An emotional heart wrenching story of true love through thick and thin of sixty years of marriage. Evelyn is diagnosed with an incurable illness and she and Joseph make a pact that they will die together in the next year. They tell their adult children their plan, in the next year they live the best they can.

The story in told in dual points of view, and go through their history of dating to present day. All marriages are not a bed of roses. I shed plenty of tears throughout this story. Well written.

This is a beautifully written story about a couple that love each other more than life. Literally more than life.

When Evelyn is diagnosed with something that will ultimately take her life her and her husband decide to go together. Joseph can't imagine his life without her. She begs him to not leave their children, who are grown with their own families, but he won't agree. He has loved her all of his life and will love her in the next life.

This book is mainly told from Evelyn and Joseph's point of views but their three children come in at times and tell things too. It goes back and forth between when Evelyn and Joseph were just teens and fell so madly in love. How her brother Tommy was Joseph's best friend and always there for Evelyn. How close the three were.

The times apart and together. You get to know this couple in almost every way possible and you will love their story. It's both beautiful and heartbreaking. I shed so many tears reading this and I loved it from start to finish. All the highs and lows. All the fights and making up. The growth of this couple's three children. When they told these children what their plans were. How each reacted. How they finally came around.

There was a twist that really made me weep but I can't elaborate on it. It would give something vital away. Suffice it to say this book will take your breath away. Make your eyes feel raw. Make you look at love in a whole new light.

I fully understand Evelyn's fear. Her fear of forgetting. Her fear of people seeing her as weak. She was always so strong. And those letter that you will get to read are so good. Enjoy this one but have lots of tissues handy. You will need them.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HarlequinTradePublishing, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars. It's just a good one. And a debut.

“Real commitment requires cultivation. It’s not about the tingle in your belly and a rush of adrenaline. It’s not magic, or fairy dust, that sustains a spark. Steadiness over time is what makes it beautiful.”

“‘Most things end up back where they came from, honey,’ Evelyn teases, bumping her hip against Jane’s. ‘But it’s still worth letting it find its way.’”

I have no words. I do not cry while reading. Only if a dog dies, for real. (I cried ugly tears reading A Dog’s Purpose, for example). But I felt this one viscerally and choked up at the end. Wow.

I have hear this book compared to The Notebook and I can see why. This one has a bit more family involvement but is no less emotional or captivating. I simply adored it.

“Sometimes it’s easy to focus on what’s missing, instead of all of the things that are right.”

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for the advanced copy.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. perfect summer read set in connecticut. i really love a sweeping love story of two people and a peek into their lives over the time. maybe i liked it mostly because it reminded me of my grandparents.

This book is everything!

Following the story of a lovely elderly couple Evelyn & Joseph. A couple who is devoted to each other so much that they decided to end their lives together. Evelyn is sick and does not want to continue her life sick, so they decide how they want their life, and love to end together. I loved the past and present POV, the hardest part reading was the present how their children and grandchildren felt. This book is a must read it will have you feeling all the emotions. I highly recommend this book!

Evelyn and Joseph grew up together. Joseph was the best friend of Evelyn's older brother Tommy and the three were basically inseparable. Little did they know at the time that their friendship would grow into a love story for the ages. Through heartache and happiness, it was always them together. When, in their 70's, Evelyn is given a life altering diagnosis, the couple makes plans to take fate into their own hands because the thought of being apart is simply more than they can bear.
This book is SO sweet. I am a hard hearted cynic and I absolutely loved this story. It makes even the most unromantic person (me) yearn for a love like Evelyn and Joseph's.

What a spectacular read full of love, healing, forgiveness and the complexities of family. The setting of this story was breathtaking, I love a coastline setting with beaches and long summer days and this book delivered. The writing was beautiful as well and I found myself highlighting more often than I normally do on a kindle.
I love Joseph and Evelyn, they depicted what love really is… hard time and big decisions and uncertainty - they taught me that love isn’t 100% certainty but is a faith in the other person that gets you through all the uncertainty. I loved the big family, kids and grandkids all coming together for one final year.
I’m shocked I didn’t get lost between the jumping back and forth through years and between characters but I knew each person so vividly that I didn’t have a hard time at all. This was certainly an emotional read but one that had so many lessons tucked in and really set the bar high for romance and love, just as Joseph and Evelyn’s children were lucky enough to see as they grew up.
I’m so glad I picked up this book - Amy Neff is an author I will have my eyes on going forward.
I can certainly understand the comparison to the notebook, but with a twist that makes it new and fresh. I’m in love with this ending and family and wish I too had more time with all of them.
If I had one critique, I wanted to see more of the relationship between all the siblings but when I think about it that’s not really the point - the point was to watch Joseph and Evelyn, and their relationship with their kids so I don’t take anything away for it but still, I want more. Give me a follow up where we get to follow these siblings in the years after this book ends. Please?
Side note: Amy’s authors note even got a highlight from me, her shout out to her husband in the acknowledgment was everything.

I was happy to read this debut novel by local author Amy Neff. It is a tender story, told seamlessly throughout several decades spanning from the early 1940’s as a love blossoms between 2 friends, Evelyn and Joseph to the early 2000’s as they prepare for the final chapter in their lives together. Evelyn, her brother Tommy, and his best friend Joseph live on the shoreline in CT. We get a peek into what their teenage years were like together. In time, the spark between Evelyn and Joseph ignites and what comes next is a lifetime of love and affection for each other. In the early 2000’s Evelyn receives devastating news about her health and the couple needs to make a difficult decision. Through memories, readers learn about some beautiful as well as some rough times in their marriage and parenthood. This story is well told and the way the author weaves the memories in and out of time flows well. I really enjoyed this book. Fans of the tv shows “Parenthood” and “This is Us” might really be drawn into this story, as would readers of Mitch Albom’s books. The author makes it a very real story that people can relate to. It took her 10 years to get this book brought to life and to the public. I’m so glad she did and hope it’s the success it deserves to be!
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Despite an engaging premise and ambitious scope, which chronicled a married couple’s 60-year love story, this book left me unsatisfied.

