Love Life
By Nancy Peach

A quick read with some issues about cheating, eating disorder and low self-esteem. The story is centered on Dr. Carter, a palliative hospice doctor who deals with end-of-life care. Her self-esteem is shot after finding out that her boyfriend has a lover and feels she doesn't deserve a happy ever after. Eddie is the son of Dr. Carter's patient - she remembers meeting him before but he doesn't remember the magical night they shared many years ago. Both characters have a sad past that they need to get over, and the setting in a hospice with Eddie's mother doesn't make for a quick happy ending for this romance read. However, I feel that there are a lot to unpack in this story and may be a little much at times with the self-deprecating monologue (inner voices) and hard topics the characters do go through.

There's plenty of potential in this story but I couldn't connect to the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Take a look at the cover of this book. The bright colours, quirky art style of the chairs and even the tagline would make you assume that this is a light-hearted rom-com, right?

Tess is a junior doctor working in a hospice with people at the very end of their life. When cancer patient Mary Russell arrives with her son Edward, Tess is sure she has met Edward before. They had a lovely night together five years before at a party and never saw each other again. Only Edward doesn’t appear to recognise her at all. He’s only interested in making sure his mother continues getting the best treatment possible but Tess is determined to not let his dismissive behaviour get to her.

Tess is haunted by two voices in her head. One of them is a cruel, Jeremy Kyle-esque host of a chat show who constantly reminds her of her shortcomings and exaggerates them. We all have a voice like that in our heads, letting us know where we’ve messed up and how useless we are. Tess often finds it hard to silence him. The other voice in her head is Jane Austen. She tries her best to make herself heard over the obnoxious TV host and let Tess know that she is beautiful, smart and worthy of good things. Jane also acts as a guardian in matters of the heart, as I think she does for so many of us.

Tess has bulimia. She has a habit of binging and purging when things go wrong for her and although I am comfortable reading about the struggles of a bulimic, I wasn’t prepared for it at all. However I have no doubt that it’s an accurate portrayal of life as an overworked, ambitious junior doctor. Whether it’s through addiction, self-harming or an eating disorder, I’m well aware of the need for some kind of release when your career is so pressurised and essential.

Tess has an older brother called Jake and she sees him when she goes home to Sheffield to visit her mum. I really didn’t believe in the dialogue between the siblings. Something about it didn’t really feel true and I couldn’t really believe in their relationship. I also couldn’t really get on board with Tess being naive enough to not realise that their mother had separate rules for them. Jake was always allowed to date and stay out late but Tess never was and has heeded her mother’s harsh warnings about men ever since. I didn’t really believe that Tess wouldn’t be angry about this because it has undoubtedly set her back years when it comes back to being successful in that aspect of adult life.

'looking as much like a coiled spring as it is possible for an overweight receptionist holding a pair of secateurs to look.'

There is absolutely no reason to mention that the receptionist at the hospice is overweight. She doesn’t become any kind of significant part of the story so therefore her weight isn’t relevant at all. It really felt like this part hadn’t been edited at all because I’m sure a good proofreader would have picked up on this and suggested a better adjective or simply no adjective at all.

The book opens with Tess finding her long-term boyfriend Scott in bed with another man. While she is understandably shocked and hurt by his infidelity, there is another dimension that comes with this kind of cheating and Tess doesn’t really seem to acknowledge that in the best way. Scott most likely always knew he was attracted to men but he obviously never felt comfortable enough to come out to Tess and perhaps her completely self-absorbed reaction to it explains why. She immediately starts to think that his cheating with a man means that there’s something wrong with her. Everything about the end of this relationship is apparently about Tess and she is inexplicably ‘surprised’ that his friends congratulate him for taking the brave step in coming out? Erm no, love, take a seat and let the people who love Scott be happy that he can finally be his true self.

Edward is clearly very heavily inspired by Mr Darcy but unlike Mr Darcy, I wasn’t really that attracted to his brooding, aloof phase. He’s incredibly rude to Tess (see the Elizabeth/Darcy dynamic) and is brimming with self-absorption but with actually very little charisma. In his softer moments, I started to see his appeal but then he and Tess committed a crime that was incredibly off-colour and icky and I went back to having a bad taste in my mouth for both of them.

There are some quite funny, slightly inappropriate jokes. I did smile at these but I can see how they definitely wouldn’t sit well with some readers. I’m not sure they were funny enough to risk leaving in the book, to be honest. So again, I think an editor possibly should have gone over these a little more carefully.

