A brilliant family saga. Every family has its secrets but as they are revealed in this brilliant read you'll switch your allegiance time after time. When Charlotte dies it's only natural that Emily should look after her two daughters, especially as she promised Charlotte that she would should that day ever come. After all Emily has a history of doing things for others, but at what price?

After I'm Gone" by Clare Boyd is a heart-wrenching roller-coaster of a read that delves deep into themes of bereavement, addiction, abuse, and betrayal. From the very beginning, the emotional action grips you as Emily grapples with the sudden loss of her sister and takes on the responsibility of caring for her nieces, Hayley and Mia. The tension never lets up, keeping you hooked until the very end. Boyd skillfully crafts a narrative filled with twists and turns, making it a definite page-turner.

The characters are intricately developed, each grappling with their own demons and secrets, which adds layers of complexity to the story. Despite initial reservations, readers find themselves deeply invested in Emily's journey, learning to care for her as much as for Mia and Hayley. Through their struggles, the novel offers an insightful exploration of trauma, unconditional love, and the consequences of decisions made with the best intentions.

“After I'm gone” tackles difficult topics with sensitivity and authenticity. From the impact of addiction to the scars of abuse and the weight of betrayal, Boyd navigates these themes with finesse, never shying away from the raw emotions they evoke. The result is a poignant and thought-provoking story.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced review copy.

I was thrown into the emotional action from the start when Emily hears about her sister's death and her nieces are traumatised and the tension didn't let up until the end. It's a heartwrenching roller-coaster of a read with insightful look on trauma, unconditional love and consequences of decisions made with the best intentions. The characters were well developed and though in real life I'd not get on with Emily I learnt to care for her as much as the Mia and Hayley. There are twists and plenty to make this a gripping read.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘After I’m Gone’ written by Clare Boyd in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Emily and her older sister Charlotte make a pact that Emily will look after Charlotte’s children Hayley and Mia if anything happens to her. When Charlotte accidentally dies in her bathroom Emily immediately takes over their care but Hayley’s aggressive behaviour is causing tension between Emily and her husband Olly. Faced with two young girls who are grieving the loss of their mother, Emily realises that they know more about what happened the night Charlotte died than they’re telling, and she aims to find out what it is.

‘After I’m Gone’ is the touching story of a family who have secrets and tell lies to safeguard them whilst they strive to adjust to life after the loss of a loved one. It’s a well-written family drama with authentic characters and a realistic story that has twists and turns and a surprising but perfect ending. This is an enjoyable novel that’s had me involved from the start and was easy to read. I recommend it.

One thing that Olly and Emily agreed on was their desire not to have children. However, when Emily's sister dies in an accident, her two girls, Hayley and Mia, are shuttled around a bit as Emily has to decide if she is willing to raise them..

Meanwhile, Olly is an aspiring writer, and Emily is none too pleased with the similarities between herself and his female protagonist. In fact, what Olly writes just might show the deep cracks in their marriage and as to what they want to do with their lives.

While Emily is struggling to navigate her new normal as an instant mother, she remains disturbed about the circumstances surrounding her sister's death. Deep secrets have seemingly been buried and just might be coming to the surface.

While the book began to read to me as a psychological thriller, it is anything but. In fact, it is an excellent women's fiction novel with family drama and secrets. It was impossible not to feel compassion for Emily, Hayley and Mia, all for very different reasons. Equally heartbreaking and heartwarming, the story was fabulous throughout.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

An excellent read. The story of Emily and Olly who have a nice life as a married couple with no children and a nice life. When Emily’s sister Charlotte is found dead Emily is left with the job of minding her two nieces while a decision is made as to where they can go. A lot of trials and tribulations follow.

Such a lovely and bittersweet book! Emily and Olly are happily married; he's writing a book and she's a script-reader when her sister, Charlotte dies suddenly after a fall in the bathroom. She leaves behind two young daughters, Haley and Mia and Emily had promised she'd care for them if anything happened to her. But it appears Haley has "anger issues" and is easily provoked; she lashes out readily when things don't go her way (which is often for a 15-year-old)! Their father, David has a new wife and three little ones and lives in Ireland so Emily takes them in without knowing the full extent of the difficulties ahead of her, and there are many! Childless by choice, Emily does her best to mother the two but Hayley's temper often gets the better of her and things become tense as Emily realizes there are too many things she didn't know about the girls' relationship with Charlotte. It's a heart-wrenching story but lovely in its messages!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

"After I'm Gone" has given me an emotional rollercoaster ride that I was not prepared for. It was heart wrenching for the most part of it, and I had to take breaks in between to recover. This is one thought provoking book, and emotions will continue to linger after.
I'm reminded of the sacrifices and love that my parents give, so thank you.

Emily loses her sister and is left to raise her sister's two daughters. Many secrets will be revealed and they all must learn how to live with the consequences of them. This book is about trying to make a new family and learning how to trust each other. It's worth a read.

