After the Storm by G.D Wright

A very well written thriller , even better to find out is the first by the author.
Lots of twists and turns throughout. Can't say too much as I feel it would spoil it.

A tale of two fathers: one loses a child while the other is looking after him; both will do anything to protect what's dear to them. Told in a straightforward style, this is a story of grief, suspense and a search for resolution.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

This is a very good thriller/police procedural from the author. I really liked the cast of characters, especially Andrew a man who would do anything for his family. It is about love, loyalty, families and grief in small communities. The pace is fast and it is filled with tension until the end. I was hooked until the last page and my only complaint is I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

After the Storm is an exceptional first novel that deals with grief in it's rawest state. The characters are all well written and you feel and understand the pain in all of them. An emotional, difficult, but compelling read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advance copy of this book

"Sophie, where are they?"

Just minutes earlier Andrew and Sophies six year old daughter and their friends son Joe had been playing together in a tidal pool on the beach, now they're not and as he scans the thunderous waves crashing down on an empty beach fear grips him.

Where to even start! Superb scene setting and characterisation brought to life the sheer terror that parents Andrew and Sophie felt in those moments. This novel hit hard, dealing blow after blow it wasn't an easy read but it was certainly a compelling one.

A gut-wrenching look at two families destroyed by the events of one day, friendships lost, scars that linger. The multiple person narrative by family members and those involved in the police investigation added depth and I found it flowed well. An extraordinarily powerful and moving novel that had me soul searching asking myself what I'd have done. Totally recommended.

As an aside this would be a really good bookclub choice; the characters, behaviours and consequences giving endless discussion opportunities.

This is an incredibly heart wrenching book. It's very well written but worth warning that it's bleak and emotionally hard going in terms of subject matter. No spoilers.
An accomplished debut.

Absolutely brilliant! This is a really well written book. I couldn't put it down.
Lots of twists and turns throughout. Can't say too much as I wouldn't want to spoil it! Reccomend this one.

Andrew and Sophie take their daughter and her best friend. Joe to the beach, the weather starts to turn bad, and distracted by an aggressive dog,, they don't immediately notice that the children have gone into the sea and immediately got into difficulty. Andrew throws himself in, but only one child comes out alive. Chris, the dead boy's father is a copper so his colleagues are keen to investigate the death. and also keep an eye on him when his grief seems to be getting out of hand.. They think there is something fishy about Andrew's story but can't prove it wasn't an accident. This drives Chris mad and we are set up for a Revengers Tragedy. It is a good plot and an engrossing story but the prose is clunky and over-full of police jargon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for my copy of After The Storm by G D Wright.
I feel like I’ve been through the washer and hung out to dry.
This has to be the book of the Year. Heart wrenching and raw, this book really has it all.
You’ve entrusted your most precious possession your son, to your best friends Andrew and Sophie as you have many times before but this time he doesn’t come back. Five minutes is all it takes for you life to change forever
But what happens next. Don’t miss this absolutely brilliant book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

Considering this is a debut novel I think After The Storm is a beautifully written, heart wrenching and poignant read that will stay with me for a good while after finishing it. It is about the loss of a child - and the emotions, feelings and thoughts two families face after a tragic event. The author deals with grief, bereavement and mental health issues very eloquently, sensitively and with much care. I really like Mike and Sue, the two police officers who investigate and support Chris and Linda in the aftermath of their young sons death. This is a read that really got to me, the writing certainly touched on my emotions and I had so much empathy for Chris and Linda and could resonate with their feelings and how they were coping. I love how the chapters are told through different characters and their perspectives, and think this complements the story and gives it so much more depth. I won't say this is an easy read because it isn't although it is a very absorbing and compelling one. I think the author is spot on with his writing describing grief, bereavement and the effect and consequences it has on individuals. I'd recommend this read and hope to see more of Mike and Sue in future books.

4 stars

This book wades headstrong into the trauma and grief felt by two families when an accident at the beach changes everything.
The characters are empathetically written and the difficult subject matter is treated sensitively.

