Beautifully written love story. All the twists and turns of a marriage spanning 60 years. Really enjoyed it.

I loved the premise of this one and was so keen to get my hands on a copy. I bumbled along on this one, waiting for the end. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, and I ended up being very indifferent in the end. I feel like this may have been for an older audience- a sweet story but not for me 🤣

While I am not a big romance reader, I love a great love story, and this one is the best one ever. The story spans decades of Evelyn and Joseph’s life together as they face the biggest hurdle in their marriage. Beautifully written from multiple perspectives, this 60 year marriage is followed from before World War 2 straight through 9/11 and beyond. Fast paced with characters that you feel personally connected to, this book is not to be missed. Definitely the best one I have read this year.

The Days I Loved you Most
by Amy Neff
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Spanning the twentieth century from World War II to 9/11 and beyond, The Days I Loved You Most is a timeless tale of unwavering devotion -- a moving tribute to the enduring power of love and a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope and beauty to be found.
This author was new to me, and I am so glad I requested the ARC.
With a tile like The Days I Loved You Most, I knew this one would leave me reaching for a tissue. This is my first time reading this author. She took a very hard subject matter (sickness) and wrote a beautiful, heartfelt story. This story was heart wrenching but I am so thankful to have read it. I found this to be very reminiscent of The Notebook - which I have read numerous times & will continue to do so. If you want to feel something deeply profound, I highly recommend this book.

This one was a hard read only because it takes about taking one’s life. While I understand that the husband doesn’t want to live without the wife and they make a pact to die together, it was still difficult to read. This was advertised as a romance, but I don’t see anything romantic about suicide. Unfortunately , this one just wasn’t for me

I really was taken by the premise of this book. It’s about a couple in their later years. She gets a debilitating diagnosis from her doctor. The couple decide to end their lives together in one year because they can’t imagine living without the other. The rest of the book chronicles their lives and the lives of their children that lead to this point and their decision. The story goes back and forth in time. I really thought this book would move me, but it frustrated me and at times bored me.
The plot was weak and seemed to really drag at times. The characters didn’t seem to be very soundly structured and I had a hard time finding them believable. I found myself rapidly flipping pages and skipping over stuff because I needed the plot to move faster.
I enjoyed the writing and the way the writer described different areas of the setting, I just needed a plot and characters that were better developed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is what happens after the Cinderella story, the real life twist and turns of a relationship. You would think that with someone willing to join their partner at the end of their life that the actual life would be extraordinary, but it wasn't and that's why I liked this story so much because the author is willing to show us the vulnerable sides of this couple, with its doubts and frustrations and at time misunderstandings that would lead some couples to not stay together. And yet when faced with the possibility of leaving or staying with each other Evelyn and Joseph always choose to stay together even when the alternative path was very attractive.
I loved being involved in Evelyn's and Joseph's cycle of life. I loved how they met, I loved when they had their children and grandchildren. I loved what they were interested in and how willing they are to accept others flaws. I loved their time on the beach and I loved how close they all became at the end of the story, it is wonderful.
Lastly, it'd funny I live in Connecticut and I can relate to cold winters and driving to Bradly International Airport and being on the beach. It made me chuckle.

I want to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row and NetGalley for an advance copy of this story about real love and the reality of living.

<B>No one in love gets out of this life unscathed.</b>

<i>But it was the hardest days. The days I was lost, the days I thought I’d lose you. When everything fell apart, but you were all I needed. Those are the days I loved you most.</i>

This book is the comfort of sitting on your grandparent’s porch and listening to them detail the story of their lives. It is an emotionally gripping story of not only love, but a bond, forged over a lifetime. From growing up together to growing a family of their own together—Joseph and Evelyn detail their successes, dreams, tribulations and heartaches. They know they cannot live without each other, so when Evelyn’s health takes a turn and her prognosis is grim, her and Joseph make plans to leave this world together. Their kids aren’t keen on their idea, but over time, they begin to realize how many memories and how much love they can pack into their last year all together.

This story goes back and forth between the present and past, with the main narrators being Joseph and Evelyn, and some chapters narrated by their children, Jane, Thomas and Violet. The story is heartbreakingly beautiful and the style reminds me a lot of The Notebook. I was sobbing at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an ARC for me to read and review.

I was expecting a moving love story, but sadly, this book fell short of my expectations. The synopsis blew me away, so I admit I had extremely high expectations when I began reading. While Joseph and Evelyn had an enduring love story, I never felt fully invested in it. Both leads didn't feel fully fleshed out, and there was lots of telling readers that the leads had a great love rather than showing us. Overall, I wanted more from this story.

