The Old Haunts tells its story in bits and pieces. We follow Jamie, who has recently lost both of his parents, as he spends a week in Scotland with his boyfriend, Alex. However, boiling the book down to this very small plot point does not do it justice. The real heart of the book comes from Jamie's memories of his parents, from his childhood to his young adult life to the very near past. It feels somehow like both a coming of age story and a story of grief and mourning at the same time.

This is a very short novel, but Radcliffe's prose is beautiful and pulls no punches. There are so many small yet poignant moments tucked into this one for the reader to really sit with.

Thank you to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the arc!

•Coming of Age
•Bildungsroman
•Past and Present
•Twenties in London
•Grief and Resentment
•Loss of parents
•Edinburgh, Scotland

It has a lot of reminiscing memories. There are two main characters and they both have poignant back stories. They have opened their heart to each other. While losing one of the parent in early age and revisiting the memories of childhood and growing up. They have shared keen observations about life, people and unforgettable memories

Jamie and Alex know each other so well. They have grown up together. Jamie shares a poignant story of grandmother. Revisiting and reminiscing the memories have their own delight. And the sudden loss of both of Jamie’s parents and sudden turn of events. While Alex is an actor. The book is evocative, coming of age and filled with grief, resentment and confrontation. It’s not easy to open one’s heart, it takes a lot of time and effort to understand each other and go through their state of mind.

Thank you Publisher, Author, and Netgalley.

In The Old Haunts, Allan Radcliffe skillfully delves into the realms of grief, love, family, and romantic relationships. The storytelling is intimate and reflective, conveyed through spare yet powerful prose. The insights offered are profound, and the narrative's warmth creates a strong connection with readers, making it a highly relatable and touching experience.

Well, this one took me by surprise. Jamie is spending a week away in rural Scotland with his boyfriend, Alex. After recently losing his parents, he starts to reflect on memories, and the narrative takes on a past and present structure that worked so well. The whole aching feeling of this book just resonated with me. I couldn't pick one fault with it. It's very well done, and just really lovely, too. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Big thanks to Fairlight Books for the gifted netgalley arc😊

It was a plotless story but I liked the overall mood. I would have not finished it but it was actually quite short so I did manage. Really just the MC going through his memories. It was touching but beyond that there wasn't much going on. I suppose this just isn't the type of book I would have normally read but it was a nice change of pace for me.