Love Life

This lovely debut, set in a hospice, is a heart-warming, life-affirming gem which had me fixed to the sofa for an entire Sunday. Full of wry hospital humour and the insights that seeing families at their most vulnerable must offer, NHS GP Peach writes a well-paced tale which is far from morose despite the setting. Her characters are believable and understandable, and if, like me, you have a bitch of an inner critic, her imaginary side-characters are spot on too. Looking forward to seeing more from this funny new author.

I devoured this book! It was such an enjoyable read. I couldn’t sleep and decided to read for a little bit, then suddenly it was half 5 and I’d read 80% of this book. I couldn’t put it down and I would have continued reading if I wasn’t exhausted!

Love Life follows Tess, a Doctor working at a hospice. She doesn’t fully believe in romance as her Dad left when she was 5 years old and she found her last boyfriend in bed with another guy. The voices in her head are very deprecating and she does mention how she suffers with bulimia. If you would find that triggering then I wouldn’t recommend reading this book, as although it isn’t a constant presence, there is a recurring mention of it. Tess’ inner voices take the form of a TV show host and Jane Austen herself. I love that over the course of this book, she learns to love herself and combats her inner negative thoughts.

‘None of us wish to be in calm waters all our lives.’

Whilst this book was enjoyable, it wasn’t quite as lighthearted as I thought it might be. It deals with heavy themes and sometimes I found Tess’ inner monologue to be too much, or distracted me slightly from the story. I think the idea of the two voices was interesting, but I found myself skipping over them occasionally.

‘It does really make you think life is too short to be spending it doing something you don’t enjoy.’

This is an emotional romance book as the setting of the story is in a palliative care hospice. Tess meets her patient’s son, who she had previously met but he had no recollection of her. Edward Russell is struggling to come to terms with his mother suffering from cancer. He comes across as bit of a prat, but as Tess gets to know him more and spends time with him and his mother, she soon thinks differently. I loved their relationship and was constantly rooting for them to realise their feelings for each other. This was a fun read, and if you like romance books with a bit of a heavier theme, then this is the book for you!

This was my first book by this author and won’t be my last for sure it’s a very easy read and so down to earth and true to life and the characters are very well portrayed. Plenty about romance and heartache and needing to gain in confidence in yourself and you never know what not happen.
Alice is a dr but has recently found her husband in bed with another man so really doesn’t believe romance is for her any more especially when she gets voices in her head saying she’s not good enough and when a patients family start questioning her she really does think she’s no good. But when Edward looses his mother and starts being a gentleman and she starts to think he’s not what she thought he was and she has to learn to listen to the right voice in her head and who will she choose and will love be for her again or not.
Worth more than five stars and a very realistic read.

Beautifully crafted book with an unusual premise, location and style. The writing is strong, can't quite believe that it's a debut. The parts set in the hospice and depicting Eddie's grief are as true to life as you can get (I've worked in hospice care). There's not much humour here, what there is, is via Tess's Jane Austen and Talk Show host earworms, which had me laugh out loud. A light relief from some very strong themes.
Tess and Eddie's characters are hotch potch emotional messes, drawn together over the imminent death of Eddie's mother. Having said all that I see no literary comparison between the works of Beth O'Leary (I've read all her books) and Mhairi McFarland ( I recently read 'Last Night'). Peach is a much darker writer dealing with conplex and often harrowing themes. I loved it.

This is a wonderful story, that pulled on my heart strings and I can't deny, I was very pleasantly surprised by Love Life. When I first picked this up, I thought it was going to be a a run of the mill romantic comedy, but it wasn't...it was much more than that.

It is difficult not to love Nancy Peach's writing style and the characters she has created here. Tess is a great leading woman, her self doubt, and low confidence resonated with me, including her cynical side regarding "Happy Ever Afters." This is an author I will be looking forward to read more of, and as a debut, she has set the standard high.

Yes, this is a romantic comedy, with uplifting and feel good charm, but there are some very sensitive matters that are written so delicately, I couldn't help but be swept away by this. A highly recommended read!

Loved the humour and the nod to Jane Austen in this book. Drew me in from the start. Loved this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Absolutely loved this book. Unique setting and Tess and Edward meeting up again. Confusion, family, illness and emotional issues all combined to make a wonderful story.
It addresses a lot of taboos in a very sensitive way.

