What a story.
After the first few chapters I stopped reading as I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. But I found myself thinking about the story so went back to it. I'm glad I did as even though it wasn't an easy read it was a compelling one.
I felt drawn into the emotions of all the characters as though I was living it along with them.

Harrowing story of a tragic accident at the beach! Although it is heartwrenching it is also unputdownable.... You will probably need tissues on standby!! Andrew and Sophie look after their friends (Chris & Laura) little boy Joe, it's a good thing their daughter Maria is best friends with him as they see a lot of each other. Andrew and Sophie take the children to the beach one day, but what happens whilst there causes their lives to change irreversibly, and sends them on a downward spiral, during which their friendship disintegrates.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Not for the faint hearted, this harrowing storyline follows a trajectory of engulfing tragedy after a calamitous decision destroys the lives of everyone in its wake. Two families, strong bonds and probability of life long friendships for both generations until one innocent yet foolish mistake of such magnitude there would, nor could be the emergence of any winner. Everyone damaged beyond redemption. Every parents worst nightmare: A weekend outing for two excited children becomes a fight for survival , their lives in mortal danger from which there is only one survivor. Excellent characterisation as the bonds of friendship and loyalty are tested beyond the limits of normal experience with the repercussions of the calamity dragging individuals away from the ties of friendship and decency into the depths of madness required to protect family from extreme exposure to external violence and danger. Many thanks to author with a note to research more books from this enthralling writer , publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book was fantastic and absolutely impossible to put down!

I spent the first half of the book in floods then the second half unpicking what was going on. This is a story you can imagine yourself in and how you would manage it.

Just brilliant!

Two families, intertwined. Busy professionals Chris and Linda, who rely on best friends Andrew and Sophie to be on call for child minding duties for their little boy Joe. Luckily, Joe is best friends with Maria, Andrew and Sophie’s little girl. Maria is a child determined to get her way, Joe is a lovely little chap who quite willingly allows Maria to be boss, some would say they had the perfect friendship.

Told from various POV, this was a strong story from the start. A powerful debut and captivating read. Emotional and suspenseful, a story of loyalty and family.

For me the story did lose its way a little in the middle, and there was a fair bit of mansplaining at the start (acronyms in brackets!!!) and a lot of ‘family comes first’, but all in all a great debut, an author to watch out for.

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

Absolutely unputdownable!! This booked gripped me from the start and wouldn’t let go until the last page. I kept thinking what would I have done? It was so easy to connect to the characters and feel what they were feeling. My heart broke on multiple occasions throughout but I had to keep going. I needed to know. The ending shocked me and what really happened that day at the beach I had never imagined. Amazing read and highly recommended

Wow , what a book. This is not an easy read, it is about the loss of a child who was with friends of his parents at the time. The incident is investigated and the events after what happened told from different viewpoints. The father of the boy, Joe is Chris and he is a policeman. Andrew and his wife Sophie who were looking after Joe and their own daughter, Maria are also changed by what happened. As the book progresses, the tragic plot emerges of what happened and the effect it had on both families. You are compelled to keep reading, even though their lives are disintegrating and you know it is not going to end well. The writing is spot on, triggering your own emotions as a reader and the viewpoints of the families are well portrayed so you understand their actions and the reasoning behind them.
Thanks to Net Galley for a great read, definately a book that you think about long after you have finished it.

A very challenging book based on every parent’s nightmare. I felt all the emotions portrayed and felt compelled to read to the end, shedding a few tears on the way. An excellent debut.

A poignant thriller….no happy endings here.

Andrew and Sophie take their daughter Maria and her best friend Joe to the beach. While the adults are momentarily distracted both children get washed out into the ocean. Andrew rushes after them but only returns with Maria; he was unable to save Joe. Joe’s parents, Chris and Linda, Andrew and Sophie’s best friends, are decimated. Police officer Sue Wilmott investigates but it appears to be just a tragic accident. Is it anything more?

Well, I’m not an old copper, but I knew where Chris was and what he was doing….so why didn’t the police know? These are not the brightest cops.

After the Storm is a fantastic achievement for a debut novel. It is a great story dealing with difficult subject matters. The characters are well written and very believable. I jumped from empathising with one parent to the other as I'm sure was intended. The police procedures were very believable, to be expected from an ex cop, but not too technical. Very well done. I'll definitely watch out for more books from G.D.Wright.
Thank you to NetGalley and the
publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

After the Storm is an enjoyable debut novel that is different from normal police procedural thrillers as it is more emotion driven rather than focusing on the hows and whys of an investigation.

The book takes a little while to warm up and at times the writing didn’t quite flow but overall this is a good debut and I look forward to reading further books from this author.

Loved this. Was totally hooked from the beginning of the book

Thank you for the opportunity to review

'After the Storm' is a highly emotional book that deals with the aftermath of the tragic drowning of a six year old. At times it was not an easy read but it was always compelling. Told from multiple POV's the storyline steers us through the following hours, days and weeks and never lets up. My heart went out to both families and also to the police involved. A great debut novel. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an early read.

