Violet hasn’t been back to her hometown or seen her mother in 14 years, when her sister Jodie announces that she’s moving to the other side of the world. Their mum needs someone around, so it now falls to Violet to move back home and take care of a woman who really doesn’t want her around. Her new life as a carer has more than its fair share of challenges, so Violet seeks help amongst the other local carers, including her childhood friend Adam. Can Violet finally face the past and realise that perhaps she isn’t quite the Bad News she believes she is? This is a heartwarming story of community, friendship and found family with spots of romance and heartrending emotion. There are so many loveable characters who highlight real social issues that need attention. The lack of resources and support that real carers face is all here on these pages and you’ll feel inspired to make a change on their behalf.

This is a charming and heart-warming story of friendship, the trials and tribulations of family life and the role of a carer told beautifully and honestly.

When Violet drops everything to come and take care of her mother she returns to her home village, which she had left under quite a cloud. Things had happened in the past and we gradually learn why she was so nervous to return to Lowerstone and why she’s anxious about how she will be received.

Some things haven’t changed; the corner shop, the library and the locals – all with long memories and not necessarily ready to greet her with open arms. Violet has all of this to contend with as well as taking on a whole new role caring for her mother, whom she hasn’t even seen for 14 years and now needs live-in care.

Not only does Violet assume the role of carer for her mother but, she also befriends neighbours too, one of whom in particular, Tammy, really needs help. Tammy has been fending for herself without her mother, she’s slipped between the gaps of care and is struggling. Violet helps her with the bigger things like arranging a care assessment but, also the little things like learning to use a kettle. She re-introduces Tammy to the joy of libraries and writing, with the introduction of their own local newspaper.

Violet is warm, charming and a real delight, she has a real heart of gold and for her it’s all about the little things, the small wins and the chance to prove what a good and genuine person she really is.

Tammy wants to help Violet too, to repay her for the help she has so generously given, in doing so she opens up old wounds which Violet is forced to confront head on. We see Violet’s vulnerability exposed and how she just wants to make amends and make her return to Lowerstone a positive change for the future. Whilst she can’t change the past she can improve the future, and particularly so for those who need help the most.

This is warm, charming and captures the essence of caring and the role of carer; the many hurdles faced and the difficulty in getting through the red tape to get to the help that is really genuinely needed.

There are also some moments when the carers take a step back and realise that they are not the parents who need to look after a young child, they have to take some time out for themselves too and I enjoyed these special shared times.

Violet is a real character and I so much enjoyed meeting her and getting to know the lovely inhabitants of Lowerstone village.

I can’t fit this into any one box of ‘feel-good’, or ‘uplifting fiction’ or ‘inspirational fiction’ but, it encompasses all of these into a beautifully brought together story of trust, compassion and hope and is eye-opening, thought-provoking and a joy to read.

I really enjoyed The Imperfect Art of Caring it's a heartwarming read.

This is a story of friendship, community, forgiveness and much more.

A story about loving yourself and how there is joy to be found in helping those around us.

The main character is Violet who isn't really living she's just existing and then her sister comes to visit and everything changes.

Violet is forces to move back to her childhood home to care for her estranged elderly mother who she hasn't spoken to for 14 years.

She feels that she's bad news and has been running from her family, her friends and the whole village pretty much her whole life.

Can Violet really care for her mother and make a home for herself in the community she ran away from?

And can she learn to forgive and love herself?

I really felt for Violent for all that she had went through and the fallout following the fire.

It was so heartwarming to see the community come together and rally for one another.

There's twists and turns and knock backs and even some romance as well as some really sad moments.

The Imperfect Art of Caring shines an important light on the hard work that the millions of carers do day in and day out and the many uphill battles they have to fight just to provide the care to their loved ones that they deserve.

Mental health is also explored within the story and done so really empathetically and well.

I'd love to have a support group like theirs in my own life.

A touching and heartwarming read I absolutely recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyed this touching story of Violet Strong who is called back to care for her elderly mother when her sister moves to New Zealand. We follow Violet as she leaves Manchester and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and forgiveness as she moves back in with her mum after leaving home 14 years ago after an accident which she believes she caused. She has to become a carer to her mum, but it's difficult as her mum doesn't want her around. Violet's former home has been divided into flats in the meantime, and it's her job to get the house sold so her mum can go into a care home and Violet can go back to her own life in Manchester.

