Another fab read from Lucy diamond!
A families portrayal of grief, beautifully written poignant, heartbreaking yet heartwarming at the same time!
Each family is very different in the way they handle grief and loss and this is so well documented in the best days if our lives as we share in the journey of recovery and coming to terms with their loss!
Leni a much loved daughter and sister is tragically killed after a cycling accident, usually the life and soul of a party or family gathering, Leni leaves a huge gaping hole in the lives of her parents siblings and friends and they all process their grief in different ways and in doing so all come together as a family reunited.
A great read that I would thoroughly recommend.
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

Leni knows next year will be brilliant... And then she's knocked off her bike.
The tragedy throws her family into turmoil; Her mum, Belinda can't let go, her sister Alice becomes determined to find out as much about those last few weeks of Leni's life as possible and her brother Will drops everything to go to Thailand and bury his head in the sand.


It's an engaging tale; the characters are well developed and easy to like. They all feel realistic and normal so very quickly you're swept into their story. There's some clever interweaving of plots, highs and lows, bittersweet and happy moments. I really enjoyed this story - quite typical of a Lucy Diamond story. One that feels real, emotional and comforting.

Another absolutely gorgeous book by the best selling author Lucy Diamond. Oh how I loved this precious book.

Leni is the life and soul of the party, she is also nursing a broken marriage, trying to navigate her family drama and dynamics, nursing a broken heart after multiple heartwrenching ivf treatments not working and mummy to fur baby cat Hamish. As we start the book we get a brief introduction into Leni. Before finding out that she has sadly passed away due to a bike accident. We start learning more and more about Leni from the memorial page her sister Alice set up and hearing all her stories put a big smile on my face. She sounding like such a character.

Alice is Lenis sister and one of her best friends. Alice is trying to navigate the world without her sister in it. She is also finding out lots more about her sister things she kept hidden from people and what happened to her in the last week of her life. Alice is also trying to find her own path in life now that her sister has died and is trying to find out the things that she wants out of life for herself.

Belinda Lenis mum is having a hard time dealing with the death of her daughter. She is in touch with a clairvoyant who she believes she is convening with Leni through. She is also thinking of selling the family home and setting up a b&b with her new boyfriend.


Will Lenis brother is really struggling to come to terms with everything and has fled the country. Alother this doesn't go quite as to plan as he hopes.

And Tony Lenis dad is trying to make amends for leaving the family and being a rubbish dad. While awaiting a new baby himself with his new girlfriend.

Everyone is keeping secrets and the thing about secrets is that they will all be revealed in the end.

This is such a wonderful heartwarming and uplifting book and I utterly adored it.

This book was a fantastic feel good curl up with a cuppa book.
It follows the life of Leni and her family McKenzies unite. Loved the way it was written incorporating the family old and new. A few tears but mostly laughter and a great read to lose yourself in.
Highly recommended read

Devoured this book in a couple of days. Leni has recently passed away after being knocked off her bike. All of her family are struggling and several blame themselves. Brother Will has run away to Thailand; sister Alice is trying to recreate every part of Levi’s life; mum Belinda is running up phone bills to the medium who is passing on messages from Leni; and dad Tony is battling the emotions of a fallen apart family whilst awaiting the birth of a new baby from wife number 4. This is the story of them coming to terms with Leni’s loss, and coming back together again. I loved this book.

I love this authors books and how they always write about real people and real issues and how the books are so relatable to everyday lives.

This is such a beautiful and poignantly written novel about how one family cope with and navigate through the loss of a loved one and also how they try and piece together the last moments of their loved ones life before tragedy struck. It also showed how relationships within families and with friends can be rebuilt after a tragedy and how sometimes when something devastating happens something good can materialise from it.

This book made me laugh and cry and was an emotional yet uplifting read

This book will stay with me for a long time to come.

This was yet another wonderful read from Lucy Diamond in which I found the characters got totally under my skin the more I read. Alice, Belinda, Tony and Will are all left reeling in the year following the accident that killed their sister / daughter Leni. The way their all responded so differently really demonstrated how grief can affect in so many ways and I loved the fact it was the most unlikely of them that started pulling them more together as a family. Despite the obviously sad storyline this is actually a very uplifting book and a fantastic character read, the different characters all have a great voice and they’re all just really nice people having a difficult time but it’s was a pleasure to see the different ways they were starting to move on.

I have enjoyed all of Lucy Diamond's novels and so I'm always excited by a new release from the author. With The Best Days of Our Lives, I feel that the author has really surpassed herself and written a deeply moving, multi layered reflection on grief and loss and how we all cope so differently with our experiences.
After the death of 35 year old Leni, their beloved sister and daughter, the members of the McKenzie family all cope in different ways. Alice, Leni's younger sister attempts to find meaning in Leni's last days and weeks, her brother Will, unable to face the loss and his emotions flees to Thailand. Leni's mother Belinda finds solace in the words of a clairvoyant and her ex husband Tony, Leni's father, attempts to reconcile with his children as well as coming to terms with becoming a father again.
This is such a beautifully written and emotional novel, and I was pulled into the story of the McKenzie family from the first pages and was moved to tears on more than one occasion. The author sensitively and empathically portrays a family struggling to cope with their grief and shows the range of emotions we go through when we are bereaved. Ultimately it is a hopeful and uplifting novel and I feel completely bereft now I have finished it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I have to confess that I am a massive Lucy Diamond fan, she can do no wrong in my eyes. Hers are the first book I reach for in the airport bookshop or on the booksellers table at Christmas, this title keeps that love alive