Thank you to Park Row and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I read the synopsis I just knew I had to read this. What a tragically beautiful love story. Unfortunately I wish there were just a few less people involved. I found it difficult at times to keep everybody straight and remember who was who.

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff was a good book, but not great. It had moments of potential but ultimately fell short in several areas. The characters fell short, lacking the depth and complexity that would have made their stories more engaging. While some aspects of the plot were intriguing and held my interest, many storylines were left open-ended and seemed to drag on without closure. This left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied as I reached the conclusion. There were parts that were fascinating, but overall, it felt like the narrative could have been more cohesive. Was a lot like The Notebook, but not as engaging.

“I consider her lined face, the age spots on her cheeks. Our entire life like a series of shorter marriages to each other, linked in their similarities, but distinct. Familiar, but changed. Even in marriage she has never been mine, even now as we face our end together. She has never belonged to anyone but herself, and I have never belonged to anyone but her.”

The Days I Loved You Most is a stunning real portrayal of marriage and aging. Evelyn & Joseph have been together for what seems like forever. After Evelyn receives a difficult diagnosis and starts to decline, they decide to end their lives together in a year’s time. Evelyn doesn’t want to turn into a shell of herself and Joseph can’t live without her.

I was immediately drawn to the premise of this story. What an impossible choice to make - living as someone other than yourself or not living at all. Evelyn & Joseph’s story was so thought provoking and I really enjoyed the dual timelines of their life in the present and their love story as it evolved in the past.

The Days I Loved You Most is a true testament of marriage, love, and the hardships, as well as beauties, of life. It made me think about so many things and it took my breath away many times throughout. I’m so happy and thankful that I had the opportunity to read this beautiful book. So many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Days I Loved You Most is one of those “once in a lifetime” books that have the power to change you or just stay with you forever. Evelyn and Joseph have been together their entire lives, and when Evelyn gets a terrible health diagnosis, they decide to live one last year together before they will end their lives. Most of us know this going in, and yet it is still heartbreaking to read. Alternating between their past and their last year, we get to see the highs and lows of their love story. It’s truly beautiful and devastating, and I will not stop thinking about it anytime soon. After all, it begs the question…what would you do if you knew you had only one year left to live?

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

The Days I Loved You Most tells the love story of Evelyn and Joseph over the years, primarily from their perspectives, but also occasionally from the perspective of one of their children. The book starts with Evelyn receiving a rapidly degrading Parkinson's disease diagnosis that leads her and her husband Joseph to decide that within one year they will end their lives. Evelyn, so that the disease doesn't strip her of being able to live the type of life she wants to live, and Joseph because he can't imagine living a life without her. I've never experienced a love like this, so I can't honestly put myself in their shoes. Most of the book tends to focus on the obstacles and challenges they face with each other and their children throughout their lives. There's the emotional bump when they overcome those obstacles, but it does tend to make the book feel emotionally daunting; there isn't much recovery time to appreciate all that's good in their lives. I did struggle with the pair too. I wouldn't call Evelyn selfish, and I don't blame any person who wants more to their life than being a spouse and parent, but it does sometimes feel like she gets so wrapped up in her own needs, wants and desires that she doesn't see how destructive it is to the people that matter most to her, something that comes back to bite her with her oldest child Jane. Joseph is just the exact opposite-he's so often content with what he has and the ability to live his life with the woman that he loves that he needs a push to have his own identity. The reader will see both sides, the children of Evelyn and Joseph that struggle to understand how Joseph can't see anything in his life worth living for once Evelyn is gone (including them and grandchildren) and how a relationship between two people for so long makes it hard to imagine as half of what's always been a whole. Neff explores all the complications that come in a relationship, and shows that what looks like a fairy tale on the surface is still real life with all the messy emotions and desires of imperfect people. Be prepared to experience an emotional roller coaster with this story. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE DAYS I LOVED YOU MOST is an epitome of what it means to live and in the end why we go through all that we do. It is as beautiful as it is emotional, breath-taking as it is heartbreaking…. A true honor and privilege to have read Joseph and Evelyn’s story and how their life together, love and family came to be. I fell in love with this story.

Evelyn is the life of the party and adventure-seeking, wants to see what’s beyond her hometown, and Joseph is quiet when it comes to small talk, softer and prefers to stay in the town he was raised, the town where he fell in in love with Evelyn as a kid. Completely different, yet the exact same when it came to their love admiration and respect for one another.

I deeply loved and admired the garden metaphor of life of how there is beauty all around us and how our love and family is grown, loved and tended to. I felt so much love in the Myers family that I wanted to be apart of it and felt warm anytime the family was together. I appreciated how significant of a part Evelyn and Joseph’s kids play a part in the story. Jane is independent and adventurous, like her mother, Thomas is mysterious, and Violet is the romantic one, her heart on her sleeve. And watching over time how the family navigates and processes Evelyn’s diagnosis and her decision about it was profound and moving.