Tess is a woman who has lost her confidence after a bad breakup. Edward is the one who got away all those years ago. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story that deals with insecurity and all the stages of grief. But through it all, hope, trust, and romance emerge. With A smarmy TV talk show host and none other than Miss Jane Austen herself serving as the ongoing commentary inside Tess's head, this story remained charming and full of heart while dealing with life's ultimate unifyer, death. I adored the story and the flawed characters. But most of all, I adored how well Nancy Peach managed to weave together all the parts. It's one of my favorite reads in a long time. I liked it so much, I immediately began reading it again. TW: This book contains a struggle with an eating disorder.

A great debut book and one that will certainly make me look for future works by the author. I laughed, I cried and then I laughed and cried some more. It was moving, funny, emotional in all the right measures and kept me wanting to read on.

The characters, places and events are described so well that I had no problem picturing them as I read, laughing at the funny parts and tearing up at the emotional ones. The characters were likeable and I feel that the book could easily have a follow up or a series of novellas following some of the others characters / a couple of years later.

When I first started reading I expected a light hearted romantic story but that wasn’t the case and was abundantly clear after just a couple of pages - the author tackles some hard hitting topics. Tess our main character has been through the mill in recent times and is insecure and full of self doubt. She is often battling with a voice inside her head who is quite unkind at times and although the other voice she hears is a voice of reason it is often (as is the case for so many) drowned out. Throw in a guy she clicked with many years ago at a party, who she remembers but he doesn’t seem too and Tess has to try to stop her personal and professional life as a doctor crossing the boundaries.

I would definitely recommend this book.

👩‍⚕💕Romance complicated by inadequacy issues🏥

4.5🌟 stars
Love Life has so many layers of depth that make it a compelling read. I really fell head over heels for this touching story of romance and dealing with the decline and imminent death of a loved one. Tess, the physician female lead, has major self loathing and insecurity related to her appearance, her father's abandonment, her mother's overprotectiveness and the belief that she is unlovable: a pile of issues that she can't allow to affect her care for her terminal hospice patients. Edward, the son of one of her dying patients, is high-handed and filled with anger and regret but Tess can't seem to separate the present, entitled grouch from a brief, magical encounter with a younger Edward that he seems oblivious to but that she never forgot.

I was really touched by all of the roiling emotion author Nancy Peach has incorporated into their story. It came off as real, gritty, heartbreaking but inspiring too.

My one issue with the book is the technique Peach employs to reveal Tess's internal debate about her worthiness and the appropriateness of her actions. Tess is constantly hearing a really harsh, mean-spirited television host the likes found on confrontational talk shows that reveal cheaters, and the embodiment of a wise Jane Austen arguing and giving her conflicting advice. I found the cruel comments from the television host putting down her appearance, ridiculing her and egging her on to bulimic behavior the hardest to bear. This technique made the story slow-going until I just started skipping over the internal rants. Tess's fragile self-esteem is key to the story but the put-downs and heckling were intense and not for the faint-hearted.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A fairly intense romantic book set against the complex, unpredictable and emotional background of an hospice. Despite the background, there is a lot of light entertainment in this book making it an easy read with a warmhearted feel beneath the grittiness of real life. There are a lot of hidden issues dealt with in a strong literary style but sensitive which will make the reader think about the topics raised on several different levels. I understand that this is a debut novel and I, for one, shall be looking out for more work from this author.

Nancy Peach created a cute little world that really draws you in in her novel Love Life! Great and easy beach read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Love Life by Nancy Peach tells the story of Dr. Tess Carter and her chance reencounter with Edward Russell, who isn’t quite who she remembers from years ago. Tess is struggling with self-doubt after a failed relationship (finding her boyfriend in bed with another man!) and dealing with the anxiety and anguish that comes from failing at love and blaming yourself, when in reality you’re not at fault.

What a great read and I really couldn’t put it down! I found myself relating to Tess and knowing all about the little voices inside of us that sometimes try to tell us we’re not good enough or worthy, and really loved that by the end of the book she found peace within herself and self-love. The author did a good job of making many relatable characters and developing the relationships throughout the book. I would have honestly enjoyed a little bit more towards the end of Tess and Eddie’s relationship, only because it was so adorable to read how well they got to know each other and understood one another. I definitely got Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett vibes from reading this book, and I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book as I read it in about 1.5 days and just wanted to know how it was going to end!

