Told in two lines, Bessie on her 16th birthday in 1984 and her 53rd birthday in 2021. I didn't like Bessie much. She had a good family and a best friend but she got involved with a boy and didn't study, failed her exams and let that dictate the rest of her life. I could understand the actions of 16-year-old Bessie but not the adult version who was still concerned with the number of Facebook messages she had on her birthday. She had great kids and her husband was a really great guy. I am not sure that someone's whole demeanor could change by telling one secret but I hope so.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon UK for providing me a copy of this book.

Amanda Prowse has a certain style of writing which I love. Her books are about real people and real life things to which the reader can relate and the characters she creates are always believable.
Unfortunately this story for me lacked intensity, excitement and that little something that always keeps me hooked and gripped from start to finish. Whilst it was well written I just didn’t feel that usual connection to the story, until the last few chapters which were very moving. But I liked the characters who were realistic and well portrayed.
This is an honest and independent review in exchange for the ARC given to me by the publishers and NetGalley.
3.5 stars

Amanda Prowse’s books should come with a big warning ‘you will cry so probably best to not read in public places’. Lucky for me I was alone and I do enjoy a good blub. There is something so simplistic but heartbreaking about her stories. They are based on relatable events that could have happened to us or someone we know and this is what makes her writing so brilliant. Another five star read from this incredible author.

I wasn’t as invested in this story as I’ve been in so many of Amanda Prowse’s other books, and found it a little disappointing. In a way, it was a little too much like the last couple of books I’ve read by this author.
The story revolves around Bess, who made some mistakes when very young which colour the rest of her life. I found her a little insipid and not very memorable, although I did feel sorry for her.
As usual, Prowse’s writing flows effortlessly and this is an easy read which will no doubt delight many of her fans and new readers alike.

New fan

I am a new fan of Amanda Prowse. But I will now have to go find all of her back titles. I found Waiting to Begin a very moving book and it revealed itself like an onion, one layer at a time. It felt like both timelines started to spiral down, out of control ;luckily the ending was so upbeat and satisfying.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This is another fantastic read by Amanda Prowse.
Bess is such a likeable person, in every way, shape and form, that you relate to her from the start.
The author has a wonderful way of drawing you into her books, and you find yourself still inside after you have finished the book!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my arc copy, in return for an unbiased review.

This is another great piece of contemporary writing by Amanda Prowse, of whom I am a big fan.
In this book, Bess, the central characters, life story is told in two parallel times. The first is now on her fifty-third birthday and the other on her sixteenth birthday.
At sixteen, Bess was certain a glamorous and exciting life. Her future as an air hostess was all mapped out with her best friend Michelle. It is also the day that her exam results will be posted and that first step to success can be taken. However, as the day unfolds Bess loses not only her thoughts of the future but also her best friend and any shred of confidence and self-worth she may have possessed.
Fast forward 37 years and Bess is not happy. She lives in an ordinary house, with her husband who gets on her nerves, missing her adult children who are moving on with their lives and happy futures. On this birthday Bess will be faced with a choice, can she learn to settle for what she has and tamp down her secrets or will she gamble her past on a deceptive future.
This is a wonderful story told with great humour, but which also had me reaching for the tissues. It was very thought provoking and really made me think about my own life.
Thank you Amazon Publishing UK & Netgalley for the opportunity to review this digital ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is an emotional read which spans time and shows you the effect that events have had on people's lives. You follow Bessie's life at two points in time, 1984 and 2021. The young girl you meet in 1984 is young and naive and very susceptible to what people have to say about her. You feel real anguish for the pain she feels and desperately sorry for the pain that she has carried throughout her life. It is striking that she lives in a close family and yet has shut aspects of it off as she has tried to forget the past.

I enjoyed the twin aspects of this story as you followed Bessie's life as a young girl and later as a middle aged woman. You see the effect her actions have had on the whole family dynamic and how secrets from the past have altered her life. It was an emotional read which left you wanting to know what happened next. In other words, you realised that you cared about the characters.

In short: An emotional read with believable characters.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book

𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 is a wonderful story of past decisions. Told in a dual timeline between the present day and 1984, Bess reflects on the life choices that got her where she is today. ⁣
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Bess is an empty nester who is struggling with her marriage to Mario after seeing how happy her newlywed son is. Her marriage has gone stale and the loving relationship she once had has become perfunctory. She knows she needs to tell Mario what happened 37 years ago, but this might just change everything she loves.⁣
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In 1984, Bess is a confident teen excited by life and all its new things, when her world is turned upside down. She’ll have to live with her secret for the rest of her life.⁣
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As with all Amanda Prowse stories, you feeling a little emotionally wrought after finishing (in a good way!) Bess was a genuine character with flaws; I found myself loving and disliking her times. But she felt like a real person to me. I loved the dual timeline and I felt like it really worked in the story. ⁣

I haven’t read a book by Amanda Prowse before but I will definitely continue to do so in the future! I loved the writing style and how the story switched between the 16th Birthday of the Protagonist and the 53rd! The story is written so lovely and understandable in these aspects that one cannot lay it down!

Definitely a book to recommend!

What a wonderful story as always from Amanda. Couldnt put this book down, it is so true to what happens in real life. Loved the characters the story, loved going through the situations with the characters.

The story moves between 1984 when Bessie was celebrating her sweet 16 to her birthday in 2021.

Her 16th birthday, which should have been a cause of celebration then, as she is set on to take on the world, ends with life as she knows it coming to an end. Now, on her birthday, in 2021, her mind is full of memories of that day and how it impacted her future. As the author takes us back and forth between these two significant dates, we see how Bessie’s life was lived and the pain, shame and guilt she bore. What a clever way to tell a story!

Will Bessie’s 53rd birthday still surrounded by family, end differently this time? Can she start over?