While I believed in Evelyn and Joseph’s ability to persevere, it was difficult to fall in love with their characters since the plot focused largely on their marriage’s trials. Happier times were often spoken of, but I wanted to see more on the page. And those shown were typically short-lived and followed by tense scenes that undercut the previous moments of levity.

I appreciated the author’s overall message about how challenging times help married couples grow as partners. But, for me, this was over-emphasized to the point of frustration. The plot was just too heavy, with back-to-back traumatic events that felt excessive.

Thankfully, this book stuck the landing and I was pleased with where each family member ended up. But the road to “The End” felt like a long, sad rollercoaster.

The Days I Loved You Most is absolute perfection, a love story that will live in my heart and soul for ages. With comparisons to The Notebook and Me Before You, Amy Neff's debut novel had a lot to live up to, and in many ways it exceeded my expectations.

The story of Evelyn and Joseph starts with the heartbreaking announcement to their adult children that in one year they will both end their lives, as Evelyn has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness and wishes to end her life on her own terms, and Joseph has no desire to live a life without her in it. The rest of the book takes the reader back to the beginning of their love story, reliving major milestones in their lives through both of their individual viewpoints, as well as showcasing how they and each of their adult children adjust to the idea of the very short time they have left with each other. The highs and lows of a life together brought me to tears many times, as they grew together and apart and experienced joy and loss with the consistent factor being their undying love.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital ARC of The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff. The opinions in this review are my own.

I heard a lot of great reviews about this book so I really wish I could like it more. I struggled to stay engaged with the book so I may not be the right audience. Thank you NetGalley and Park Row for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

didn’t enjoy as much as I expected, ended up DNF-ing. the beginning was hard to push through. I felt like the parents were so warm and thoughtful, in the short time even I was able to understand their decision. Their adult children were so obnoxious and inconsiderate making the start feel so off-putting.

This book had me riding an emotional rollercoaster!
One minute I was on an emotional high really connecting to the characters; the next I was down at the bottom getting ready to start all over again. I thought the plot of Joseph and Evelyn planning their death in a year’s time so they wouldn’t have to live without each other was interesting and intriguing. I really wanted to know if they would change their minds at the end. The ending was a bit predictable for me but my question was answered in a good way. I liked the complex family dynamics and the drama, but didn’t always feel a connection with the characters. There were several tender moments in the story that made me tear up a bit. My favorite moment was when Evelyn and Jane performed with the Boston Orchestra.
The story alternated between the present and the past and didn’t work for me. Several times I was lost in the story only to be ripped to another time period. There were several times towards the end when I thought the story would end on a high note only to retreat back to the past. This made the ending seem like it was never going to finish. Another thing that bothered me was the intimate moments between Joseph and Evelyn. Although they were not exactly detailed it felt like I was invading their privacy. The book mentions several times that they spent a lot of time in bed cuddling and making love so I didn’t feel that the intimate details were necessary to make the point of how connected they were to each other. I did think the title of the book was very appropriate for the theme of the book. It’s true that the days spent without the one you love are the days you love them most!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Park Row Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A sad topic with a heavy storyline. Married for 60 years, they plan to take their own lives after Evelyn is diagnosed with a fata illness. Beautifully written, but extremely slow as we get the backstory of all the characters mentioned.

The Days I Loved You. Most is a beautifully written, poignant, tear-jerker, love story spanning over 60 years. Amy Neff tells the story from multiple points of view alternating between time lines. The present time line is at times difficult to read, because the author has painted a portrait of real life.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a love story I wanted to love but just couldn’t get invested. I think part of it was my own experience with losing my own mother so probably just not the right book for me.

Make sure you have some tissues handy when you read this one.

I am truly shocked this is a debut!

What a tender, sometimes heart wrenching, heartfelt story. Some are comparing this to The Notebook and while there are similarities, this story is more complex and involves more of the family system. This story, similarly to the Notebook, showcases that love is not always simple and I really enjoyed the multiple POV.

There were times when I was reading this thinking how great it would be if it was adapted into a movie!

If you are looking for a lighter read, this may not be for you. I would check the trigger warnings and take care while reading because there are some tougher topics explored.

I really can't wait to read more from this author!

This is the story of a couple that plans to take their lives together due to one having an incurable illness. It is told over their entire lives together from when they first got together to them as an elderly couple.

This story was raw and often sad. While their love story was beautiful, it also was realistic. It wasn’t all happiness and sunshine. They went through realistic issues throughout their relationship and ended up on the other side still together.

Absolutely loved it :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. I was given access to this book from Harlequin as a member of The Hive influencer program.

This book was so good and may possibly be one of my favorite books of summer 2024. I started and finished this book in one day. If you love books such as The Notebook, you will be sure to enjoy this novel. The story spans over 60 years and is the love story of Evelyn and Joseph. I think this book would also make a wonderful movie. In addition to The Notebook, this book reminds me of many classic romance movies from the 1940s and 50s. I am also planning on listening to the audiobook version of this book as it is narrated by a full cast.

This book is an utter delight and I 100% recommend it! Make sure you have tissues nearby!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This story was so heartfelt and beautiful. I couldn’t put it down, it had me in tears. A couple of about sixty plus years decide to end their love on their own terms following the diagnosis of the wife. So sad, so well written.