Review: 'Another Love' by Amanda Prowse (2016)

In the early years, she was happy.
Romilly had worked hard for her stunning, modern house in one of Bristol's most fashionable suburbs. She adored her gorgeous, gap-toothed daughter and her kind and handsome husband. Sure, life was sometimes exhausting - but nothing that a large glass of wine at the end of the day couldn't fix.
But then, as deep-buried insecurities surfaced, everything started to unravel. A glass of wine became a bottle; one bottle became two. Once, Romilly's family were everything to her. Now, after years of hiding the drinking, she must finally admit that she has found another love...
Today I am really excited to share my review of Amanda Prowse's latest release, 'Another Love', with all of you! A few years ago I was introduced to Amanda's work when I was asked to review her novel 'Will You Remember Me?' (click here to read my review). I was instantly blown away by this emotional and gripping story and since then I've had the pleasure of reading numerous of her novels, such as 'Christmas for One' (click here to read my review), 'A Mother's Story' (click here to reas my review), and 'The Christmas Cafe' (click here to read my review). Amanda's stories always manage to surprise and intrigue me (and shed a few tears!), and I was so excited when I heard about 'Another Love', which was released on January 16th by Head of Zeus. Thanks to the lovely Simeon Prowse for providing me with a review copy; I couldn't wait to see what Amanda had in store for us this time around!
Romilly can hardly believe how lucky she has been in her life so far: she has a job she loves, a beautiful family home in the suburbs of Bristol, a loving and handsome husband in the form of David and, to top it all, their lovely daughter Celeste. Of course, life can be diffcult at times, but there's nothing a glass of wine can't help with. Until that one glass of wine doesn't do the trick anymore and before she knows it, Romilly finds herself thinking about and longing for alcohol for most parts of every single day. She loves her family more than she can put into words, but this other love is slowly taking over and Romilly starts to realise it's going to take a lot of strength and determination to turn her back towards this new dangerous love she has found...
Every single time I pick up a new Amanda Prowse novel, there is a tiny bit of doubt in mind, wondering whether I will end up enjoying this novel as much as I did her previous ones. However, I think I finally have to stop doubting and just accept the fact that Amanda is a consistent and amazing author who continues to amaze me with her emotional and intense stories. 'Another Love' is another heart-breaking story that blew me away and will undoubtedly stay with me for quite some time to come. This time, the topic of the novel is alcoholism, something that also has a personal side to it for me, since it's something I've experienced up-close within my own family. Amanda has really managed to do a fantastic job, portraying both sides of the story, in this case mother Romilly and her daughter Celeste; I really felt for both of them.
This book is quite an emotional rollercoaster and I was so gripped by the story it only took me 2 sittings to finish it. Amanda Prowse really has a strong and authentic voice, one who continues to deal with challenging and emotional topics in her works, and she's one of my favourite authors within the women's fiction genre; I can't recommend her novels enough. This book has made quite the impression and I think Romilly's story will stay with me for some time to come. I don't want to give too much away, so just follow my advice and read the book yourself! 'Another Love' is a heart-breakingly gripping, emotional, and memorable novel that will make you feel all kinds of things, from anger to sadness to laughter; another great read by this simply great author!

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher and author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.