This book isn’t something I would normally read but when Netgalley gave me the opportunity to read this, and Kerry Lonsdale’s latest book together, I decided to give them a go. The book felt a little chic lit/romance novelish for me and the psychic “I believe your dead husband is alive” thing made me scared it was a fantasy novel, utterly my least favourite genre.
Ok, so the book is very romantic but it isn’t just a sugary romance novel. The characters were likeable and relatable and Aimee’s recollections of her and James’ childhood were lovely. I was totally ‘with’ Aimee on her James/Ian feelings. I wanted her to be able to have both men and be completely happy in every way, but life isn’t like that and thankfully neither is this novel.
Heart breaking decisions lead to greater self awareness and there is also a great dollop of “who is really behind this?” “What are they hiding?” Which I was convinced I’d worked out. I had half of one question correct but was way off on the other and really the only thing about the book that genuinely confused me in the end was the bit I guessed incorrectly. May I just say “eeuww” It wasn’t necessary to the story and could have been done the more conventional way. (Blimey it’s hard to talk about plot twists without spoilers!)
Having been not sure it was my *thing* I finished the book in a few hours today and have instantly downloaded her recently published sequel.

This was not really my cup of tea. I found it hard to get into and very emotional.

Great story, captivating from beginning to end. This is a new to me author but I will love to read more of her work!

I couldn’t get into the prequel to this book, so will not be reading this one.

An interesting question: what would you do if your wedding day turned out to be the funeral for your fiance?

First off, for this to be Ms. Lonsdale's debut novel is amazing in itself! I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down! That first line....ugh....heartbreaking!!

Aimee was planning for a wedding to her longtime childhood love, James, when the worst thing that could happen does.....it breaks her. She is struggling to move forward with life and things aren't going as planned with her family's restaurant. I felt so bad for her and could totally see why she would just want to crawl under the covers everyday and ignore the world. She needs to snap out of it and begin living again. But, she is haunted by the psychic who approached her with news that made her hopeful.

Then, she meets Ian......geez, I loved Ian. He becomes a perfect friend to her and a huge support system in finding her way back into society and life in general. Her friends were also a huge support.

In an effort to move forward though, she feels the need for closure. This takes her to Mexico (with Ian as her companion). I can't go any further without spoilers!

Seriously guys, I could not read this book fast enough. And that little twist....nope, didn't see it coming. I knew something was going on, and I had many different scenarios in my head, but NOT THAT ONE! Aimee's world is turned upside down with her discoveries!

Just loved the whole book, and loved the ending.......but then......THAT EPILOGUE.......no.....I don't think my heart can take anymore! But I have to know....yep, moving onto book 2!!!!!!

Congrats to Ms. Lonsdale.....I will look forward to her future writing and success!

This was a great read. It kept me engaged the whole way through with unexpected twists. It into a mystery of sorts and you want to find out what is going on! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. Thanks for letting me take a stab at reading it. Sorry my review was so late in the game.

This was a good read, very engaging with a twist I didn't figure out right away. I'd say it falls squarely in the category of a solid beach read. I did have some issues with a couple of the characters, but it didn't entirely get in the way of enjoying the book. I look forward to reading the next one out to see how the story progresses. Definitely an excellent job for a debut.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Aimee , a blushing bride ready to embark on a lifelong comminment with her fiance James but instead of walking down the aisle on her wedding day she is attending her fiance's funeral after he was lost at sea after a trip to Mexico. Aimee struggles coming to terms with her fiance's death after she questions everything she thought she knew about James.

This book was highly predictable but it made up with a unique storyline and it kept me engaged and intrguied.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. Every moment was perfectly suspenseful. Aimee is a likeable character and her doubt makes everything feel more real. I can't wait for the next book.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, which I completely forgot I had until this week when I was skimming through my overly filled Kindle!

Aimee's fiance James is dead. On what should have been their wedding day, they are now burying James instead. At the funeral a mysterious woman approaches Aimee to tell her James is still alive. Aimee is dealing with this revelation, while trying to move on from the only man she has been with since she was eight.

I found this book to have its cheesy moments, but overall I liked it. The story was interesting and the characters likable.

A romance that is both sad and happy in a way, memory loss can certainly play havoc with relationships. Throw in some messed up family issues and you had this reader hooked. Thoroughly enjoyable and an easy, engaging read.