There are parts of the book which are very poignant and almost beautiful. The fact that Tess spends her days surrounded by people who are right on the border of life and death makes for some moving, thoughtful moments. Towards the end, I started thinking about the value and brevity of human life and how it is too short to spend it doing something we hate or being miserable. This wasn’t what I was expecting from what I thought would be a fluffy rom-com but I think I could have taken it alongside a genuinely likeable protagonist and a romance that I believed in.

Love Life is a very loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice. You can see the links in the characters more than the plot but Tess definitely shares none of Elizabeth Bennet’s charm and wit. The inclusion of her head voices was unique and definitely my favourite aspect of the book. In fact, I think I’d have enjoyed the book a lot more if it had simply been a sparring match between these two ghostly entities. I can see what Love Life was trying to do but the execution simply wasn’t there and there were a lot of things that really didn’t sit right with me.

One of those books that is very difficult to classify in terms of its genre.

Romance?the title would make you think so, but there's so much more going on in the book. Rom-com? If you've read the blurb and the list of Trigger Warnings, you know Tess is doing her Palliative Care placement in a hospice, and this is probably the last place where you would expect a romcom to be set.

Women's fiction? the protagonist of the book Dr Tess Carter is still finishing her medical training before she can start working as a GP, so she has less life experience than what we usually expect from the main characters in women's fiction.

Chick-lit? Tess is suffering from self-esteem issues following her boyfriend's betrayal. She also needs to silence her inner saboteur, an imaginary daytime TV presenter, who takes a great pleasure in attacking every step Tess makes. On the bright side, Tess is constantly defended by another imaginary figure-Miss Jane Austen herself!
Tess has a wonderful best friend/flatmate Kath, a chubby ginger cat Morris, a very supportive mum and brother, and a job she loves. She just needs to figure out what to do with her love interest Edward who vanished from her life five years ago and now suddenly re-appeared - this time as an angry, mistrustful son of one of her patients.

I decided to leave aside all of my expectations and genre stereotypes and just went with the flow of the story. It turned out to be very engaging book which touches on a variety of real-life topics ranging from absent fathers, eating disorders, double standards in raising boys and girls to general avoidance of talking about death, the only certainty in our lives. I was surprised how many of them hit close to home!
What I liked the most about this book were the more serious parts- Tess's work with her patients, Dr Fielding's talk with Tess's patient and her family, the general atmosphere of calm, support and mutual respect. Favourite supporting character? Mary Russell, Tess's patient and Edward's mother.

I also liked seeing Tess grow into herself. If you find the TV host's voice unbearably irritating, you will appreciate how he gradually fades out as the book progresses. I didn't like some of the things Tess did- I can understand her feelings, though, and her desire to re-affirm life. I think it was important to raise the thought-provoking issues of trust, vulnerability, professional distance, boundaries and the emotional toll this job takes and make the readers react in the most visceral way.
I would have prefered a different kind of ending (although Kath's reaction to seeing Edward was priceless), a less uplifting, but more realistic one? I'm probably going to be in minority :-)

Overall, I'm glad I picked up this book. It wasn't exactly light-hearted, but it was engaging, and I would love to read the next book Nancy Peach writes.

Dr. Tess Carter, a hospice physician, was shocked when she returned home one day to find her boyfriend in bed…with another man. Chocolate, ice cream, and biscuits are immediately brought in to help with the betrayal.

One day, a man brings his mother, Mrs. Russell, into the hospice which has been recommended by her doctors. The woman appears to be accepting of her fate, but her son, Edward Russell, a lawyer, is not ready to accept the looming loss of his mother and is prepared to fight tooth and nail to seek further life-saving treatment for her. When Tess sees Edward, she remembers him from a party they both attended some time ago and the nice discussions they shared. However, it appears he doesn’t remember her at all. Ouch! What a punch to her ego.

As the days pass and Mrs. Russell continues to go downhill, Edward’s frustration and grief mount. Tess and Mrs. Russell become closer and Tess is honest with her about what to expect as her life comes to an end. The tension between Edward and Tess builds because he does not want his mother to be in the hospice. He wants her to continue with treatment that is not working.

Tess is also dealing with her father having left her and her mother when Tess was small making life a struggle for them. But finding some hidden letters from him shows Tess that he didn’t want to lose contact with her after all.

The tension, both of sadness and sexual tension between Tess and Edward is very heavy in this story. However, there is also a kind of beautiful sadness mixed with happiness that the end of life brings to families.