I loved the emotional depth and all the layers woven into the story... making it feel like a masterpiece. Seeing how Evelyn and Joseph evolve over the sixty years they’ve known each other and growing more into who they are. Part of me was afraid I wouldn’t like the ending, but it was absolute perfection. So much more I could say, but this book is an experience one must experience for themselves, and I hope you’ll be that person.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Joseph and Evelyn fell in love at an early age. After years of living life together, Evelyn is diagnosed with a life altering illness and Joseph believes he cannot live without her. So, they decide to live one more year while Evelyn is still herself and leave the world together.

I think we all hope for a Joseph in our lives… someone who would move heaven and Earth for the person they love, is content and happy because of that love and devotes their entire being to that love. This love radiated from the pages of this book.

Thank you @htpbooks and @htphive for gifting me access through @netgalley as well as a physical copy of #TheDaysILovedYouMost. This releases July 30th!

Roses are red
VIOLETS are blue
I loved this book
And so will you!

Ok, the rhyme’s a little elementary, but I’ll never not think of this couple when I see violets.

I was really excited to get a chance to read this in advance of its publication. I didn't read any reviews beforehand, just read the synopsis and thought it would be a good tear jerker.

The story starts out with an aging couple, Joseph and Evelyn, as they sit their adult children down to tell them some news about a diagnosis and their decision as they face it. The chapters then go back and forth between flashbacks of Evelyn and Joseph falling in love, getting married, having kids, and the struggles it entails and then coming back to present day as they family navigates through the year.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It didn't move me like I thought it would. There were a few poetic lines that were beautiful, but I just felt like it wasn't fleshed out enough to wow me. Joseph seemed too perfect and slightly obsessed with Evelyn and Evelyn seemed way more flawed and broken than she should have been. I get the whole "I'm a mom now and I've lost myself and wonder what life would have been like" thing, but I felt like the relationship between them was too lopsided for me to really root for them. I found myself moreso enjoying the journey of their adult children as they navigated through the year and how we got to see glimpses of their childhood through the flashback chapters. I started getting a bit bored at the halfway mark but continued through it because I wanted to know what happened in the end.

All in all, this book is about death and life and everything in between. Flawed relationships between lovers, between parents and their children. Makes me wonder what I would choose if I was in Evelyn and Joseph's shoes. This is a decent story, but nothing like The Notebook status that I was expecting.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 by Amy Neff
Genre:
Pub date:
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

𝑺𝒀𝑵𝑶𝑷𝑺𝑰𝑺:
In the summer of 1941, Evelyn and Joseph fell in love. Now, more than sixty years later, with a lifetime between them, they have gathered their three grown children to share the staggering news: she has received a tragic diagnosis, and he cannot live without her. So in one year's time, they will eno their lives on their own terms. As the couple comes to grips with their fate, they retrace the past joys and regrets that brought them to this moment.

𝑴𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾:
Ah, that was a perfect summer book. It reminds me of a mix of love story from Notebook and family dynamics from Malibu Rising books. I have absolutely loved the beautiful writing style and being able to follow the thinking process of the characters and their inner dialogues. “The Days I loved you the most” will emotionally grip you from chapter one and not letting you go until the end.

This book has:
•Family dynamics and relationships
•Grief and loss
•Postpartum depression, loss of identity after becoming a mom
•Marriage and parenting
•Beautiful love story

Huge thank you to @htp_hive for this ARC♥️🫶.

I'm going to start off by stating that I do not think I was the intended audience for this novel. I tend to not read books such as these because I do not consider them enjoyable. I did like it but at some points it got hard to remember who was who since there’s like 10 different characters with their own life stories. I found Evelyn quite unlikeable and struggled to relate to her. I found her to be completely selfish and not truly in love with Joseph as much as he was in her. It made me feel bad for Joseph. This is a book about family angst and drama, relationships, grief, loss and enduring love. It is a poignant read at times and the author eloquently captures her characters feelings, thoughts and emotions through her writing.

I gave this novel 3.5 stars. Again, I just don't think I was the right reader for this novel. It was beautifully written but definitely a slower story. For those who are fans of historical fiction, this one would be for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Publishing for the advanced copy of a timeless tale of unwavering devotion.

I can’t remember the last time a book brought me to tears, and this one did multiple times! This debut novel was beautiful, tender, thoughtful, and at many times heartbreaking. The love story of Evelyn and Joseph is one that will stay with me for a long time. This is a story that will make you appreciate and evaluate so many things about life, love, and in the end, what will matter most. This is an incredible story of life and love and is one that’s not to be missed.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade for my free review copy.