Thank you NetGalley, author Nancy Peach, and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter publishing for giving me a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: Cancer, death of a loved one, detailed scenes during hospice care
4 stars
When Dr. Alice Carter catches her current partner cheating on her with a man, she finds herself jaded by romance. Edward Russell, the son of one of Tess’s patients. Tess and Eddie shared an unforgettable night five years ago, a night she never forgot. However, Eddie is very different now than he was five years ago. He is colder and harsher, and supposedly doesn’t remember their night together five years ago. Eddie hasn’t come to terms with his mother’s prognosis and is questioning Tess’s every decision. Can they have a second chance to be together?
I was drawn to the premise of the story. I love seeing characters finding their confidence in romantic relationships when all seems bleak. I found myself rooting for both Eddie and Tess from the very beginning. They both seemed lost and in need of the care the other could provide. I loved Mary, Eddie's mother. She was so down-to-earth and really seemed to be the glue that held her family together. The author did a marvelous job helping the reader an insight into the world of end of life care. This is not a subject many people like to talk about nor even think about, but I believe the author handled this topic with the grace and care that was needed. Tess' internal monologues got a little annoying at times. They seemed to take the reader out of the events taking place, which made it hard to switch back into the story after the inner voices were done speaking. The setting and writing were very realistic and held my attention until the very end. I was well pleased with the ending. Overall, this was my first book by this author and it will not be my last. I would recommend this book for those who are looking for something different in their romance!

The cover alone is beautiful!!!! I'll be purchasing this one to have on the bookshelf. Such a fun, quick read!

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

Tess, a doctor works at a hospice care facility. A new patient arrives with her son, Tess, is upset that he doesn’t recognise her, as they spent a night together five years ago at a party of their mutual friend.

She thought there was a connection between them, but as she was already in a relationship, it wasn’t the right time for them. Afterwards they list touch, but now, Edwards back, but not even a hint of him remembering that time.

His mother wants to stop any treatment and he’s not happy about that and he takes out his frustration on Tess. Seeing how she cares for his mother, he starts to thinks she knows what she’s doing. But will he remember her?

Recommend It

I really loved this book! The way it combined the warring inner voices, made characters through 'Jane Austen' and the 'Reality Show Host' was incredibly clever, funny and fresh.

Whilst the story was on occasion slightly predictable, it also surprised me and I was fully engaged the entire way through. Love Life is definitely worth a read (maybe with a glass of wine!).

Well, it’s a good job I started reading this on a Saturday because I literally couldn’t put it down. Finished it later that evening and I bloody loved it. You wouldn’t think that a novel set in a hospice featuring Tess (a doctor so down on her self and so lacking in confidence that it’s sometimes painful to read what her subconscious thinks of herself) could end up being so uplifting, but it really was! It was both encouraging and inspiring to see her fight her own demons to realise her self-worth and to do that before she fell in love. An awesome book and I will be looking out for more by Nancy Peach!

Dr. Tess Carter, a hospice physician, was shocked when she returned home one day to find her boyfriend in bed…with another man. Chocolate, ice cream, and biscuits are immediately brought in to help with the betrayal.

One day, a man brings his mother, Mrs. Russell, into the hospice which has been recommended by her doctors. The woman appears to be accepting of her fate, but her son, Edward Russell, a lawyer, is not ready to accept the looming loss of his mother and is prepared to fight tooth and nail to seek further life-saving treatment for her. When Tess sees Edward, she remembers him from a party they both attended some time ago and the nice discussions they shared. However, it appears he doesn’t remember her at all. Ouch! What a punch to her ego.

As the days pass and Mrs. Russell continues to go downhill, Edward’s frustration and grief mount. Tess and Mrs. Russell become closer and Tess is honest with her about what to expect as her life comes to an end. The tension between Edward and Tess builds because he does not want his mother to be in the hospice. He wants her to continue with treatment that is not working.

Tess is also dealing with her father having left her and her mother when Tess was small making life a struggle for them. But finding some hidden letters from him shows Tess that he didn’t want to lose contact with her after all.

The tension, both of sadness and sexual tension between Tess and Edward is very heavy in this story. However, there is also a kind of beautiful sadness mixed with happiness that the end of life brings to families.

This story is so much more than I have described above. At first I was cringing at the thought of a depressing book set in a hospice, but the book opens up so many parts of life and I really found it profoundly touching. This is a very moving story, sad and happy both at the same time. The extra touches of the nasty talk show host in Tess’s one ear and Jane Austen in the other ear made for a delightful way to break the tension. Very well done. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.