This is a heart wrenching debut novel. Andrew and Sophie often look after Joe, the 6 year old son of Chris and Linda, while they are busy working as a police officer and a paramedic. On a wet, blustery day Andrew and Sophie take Joe and their daughter Maria to the beach to play with a kite, they venture into the sea and get into difficulties Andrew goes in to rescue them but can only save 1 child. The repercussions that follow affect the whole town and brings tragedy further for one set of parents.
The writing in this book is so strong and powerful, its raw emotion brought me to tears on more than one occasion.
There are some very difficult subjects covered in the novel which could be a trigger. Grief and loss feature predominantly.
I'm grateful to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, my opinions are my own and not expected

This book had me gripped from the beginning, and if this really is a debut then well done to the author. The descriptions and emotions portrayed were wonderful, but oh so sad. I was on the verge of tears several times. The only thing I didn’t like was the (very) overuse of tag lines and use of names where ‘he’ or ‘she’ should have been used. How many times do we have to hear ‘DS Willmott replied/said/asked/thought/sighed’? In many cases the tag line could have been left out, or at least changed to ‘she’ instead of her full title. I spotted many examples of this, eg ‘… Andrew whispered. Andrew stretched …’. Use ‘he’!!!! I don’t mean to sound negative because I’m not. I really enjoyed the book even though it so very, very, sad, and with a bit of editing this could have been a 5 star review. Good luck for the next one, and thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy.

When a couple take their friend's son Joe and their own daughter Maria for an outing on the beach, the children are unexpectedly swept out to sea. Although the man manages to rescue his own daughter, the other child is lost to the water.

The tragedy hits the community hard - Joe's father Chris being the local police officer - and perhaps inevitably, sides are taken in the matter. As police officers Adams and Wilmott race to find out what exactly happened here, deeper questions begin to emerge.

This is a gripping story replete with undercurrents, and will please anyone who enjoys a suspenseful murder story that is also a satisfying police procedural.

After The Storm is a good police procedural with a highly emotional edge. A tragic drowning leaves a two families shattered and the novel follows the aftermath. Without spoilers, it's deeply emotional with some very difficult themes.

The novel is well written, if a little overlong. The middle section drags a bit, with repeated internal dialogues from the point of view of different characters. More "show don't tell" could have seen this cut.

The ending comes quickly, as the bereaved father's fragile mental state deteriorates. The pace is high leading to the final scenes. Overall, After The Storm is a good read with a simple plot and some excellent character development.

Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Collins for the Arc.
This book grabbed my attention from the first chapter and never really let go. I'm still thinking about it now.
It wasn't at all what I thought it would be but in a good way. The direction that the story took surprised me.
The novel pulled on my heart strings a lot and definitely left me feeling very confused as to which family I should feel the most empathy for.
I love reading debut novels, I've read some really great ones over the years. This is definitely one of them. I'd highly recommend you read it.

This was an Auto approval for me but it looks like one I'll be right into always interesting to see what a auto approval has to offer ... FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW

This is one of my top reads so far for 2024. It's a harrowing story but amazingly well told. I cried in parts and was glued to the page to see what was going to happen. I loved that we get chapters from each of the main characters and the author did a fantastic job of keeping the reader inside the character's head. Very up close and personal and this was really prevalent in the chapters from Linda.

This is a tragic story about family and loss and it delves deep into the emotional impact on all of the main characters. Without giving away any spoilers, I want to say the topics covered are done sensitively but real and the author did a great job with this. It is a page-turner that is set to take you on an emotional rollercoaster and definitely one that will have an impact and stay with you long after you close the book.

A very emotional read that deals with some incredibly difficult situations but one that has empathy and compassion for all the well crafted characters. The author obviously loves the sea as his descriptive language when it comes to any scenes set around the water is absolute perfection. This isn’t one of your run of the mill police procedural or crime thrillers, it’s much more of a crime drama set around believable characters that you can truly appreciate especially in their reactions to their emotions. A tough read for some but the author understood the whole point perfectly by putting in trigger warnings at the back but saying that there were some spoilers if you did read them. I’ve never seen this done before and thought it was very thoughtful.

An absolutely brilliant debut novel. It’s not for the faint-hearted but wow, it’s gripping!

Two families - Andrew, Sophie, and Maria, and Chris, Linda, and Joe – are best friends. Chris is a police officer and Linda a paramedic so, when their shifts clash, Andrew and Sophie look after Joe. One wet, stormy day, the children beg and cajole Andrew and Sophie to take them to the beach, against their better judgement. Joe and Maria are desperate to go in the sea, but they are told that they can only go in the ‘little sea’ which is a natural paddling pool.

Andrew was rescued from the sea as a child and it still terrifies him, so he’s keeping a very watchful eye on the children. Sophie is pregnant and, suddenly, an off-lead dog comes racing along and jumps on her. Scared for his wife and their unborn child, Andrew takes his eye off Joe and Maria for a split second so that he can manhandle the wayward dog off Sophie. When he turns back, the children have vanished – into the sea.

Lots of unexpected twists and turns kept me hooked, and I read this in record time. I hope that this will be the start of a ‘Beachbrook’ series and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.