A very moving story.
Two couples who have been friends for years each have a 6yr old child.
Andrew and Sophie have Maria and Chris and Linda have Joe.
Andrew and Sophie babysit Joe regularly and one day they take the kids to the beach where it starts to get stormy and distracted by a dog jumping up Maria and Joe are swept out to sea, Andrew swims to rescue them but only returns with his own daughter Maria.
Chris blames them for Joe`s death and does everything to get to the truth with the police helping with a very rough upsetting journey and a brilliant twist at the end.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

What an emotional ride that started at the first page, a real heart string pulling story. I felt for Chris all the way through and kept wondering how I would be able to cope with such a series of disasters. A superb read, well paced, characters and events well described everything just perfect that made it a must read book by others..
I loved the ending although it made me feel very sad and despite what could be seen as pointers throughout I did not pick up on the final point. I think that the emotions were running too high to search into anything else.
Fantastic book that once I started I could not stop reading.

Wow what an utterly fantastic book this was to read. Definitely up there as one of the best books I have ever read. Talk about being gripped from the off with such an emotive storyline. Fantastic characters that you oh so felt for the more you read on. I can’t but highly recommend this book as one you have to read!

When local couple Andrew and Sophie take their daughter and her friend to the beach on a stormy day, they are momentarily distracted, leading both children to get washed out to sea. Andrew dives in, but comes back with only one child - his own daughter, Maria. Joe, the son of his best friend and local police officer, Chris, has drowned. But it was just a tragic accident.... wasn't it? As Sergeant Mile Adams and DS Sue Willmott investigate what really happened in the water that afternoon, the ripple effects of the tragedy starts to tear the community apart. The detectives must uncover the truth before their colleague - bereaved and desperate father, Chris - takes the investigation into his own hands.

There are some difficult topics covered in this book, and at times it can be quite a harrowing read. There are quite a few trigger warnings that include - suicide, mental illness, death of a child, and violence. The tension builds throughout. The characters are all likeable. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective. I was pulled quite quickly into this debut author's novel, and I've done nothing but think about it ever since I finished the book last night. I was invested, I did not put the book down until I had finished it. I will be looking out for this author.

Published 1at August 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #GDWright for my ARC of #AfterTheStorm in exchange for an honest review.

From the start, this book grabs you and doesn’t let go! I was emotional and shed tears throughout the book. The emotional content was unnerving and uncomfortable to read. I struggled but continued reading to the end.

Andrew and Sophie Wicks have a 6 year old daughter, Maria. Their friends, Chris and Linda Jamieson, have a 6 year old son, Joe. Chris, a police officer and Linda, a paramedic, work full time and the Wicks look after Joe if their shift patterns collide. Tragic events occur and the two families are torn apart.

The writing is short, sharp and edgy, especially the emotional parts. The character development is off the scale. Tragedy starts with one event and things spiral out of control.

I give a 4 star rating.


THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Wow, I was not expecting that! This is an amazing debut for G.D. Wright, I’d love to know where he got the inspiration for the storyline?
It gripped me early on and I was morbidly fascinated to see where it was going to go! It was extremely moving in parts and I sobbed several times. It also made me think deeply about what anyone would do in the circumstances that Andrew, the father, found himself in……….in the sea (which terrified him anyway thanks to a childhood incident) in a storm with two children, one of which is his and one they are minding for their friends. He can’t hold both the kids and swim…………so…………??
You can’t say you enjoy a book with the topics that are covered and the distressing accounts but I can definitely say it kept me page-turning.
It definitely raised more questions than answers. I live near the sea and brought my kids up near the sea and I did question both Andrew and his wife, Sophie’s inability to stand up to their six year old daughter and simply tell her no, we’re not going to the beach in this weather…….but poetic licence has to be allowed if you want to read fiction.
As for the parents of the child who died, who knows how any of us would react given these circumstances. My heart ached for them.
I’m glad there was an explanation at the end and we weren’t just left thinking, ‘What really did happen?’
A really great debut novel, my thanks to the author, the publishers and, of course, to NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advanced reader copy of this book.

This was a very easy to read book with a clear storyline told in quite a matter-of-fact way. Couple Andrew and Sophie take their daughter Maria and their friends' son Joe to the beach on a stormy day - leading to tragedy.

Andrew has had a traumatic experience as a child in the sea when he almost got swept away. Now he finds himself in a similar situation. After Maria and Joe end up in the sea he only manages to save his daughter. But the truth about what happened in the sea haunts him, and we only find out what actually took place at the end.

The death of Joe destroys his parents, Linda and Chris, who is a cop. As the fallout goes on, Chris becomes increasingly disturbed and ends up targeting Andrew and his family.

This was an enjoyable read with characters who I found interesting. However, I thought they could've been developed a bit more. For instance, sometimes it felt as though I was reading about them and getting a surface impression, with less about what was going on underneath.

I liked the fact that the book did not shy away from the harrowing aftermath of Joe's death. But if the characters had had more depth, this would've been more powerful.