This story is so much more than I have described above. At first I was cringing at the thought of a depressing book set in a hospice, but the book opens up so many parts of life and I really found it profoundly touching. This is a very moving story, sad and happy both at the same time. The extra touches of the nasty talk show host in Tess’s one ear and Jane Austen in the other ear made for a delightful way to break the tension. Very well done. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The description of this book suggested that it was a feel good and uplifting read. Sadly I don't agree. The subjects were quite heavy and dark and quite difficult to read. I think that I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been light and humorous as described. Likewise, if it had described the book as I found it to be, more serious then I would have been expecting it and I might have enjoyed it more.
I didn't like the inner dialogue narration, especially the TV host. I found it irritating and it was distracting from the main book. It made for very hard reading.
There were parts of it that I didn't mind, it just wasn't the book that I was expecting it to be.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for my ARC.

I loved this book. I was expecting a fluff book but it was actually really deep and beautiful. I cried and smiled the whole way through it. Eddie and Tess are wonderful!

Looking at lithe reviews this is definitely a Marmite story, enjoyed by some and not others.
The story is set around Tess, working as part of her training to be a GP at a hospice, and Edward, whose mother is a patient there. Tess is from a shingle parent, working class background whilst Edward is from money. Not a straightforward romance, with a style of writing that includes internal conversations, but this worked for me. The hospice setting is not sad, I've been fortunate / unfortunate enough to visit someone in one and it was a peaceful place. It is one of those stories that does have you rooting for the characters, whilst the humour prevents the tone becoming too sombre. A book for reading in a cosy living room, rather than by a pool and a change from more "normal" romances.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book and I also have pre-ordered it.

This is a women’s fiction book with a charming romance included. The book though to me seemed more about Alice’s journey to self love than her romance with Edward which didn’t really start until midway in the book. Alice really had to look at herself and her choices in a critical way in order for her life to move in a positive way. Alice and Edward has a slow burn romance in that they were both in other relationships initially and slowly went from butting heads to being friendly to having feelings. There were wonderful characters and touching plot points throughout the book.

I enjoyed the general story but found the constant narrative from the tv host very irritating and unreadable. I skipped over most of this in the end. I didn’t like the way he constantly put down our heroine and encouraged her bulimia.

The effects of cancer and leading up to death we’re handled sensitively and there was a good storyline.
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Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I almost DNF'D this book, but I'm not a quitter. But man the amount of big words used made this story very difficult to read and follow. I felt like she was trying to sound smart by using large words. But really it was just an epic fail. The inner monologue between Jane Austen and Jeremy Kyle didn't add to the story at all.
Although I didn't read every word, I skimmed a lot, the writing made it hard and had made this one book I am sorry to have wasted my time on. I work 2 jobs and reading in my free time is a luxury and this took away from it.

Part of me really enjoyed reading this book, the other part of me? Not so much. I found the constant commentary monotonous, and the tv host voice drove me insane.

I think there are a few moments that could be triggering for some readers and especially some morally grey areas. I liked the realness of the relationships, both romantic and family. They were gritty and didn’t sugarcoat that we aren’t always happy and that awful things do happen to people.

I would recommend this, however I feel that there was unnecessary lengthy monologues that didn’t exactly add the plot of the book that had me wanting to skip ahead.

Well, it’s a good job I started reading this on a Saturday because I literally couldn’t put it down. Finished it later that evening and I bloody loved it. You wouldn’t think that a novel set in a hospice featuring Tess (a doctor so down on her self and so lacking in confidence that it’s sometimes painful to read what her subconscious thinks of herself) could end up being so uplifting, but it really was! It was both encouraging and inspiring to see her fight her own demons to realise her self-worth and to do that before she fell in love. An awesome book and I will be looking out for more by Nancy Peach!

This was quite different from what I expected when I initially read the synopsis of the book; it was definitely darker and more emotionally challenging than I thought it was going to be. As mentioned in my previous review, I am going through a big move in my personal life right now, so I find myself reaching for romances, hoping that the familiarity of their patterns will soothe and relax me. Love Life, while certainly an interesting read, did not exactly do that. Our protagonist has some serious struggles, mostly regarding her own mental health, so the book ended up being a bit heavier than its synopsis suggested. Of course, I was aware that Edward's (our love interest) mum was one of Tess' patients, and there are trigger warnings about that content, but I think Tess' bulimia and mental health struggles should have also been mentioned there, as I personally found them much more challenging to read about.

