Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Emily and Rob met whilst at work in Dublin. Then after falling in love, they got married..

Then Emily started a business and it did very well. After trying for a baby and not have much luck, they eventually had a baby girl.

They were so happy together, but then something happens and their precious girl isn’t with them anymore. Both of them found it hard to deal with the loss and went their separate ways.

So that she can move on from what’s happened, Emily relocates to New Zealand, when her mother passes away, she’s back in Dublin for the funeral.

When she bumps into Rob, he has a daughter who is five called Molly. This brings up old feelings for Emily and she imagines what her life would’ve been like had their daughter lived.

The story highlights grief, healing and new beginnings.

As the lives of Emily, Rob, and Molly connect we read about the conflicts and their hopes, as they think about how their lives will now change.

I highly recommend this book.

So so many ugly crier tears were shed throughout this book, this is one of the most beautifully heartbreaking books I have read, whilst being completely heartwarming at the same time.

I adored every page and every character, there aren’t many books that can do this, there are so many different love stories, romantic, sibling and characters who learn to love themself.

Emily is one of my favourite characters, I just wanted to hug her through her pain and the ending mended my heart a bit.

This needs to be on everyone’s TBR!

Emily and Rob’s love story unravels after the tragic loss of their daughter, leading to their separation. Emily moves to New Zealand to escape the pain but returns to Dublin a decade later for her mother’s funeral. She unexpectedly encounters Rob with his five-year-old daughter, Molly, stirring emotions of what could have been. Set in Dublin, this emotional story explores grief, second chances, and healing. As Emily, Rob, and Molly’s lives intertwine, we are drawn into their struggles and hopes, experiencing a whirlwind of emotions as they wonder how their story will unfold.

Emily meet Rob at work in Dublin. They fell in love and married. After she started her own business and was successful, they decided to try for a baby. After struggling to get pregnant, they finally had a little girl. Everything was going great until they gave a tragic loss. Their precious little girl was gone. They both struggled with the loss and ended up separating. Emily is now living in New Zealand, if you call it living. She received a phone call from her sister that her mother is in the hospital., but she was too late. Her mother was gone. At the funeral, she sees her ex husband, even though they’re not divorced. He has a little girl with him. Her heart breaks because she still struggles with her daughter’s loss. Emily is glad that he’s moved on. Can the two move passed the loss? Emily finds out that Rob’s partner and daughter’s mother has passed away. So much loss for Rob. As spend spends time with him and his little girl, her heart slowly heals. Emily and Rob still has chemistry. Can they let the past go to move forward with the future? Will she return back to New Zealand or will she stay? Will she stay to be close to her sister and family? Maybe it’s time to come home. This book is about the emotional, heartbreaking and healing. Worth the read. I loved it. I received this book for my honest review. I give it voluntarily.

Another emotional read from Caroline Finnerty. Rob and Emily are happily married good jobs although Emily has her own very successful business which she has worked hard for and has very demanding clients so when they decide to try and start a family it's not without its problems. When something happens she can't face she goes to New Zealand go try and distance herself but when she gets a call to say her mother has had a stroke she returns but after many years away can she finally come to terms with what happened in her past and finally find some happiness.

My first Caroline Finnerty novel but definitely not my last. This was so well written and pulled me in at the very beginning and hooked me until the final paragraph. Filled with fabulous characters that kept me flipping pages long past my bedtime. The emotions throughout this book were intense and left me exhausted when I closed the book. Packed with all the feels!
Thank you NetGalley, Caroline Finnerty and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

By reading the blurb, I was expecting an emotional read. From the first page, I felt a connection to the MC Emily. I really enjoy Caroline's writing as it always brings me on a rollercoaster of emotions. There were tears and smiles throughout.
Full of likeable characters, Molly was definitely my favourite. She is a treasure! I highly recommend this one.

T.W for the death of a parent, child death and cancer

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this fabulous read

I was really happy to find that Caroline Finnerty had another book out. I really enjoyed all of the ones that I've reviewed, because they have all been heartfelt and made a really lasting impact on me.

The Child I Long For was no different in how it affected me. The author has a real gift in being able to create immersive, memorable stories with characters whose backstory really hits home.

Emily, Rob and Molly are all well created characters, and I was hooked as I followed their story. I was always wondering what was going to happen. How will things work out for them? Will they all get on? I had these, and more, questions going round in my head. I loved the book, and felt nervous, anxious, happy and sad for them all.

Thanks to Caroline Finnerty and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars

Thank you netgalley, publisher and author for my arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion 🙏🏻
I really liked it!!! It's an emotional read but it wasn't hard to read. I liked the fact that even if the love story was important, all the other subject received the deserved importance. The plot was good and I liked how raw it was. You could feel empathy to the characters and that felt important to me.
⚠️TW loss of a child. Loss of a mother.