Emily adores her sister Charlotte and her two nieces, Hayley and Mia. Her former brother-in-law James, not so much.

But, living a happily child-free life with her partner Olly, Emily is not expecting to have to make good on her promise to
Charlotte to look after the girls if anything happens to their mother.

Except something does. And when teenager Hayley begins to act out, Emily realises that she may not know her niece - or, for that matter, her sister - as well as she thought she did...

This is a suspenseful family drama and has some unexpected elements to it. Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain or Heather Gudenkauf.

An unflinching and at times quite brutal story about the promises we make and the sacrifices that are made for our loved one. Great complex character development and an engaging plot. Very gripping and poignant. Really well written.

The novel deals with loss and secrets, which adds to the suspense and intensity of the mystery surrounding her sisters death.

An absolute tearjerker of a read by Claire Boyd. A tale of promises , love and secrets between sisters. There is little love stronger than the love between two siblings. Charlotte asked Emily to promise to take care of her 2 daughters Hayley and Mia should anything happen to her , a promise she didn’t think she would need to keep. Now faced with two grieving girls and a husband who never wanted children Emily starts to discover that there are things about the night her sister died that her daughters are hiding. A book that kept me awake a night , eager to discover what happened and the next steps for this messed up wonderful family. I loved each character. The author done an amazing job and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

A totally gripping and heart-wrenching story about keeping promises and dark secrets – and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love. Well, this was riveting! Truthfully, I couldn’t put it down. I love books with this kind of pace. Great book and congrats. I’m sure many more will enjoy it as well. I loved it . . . stayed up late to finish it!

This book requires tissues just a warning. When Emily’s sister dies in a tragic accident she leaves behind two daughters who need someone to look after them. As Emily stands in whilst waiting for their Dad to make an appearance she starts to question everything she knew about her sister and when she is called to take over the care for her nieces she needs to take a long hard look at her life and her relationship to see if she wants to take the children on and if they even want her to as they are both keeping their own secrets and she is the one getting the brunt of their grief and confusion. This is a great read.

Emily is looking after her two nieces after her sister Charlotte was found dead in a locked bathroom, having fallen and hit her head fatally. She adores the girls but never wanted to be a parent herself. She thinks this is probably due to how her relationship with her mother was and still is, however Charlotte made her promise she would look after the girls if anything happened to her as she didn't trust anyone else. The girl's father left many years ago and now has a new family in Ireland. When she finds inconsistencies in what happened the night Charlotte died, she fears the girls may be hiding something from her. Can she find out the truth of what happened to her sister whilst still protecting her family?

Wow! I found myself happily turning and turning, ever wanting to find out more. I liked Emily and felt for her own heartbreak whilst trying to sort out those around her. Grief is a strange master and manifests in many ways in different people. This is sensitively very well written of how things can either fall apart or bond in the aftermath of such an event. A clever, well thought out twisty premise. A real page turner.
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When a parent dies, it's always hard. No matter how old you are, there are still quite a lot of times you need them, either to talk to or to ask for their advice or just simply spending time with them. A lot of people can spend many years together with their mom and dad, but some are not so fortunate. When you lose a parent at a young age, the blow is much harder. And I can testify to it. 

This tragic occurrence is something Mia and her sister Hayley have to deal with. In addition to that they struggle with things that went on before that unfortunate day.

Auntie Emily has to cut the cord. Will she let go and give up or will she go on and fight.

Favorite character: aunt Jane, because she is the one who opened everyone"s eyes.

Least favorite characters: Olly, because he is not very forgiving and takes the easy way out and David because his behavior was beneath contempt.

A heartbreaking story with some rough edges, but filled with love as well. I loved the intrigue. 5 stars

Thank you

A tender but heartbreaking look at what happens when families are shattered but come together in unlikely ways. A really great read, handling difficult subjects with tenderness. I loved it.

Emily and her husband Olly are living their happy-go-lucky life, choosing to not have children and celebrating an upcoming book release. Emily is known in her family as the strong one, and then the world crashes down around her. Her beloved sister, Charlotte, has died and now Emily is caring for her two girls, Hayley and Mia. The truth is, grief is cruel. Grief is especially cruel when secrets are bubbling under the surface, waiting to emerge. After I’m Gone is a heartbreakingly honest and authentic tale of how the pieces fall apart when we lose a loved one…and how even through the tears and truths revealed, we can find healing.

Review is live on Goodreads and will be posted on Instagram 3/24!

I have struggled getting into Clare's books in the past. There is just something about her writing. This one was hard for me as well. The story is good, but I was able to skip ahead and understand what was going on just fine. Family drama where one sister dies, and then secrets keep coming out about the sister, her daughters etc that shock the remaining family members. You don't always know people the way you think you do. The big reveal was def shocking for me!