When I requested this book, I did not realise that it was a part of another series by the author. The first that I read from her, in fact. The author had followed up her first ever hit book with a sequel more than a decade apart and it worked well. This is a form of addendum to that series, with characters from that but a different focus entirely.

There are three main different parts to this tale. One is where a grieving widow takes a vacation to her niece’s place ( it was only once she got to the niece’s house that I realised who all the people were, much to my shame). The other is of a corrupt ex- government official whose wife is miserable and making plans to better her life. Her son is another part of this narrative. We also have a young woman who has come to see if her whirlwind romance a few years prior might still have something in it for her.

The author is very good at bringing different voices into a single cohesive plotline. Each individual sounds distinct, and although I could have done it without the possibility of too many happy-ever-afters, I still enjoyed this book.

Grief and missing a loved one are key features in this story and very simple language is used to demonstrate the depth of emotions people feel. It was easy to feel all the sorrows that are discussed here. There are some happy moments as well as some funny ones ( although less of the latter). I highly recommend the author and this book for people who like multi-cast narratives. Even people who have not read the other books in this ‘series’ will be able to appreciate the story here.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

What drew me to this title:

The author

The cover

The knowledge that it would be the perfect read for de-stressing.

A good ending.

Shari Low writes novels that are a pleasure to read. This one is no exception. Anyone looking for a summer read can’t go wrong by picking this up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Shari Low is easily one of my favourite authors and so I was thrilled to read her latest novel especially when I found out that Val was one of the central characters. Struggling with the grief of losing her beloved Don, she then loses her most precious possessions in the journey to visit family. The story then weaves and threads together as Shari’s novels do in such a brilliant way.
Highly recommend

💭 This read along came at exactly the right time for me! I'm a lover of thrillers at the minute, however i had hit a reading slump, and I've previously loved some of Shari's other books, so the familiar layout and characters drew me straight in!

Strong character setting from the onset, I found myself connecting with them all for differing reasons, though I did have a soft spot for Val and was absolutely rooting for Sophie!

The book has a strong feature on relationships in many forms, family, extended family, partners, and friendships. As well as covering "loss", again in several forms.

As with other books from the "one" series, you get to catch up with some familiar characters. However, I feel it's not detrimental that you read them in a specific order.

I loved how, though the main story is centred around Vals missing rings, there are several other character stories. The way these were written into the pages blended so well, and it wasn't choppy or confusing.

I would love to catch up again on how Sophie's life moves through the years!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is my second book by Shari Low and I enjoyed both of them tremendously! The best part is the two stories were connected. Each one focused on a different character but they were linked by living in the same neighborhood. It was a neat touch! I can’t wait to pick up some of the other ones from this interesting cast of characters. Another fun touch is the authors footnotes in the beginning and the end about her personal story that connects to this story.

Val is an elderly lady who has suffered a few losses in her life, including her daughter, best friend and most recently her husband. She goes on a trip to visit her nieces and misplaces a bag that held 4 rings that were very special to her and the people she has lost in her life. Sophie left her boyfriend after he proposed to her to help take care of her sick mother. After her mother passes, she travels to hopefully rekindle that past romance. Alice’s awful husband is once again a scandal in the headlines. Rory’s wife left him and he lost his job on the same day! Somehow all of their lives are connected, this story tells about one weekend in all of their lives. It was such a great read!

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a reset! It helped me clear my mind and was entertaining.

As with all Shari's books I absolutely loved this one!
I think these are my absolute favourite group of characters, everyone needs someone like Val in their life!

This blurb seemed really interesting and I have heard really good things about this author and their writing style however I could not get into this book and did not enjoy the style of writing.

Shari Low has become one of my favourite authors, she really writes from the heart. Not only are her stories poignant and charming, you get to meet some of the same characters over and over again, and they always feel like such good friends Highly recommend.

I absolutely adore Shari’s books. I do read alot of thriller/gangland crime but every so often … I need something that just makes me smile and Shari’s books do that for me.
I actually messaged the author and said “ that feeling you get, when you get into bed and it’s fresh sheets and you just snuggle into the duvet. That’s how your books make me feel.

I loved how it was about different characters stories but it all makes sense at the end, how they are connected. Will never tire of these stories ! 🩷

This is quite heavy for me, probably due more to the writing rather than the storyline.

As for the story, it's quite entertaining to delve into the drama of the characters, I did feel quite saddened by their circumstances and entertained by the humour.

There are parts I couldn't quite enjoy, especially on the parts of McLean, although half of her parts were okay.

Overall, I think this is okay? It's just didn't endeared me that much.

~Thank you, netgalley, and Boldwookd books for the e-arc~

I absolutely love the books written by Shari Low. They are so well written and draw you into the characters, which are so well developed. The writing style is easy reading and fast paced. Quite a few characters are involved in the story, but they are well-defined and easy to keep track of each one.

The story revolves around newly widowed Val, who loses her treasured mementos of her deceased loved ones whilst travelling to stay with her 2 relatives in Glasgow. And so, the search is on to find the 4 treasured rings.

As the story unfolds, we encounter the wonderful characters and their separate stories that link them all together: Carol and Cally, Val’s crazy fun relatives. Alice, who is married to her bullying and manipulative disgraced ex-MP Larry. Sophie, who wants to meet her ex-boyfriend and explain why she didn’t answer when he messaged her with a photo of their proposed engagement ring. Rory, who is the estranged Son of Alice and Larry.