Aside from those issues I had with regard to the book's trigger warnings - or lack thereof - I thought it was a fairly decent read. Nothing groundbreaking, but ultimately enjoyable. I really liked the fact that Tess came from a working class family and was open to discuss issues of wealth and poverty and her own struggles, in a way that felt authentic and not at all preachy. Her attitude towards her mum, her evident discomfort with Edward's wealth, as well as some of the decisions she makes regarding her own finances, all felt real and authentic. And I loved, loved, loved the fact that this was another book set in England - can you tell I miss Ireland? And her flatmate was Irish!! Truly a book after my own heart.

I will say, however, that I didn't really care for the romance. I liked Tess on her own more than I liked Tess-and-Edward, as I didn't really care for Edward as an individual. I found the women in his life, namely his mum and sister, to be much more compelling characters, and I would have been fine seeing him and their romance take a back seat to Tess' own character development.

Hmmm I’m a bit stuck in this moment. I have a few conflicting thoughts towards Love Life. First the good: Edward and Tess seemed to be a perfect example of a British Rom-com (I easily imagined Hugh Grant as Edward) with very British banter. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope and this began a little bit as such with a hint of amnesia thrown in. With all good love stories, if the characters are likable then I will root for them to be together and enjoy following their story whatever may come.
Love Life read as two separate stories for me. The first was about Tess and her myriad of insecurities stemming from her relationships with men (gay ex-boyfriend, absent father, etc.). A good portion of the time Tess navigates these insecurities through two narrators at war in her head; the “TV host” and Jane Austen. What I expected to be a cute example of personal growth through subconscious thought and rationalization became very draining to the storyline. I found myself skimming the narrated parts and did not feel that they added any personal growth to Tess. They felt like a crutch that could have been explored better.

In the first part of the story we become acquainted with Tess’s daily life as a rounding as a doctor in a hospice ward where the reality of death is a constant. Not what I would first expect from a romance, but I was intrigued. One of her patients, Mary Russell, becomes a fixture in Tess’s work life and with that comes the grumpy Edward. Great! I love a good grump/sunshine. I was pleased to see the introduction of Edward, however, the majority of the book stayed in this realm of Tess’s life (work, home, dating, insecurities) without moving forward the story of Tess and Edward.
The second half of Love Life is still mostly Tess’s story, but now we have her thoughts more fully focused around Edward and what having him in her life may bring. Without giving any spoilers, it takes one evening to engage this part of the story. I struggled with the way the love scenes were written, feeling that I just wanted more from Tess and Edward. The writing of their romance felt very assumed to me instead of playful, learning, or experimenting with what their relationship could be.
I felt there were a few story lines that either could have been cut or woven in better: Tess’s dad, her relationship with her brother. I think Love Life read as a manuscript to me more than a good story I wanted to get lost in. Romance readers want this! Is there a HEA? Of course, it’s a romance! I will continue to read romances, but did I want more for Tess and Edward? Yes, but unfortunately their story won’t be a romance to last forever in my head.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC. The opinions expressed here are fully my own and are not influenced by this adjacent copy.

A good easy read. Tess is a junior doctor working through her placements. Edward is a city lawyer. Edward's mum Mary is transferred to the hospice where Tess currently resides.
Tess knows that she has met Edward before but only this time there is nothing but animosity between them. Can they be civil to each other for the sake of Mary?
Throughout the story there are two narrators; Jane Austin and a TV presenter.

This was not entertaining.
The writing comes off as obnoxious.
The inner dialogue was cringey to read.
There were long paragraphs of us readers being told instead of providing dialogue to show what is happening.
Also, brushing over the character's eating disorder like a passing comment about the weather did not sit right with me at all.
Unfortunately, this one could not hold my attention.

This isn't the light rom com you might think and it's not kind either. Alice is a physician who works with hospice patients. Edward, with whom she had a fling years before, is distressed about his mother's condition. Is is a second chance romance? Nope, not really. What I found hard about this was first and foremost the rather homophobic approach to Alice's ex and then the voices in her head. I get the internal narration but this didn't wok for me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Love Life is an incredibly moving and thought-provoking novel--I was expecting a breezy read and really enjoyed what a smart and emotional read this was. Definitely recommended!

I really loved this book! The way it combined the warring inner voices, made characters through 'Jane Austen' and the 'Reality Show Host' was incredibly clever, funny and fresh.

Whilst the story was on occasion slightly predictable, it also surprised me and I was fully engaged the entire way through. Love Life is definitely worth a read (maybe with a glass of wine!).