For a debut novel After the storm by G. D Wright has blown me away. This is a beautifully written, heart wrenching story that I read in a space of 24 hours I couldn’t put it down.
Andre and Sophia take their daughter Maria to the beach with her friend Joey whose parents are working. Joey’s dad is a Policeman and his mother a Paramedic. The two children want to fly a kite on a stormy day. The sea is rough, and the waves are climbing high. The two children are near the little pool enjoying themselves when Andrew gets distracted. When a man’s walking his dog nearby jumps on his pregnant wife Sophia. He goes to Maria’s aide and whilst distracted the two children get swayed out to sea. Andrew Jumps into sea to rescue them both but only Maria survives.
But the tragedy and Andrews actions has repercussions from Chris who blames Andrew for Joey’s death. Andrew is trying to protect his family and he will go any lengths to do it. But Chris wants to find out the truth.
This is a very moving story of death grief, and suicide and you can feel the emotions come off the pages. This is a brilliant read, and I can’t wait to see what else this author has up his sleeve in his future books. 5 stars from me.

What would you do to protect your family?

Joe and Maria are best friends as are their parents. Joe spends a lot of time at Maria's house as his mum is a paramedic and his dad a policeman.
Maria's parents take the children to the beach. It is stormy but the children are insistent. Somehow, they both end up in the sea and sadly, one dies.

The police are called and it seems something isn't right but finding the truth is difficult.

Then Joe's dad takes matters into his own hands with disastrous results which will shatter everyone's lives.
But who do you blame?

I loved this book.

I love a thriller anyway but love when it’s not predictable. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to read on!!

I wow what can I say about this book , absolutely loved it from the start to finish . The amazing writing style, the way the plot was executed and of course the story. Loved the characters and what desperate measures we have to deal with in a horrific situation. Not giving any spoilers but I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next from this author . 5 stars from me

I’m going to need a minute after this my heart is shattered this is such an emotional read I didn’t realise I enjoyed it it was fast paced and kept me so focus I couldn’t out it down an amazing read

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy of After The Storm. As a parent who has lost a child I was rather nervous of how I would deal with the narrative and I have to admit I cried, a lot. The grief felt by Chris and Linda was palpable and the depiction of said grief was quite authentic. Although we are shown the effects of Joe's death on both sets of parents my sympathy never strayed from the Jamieson family. I was just so furious from the outset that Andrew and Sophie were so in thrall of their little 'princess' that they indulged her brattish demands and agreed to take her and Joe to the beach in the most atrocious of weather, absolutely criminal! Yes, I had a vague murmering of sympathy for Andrew having to live with the fact that he was unable to rescue Joe but....

I chose this as my first book of my Cornish holiday and read it in two sittings. I guessed the 'twist' at the start (it is pretty well signposted), but the manner of getting there with all the fallout from the original incident was interesting, full of emotion and anguish, and kept me reading. A decent debut, but the fact it focuses on the pain and aftermath of a child's death (handled sensitively), means it may not be for everyone.

What a gripping and emotional ride. The themes of tragedy, loss, and investigation in this book will keep you immersed. The dark and tense atmosphere, combined with the mysterious circumstances of the children's disappearance, will keep you on the edge of your seat, a fantastic debut, looking forward to more books by this Author.

Wow! What a story. Utterly compelling tale that had me on the edge of my seat.
The writing is exceptional. At its heart, it is a police procedural but with raw emotion.

I've seldom seen a better scene set for an impending loss.
The aftermath of the storm and the real emotion the author gets across is top-drawer stuff. An easy 5-star award.

When Andrew and Sophie take their daughter, Maria, and her best friend, Joe, to the beach in a storm, there is a tragic accident.
What follows is two families ripped apart by grief, suspicion and anger.
After the Storm is a book dripping with sadness. I sobbed in places!
A compelling story.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested this book, and it wasn't how I imagined. But it was a brilliant read. It was heartbreaking but tactfully dealt with and a compelling thriller.

I thought the characters in this book were wonderfully created, very human, resilient but flawed and emotion was very well portrayed. It definitely had me a little choked at a couple of points.

I'd definitely recommend!

Fantastic book, couldn't put it down. Loved that I couldn't work out what was going to happen next it kept me hooked.

Well, I'm disappointed (with myself, really) to say that this book didn't work for me so well.
In theory, the plot appeals to me: a big drama about one child being lost at sea and how their parents struggle to accept their loss.
Those parents start to blame the other parents whose another child was also playing at the beach.
What didn't work with me were the detectives. I usually dislike mystery or thriller novels with dectectives or cops POVs, and the ones in this book were, to me, particularly hard to swallow.
The plot twists were so not twisty, in my opinion. Some of the repercussions were very predictable and the ones that I didn't find predictable, were not surprising at all.
The author's writing was decent enough to hold my attention, but all in all, this book turned out to be just fine to me. Not memorable.
I'm sure it has its audience. Other readers might like this much more than I did.