Review: 'Forgive Me' by Lesley Pearse (2013)

Eva Patterson's life is forever altered by the devastating discovery of her mother, Flora, dead in the bath leaving only a note: 'Forgive Me'.

 

Until Flora's suicide, Eva's world had been secure - but overnight everything changes. For when Flora leaves Eva a London artist's studio in her will, she finds her mother had a secret past.

In the studio's attic are Flora's paintings and diaries, and Eva learns her mother was a popular artist in the swinging sixties. Eva's hunt for answers uncovers clues to a shocking crime which led Flora to hide her past.

But will discovering the truth destroy Eva's belief in everything she holds dear? And will this journey lead her and those she loves into danger?

Lesley Pearse is one of the UK’s bestselling female fiction authors and has released 21 novels up to this day. Even though I had heard of Lesley Pearse before, I had never read any of her novels. So, when the lovely Sophie from EDPR contacted me about a review copy of ‘Forgive Me’, Lesley Pearse’s latest novel which was released on the 15th of August, I immediately grabbed the chance to be introduced to this bestselling author’s work!

‘Forgive Me’ starts with Flora Patterson planning and executing her own death. Eva, Flora’s oldest daughter, finds her mother a few hours later, death in the bathtub, with just a simple note that says ‘Forgive me.’ This event turns Eva’s world upside down, but it seems it is just the beginning. Eva discovers the man she considered her father is not her father at all, and unexpectedly she inherits her mother’s secret artist’s studio in London. This is the start of Eva’s journey to not only find out what her mother was hiding from her family for all those years and why she eventually felt she couldn’t deal with it all any longer, but also to discover who she is and which people around her she can truly trust.

This novel was a very emotional, gripping and addictive read. From the first few pages, I was already absorbed by the story and especially wondering what could have driven Flora to take such a drastic decision as committing suicide, leaving her family and everything behind just like that. The story is set in the early 1990’s and told from the perspective of Eva, Flora’s oldest daughter; a character that goes through a lot and by the end of the book she has matured and transformed as a person. I really enjoyed reading about Eva’s journey, and everything she discovers in the places she visits (the novel is mainly set in Cheltenham, London and Scotland), not only about her mother, but also about herself. Next to Eva, Lesley Pearse introduces numerous other characters, but she manages to describe each and every single one of them in close detail (I had no trouble envisaging all of them in my head) and giving them a specific essential role in the story line.

The novel is incredibly fast-paced, which is something I personally really enjoyed. It made me want to keep on reading, because with every chapter something new and unexpected would happen, especially since the story includes quite a few twists and turns along the way! The book deals with some quite intense issues, and towards the end I have to admit some of the events were a bit too much drama for my personal liking. However, ‘Forgive Me’ is a thoroughly gripping, emotional and fast-paced novel which you will not want to put down, and a novel that shows why Lesley Pearse continues to be one of the UK’s bestselling female authors! 

 

Rating:8/10 
 

Interview with Emily Liebert!

I am absolutely delighted to welcome Emily Liebert to 'A Spoonful of Happy Endings' today! Emily's debut novel 'You Knew Me When' was released on the 3rd of September and it is a heart-warming, brilliant read which I recommend to every chick lit fan out there (click here to read my review)! 

1) Can you tell us something about your debut novel, ‘You Knew Me When’? 

It’s about best friends who were like sisters to each other. Katherine Hill left her small New England hometown in pursuit of a dream. Now, twelve years later, she’s a high-powered cosmetics executive in Manhattan and a much glossier version of her former self, unrecognizable to her family and old friends. Laney Marten always swore she’d never get “stuck” in Manchester, VT. Instead, she wound up a young wife and a mother. When Katherine receives word of an inheritance from former neighbor Luella Hancock, she reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind. Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney, her former best friend. And there’s someone else who’s moved on without her. Someone she once loved. Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their longstanding grudges. Through this, they will come to understand that, while life took them in different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still bind them together.

 

2) Where did you find the inspiration for the plotline of ‘You Knew Me When’? Did you incorporate any of your own life experiences in the book?

Which character in the novel did you most enjoy writing about and why? 

Yes! I most certainly found inspiration in my own life and the lives of my friends/family. I believe it’s important to write about what you know, at least it is for me. I think that’s the most organic method of bringing the characters to life. I definitely loved writing about Luella Hancock. In so many ways, she was inspired by my maternal grandmother, who’s a very important person in my life. I love that Luella is glamorous and stoic, while mysterious at the same time. I wanted readers to be intrigued by Luella and wonder what else there is to know about her.

3) This is your debut novel. How and why did you decide to start writing fiction? 

While my first book, Facebook Fairytales, was narrative non-fiction, I’ve always wanted to write fiction. I’ve long been an elaborate story teller. For example, I’d come home from summer camp and regale my parents with every last detail. I’m sure I “enhanced” the stories a bit even then!