Let's meet the tenants: One of the tenants is her first love Adam and his dad Bill, who are also in a similar situation as Violet, caring for an aging parent. Tammy is a young lady in one of the flats, has just lost her mum and finding it difficult to do things for herself as her mum had done it all for her. With Violet's guiding hand Tammy discovers she can do more for herself than she thinks. Mrs. Robson, the third tenant works in the local library and sets up a neighborhood watch group that people don't attend as she is a bit bossy even though she has her heart in the right place.

With Violet set on selling the house, she types out letters to the tenants but delays giving them notice, only to put them in her handbag until a further time when she is ready to deal with that part. Of course, you can imagine things won't go well when the tenants receive the letters by accident.

It overall a really nice story dealing with the day-to-day lives of people who are carers and their wards, along with others around them that are affected by the situation and those that need help and stepping up to the plate.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This was a lovely story - I especially enjoyed the characters of Violet and Tammy. Violet has to come back to the village she left 14 years ago to care for her mother who she has a very difficult relationship with - Being a carer is hard work, especially to someone who you are related to. Violet helps to bring the village back to life and she helps Tammy, along with others to live an independent life.

A good insight to caring for a family member while trying to maintain your own life and dreams.

A warm affectionate tale with good well rounded characters. It is a feel good story but does have an underlying message which is important and with which a lot of people will identify. Maybe a shade predictable but well worth a read.

A book about carers which gave a flavour of what it's like to suddenly find yourself catapulted into a new job that you have no real preparation for. i enjoyed the set up at the beginning, but it fell a little flat for me from the middle onwards and I ended up skimming the last 30% because it all got a little predictable and things fell into place unbelievably easily. Also I found the hospital scenes unrealistic. Overall though, a great, heartwarming read.

This book has made me think about the role of a carer, the unsung heroes that are working away making a huge difference to other peoples lives.
Violet thinks she’s ruined the village that she grew up in and really does not want to return to care for her mother, however she comes to realise that she needs the help of her new and old friends to help her achieve her dreams.
Such a heartwarming story that had me crying on more than one occasion.

Realistic, identifiable and heartwarming. The Imperfect Art of Caring shows so much in its character's lives. Find the full review below the blurb. Thanks first to HQ Stories for gifting me the book and for having me on the blog tour.

Caring, it's a position so many people find themselves in and there are the challenging conversations to have with family for what to do for best. This is the situation sisters Violet and Jodie find themselves in, when it comes to the time to chat about what to do with their mum, Glenys. Then there's also the added complexity that Violet hasn't seen Jodie for years and what to do with her mum's house, thinking of residential care and also caring for her in the interim period, whilst they decide what to do for best and sort out necessary arrangements. There's also the assessments, when Violet, ends up looking into care homes and the way that Glenys is feels true to life.

There is some humour and some lovely descriptions and book series titles, blogs, life to be lived, which gives it a 3 dimensional feel, because when you're dealing with caring there are other things going on too and the world doesn't just stop. This book is heartwarming and shows kindness within its characters.

The book moves onto Tammy, who is also needing care. There's only her and her mum and Tammy, who has a disability is trying to live independently, something that her mum finds a bit hard to get her head around at times. The descriptions of how silence is, is intense.
Their stories converge as they end up being neighbours. There are thoughtful, poignant moments throughout and some wise advice from a guy called Adam Croft.
It's interesting seeing Tammy trying to get on with her life, but also bearing in mind all that her mum has told her. Violet also helps a bit and gives some sound advice. There's also a search for Tammy's father, but also a bit of doubt kicks in as to whether it is a good idea or not. In the meantime, it is interesting and positive seeing Tammy progress in life.

For both Violet's and Tammy's stories of how life is playing out for them, there is strength of character through the emotions and the getting through life the best they can. There is also a bit of potential romance in the offering.

There's the highs and lows of caring that are within the book and whether you're caring for someone or not, even though this is a fictional book, there's lots both sets of people can take away with them. For carers, it is that it is an "Imperfect Art of Caring" that people try their best to muddle through, and also gives ideas of how to find some support.
For the cared for, there is the drive and determination running through life as well as support.
For those who don't care for anyone in the sense that this book is talking about, it gives a pretty good picture of the situations faced, at least from a point of view, but without being too heavy.

There's also the care shown for libraries and a campaign to support them, which is pleasing as so many are lost. It also demonstrates that they are places to ask people for help in. It's short, but really stands out.

The book is realistic and shows that caring is indeed an "Imperfect Art", which, anyone who is caring for someone in any situation will know and will have experienced some of what is in the book to a certain extent, depending on situations, including juggling their own life. I see the book as pretty realistic as I am an unpaid carer, writing a blog and juggling other life things as well as caring.

