goes from 1984 to 2021 but does so smoothly with Bessie narrating both eras. One can’t help but love Bessie and I just wanted to tell her she would be ok but as all of us know , the things that happen to us as a teenager always feel like it is the end of the world. Sometimes this is true.

This book is highly emotional and it made my heart hurt for Bessie. I think each of us has a little part of Bessie’s life entwined with ours which makes this book so believable and left me in such turmoil. I truly enjoyed reading this book and I believe it will be a huge hit for those of you that like to believe in true love.

Another Amanda Prowse novel which kept me up much later than I should as I just couldn’t put it down! Her books are always escapism into someone else’s lives and very eye opening and thought provoking. This was no exception as we follow Bess on her two birthdays - in 1984 and 2021 and shows how life shapes and changes us often beyond recognition. Great read

The majority of the action in this novel is set on two birthdays some 37 years apart. The book examines the impact of childhood events many years on. There are different family dynamics and varying attitudes to moral behaviour. 1984 was a very different time to the present day but the decisions taken then can resonate through life, as Bessie finds out to her cost. A wonderful look at different relationships.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Amanda Prowse is a go to author for me when I want to read about 'normal' people in believable situations.

As with all her books the characters come to life on the pages with a reality that makes you think it could be a friend or a neighbour. This book is no exception. Written in two timelines 1984 and present day it is the story of Bessie. Bessie as a 16 year old and Bessie as a 53 year old.

This is a story of love, loss, family, secrets and consequences. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

Amanda Prowse writes stories that people like, she has a good formula and I consistently enjoy them. I don’t find them life changing or particularly memorable but I really enjoy reading them.

Thanks for letting me review this book

I did enjoy this story and found some common ground with Bess. I see some of myself in her, difficult pasts can stay with you and the young you stays along with their thoughts, pains and insecurity. If you have had upheaval in your younger years you may well relate to Bess and feel her pain and struggles. I like the back and forth between the 80s and present day and found the epilogue beautiful and full of hope. Overall I really enjoyed this one and would recommend.

This is the second Amanda Prowse novel I have read and I have enjoyed both.

This story is about Bess - the young naive 16 year old Bess and the 53 yesr old Bess who looks back at her 16 year old self with shame and regret.

The characters are well developed and you really felt the pain of both young and old Bess.

It's an easy read, and the narrative pulls you along to a satisfying conclusion.

Known for writing stories that keep people from turning off the bedside lamp at night, Amanda Prowse has written a beautiful tale of a middle-aged woman who risks it all for a shot at happiness.

Told from Beth’s perspective in dual timelines, her 16th birthday in 1984 and her 53rd birthday in 2021, Beth reveals the incident that took away her happiness and influenced everything she did thereafter. Although happily married to Mario and with two grown children, Beth knows there’s something missing and she’s to blame. When Mario doesn’t acknowledge her birthday, she steps up to the plate and changes her future.

Prowse shows how carrying yesterday’s baggage, with all its shame, regret and anger, can seep into our present life and has the potential to ruin relationships and slowly leach away our happiness. For every woman who has ever considered her worth or doubted her attractiveness, Prowse reveals that taking a leap of faith and steps towards self-healing put one on the path to claiming the future. She acknowledges that the journey involves heartache, fear, sadness, doubt, loss and anger; however, it leads to determination and resilience. Prowse will make sure you’ll walk every step with her believable and relatable characters and experience the depth of emotion that change brings. She’ll even appeal to your feelings of nostalgia from the 1980s!

This ode to the younger version of you trapped in an older body will fill your head so that you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades! What are you waiting for? This is a sign. Take steps....now. Do it for YOU.

Publication June 8, 2021

I received this gifted copy from Amanda Prowse, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide this review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for giving me the opportunity to review this publication.
Yet again another fabulous read from Amanda Prowse who takes you on a journey that envelops you into feeling an invested part of the story. I loved the way it was divided between the two birthdays.
It’s always a disappointment when I come to the end of one of her books. I’m looking forward to her next publication.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Waiting To Begin, it’s a beautiful yet heart wrenching read that will pull at the most hardened readers heartstrings. this book we meet Bessie and follow her life through two timelines, alternating flawlessly between 1984 and 2021. It’s a beautifully told tale that will resonate with anyone who is in a long term relationship.

I am a big fan of Amanda Prowse and this book didn't disappoint. The novel jumps.between the present day and the events of 1984, when the events that affected how Bess lived the rest of her life played.out. I liked the way the story moved around as it kept me engaged to find out what would happen. The subject matter is probably something a lot of women can relate to and the story line felt realistic. I enjoyed the epilogue at the end that gave some closure to the story. Would definitely recommend. Thanks to Net gally for the free copy in return for an honest review.

Waiting to Begin by Amanda Prowse is a novel of accepting yourself with all of your faults, past and counting your blessings. Alternating between two time periods its a story of a 16 year old Bess and a 53 year old Bess and how her birthday in the respective years changes her life. The crux of the novel is how a single incident changes the dream of a 16 year old girl and reverberates throughout her entire life.

Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Prowse and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC of Waiting to Begin. This is my personal review.
Waiting to Begin is the story of Bessie. It tells her life as a teen and present day. Bessie always feels like she is going no where with her life. Her hopes of getting to go to the university of her dreams never happens. Then as she gets older, she is married but not happy and has two grown children.
She knows her life is hers and she has made mistakes and kept secrets. She knows she must let her secrets out and with that she is hoping her life will become a happy one.
This read was one I enjoyed but is for me lacked something to connect me to the characters.

I enjoyed reading this book, this was first book by this author and will certainly read more. The book was easy to read and follow the characters jumping in time from her 16th birthday to her present day birthday 53. I found the book very emotional and did feel sorry for the main character, but also found some of the references to being a teenager in the 80s funny.

Great book, highly recommended. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review.

I am a big fan of Amanda Prowse and was excited to see she had a new book out. This book was a big disappointment, really from the very beginning. I had a hard time relating to any of the characters and I just could not finish it. I see I am in the minority with my review as others have loved this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another great story by a amazing author. She tells the characters stories so well that you will want to keep on reading to see what will happen to them.
I read this in one evening as I couldn't bear to leave it until I knew what would happen.
I would definitely recommend this book as well as the author

Amanda Prowse, Waiting To Begin, uncorrected proof, Lake Union Publishing, on sale June 2021.

Thank you, Net Galley, for this uncorrected proof of Amanda Prowse’s Waiting To Begin, for review.

In the works of most prolific writers, it is likely that a reviewer reads work that stands out, as well as that which is disappointing. I have mixed feelings about this novel. While it does not stand out, there are some delightful nuggets of humour and characterisation, and the story line is feasible. However, I could not warm to the main character, despite her harrowing story with which I would expect to have sympathy.

The Prologue introduces Bessie and Philip, siblings, on a train journey, during which Bessie begins writing some post cards. These will be lies. Beginning with pleasantries to her mother and father, they continue with an upbeat comment on the possibility of her flying within weeks. Bessie commiserates with an elderly man who, awakened abruptly states that he does not know what is going on.

The book then moves between past and present, with August 1984, Bessie’s sixteenth birthday, setting the scene for events that continue to mar her life as an adult. She is a teenager in love, aims to become a flight attendant, and is looking forward to seeing the results of her study which will propel her into a glowing future. Philip features here as well, a brother who is at once a nuisance and a friendly supporter. Once again the flying motif suggests freedom, adulthood and excitement: this young woman has aspirations which she fully believes will be fulfilled. This chapter also establishes her parents’ personalities, a caring, but sometimes bothersome mother, and a loving, but sometimes embarrassing, father. Despite the flaws Bessie sees, this is a small, quietly happy family. It is clear that the bombshell with which she could present them in future chapters cannot be thrown into this household. Bessie's decision to maintain her silence, from her parents and her best friend, Michelle, provides the backbone to the storyline.

Friends since childhood, Michelle and Bessie, attempt to emulate each other in dress, behaviour, and exam results. The descriptions of these young, enthusiastic friends, with their popstar and favourite singer posters, reliance on fancy make up and clothing, chat and giggling are well drawn. They are hopeful young women whose aspirations beyond Michelle’s economic circumstances and Bessie’s foolish love affair could well be achieved.

In Chapter 4, set in 2021, there is a profound change. Bessie is now awaiting her 53rd birthday celebrations, rather than her sixteenth. The events of this birthday, and its aftermath, combine humour as the past is replicated in some of these celebrations, sadness as changes in the family and friendships are acknowledged and, for me, a mixture of sympathy and frustration with Bessie.

To be fair, this feeling of frustration in part mirrors that of Bessie’s family: her parents, husband, Mario, and their two children. Perhaps there is too much detail, too much dwelling on the secret that impacts upon Bessie’s life so disastrously, perhaps I should empathise more. However, for me, Bessie has some major flaws. Although it is an important feature of Bessie and Mario’s immediate crisis, her almost replication of a past mistake jars with me. So, too does the resolution of Mario’s concerns. They have been developing over several years, are seemingly absent during a poignant and sympathetic scene between the partners, then resumed.

The last chapter is good, providing a realistic resolution to Bessie’s situation. The Epilogue, describing events 6 months later, is delightful, with its warm depiction of the each character, imperfections juxtaposed with strengths and tying up of ends. Here Prowse is once again, for me, the writer of novels to which I can warm, with characters with whom I can sympathise and a story line that leaves only happy endings to be realised.
I give this novel three and a half stars, more than the official star rating allows, but for me it was not quite four stars.

I have read nearly all of Amandas books but felt this wasn't as good as a lot of her others. I enjoyed the story however felt in parts it was a little dull.
However the overall message is one that I feel will help and benefit lots of women out there.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.