Member Reviews
Irish couple, Daniel and Constance, and their 15-year-old daughter, Cathy, move from Galway to Flagstaff in Arizona after Daniel is offered a real estate job by his brother, Liam. He’s been out of work for over six months and, after recent events, feels this is a great opportunity for a new start for the whole family.
While Daniel and Cathy throw themselves into life in Arizona, Constance is less keen and struggles to make friends and adapt to the heat. She’s homesick for Galway and still reeling from the short affair Daniel had a few months before.
The couple’s relationship goes from bad to worse with Daniel working hard to try and impress his older brother, Cathy making friends but turning into a sullen and difficult teenager, and Constance ends up feeling unloved and unwanted by them both. Daniel soon becomes embroiled in another, passionate, affair with an artist called Maya.
Told from the points of view of Constance, Maya, the Grand Canyon park ranger, Katarina Nolan, who found Daniel’s body, and a mysterious fourth voice, this is a gripping and engaging read. The story switches between months before and days after Daniel’s disappearance and we learn more about the various characters and the timeline of what happened and how and why he ended up dead. It made for fascinating reading as I tried to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and work it all out!
The settings of Galway and Arizona were well described – I could imagine the contrast between the green, leafy and rainy Ireland and the dry and arid heat of the Grand Canyon.
The characters were rather intriguing, even those who had a smaller role to play in the story, like Liam’s wife and Maya’s ex-boyfriend, as they all seemed to be hiding secrets from each other and weren’t being honest. There was such a range of emotions and themes – from Maya’s passion and free spiritedness to Constance’s anger and betrayal and Daniel’s arrogance and cheating – and it made for uncomfortable reading at times. The characters combined to create an engaging and well-paced read, which I finished in a couple of days, keen to know how it would all be resolved!
Overall, this was a great family drama/thriller with some surprising twists and turns! The police assumed Daniel’s death was suicide but soon Constance and Maya are being questioned. I had a few theories but was surprised how events unfolded and didn’t see the ending coming!
This is the first book by the author that I’ve read but I’ll definitely be checking out Noelle’s other books, which all sound brilliant!
I loved the fact it represented the Grand Canyon. One of my favourite places in the world. I really connected with the character of Agent Lopez. Great book and I will be looking forward to reading more of her books.
This was a great page-turner with all the drama you need and love.
Thank you NetGallety for an advanced copy/early read opportunity!
This page-turner has some mystery mixed in with family secrets, affairs and difficult decisions faced. There are several characters in the plot that play their roles central to the story. I found it to be riveting with my thoughts changing throughout.
Thank you, Noelle Harrison, Bookouture, & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and after finishing it I’ll most certainly be buying more as I absolutely loved this one. It’s not just a family drama but it’s a whole lot of other things as well, including mystery and crime thriller. Admittedly it took me a few chapters to settle into and enjoy the book but it didn’t take me long to become hooked. The descriptions of the Grand Canyon and the area in general were described so well . This is a book packed with great characters all playing a brilliant part in this story. I really liked the couple of chapters narrated by an anonymous character and found myself constantly guessing who it could be. When it was finally revealed I was so surprised. This was certainly a book that had me completely off track and I loved it.
This is my first book by Noelle Harrison and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the twists and turns. Constance and Daniel Galway and their daughter Cathy are from Galway and move to Arizona for Daniel's work. Throw in Maya to the mix and the park ranger Katarina and you have a gripping story, centred around Daniel. There is so much to unpack, the backstories and the way they somehow tie in together. The different timelines and fragmented personalities are developed nicely. The question is did he fall, was he pushed or did he jump down the ledge of the Grand Canyon?
You'll have to read to find out, a 5 star gripping read.
The Man I Can’t Forgive by Noel Harrison has three paves constants who moved from Ireland to America so her husband could work for her brother-in-law and she is completely miserable not to mention her daughter Catherine is a complete pain in the butt. The next is his mistress Maya who knows exactly what it’s like to have your father abandon you for another woman and then there’s Katarina she is the Ranger who found a crashed car with a deadman in it who they assume is a suicide well Officer Lopez assumed it, not Catarina. I usually enjoy Noel Harrison‘s books but this one I found I just couldn’t invest myself in the characters.the ending was really good and I still gave it 3 stars I had to start the book 3 different times had I got to the part with Katarina the first time I probably would’ve followed through because I really liked her character unlike Maya who although one of the most interesting characters she was just someone I couldn’t route four. As far as Constance goes I have said this and other reviews but I just don’t get this whole apologetic parenting going on and letting children talk to you like there the one in control of the situation I get letting kids make their own decisions and figuring things out, but parents are there to guide them and to teach them respect for others it trust me when I say respect for others is a lesson that Catherine Garvey totally missed although This is a book that was OK, it has a really good ending, although the people to route for is slim, if any I would still recommend this book. I said they have some interesting characters some long buried secrets that all come together in the end to make for an awesome ending I just wish I could’ve enjoyed it more. #Bookoucher,#NetGalley, #NoelHarrison, #TheManICan’tForgive,
The Man I Can’t Forgive is an assortment, a pure cocktail, of everything you need in a book—love, lust, infidelity, family relationships, revenge, and an undercurrent of murder-mystery investigation thriller mixed in to make it an engaging yet touching novel.
I am happy I read it, and I am introduced to this wonderful writer’s work, even though it is a bit late.
Daniel Garvey and his family, boring wife Constance and teen daughter Cathy, move from Irish country village to Flagstaff, Arizona, a city with hot and sultry weather but with big fortune, hopefully.
The reason for their shift is that Daniel is jobless, but he is offered a realtor job by his well-to-do brother Liam.
The situation in Daniel’s family is bleak—personal, financial, as well as family as a whole. The husband-wife duo fights regularly in front of their daughter, day in and day out, while the daughter lives in her own gothic world, dressed in all-black and listening to hard rock punk music and mostly living with her friend, Lisa.
Our Daniel is a good-looking, charming man with typical Irish traits of red hair and blue eyes, which will capture any girl’s eyes in an instant, as was Maya’s case.
Maya is a free spirit and a talented artist, born to an Indian father and an American mother. She lives alone in a forestry area surrounded by wilderness and creeks, sans humans, except for sex.
As Daniel wants to surprise Constance on her birthday, in order to rekindle their lost love and make up for the bad phase, he goes to Maya’s gallery to purchase something artsy—a painting—because Constance is an art enthusiast and she has been a curator for her friend Frances back home.
Thus, Maya becomes the mistress of Daniel, and soon their flirtatious game turns into true love, until Cathy discovers them making out in the car, without their knowledge.
Cathy likes the new start in the States. She is more open to adventure and sneaks into her friend Lisa’s home every day and even at night, but she has an even more dangerous secret hidden inside her life.
That is, until her father catches the daughter red-handed and confronts her. The dynamics change completely between the two.
All this time, the mother character is oblivious to the happenings. But she hates Daniel as she can sense something is wrong with his behaviour as he avoids her and stays an entire night or two in office (of course with Maya), which has become a regular.
Meanwhile, Daniel breaks up with Maya, realising his foolishness and making his family a priority. Mad Maya has now become outrageous. She, too, hates her lover.
At the end, all three women—wife, daughter, mistress—have a motive to hurt Daniel. But did they have the temerity to murder him? That too went all the way to push him from an extreme terrain of the Grand Canyon of a few hundred feet, only to be found after three days.
Who is the culprit? What happened on the Grand Canyon cliff? How does Daniel’s family recover from his demise? What happened to Maya?
The author brings in the Irish lushness and Arizonian dryness through all five senses of expression through her captivating narration, seemingly flowing through the story’s fluidity with pitch-perfect writing.
Harrison is another new to me author, so The Man I Can't Forgive was a great way to introduce myself to her writing style.
I do love a book that comes complete with unreliable narrators, dysfunctional characters and deceit by the bucketload don't you?
The story is told from Constance and Maya's POV along with an unidentified narrator, yet to be revealed.
It flows at a moderate pace, drawing you in immediately from the opening pages and before you know it you're finished. It's twisty, suspenseful and is cloaked in mystery.
If you think that sounds good then wait till you get to the end and the big reveal...
This is such an absolutely heartbreaking book. If your going to read this you must make sure you have a full box of tissues as you will be sure to shed many tears as it's incredibly emotional. I really felt for these characters they've literally had their worlds turned upside down and when they think it can't get any worse then Boom...
Once you pick this up you won't be able to put it down you will be hooked. I was desperate to know how this book would end. Absolutely loved this book.
The Man I Can't Forgive by Noelle Harrison was a beautifully written book about one's family's history, their shared pain, their losses and their secrets. You can feel the emotion of some characters seeping through the pages, the pain of other characters and their heartache. The author did a fantastic job of transporting readers.
Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
An intriguing and absorbing read, with a completely unpredictable outcome!
Told in alternating POVs by Constance, Daniel's wife, and Maya, Daniel's mistress, with an occasional chapter from a third, mystery POV. With Daniel's body having been found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, was it a suicide or something more sinister?
There are so many emotions playing out in this story; the wife, the mistress and the daughter of the dead man are pulled in all directions emotionally . There is heartbreak, sadness, hope and maybe blame to be apportioned. There is certainly motive too.
The ending was a huge shocker of a twist!
3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Noelle Harrison and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.
The Grand Canyon looms in the background of the book and that’s one of my favorite components.
There is much unhappiness swirling around the characters and it takes most of the book to cut through the misty fog to see how they all fit together.
Daniel was despicable and deserved what he got. Maya was no more likable either. I thought Cathy needed to be dealt with harshly at how utterly disrespectful she was to Constance. I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for Constance for just that reason.
I really liked Special Agent Lopez, loved the scenes with him in them!
Arizona has its own rugged beauty which Harrison uses as an effective backdrop.
Beautifully written heart wrenching a true page turner.Make sure to have tissues near by. #netgalley #bookouture
I find that some plots nowadays are very predictable, but this book was full of surprises especially the ending! The alternating POV’s between Constance and Maya, as well as the mystery third POV shed light onto many different angles of this story. I had my guesses about who was responsible but I was proved wrong and was very content with how this book ended.
read if you like:
📍 Arizona
🏡 dysfunctional family dynamics
💁🏻♀️ affairs and cheating spouses
summary:
This book is about two women - Constance and Maya, living in Arizona. Constance, a dutiful wife and mother, is married to Daniel, who is having an affair with Maya, when he is found dead in the Grand Canyon. The book cuts back and forth before and after the murder, and between Constance and Maya’s POV, along with Katarina, a park ranger who discovers Daniel’s body.
I’ll admit — I could not get into this book. It starts quickly, but there were just a few things about it that made it hard to sink into. Both Maya and Constance and her family relocate to Arizona from Europe — Maya from London, and Constance/Daniel from Ireland. While the book sinks deeply into the geography and culture of Arizona, the cut back and forth between that and Ireland seems abrupt and kind of awkward. I also could just not make myself love any of the characters. Constance seems stuck up, suspicious and rigid, while Daniel sleeps around and their daughter Cathy is abrasive and rude. Honestly the family tension was uncomfortable and hard to read — even in a book where it was meant to be uncomfortable! Maya feels helpless and unlikable, and even though I wanted to see her as a free spirited artist, she felt more needy and codependent. While the goal of the book feels like a whodunnit, it doesn’t make much progress towards solving the mystery, and doesn’t embed many clues along the way.
The ending does wrap up nicely, with a few surprises, but the lack of clues along the way make it hard to feel really into it. I couldn’t get into this, but if you like slow burn thrillers and a lot of family drama, check this out when it releases on July 5.
When this was posted I read the blurb and was excited by what this book was about. It is nice to feel the excitement again about a book especially when it isn't an author I am familiar with.
This book isn't necessarily my style but I do like the idea and the premise behind the story. I think that it shows a great deal of writing ability to be able to show such style and tact in writing.
Daniel while we don't see a lot of at first seems interesting more than the others at least from first impressions. No he doesn't seem to be a good person but just more of am interesting character.
Constance the ex I guess of Daniel just drives me crazy a bit as she needs to know everything and doesn't seem to understand about privacy. It makes me glad I didn't have a parent like her as I wouls have been as annoyed as Cathy the daughter.
Cathy is typical and doesn't want her mom to know her business and doesn't want to be stalled which is what I feels like when she has to deal with her mother.
The book is written beautifully and has such vivid colours to it. This is far from what I am used to and is more of a book that is about the story and not about the characters. I tend to read more character driven books but this was very good.
This is an emotionally overcharged book as you really feel for Constance with what she has to go through. I must say also that Constance is not a woman I would want to be with. She has so many trust issues and basically stalks another woman. Don't get me wrong her husband Daniel is no prize either.
In relationships you need to have trust and this books shows that she has no trust nor does he. The book for me shows that relationships are not all they are cracked up to be.
The book was very good and had such a great time reading the book. Would I read another by this author yes I would.
Constance, Daniel and Cathy move from Ireland to Arizona, after Daniel has an affair. The idea is for a new start, and Daniel gets a job working for his brother in real estate.
Constance can’t settle, she misses home. She knows Daniel is having an affair again, and decides to move her and Cathy back home.
Then Daniel is found dead, likely suicide. However, Constance knows Daniel would never do this, he would never leave Cathy. Constance knows he was murdered.
Wow! This is one of those books that made such an impact on me. I loved everything about it, the storytelling just flowed.
My heart went out to Constance, but also their daughter, Cathy, who had to listen to all the conflict between her parents.
The ending of the story left me gobsmacked, I genuinely didn’t see that twist coming at all!
I haven’t read any of this author’s books before, but I shall definitely be adding her books to my list.
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Wow this book was really something. A lot of ups and downs and family secrets!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Constance and Daniel have moved from Ireland to Arizona where he works for his brother in real estate. Not one to make friends easily, Constance finds it difficult to settle despite her new and comfortable lifestyle. On-going problems with their teenage daughter Cathy add to her problems and then she discovers Daniel is having an affair.
When Daniel's body is discovered at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, at first it is thought he committed suicide. However, soon evidence emerges to the contrary. Constance instantly becomes a suspect, but it appears his mistress Maya D'Costa could also be involved.
A wonderful story, well written and narrated from several viewpoints, including a mystery voice. Both Constance and Maya have experienced growing up in a family where their father has left to set up home with another woman. And now here they are, one who has seen history repeat itself, and another who has become 'the other woman'. There is Constance's anger, her sense of betrayal and then Maya's overwhelming passion for Daniel, a married man, which is at odds with her own childhood experiences.. The author cleverly weaves a story which moves back and forth between the two women with clues which make it difficult to decide which of them could be the perpetrator. And then just when you think you have a good idea who might be guilty, others with motive are dropped into the mix. After all these twists and turns, the finale offers a great twist which I didn't see coming. Highly recommended.
I would like to thank Bookouture, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Man I Can't Forgive in exchange for an honest review.