This was a quick and easy read with real heart. I did find parts of it to be a bit 'convenient' but it didn't impact on my enjoyment of the book.

The book opened my eyes to the struggles that carers go through and there were some truly heartbreaking moments for not only the main character but the side characters too. I loved the whole cast of interesting characters and am very grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley and apologies in my delay to reading.

I lived in Dover during my teens so it’s always a pleasure to connect with a author in that way.

This is a life affirming story of love ,loss forgiveness and caring .

A great mix of characters who each bring something to the story

I have 2 children with autism so I know all about caring and the struggles and challenges often presented. Jessica captures this effortlessly.

Relatable ,life affirming and warming.

Friendships ,family , new chances love are the main aspects of this uplifting story. I highly recommend.

Published 25th November

The book is written in the present tense which I found hard to read. I am not sure why authors use this method as for me, it makes the book disjointed.
It’s a decent read and I liked the premise of the book

What a beautiful book. I really enjoyed this. I was in a bit of a reading slump and this really got me going again. It really made me think about miscommunication I’ve had in my life and how different things could have been.

This is Jessica Ryn's second novel, her first being The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside and Wow! The Imperfect Art of Caring is an outstanding novel. The main character is Violet Strong.

There is absolutely no doubt that Violet Strong is a character that is going to stay with me for a long time. Violet is one of my favourite fictional characters - there is no doubt there are many many Violet's in this world, caring for their loved ones and doing such a magnificent job.

At the start of the story the relationship between Violet and her mother Glenys was so very strained. You felt Violet's pain, you felt the tension, you could feel the atmosphere. She was trying to look after her Mum and be a daughter but also a carer at the same time which is such a difficult balance. I wanted to say to Violet to stay strong, you are doing your very best and however things turn out (whether or not your Mum moves into care or not) you are doing everything you can for her right now and you are trying so very hard. The resistance from Glenys was heart-breaking to read because despite all Violet's efforts in helping care for her Mum, in Glenys eyes, she could not do anything right. I did not trust her sister Jodie from the start - despite caring for her Mother up until Violet came, I thought Jodie was doing everything she could to make Violet's life hard and to ensure she would make mistakes. In my eyes, Jodie should have stayed longer, helped Violet settle in and be truthful about the situation with their home - Glenys was her Mum too and despite the fact that Violet had not been home for so long, she did come back to help.

We learn so much about Violet's background, why she struggled so hard to come back to her hometown and why the relationship with her mother was so broken. But then, we see Violet settle in, meet her neighbours, start going out and helping others in her community. Violet loves helping others, it is who she is and she has a heart of gold. Violet was absolutely incredible and so very kind and helpful with her neighbours and the town has missed a gem while she has been away. She is the heart of the community and now she is back, the community will continue to thrive - as will Violet! I wanted to go and meet Violet and say Well Done! I have no doubt that Violet will go from strength to strength, as will those around her, with her love and support. Violet should be known as Violet Right not Violet Wrong as everything she is doing is to make things right for her family, friends and community.

I was hooked on The Imperfect Art of Caring from the first page. All the characters were brilliant. Tammy was helped so much by Violet but by needing the help, she did also helped Violet too. I loved the relationship between Adam and Violet - I loved how it built up and then turned into such a beautiful relationship.

Such a heart-warming and touching book - full of emotion, that will make you tear up and smile. Carers are amazing, they do so much and their work is very often unrecognised. I know they do not want recognition but they work tirelessly to look after their loved ones and those in the community too and they are incredible. There is so much detail which carers and those being cared for will relate to as well and many sensitive issues are covered too.

The Imperfect Art of Caring will make you think, will encourage you to help those in need, even if it is just a smile or a Hello - that may be the only smile or Hello that person sees or hears that day. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 huge stars!

Thank you very much for my advanced copy. This review is based on a NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was really excited start this one especially after hearing a lot of good things about her debut last year.

I loved Violet Strong! She was a very humbling character and I often felt that I wanted to swoop in and give her a massive cuddle. Violet didn’t have a very high opinion of herself and and I couldn’t help but be a little annoyed at her sister for leaving her so quickly. Whilst Violet hadn’t been around for so long there as obviously a very good reason for it. I didn’t think it would of hurt her sister to stay a week or so to show her the ropes.

At the start things were very tense with Violet and Glenys. I felt so much sympathy for both of them because, whilst Glenys was horrid, I could imagine it was very humiliating having your daughter care for you so closely. I was proud of Violet for sticking with it and trying to make the best of an awkward situation.