After the Storm is about the storm of grief and the lengths you’d go for your loved ones.
It starts off strongly. Wright’s detailed descriptions of both the physical and psychological is gripping.
The bereavement and the personal are so potent that the investigative/detective and thriller elements of the book become secondary to the emotions conveyed and evoked. And glad this was so.
3.5 stars rounded up because of the author’s craft and skill at representing grieving humans, and the psychologically claustrophobic and loving communities.
Plot 3
Characterisation 3.5
Concept 4
Mood 5
Writing style 4.5

What a gritty crime book. When those children go in the sea, i think anyone would feel the same. It's hard to read but so realstic. The fear and panic.I was there with them, gripping stuff!

I thought that this was pretty good as a debut novel. The plot was interesting and it was pretty good, although I did find the writing to be a bit clunky and not flowing as much as I would have liked. Not a bad first book though.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book!

I don’t actually know if I can even put into words just how this book and story has made me feel!

The way the author wrote such a deeply emotional story is remarkable and has me feeling so many emotions. Tears were shed many times reading this.

I felt every bit of pain those characters felt, I was so connected to each and every character. There’s so much sadness but the whole story has been written in a way that doesn’t cause injustice to those with mental health, those who have lost a child or to any victims involved.

The way this was written was really good, I was held captive from the first few words, I have been so deeply moved by this book and honestly wish that anyone who is able to deal with the darkness this story holds to give it a read. I know I’m not the first and I most definitely will not be the last who sheds a tear reading this, who feels the anger felt within, who has also learnt a big life lesson.

I highly highly recommend reading because I’ve not been able to put this down! Definitely a 5 star read!

Let me know your opinions!

After The Storm is the debut novel G.D. Wright and - just like the waves on the front cover - his tale arrives with force.

There is a Content Warning before you start reading and if you are distressed easily, it's probably best to check these themes - although reading them does give spoilers. However, the cover itself prepares you for one of those themes and shows that this is a dark read.

The author states where he lives by the sea as his writing inspiration and I can see (no pun intended) how looking out on such a landscape would allow your mind to wander as - being a writer myself - I see stories in everything, everywhere!

The story opens with a Prologue, Before the Storm and delivers the first shock of the novel. Throughout, chapters go from how a days/how many hours before (the storm)/during it then to after the storm in hours, then in days. Ending with an epilogue that I was really not expecting!

Multiple characters are shown with different ones heading up the chapters where all perspectives being told through third person narration, giving the reader an overview of how they are feeling from the outside.

Description is used effectively throughout along with convincing dialogue (you can tell the author is both a family man and an ex-police officer) and I think Wright has played to his strengths. Occasionally, there is a touch of humour too.

Overall, it's a dark tale with a few surprises along the way and many a pull on the heartstrings showing how life can change so quickly and unexpectedly.

I enjoyed the unexpected turns that this took and know that it's a book that I will think about after reading.

I have given a four-star rating as I initially felt the different characters needed to be more distinctive and I would like to see presentation features used for the police reports and text messages - although the inclusion of these were a good inclusion to add to certain elements of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and AVON (a division of HarperCollinsPublishers) for my electronic ARC.

Andrew and Sophie are parents to six-year-old Maria. They are looking after Joe while his parents are working. Maria insists on a trip to the beach, despite the bad weather. A paddle on the shore ends in disaster when the children get swept off the beach. In the struggle, Andrew can only save one of the children from drowning.

With such a hugely tragic and traumatic opening I wondered where it could go from there. I need not have worried as the plot unfolds brilliantly, highly unpredictable and emotionally fraught.

Andrew has to deal with his own guilt along with the heart-breaking reaction from Joe's parents, the Police investigation, the local social stigma and much, much more.

The plot never lets up, I was hugely impressed, and the Police matters are written with an easy confidence.

I was reminded of the quality of BA Paris and Sally Hepworth’s novels with the captivating unpredictable, 'real life' feeling, character-driven story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK

This is the story of two families, Andrew, Sophie, daughter Maria and their good friends Chris, Linda and son Joe.
Andrew and Sophie often look after Joe when his parents shifts clash.
One such day Joe is due to stay, it happens to be a very wet and windy one . Maria is a very determined child and however much Andrew wonders at the wisdom of her demand to go to the beach, he agrees.
On arrival the children quickly change into wet suits, desperate to go in the sea.
Nothing they say will make Andrew agree and they are told they should only play in a natural pool that forms above the sea line.
Andrew suffered a traumatic rescue from the sea when he was a child so hes always keeping an eye on them.
When a loose dog jumps at Sophie he rushes to her aid.
However it only takes a second for their whole lives to change.
When he turns back, Maria and Joe have disappeared from view, taken by the sea!
This is an extraordinary debut novel.
Powerful and emotional.
A tale of loyalty , families and the lengths a father will go to to protect his family.
A brilliant read I would recommend easily.