Emily is back in Ireland after nine long years away from home, when she sees him. Her ex-husband, Rob, holding hands with a five-year-old girl. A girl that should have been hers. Over a decade before, Emily and Rob were in love and happily married. Then tragedy struck and Emily moved to New Zealand to get away. Now, returning to Dublin nearly a decade later for her mother's funeral, she finds herself face-to-face with her past. The man she loved has a daughter, beautiful little Molly, and Emily's heart breaks yet again for everything that could have - should have - been. But Rob and Molly's lives aren't without their own misfortunes.

This is an emotional read. It shows how some people deal with their grief in different ways. Set in Dublin, this story is about second chances. It's written mostly about Emily's struggle after a tragedy, how she ran away to New Zealand, and has only come home for her mother's funeral. My heart went out to Emily. We learn of the events that Emily and Rob went through together and separately. I think this book will make even the hardest heart cry.

Published 27th September 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #Carolinefinnerty for my ARC of #TheChildIlongFor in exchange for an honest review.

The Child I Long For by Carolune Finnerly made me smile, cry, get angry, cry again and finally smile great big.
It is a complex story of a marriage that goes through the trauma of the crib death of their first child.
It explores all the elements of heartbreak and how hard the recovery from death is in the marriage.
While sad, there are certainly chapters that are uplifting and full of hope.
It is full of the wonder of how another small child that is not her own brings joy back into her life.

This is the first time I read a book of this author and it was an emotional read. While I find the title a little misleading (1st person POV vs the whole book being in the 3rd person POV), I still loved how the book ended. It was slow at times, but overall quite an enjoyable read. I felt so sad for everything she went through.


Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for a honest review! The child I long for by Caroline Finnerty will be published Sept 27th, 2024
This book had me entranced the page one. It pulled me into the story and would not let go!
The story is about loss, loss and second chances. Emily has had a lot of hurdles thrown at her in life. She moved very suddenly to New Zealand 9 long years ago and basically did not look back. That is until the loss of her mother. Suddenly she found herself traveling back to Dublin Ireland to check on her mother who passed away before she could arrive. Emily made a lot of rash decisions in her life and she had to do some serious soul searching and made a decision that would be for her and others in her life. It’s a downward battle on what to do what not to do and in the end she has to make another snap decision. Will she choose to be happy or continue to punish herself for those past decisions.
This is a great book and a first by this author for me but won’t be the last. Thank you for allowing me to read and review!! I throughly enjoyed this one.

What an emotional read this was! Heartbreaking and raw at times I couldn’t help but feel for Emily and Rob as they navigate something which is unimaginable.

A book which explores tragedy and grief and how everyone deals with them in their own way . Does running away from your problems really work ? Or is it best to face them and try to navigate a way forward.

Set in Dublin this book explores community and family and how they both can play an important part in supporting you when you need them most .

Although there were parts of the book which were heartbreaking, I loved how the characters eventually realised what was important to them, embracing second chances.

One to read with a box of tissues handy I really enjoyed getting to know all the well written characters.

Dont read this without tissue in hand. .
It's an emotional read based around a couple very much in love and their quest and hopes to have a child.

Very Sweet story, but it had some heartbreaking times in it. Emily and Rob were happily married but wanted a child badly. She was a work acholiic and had trouble turning work away or delegating. When she gets pregnant, she doesn't slow down at all and has a little trouble early on. They beautiful daughter was born, but sadly only lived a few weeks. Emily just couldn't cope with it and lost everything - her company included. Finally Rob tried to get her to seek help and he went back to work. One day, she just left and went to another country and ask everyone not to look for her. She stayed away for 10 years and only came back when her sister called and said her mother had a stroke. Unfortunately, she died before Emily could get there. At the funeral, she is shocked to see Rob with a little girl. She told him she didn't want to talk to him and turned away. In the next few weeks, she and her sister had many ups and downs but finally they became the sisters who loved each other again. Emily and Rob ran into each other quite a bit and she got to know he and his sweet daughter, Molly. She even helped Molly with her hair at a dance recital. Molly and Rob were sad that she was going back to New Zealand and they both wanted her to stay. Then when Molly is hit by a car, Emily cannot leave until she knows she is ok. She stays by Rob's side until all is well. She is still leaving, but is having second thoughts. The scene at the airport is the sweetest thing. They all finally have their HEA

Catches you from the first page.
Emily runs away from Ireland when her marriage failed but has to return when her mother died, unfortunately she see`s her ex at the funeral with a young child that should have been hers.
Should she run again or face her past and talk to her estranged sister and family.
A very emotional story you can see what`s coming or what you hope comes with a difficult journey on the way.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

Emily is back in Ireland after 9 long years. She meets her ex husband Rob at a funeral and he is hold hands with a little girl, the little girl should be hers. Before Emily left her and Rob were happily married and tragedy struck making her make the hard decision to leave Ireland for New Zealand.
A great read that brought a few tears to my eyes when reading.

First of all thank you Netgalley for this book.
The Child I long for is an emotionally heartbreaking book and I did enjoy to listen to this book.
Pick this up and definitely add to your tbr!!

Oh my goodness what an emotional read. A lovely story but so sad. I was in bits reading it. I now need a cheerful book. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.