It was clear from the start that Violet didn’t want to return to her home town and I was very curious to find out why. She clearly blamed herself for a lot and I couldn’t understand why she thought so little of herself. As the story progressed it was great to see her settle into her life with her mum and get more involved in the community. Once the secrets were revealed my heart broke for Violet. It felt like everything she had achieved was starting to crumble and I really hoped things would work out for her.

Whilst Violet was a brilliant main character I also loved a lot of the others. Tammy was an angel in disguise! Whilst she would say that Violet helped her and cared for her a lot I don’t think she really understood what she did for Violet. She was another very humbling character who just needed a helping hand. In all honesty the whole cast of characters were all loveable and each one was a hidden gem.

Jessica Ryn has written another incredible story that will leave it’s readers with a smile on their face. One minute I was filled with so much joy, the next I was reaching for the tissues. I am very excited about what she writes next!

I wanted to fall in love with this book and with Violet as the reviews I read were brilliant. The story just didn't hit the mark for me and I ended up skipping through the last third of the book. Although heartwarming and touching in places as well as having some lovely, lyrical phrases, I felt that I didn't gel with Violet and in the end I didn't really care what happened between her and her mum. Perhaps I'm just in too grumpy a mood to enjoy it for what it is, a story to warm your heart. Please don't be put off but I always aim to be honest in my reviews!

Another absolute gem of a book. I couldn’t put this one down. I have devoured page after page of this one. Completely unwilling to put this one down.
This has kept my interest and made me want to read more by this author.

Violet lives alone in a bedsit. She doesn't communicate with what's left of her family and doesn't feel the need for social interaction with others.

This all changes when her sister turns up and tells her that she is moving to New Zealand so Violet needs to go and care for their mother.

The book relates the challenges that Violet faces, intertwining it with the backstory that explains why she has isolated herself from others for so long.

Although at times heartwarming and charming, this book doesn't quite hit the mark. There is a lack of subtlety in the story - somewhat clumsy juxtaposition of events takes the story forwards, and some of the connections are too obvious to be believable.

Almost a good book.

Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell and other uplit, this book has a real feel good factor to it. I started reading it this afternoon, taking a break from more weighty sci fi and finished it several hours later.

It deals with various topical issues, physical & mental illness (and the benefits system), chronic loneliness, being a career and being learning disabled in a very thoughtful manner.

Violet, the main character is trapped in a low paid job, crippled by guilt and unhappiness when her sister insists that she Violet moves back to the village she grew up in and become a carer for her mother, with the aim of selling their family home and moving their Mum into a residential home to pay for the fees. Her sister has had enough of being a carer and wants to move to New Zealand with her husband and start a completely new life.

Violet is incredibly reluctant to lose her (unsatisfactory) independence and has extreme guilt for her behaviour as a teenager. She is convinced that her mother and the community all hate her. Gradually however, she comes to know the tenants who live in their house (now sub divided into flats) and as she lets them into her life, things start to change.

I enjoyed this book, the characters were three dimensional and although it was obvious where the plot was going to go, I was happily on board for the ride. I will be looking out for other books by the author. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy. The book is available to buy in your local book shop.

If you’re looking for a great feel-good book to curl up with over Christmas, then look no further. This tender novel will tug at your heartstrings and most likely have you reaching for the tissues. The eminently likeable characters will soon worm their way into your mind and heart.

Violet Strong lives alone in Manchester. Her life is predictable and lonely at times, but she’s satisfied with it. Until her sister Jodie unexpectedly visits and lands a heavy weight of responsibility at her feet. In emigrating to New Zealand she needs Violet to step up and take care of their widowed mother.

Torn between duty and dread, Violet finally accepts she should go back to her childhood village which she hasn’t visited for 14 years. Not only does she have to face her fears and shame-filled past, but risk bumping into Adam, her abandoned childhood sweetheart who still sends her yearly text messages.

Glenys initially treats her daughter with rejection and disdain, which Violet thinks she deserves, believing as she does that her mother, and the whole village, in fact, hates her and blames her as the “Bad News” person who caused them pain and hurt.

As Violet adapts and slowly opens up her heart to friendship, family, second chances, and the prospect of reignited love, her own freely given kindness and care begin to strongly impact the individuals she meets to the extent that the whole village benefits.

After several twists and turns, all the loose ends and unsolved mysteries tie together beautifully, if a little predictably. But then this is a charming, heartwarming novel which also has a lot of pertinent things to say about the art of caring and the hoops people have to go through to get the help and support they need. I loved it. Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC.