At the beginning of the story, we meet Cerys, a middle-aged wife and empty nester who has decided to disappear from her loved ones’ lives. When things do not go as planned, she wanders off to the coastal town of Beaumaris, Wales where she meets Lily and her four-year old son, Sammy. Cerys’ motherly instincts lead her to help Lily and abandon her initial plans, and they end up agreeing to stay together and trust each other, no questions asked. When Lily’s past comes knocking at her door, secrets are revealed, and they now must protect their loved ones at whatever cost.

My Thoughts:

I LOVED this book. It is a gripping and emotional story of two women at distinct stages of life struggling to find their value and purpose in the world. Lily is a twenty-two-year-old escaping from an abusive relationship that has mined her confidence and broken her spirit. All she is sure of is that she loves her child and would protect him from anything. However, years of neglect and abuse have left her overwhelmed and paralyzed.

Cerys is a fifty-three-year-old mother of three who dedicated her entire life to her family. When her children leave home, she feels she has lost her purpose in life. Moreover, all she gets from her marriage is indifference. Meeting Lily provides Cerys with an “adopted daughter” to care for. For Lily, Cerys is the mother she wished she had, a role model to satiate her desperate need for guidance.

The author did a phenomenal job of introducing us to these characters and letting us know their feelings and motivations early on. Lily kept surprising me along the way, while Cerys resonated deeply with me. Her reflections on motherhood, second chances, and coming back to your origins were especially beautiful and many a time drew tears from me. There is also Cerys’ employer, Dilys, a woman in her eighties whose practical approach to life gives Cerys clarity and guidance.

The pacing felt perfect for the story. While there are moments of beauty and happiness, there is also the tension of knowing that eventually Cerys’ and Lily’s past (hers especially) will catch up with them. The story never stalls and kept me engaged from start to finish. The author touches on themes of mental health, abusive relationships, loss, grief, middle-age, shame, and acceptance.

I could go on and on describing all the things I loved about this book, but I will not spoil it for you. This is a five-star book for me, that will live in my forever-shelves.

If you are a fan of themes of found family, motherhood, and second chances paired with suspense and a little romance, this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a free digital copy to review this book.

This was a tense, but overall heartwarming book about healing and survival.

I wouldn't call it a "thriller" per se, but there were definitely some VERY tense moments.

Lily and Sammy are on the run from her abusive husband. Lily feels worthless and helpless as a mother to her four year old, and has never been on her own before. She is completely lost as to what to do, and doesn't even know how to book a hotel for herself and her young child. Lily then meets Cerys, who isn't so much as "on the run," but trying to escape her mundane life.

Cerys becomes the mother that Lily never had, as they forge their own path in life, until one day, Lily's husband finds them. The dramatic ending of what happens when the husband finds the women will have you on edge. Lily has spent her adult life believing she was worthless, and helpless and in capable of being a mother. She spent the months she was gone, believing her husband had gotten a court order for custody of their child. She will do anything to protect her child from that monster, and Cerys will do anything to protect Lily.

The ending of the story is heartwarming, as each person grows and learns to love themselves for who they are, and not who others expect them to be.

This just was not the book for me. I think I went into it thinking it was more of a thriller but it was more women’s fiction. It was a fine story and I liked the two main characters but it was otherwise underwhelming.

Two woman who meet under odd circumstances and set off a very emotional story. One is on the run and the other had set off to end her life. It is a story of motherhood, desperation. and survival. It is also a bit of a thriller that will keep you on the edge.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a chance to read an Arc of this I read Laura Jarrett's last book and really loved it. This one sadly didn't hit it's mark with me The premise was promising but it never really delivered on that promise The twists were too easily guessed and fell a little flat. I will admit I was expecting a bit more psychological thriller. This was more a domestic slow burn I just felt it burned itself out before the ending

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The very different stories of two desperate mothers were incredibly intriguing and perfectly intertwined. Cerys is an empty-nester who has lost her purpose. Lily is a wife on the run, desperate to protect her child. When the two come together unexpectedly, an incredible story unfolds.

TYSM to @bookmarked, @netgalley and @lauraejarratt for the ARC!

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Format: ebook
Author: Laura Jarratt
Publication date: May 2, 2023

A touching story. Two women who save each other in different ways. Cerys had given up on life when Lily and Drew gave her purpose because they needed sheltering.
The book resonates with the theme of people come into our lives for a reason and sometimes at exactly the right time.
I did feel sorry for Gavin and I thought Cerys was rather cold to him and somewhat unforgiving.
The ending was good.
Thanks to Sourcebooks and Edelweiss and NetGalley for the early copy.

This was a touching story that revolved around two women - Lily and Cerys. They’re on the run for two different reasons, attempting to escape their current lives. In the midst of it all, they find each other and form a mother/daughter connection.

There was a lot that I really liked about this book. I was totally immersed in Lily’s story and was curious about where things would end up for her. She did have a pretty bit secret that I thought was a good addition to the story, but I found it to be very obvious. It would’ve been cool if it was kept under tighter wraps for a big reveal.

Cerys’ story was a struggle for me, and that’s what brought my rating down. I wish I could go into details, but they would definitely be spoilers. So I’ll just say that her character didn’t really make sense to me. Her motivation for running away didn’t really add up. It has to do with her husband and children, and in terms of her children, I thought her mentality around all of that was ridiculous and unfair. Anyway, I’ll leave it at that.

Overall, I liked the writing style of this one and found myself zooming through it. I also appreciated the focus on motherhood. Unfortunately, there were some pretty big parts of the story that didn’t add up to me.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my gifted copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Holy moly, the emotions that came out of this book. Two mothers are thrown into each other’s lives and end up creating a bond that neither of them expected. This book did start out a little slow and it did take me a while to get into it, but once I did, I didn’t want to finish it because I needed to know how it was going to end. I became so invested in these characters and their lives and how despite them keeping secrets from one another, the other one always knew that there was a reason for that and trusted that the secrets would come out in their own time.

This book was advertised as a thriller, but I would consider it more a like woman’s fiction/ suspenseful novel more than a thriller. It was definitely emotional and explores topics like motherhood, abuse, and trusting other people in order to survive. There are definitely some TW, so I would look those up before digging into the book. But overall, would definitely recommend this one!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you @bookmarked @netgalley for a copy of this book. I read the synopsis thinking this would be a thriller but it's more fiction. The story is about 2 women that meet randomly and both are hiding from their past. They somehow form a friendship and live in a small remote town. I enjoyed how Lily and Cery's bond formed as well as the bond Cery forms with their landlord. I loved that this book explores motherhood and found family.

This was a really well told emotional story about two women - both mothers at different stages and needing each other more than they knew. I liked the writing style which was quick and changed perspectives. I did think the description was a little off for me as I didn’t think this book was so much a thriller as a family drama. Cerys left overwhelmed and just wanted to disappear. When things didn’t go as plan and she wandered by another desperate young woman clearly struggling and she has to stop to help her, Lilly, and her son Sammy. I liked the slow way the reader got the background of each woman. I loved the setting and really loved the people that Lily and Cerys met along their journey. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up for being such an engrossing read.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the copy of Without Saying Goodbye by Laura Jarratt. This is a sweet story about women helping and healing each other. Somehow, the pacing was off and I didn’t really get to know or connect to any of the characters, maybe because the story was so slow to unfold. If you don’t mind being in the dark about Cerys and Lily’s secrets until near the end, you will love this book. I needed to know more to really get invested in their lives.

A very sweet book. Not one of my favs forever but definitely made me tear up and was a really sweet reminder to love those around you when you have them.

Two women at very different stages in life find themselves entangled in one another. Cerys is an empty nester as her three children have grown into adulthood. She feels lost, without purpose, and alone. Lily is a new mother to four-year-old Sammy, who is escaping an abusive relationship. The two women meet by chance and form a heartwarming and emotionally complex bond. They promise each other never to question one another's past, and yet their secrets slowly seep through.
I enjoyed every page of this book. The trials of motherhood and feelings of depression are written and expressed beautifully. It is heartwrenching at times. Women need each other in many ways. Without Saying Goodbye wraps up a friendship, romance, a little thriller, and heartache all in one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Jarratt for this beautiful tale.

Thank you to the author and sourcebooks for an early copy of this release. I did my best and gave it 20 percent of the book but just could not get into this one. I tried a few times. The characters just weren’t grabbing me and the story was very slow to get moving. I’m sure it’s an important and moving story for someone I just couldn’t get into it personally.

I liked the two women and getting to know them and their stories. The pacing was a little rough for me towards the middle.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: women’s fiction
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: moderate
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🚫
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: stories of friendship
𝙏𝙒/𝘾𝙒 ⚠️: suicidal ideation, abuse

This book was a sweet and heart wrenching story of two mothers who find each other on the worst day of their respective lives. Each woman is hiding from someone, and each woman has a major secret. Somehow, they lean on each other and teach each other to survive. It is a story of found family, what it means to be a mother, and how to stand up for yourself.

I loved the emotional journey this book took me on. I teared up, I laughed, I was nervous, and I was rooting for each of the women. There are some tough issues discussed.

For me, the best part was the found family theme. Each woman, from each generation, found ways to learn from the others.

👏🏼👏🏼 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 to readers who enjoy stories of friendship and a mother’s love.

Without Saying Goodbye
by Laura Jarratt

Cerys leaves her husband after feeling alone and disconnected from him for years.
Lily sneaks away in the early morning hours.
Cerys misses mothering her kids, empty nest is hitting harder than she thought. Lily is doing everything she can to deal with past trauma and her 4-year-old.
When these two ladies' path cross, they decide to help each other out in ways they can without giving up their secrets. Will their past catch up to them?

I loved every minute of this book, it was so emotional and had me hooked from the beginning. You get to see real-life issues at hand, dealing with depression without realizing its depression, and abuse physical and mental. These women grow to learn to trust again and find out how to handle depression. They learn that you don't have to live in the darkness forever there is light at the end again, just takes a bit, and hard work to get there.

Thank you, Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC for an honest review

I really enjoyed this story about two mothers, each struggling and desperate to escape their lives. A chance run in had them crossing paths and beginning to work together. It's a story about how far a mother will go to protect her own. I was engaged from the first pages and read it quite quickly. It was a bit of a slow burn, but it flowed nicely. As the story went on, you got to know the characters really well and the reasons for their choices.

If I had one critique, it would be that this is marketed as a thriller. While it did have some thriller/mystery elements, it was more of a domestic drama to me. There was some suspense but also even bits of romance in there. There were no huge twists and I was expecting more thrills when I went into it. But it was still a good read!

Such a great and unexpected read. I wasn't expecting to feel so many feels, there were many meaningful messages found within this story. While both characters had their secrets (that were slowly revealed) they both had their reason for needed each other and sometimes that need can be what saves a person. I also loved that this book was nicely wrapped up with a lovely ending.