Another story of hope and redemption and the power of love and family to turn life around from Amanda Prowse that kept me reading through the night as I had to finish it!

I’ve read several of Amanda Prowse’s books and have reviewed a couple too. She’s definitely one of my favourite authors. I’ve recommended her books to a few people and just last week, a friend thanked me again for the recommendation!

Another beautifully written, thought provoking story by Amanda Prowse. The characters were truly believable and played off each other well.

Amanda Prowse has managed to make me cry – again!!! It is 1984 and Bessie is celebrating her 16th birthday and is confident, happy, in love and dreams of her future as an air hostess. Bessie shares everything with her best friend Michelle; well nearly everything - Bessie has a secret. The girls are waiting for their exam results and are looking forward to getting ready together for the school social at the Rugby Club.

Fast forward 37 years and it’s 2021 and Bess’s 53rd birthday. Bess’s life hasn’t gone the way she had hoped and now she is married, sandwiched between her parents and her adult children, and experiencing empty nest syndrome.

Waiting to Begin really tugged at my heartstrings as I turned the pages wanting to find out how Bessie’s story evolved, and it kept me enthralled right until the last page. A lovely read, I recommend that you keep tissues close by.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read Waiting to Begin and give this honest review.

This is the story of a woman named Bess and how one single decision, choice can alter every moment of the rest of her life. The book toggles between 1984 and 2021. Bess is living her life, but is she enjoying it, loving it and getting the most out of it? Externally she pretends to be happy. On the inside she is mired down with that one thing that happened a long time ago that she has kept a secret from everyone. She beats herself up every waking moment. She does tell herself it is best to leave the past in the past, but clearly for her it is not. And yet she doesn’t know how to get out of her own way. its a wonderfully written kind read that is about family, love, choices and written with kindness and grace.

Another great book from Amanda. I think everybody of a certain eve can relate to the young Bess and her story. She was very brave and lucky to have the support of her brother which cost him a lot in the long term. I was very fond of older Bess and how she raised her family while burdened by the secrets of her past. I didn’t want it to end.

Amanda Prowse is one of my go-to authors who I can always guarantee will provide me with a compelling story, and Waiting To Begin certainly went above and beyond all of my expectations!.

The story is told via a dual timeline, something that I absolutely love, especially when it is done so seamlessly like what we find within this book. Both timelines are told by Bessie, our protagonist in this story, jumping from her teenage years in 1984 to her life in the present day in the year 2021.

As a sixteen year old girl, Bessie was living life to the full and happy with how her life was panning out before her, with her boyfriend, a best friend and her family around her, everything seemed perfect. However that soon changed when some of her rather unwise life choices upend the perfect life she believed she had.

Bessie has kept the secrets from her youth hidden for all these years, and now – in her fifties, those secrets threaten to destroy the life she has built for herself and the relationships she has formed around her. Bessie finds herself questioning whether she can really keep these secrets hidden, and if they come to the surface, will she be forgiven?.

This is one of those books i truly struggled to put down. Amanda Prowse has such a unique way with words that really draws you in to the world in which she has created, and allows the characters within it to nestle their way in to your heart. Each of the characters are well fleshed out and have their own complex personalities and life experiences to share along the way. I loved how the story alternated between past and present, and the effects decisions made in her youth had in her future was fascinating. Another absolute page turner that I will eagerly be telling others to read!.

This book is told in bulk on our main character, Bess’s, birthday 37 years apart. The chapters alternate between Bess’s 16th birthday in 1984 and her 53rd birthday in 2021. Honestly, both birthday’s are pretty crappy for Bess.

In 1984, Bess begins her 16th birthday with so much excitement and anticipation. By the time the clock strikes midnight, Bess’s world has been shattered piece by piece.

In 2021, Bess begins her birthday dissatisfied with her life. She is now an empty nester and loves but is jealous of her kids at the same time.

Bess has a secret that she has kept from everyone but her brother for 37 years. As decides to share that news and finally unburden herself, is it too late for her to keep her current relationships intact?

I’m literally the exact same age as the main character Bess. (If she were a real person, we would be 3 months apart in age.)

This book made me reflect on the person I’ve become and the choices I’ve made over the course of the years.

I felt so bad for Bess as something that happened 37 years ago has affected her daily living and her feelings of self worth. Bess talks about being distracted while keeping busy as her kids were growing up but she never really dealt with her secret which impacted her relationships with everyone around her.

This book gave me the range of emotions from aggravated at Bess’s self pity to sadness at Bess’s feeling of stagnation.

This book is so well written as it tells the story of who Bess was, who she becomes, and who she wants to be.

The epilogue.. cried like a baby, team!! This book is heart wrenching and lighthearted at the same time which made for an amazing read.

If you want a read that teaches you the lessons of open communication, this would be perfect!

I have many books by by Amanda Prowse.

The novel takes place in two time periods.

In 1984, Bessie is 16, confident and best friends with Michelle. Michelle has a secret....

2021. Bessie is in her fifties but has still not forgotten her life at age 16. She has her own family and her marriage is a mess.

Can she find herself again and rekindle who she was at age 16?

Waiting to Begin has a plot that makes you think. It made me think of my own past. It is powerful and well written.

Thanks to Amanda Prowse, Lake Union Publishing and Rachel's Random Resources for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars.

All of Amanda Prowse’s books have a message about love, family and working out how to live a fulfilling life. I was hooked on Bessie’s journey, decision’s she makes as a young woman stay with her and she wonders about what could have been. It’s a very real struggle, should secrets stay in the past or will sharing the truth heal Bessie’s heart?
As Bessie’s burden becomes overpowering, she must find a way to happiness, or risk continuing to hurt her family and friends. A story to warm your heart, search your soul and take you looking for your own answers!


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.