 

4) I’ve read a second novel will be published in 2014. Can you already give us a tiny hint of what this next novel will be about? 

Yes! My second novel, The Love That Lies Ahead, is scheduled to publish in September 2014. It’s about a woman who lost her husband eleven years ago and found out she was pregnant with their son a week after he died. Now, over a decade later, she and her son are moving back to her hometown for a fresh start. Unbeknownst to her, her husband’s former best friend and his wife live there now…and that leads to lots of interesting plot twists!

 

5) Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?  

Write about what you know. Write about what you’re passionate about. Even if you’re not “feeling it,” always at least try to sit down at the computer and write something. And, finally, develop a thick skin. You will have doors slammed in your face. All you have to do is kick them down!

 

6) And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘You Knew Me When’ in just three words, which words would you pick? 

Poignant, Wistful, Bestseller(!)

Thanks so much to Emily for taking the time to answer these questions! :)

Follow Emily on Twitter via @EmilyLiebert // Get 'You Knew Me When' on Amazon by clicking here!

Review: 'You Knew Me When' by Emily Liebert (2013)

Katherine Hill left her small New England hometown in pursuit of a dream. Now, twelve years later, she’s a high-powered cosmetics executive in Manhattan and a much glossier version of her former self, unrecognizable to her family and old friends. Not that she would know—she hasn’t been home in over a decade.

Laney Marten always swore she’d never get “stuck” in Manchester, Vermont. No, she was destined to live out her glamorous big-city dreams. Instead, she wound up a young wife and mother. That was when her best friend ran out.

When Katherine receives word of an inheritance from former neighbor Luella Hancock, she reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind. Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney, her former best friend. And there’s someone else who’s moved on without her—someone she once loved.

Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their long-standing grudges. Through this, they come to understand that while life has taken them in different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still bind them together. But are some wounds too old and deep to mend?

Next to my own blog, I’m also a book reviewer for Chick Lit Club (a website which I’m sure all chick lit fans are familiar with!), which is how I got into touch with Sarah Hall Productions, Inc. about reviewing Emily Liebert’s debut novel ‘You Knew Me When.’ I immediately loved the sound of this book and really looked forward to reading it. I’d heard of Emily Liebert’s other release, ‘Facebook Fairytales: Modern-Day Miracles to Inspire the Human Spirit’, which is a collection of true stories about people who experienced something surprising, touching, amusing through their Facebook account. ‘You Knew Me When’ is Emily’s first venture into the world of fiction, and I was quite curious to find out more about it!

After her mother’s unexpected death, Katherine and her dad move to a new neighbourhood in Manchester, Vermont, in order to start afresh. From the first second in this new town, Katherine becomes best friends with Laney, and the two are quickly inseparable. Over the years, they start planning their future: going to college, moving to New York, having glamorous and successful careers... All of it together, obviously. However, when the end of high school is near, suddenly everything changes. Fast-forward twelve years, and Laney and Katherine are no longer in touch. Until they both receive the same letter: their old neighbour and friend Luella has passed away and she has named both Laney and Katherine in her will. They are forced to work together again after all these years and everything that has happened. Will the girls be able to set aside their problems and differences, or is it true that some things can be forgiven, but never forgotten?

‘You Knew Me When’ is mainly written from Katherine’s perspective, with some chapters from Laney’s point of view as well, and numerous flashbacks to when the two girls were growing up together. The mixture of both Katherine and Laney’s voices, and the portrayal of the two characters as teenage girls and as grown-up women, is really well-done. Especially the flashbacks revealed the closeness of their friendship, and this really added a nostalgic layer to the story. I could easily relate to some of Laney and Katherine’s experiences growing up, and the feeling of having that one best friend who is basically your whole life at that moment, and I think most female readers will recognise this while reading. The tale even reminded me a bit of Emily Giffin’s ‘Something Borrowed’, which is also a brilliant novel about a friendship between two female characters, Rachel and Darcy. 

Emily Liebert’s writing is fantastic: easy to read, captivating, and she manages to capture certain emotions perfectly. The novel mainly focuses on the two primary characters, Laney and Katherine, and the other characters aren’t really worked out in close detail. However, this didn’t bother me in any way, because it is Katherine and Laney’s story that is central to the novel; two best friends trying to find their way back to one another, after life has come in the way. ‘You Knew Me When’ is a heart-warming, thoroughly enjoyable novel about the power of friendship and the trials of growing up, which any female reader will be able to relate to. I loved this novel and it is definitely one of my favourite 2013 releases; I can’t wait to read more of Emily Liebert’s work!  

Rating: 9,5/10

Keep an eye on this blog for an exclusive interview with author Emily Liebert!