This just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the story and found it much deeper than I expected from the blurb here.

This one wasn't really my cup of tea, I didn't love the characters and I wasn't engrossed. It had some good elements and might be perfect for someone....just not me :)

Lovely enemies to lovers stories. I love a story when two passionate people go head to head. When Edward meets Tess while admitting his mom to hospice the sparks fly instantly.
The commentary from the television host and Jane Austen, although sometimes seems excessive, added great insight to the inner battle happening to Tess. A story of grief, self doubt and second chances, this book definitely shows that you have to love life.

Definitely not a light read and I was hoping for a good enemies to lovers type of romance but this one sadly fell short for me.

This was a little too corny for me! I am all for a cute light fiction but it was too unrealistic and over the top for my liking so I struggled to finish it!

If you've read any of my other reviews, you know I love real and flawed characters. Love Life delivers that! However, it felt like a lot was going on in the story and some of the side stories took away from the growth and movement of the plot.

This book was so fun and kept me interested right until the end. The story line is what originally caught my eye, it’s so intriguing! The story was heartfelt.

A very, very late review of a book that was delightful to read and of which I remember some scenes vividly! Like the one with Edward being in his running gear and Tess almost losing it, and one with Edward's niece wearing her fairy outfit and being her cheery self brightening everyone's day.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This was a romance story full of hope. I loved the characters and thought it was such a heartwarming novel. Tess is flawed and realistic.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love Life is fun and the characters were great! Jumping into this world was easy and there were definitely times I couldn't put the book down. This book definitely tackles some challenging subjects, but it's a good read!

Nice, enjoyable read, liked the characters, and the way the story was told, would recommend this book.

Love Life by Nancy Peach is a book that deals with some really tough topics - cancer, death, disordered eating. What's hard about this one is how disparaging the voice in her head is. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

“It is a truth seldom acknowledged but nonetheless unassailable, that there are few moments more pivotal in the life of a young woman than finding her boyfriend in bed with someone else. Particularly when that someone happens to be another man.” - Jane Austen, inside Tess Carter’s head.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. One More Chapter for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Love Life’ by Nancy Peach in exchange for an honest review.

I was engaged from the start given its above playful opening.

While at first glance its title and bright cover had suggested a light romantic comedy, finding that its lead, Tess Carter, was a doctor providing palliative care in a hospice shifted it into the romantic comedy-drama category. Not an issue for me though the setting and Tess’ profession might unsettle someone expecting more fluff.

There is whimsy in the form of Tess’ two competing inner voices. She enjoys the genteel Jane Austen commenting on her past and planning her future. Yet it’s the other voice that is most often in her head always pointing out her flaws: a blokey, jocular, mansplaining, daytime show host. The two often battle it out for Tess’ attention.

Tess no longer believes in romance. Her father had left twenty years ago without a backward glance and she discovered her last boyfriend in bed with another guy. So, the voice telling her that she’s not good enough, not pretty enough, not clever enough has become very loud indeed.

Now Edward Russell, the disagreeable son of one of her patients, is challenging her every decision. Tess is determined not to let him get to her, yet to do so she needs to stop the endless self-sabotage.

Nancy Peach, herself a practicing doctor, describes her debut novel as ‘Pride and Prejudice in a hospice’ and I felt that was a fair description. More importantly her medical background allowed her to approach the subjects of terminal illness, palliative care, and death with great sensitivity.

I felt that’Love Life’ was a novel that addresses compassionately these serious issues as well as loss and bereavement, yet also had moments of humour and hope. It also was a love story. So, definitely not fluffy escapism, which was fine with me. I found it thought provoking and uplifting.

Overall, an impressive debut and I shall be looking forward to news of her future projects.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Was a bit slow. Also was different from what I thought it would be. This book was just okay, if that, unfortunately. I appreciate the chance to read it but it just wasn’t for me. Skimmed a lot.

I think I’ve DNF’d a book twice. This book makes it three. The incredibly cruel “game show host” voice inside Alice’s head was disturbing, to the point where I couldn’t continue reading.the book. I’m so sorry, this one’s not for me.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Love Life turned out to be quite a different book than I had expected from the synopsis. It was far more emotionally challenging and darker than I had expected. What I think needs to be noted is the discussions of cancer, mental health and bulimia.

I found this to be a book of two halves. The first half with Tess, the main character, and a myriad of insecurities stemming from past relationships, her evident mental health struggles. A good portion of the book is spent navigating these insecurities by the two narrators in her head, the "TV host" and Jane Austen. An angel and devil, if you will. I will admit I did find myself skimming over these parts and don't feel it took much away from the book.

The second half is still about Tess, but her now is geared towards her thoughts and feelings towards love interest Edward, who she'd once spent a night talking to years ago which he doesn't seem to remember. It's a will they, won't they situation. I struggled with their relationship storyline and characters as a whole.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book was for me and the story of Tess and Edward will not remain with me for some time like others have.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I know this book was supposed to be uplifting, but it made me really sad. This is no fault of the author - this book was just a little much for me to read.

I found this book extremely slow & difficult to get into. I really didn't like the voices in Tess' head & Edward was a pompous a-hole! In the end everything happened really quickly & it seemed a bit unrealistic

Not for me

I had a hard time with this one. The description and the cover give the impression of a lighter book with some big moments involved

Right from the beginning, the content is very heavy and a little hard to handle.

I had a hard time wanting to read it because it was intentionally sad.

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

Tess is a doctor working in a hospice as part of her training to be a GP. When Mary is admitted with terminal cancer, her son is angry and obstructive as he can’t accept she is dying and wants her to undergo more treatment even though it will make no difference to the outcome. Tess realises that she has met Edward before, but he gives no indication he remembers her.
A hospice might not be the ideal setting for a romance novel, but this part of the story is handled with great sensitivity. Also Love Life cannot really be described in this way as romance plays such a small part in it. A lot of difficult topics are introduced, but only explored in a superficial way, and perhaps some could have been omitted without adversely affecting the story. A case in point is Tess’s struggle with bulimia; it is mentioned several times but never really resolved.
The story is mostly told from Tess’s point of view, with occasional contributions from Edward. Tess struggles a lot with self-doubt and battles with the critical voices in her head, who take the form of an acerbic talk-show host and Jane Austen. While this is an interesting trope, I found it interrupted the flow of the narrative, and thought the talk-show host’s voice was unnecessarily vicious.
The story is well written and the characters are believable (plus there is a cat). I would have liked to hear more from Mary’s point of view as she was an interesting character. I also liked the Jane Austen references throughout the book. Love Life is an assured debut novel and I look forward to reading Nancy Peach’s next book.
I was offered a copy of Love Life by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for providing the digital copy.