I loved this book. It was so emotional that I didn't want to find out what happened the end! Loved the storyline, the characters and the romance between the main character, Aimee and her new found love interest, Ian.. A lovely read for 2017!

This is a light escapist novel, but it does drag a little. It is one where our heroine is oblivious to having fallen in love but the reader notices before she does herself. Unfortunately, it is rather slow and very repetitive. (We hear she buried her fiance on what would have been their wedding day so many times it becomes meaningless).

It takes her 17 minutes to act as anyone else would have done in the first few chapters. She has remarkably tolerant and stalkeri-sh friends who help along the way, one of whom happens to be knowledgeable about a rare condition which just happens to have a bearing on the plot. Poor Aimee, who needs to be protected is also particularly foulmouthed.

Although I disliked the central character there were parts where the descriptions were pretty good and I kept feeling it was about to become really good

Aimee's life is falling apart at the seams. Her wedding day has turned into the day she buries her fiancee. Her parents are selling their pub that she has worked as a chef at for years, leaving without a job, money or a lover. And her friends think she should move on? What do they know? On top of everything, a man called Ian is desperately trying to make a move on her, and her brother in law is acting suspiciously.

And then there's the note. A note from a psychic. That James - her fiancee - is still alive. Is Aimee clutching at straws, or is there some truth behind all this? As she gradually moves on with her life, can she really let this mystery remain unsolved?

Although I didn't think this was a brilliant novel, as a debut this has a surprisingly compelling storyline. Without giving anything away, something occurs that seemed too far-fetched to be even used as poetic license, but I looked it up and found that Lonsdale had indeed kept within the realms of things that we recognise. (Hard to say much without using spoilers!) Despite this, I did find the plot frustrating in a number of ways. Grief affects everyone in different ways, but Aimee's depression following the death of her fiancee did not feel real. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why, but I was left with a clinical list of grieving behaviours as opposed to a character actually grieving. Furthermore, although the one thing I thought was impossible turned out to occur, the plot was still very far-fetched. Various characters didn't act in keeping with their personalities; others' personalities weren't solid enough to really know - they would do something, and I was left wondering if this was 'in' or 'out' of character, before realising that I didn't actually know the character.

The writing style is fairly proficient, but can become a little confusing during scenes with much action in them; it's easy to lose track of what's happening. This doesn't happen very much though; to be fair, the majority of the book was very easy to read. Overall, the writing style isn't remarkable because this is a book based more on plot.

Finally, the very last two chapters felt clumsy to me, particularly the last chapter. I realise now that is there to leave room for a sequel, but this works fine as a stand-alone novel. It wasn't needed, and detracted from the previous writing.

It may seem that I hated this book; I didn't. It was fine, it just didn't thrill me, and had some key things that could be improved upon. It's billed as mystery and romance; the mystery was frustrating, but the romance was fine, if that is your kind of book. I'm not a great lover of romance (I often find myself internally rolling my eyes), but it was fairly typical of the genre.

A fairly well executed debut novel. I would read more by Kerry Lonsdale, but I wouldn't read a sequel to this.

Two and a half stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Three and a half star rating.
On the day Aimee is meant to be getting married, she is at a funeral - her fiancés. Various things happen to make her wonder what really happened but instead of reacting instantly, she sits and ponders, starts a new cafe, meets other people. This makes her quite annoying and so are her interfering friends. There’s a lot of pathos and loss especially at the start when the funeral is being held in the church she should have been married in. Loved the idea of this story which was engaging and also loved the ending too. It’s an appetite whetter for other books by this author

Aimee’s fiancé James dies in a suspected fishing accident in Mexico shortly before their wedding. She tries to pick up the pieces of her life and move forward without her best friend and lover but has a strong feeling that he is still alive. She decides to try and solve the nagging feeling that something is being covered up by someone and if James is really still alive.

I enjoyed reading this book overall but at times I did feel that the story moved a little slowly and was dragged out unnecessarily. I felt for Aimee and wanted her to find happiness again in her life as she was a very young character. The ending of the story was really well done too.

I loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my chair, wondering what the truth was. I am so glad that there are more to read!

Mixed feelings about this book. At times I couldn't read it fast enough but at other times I thought it was a bit slow. A bit long winded at times.