A truly wonderful heart-warming read about family and friendship, which I highly recommend.

Thank Boldwood books for my free Arc copy via Net Galley, in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Get ready for an emotional and exhilarating journey in Shari Low's One Long Weekend! This novel takes readers on a heartfelt wild goose chase over the course of one eventful weekend.

Val is back, but she's struggling with profound grief. Having lost her best friend Josie and now her husband, she feels adrift. When she visits her nieces, she accidentally misplaces precious mementos of her lost loved ones. Determined to recover these irreplaceable items, Val embarks on a journey back home, retracing her steps with her two nieces. One of her nieces leverages her social media platform to aid in the search, adding a modern twist to their quest.

In a parallel storyline, we are introduced to Sophie, a young woman in town yearning to rekindle an old romance. Alongside her, we meet Rory and his mother Alice, who are grappling with the fallout from a scandal that has upended their lives.

As the narrative unfolds, the lives of Val, Sophie, Rory, and Alice intersect in unexpected ways. Can these four find a common link and begin to move past their pain?

One Long Weekend by Shari Low is a touching exploration of loss, love, and the power of connection. Will these four characters find the healing they need? Dive into this captivating novel to find out!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an advance copy of this engaging and fun novel.

I adored the first Shari Low novel I read, One Christmas Eve, even though I am not typically a ‘Christmas’ novel reader. It was top-quality women’s fiction, with a great ensemble cast and multiple historical storylines intertwining in surprising and poignant ways. Plus, it featured superbly developed strong female characters spanning the age spectrum.

In One Long Weekend the story threads again ultimately dovetail into one another, and Shari Low delivers some fabulously feisty and engaging mature female characters.

Despite much of the drama borne from loss, grief and trauma the characters have historically experienced, the familial love, friendship and banter between the ensemble cast during this One Long Weekend story window is largely buoyed by hope and good humour. This and the characters’ hunt for missing things, in one respect constrained by a return flight, keeps the pacing swift and the overall feeling relatively light considering the themes explored. Continue reading at BookloverBookReviews.com

One Long Weekend by Shari Low ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a fun story with multiple twists and turns. Quick weekend read, keeping you laughing till the end. My only difficulty was keeping up with the many characters.
Hope you pick upyour copy today and enjoy a fun filled laughing weekend

Thank you NetGalley for advanced copy for my honest opinion

I really loved this. Couldn’t stop reading. The way it interweaves was great forming some great friendships.

I read One Long Weekend by Shari Low over the last bank holiday weekend. This was my first book by this author and I was so pleased to be given the opportunity to take part in the read-along organised by Boldwood Books and to receive an ARC to read and review.

One Long Weekend is an engaging contemporary novel based on the authors real life experience of losing precious jewellery.

Val loses some rings that are of sentimental value and hold treasured memories of loved ones. Although Val’s loss is disastrous it brings together the lives of some amazing women.

This book was filled with some marvellous characters. I loved that the women were so supportive of each other through this emotional roller-coaster of a novel. I also loved that while there were poignant moments, there was also laughter and friendship.

A thoroughly entertaining read and certainly an author I will be reading again

WoW! This latest book One Long Weekend by Shari Low was an uplifting book which made it a great read for your day off or your holiday. It was just lovely read but sad in places of this book that will just have you wanting more and it turned into a page turner. Shari the author always writes from her heart and this one was no different, it just took my breath away.

Three days. Four broken hearts. Just one weekend to make them whole again.....WoW.

What are you waiting for? This is a wonderful read I can't recommend it enough.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing a digital ARC

I really enjoyed Low’s latest novel, which follows a group of seemingly disconnected strangers over the course of one weekend. Low delivers an emotionally complex and moving story told from 4 points of view. Each of the narrators is navigating loss in some way, and they find themselves leaning on the kindness of family AND strangers to get through it.

I found the characters interesting and likable, and the ending felt like a big warm hug. It’s a beautiful book to pick up on days when the world feels cruel and unkind; it’s a lovely reminder of our capacity for kindness and empathy!

You always know you're in for an absolute delight when Low unleashes another book onto the public. I've lost count of how many of her books I have read to date and they're always 4 or 5 star winners.

One Long Weekend was no exception.

It's a beautifully written story that takes us on a whirlwind of emotions as we follow the stories of our four main characters, Val, Sophie, Alice and Rory. All of whom find themselves in difficult situations and whose stories seamlessly intertwine with each other.

We've met Val on several previous occasions and we become acquainted with some new, who I'm sure we'll be hearing from again.

A wonderful uplifting story of second chance and friendships.

I highly recommend both the book and the author.

Shari Low never disappoints. Meeting some old friends, Val, Carly and Carol as well as new ones, Sophie and Alice. Sophie is on a long weekend visit to Glasgow hoping to rekindle romance with the ex she met travelling the world two years previously. He proposed to her but the timing was wrong with Sophie's mum dying, and he promised to repeat it on the same date every year. Alice is saving money from her cleaning jobs to leave her husband, former bent politician, now taxi driver. When Val, then Sophie get in Larry's taxi, their worlds collide. Much emotion, laughter and beautiful relationships. So readable that you feel part of the weekend with the protagonists. Thanks once again, Shari Low. #netgalley #OneLongWeekend