The Place Where Love Should Be

This book warmed my heart, it had such a beautiful conclusion. It was nice to have a book highlighting mental health especially post natal depression and showing you can get through it with some help. Lovely story with some lovely characters.

This is a lovely book, I very much enjoyed reading it. As it says on the blurb, it is the story of a woman struggling with motherhood - and the author's depiction of that struggle is completely authentic and compelling - against the background of her guilt about a family secret. The female characters are more strongly drawn than the male, and this may be deliberate; it's all about the women, in this book.

For the most part, I found this book an engaging read, once I got the characters straight in my head, which for some reason was initially a challenge, even though it wasn't a large character cast. The portrayal of Evie's condition was very moving, but I was frustrated by William's ineffectiveness, Joanna's domineering and Mark's lack of concern for his wife. This however added to the engagement in the book, and I enjoyed the writing style. I did feel however that the ending was rather abrupt, even though there was probably not much further, that the author could have gone with the story line, without dragging it out unnecessarily. Overall this was an enjoyable read and I would happily read more by this author.

I have just finished this book. What a read! At first I found it hard to keep up as characters were introduced but then I became hooked on where the story took them. Evie can relate to so many people and this book will be an inspiration to many. This is an everyday thing people suffer and knowing that there's light at the end of the tunnel. I loved reading the story and never skipped a word like I tend to do with some books. I found myself sucked into the story and into all the characters lives. The smallest thing can pull a family together or push them apart and the author has displayed this beautifully Brilliant author thank you so much netgalley for allowing me to read this book will be keeping an eye on this author

I must say I enjoyed reading this book. The story describes the interlinked lives of three women, the protagonist and new mother Evie, her stepmother, Francine and her birth mother, Helena. Evie has struggled with abandonment issues after her birth mother leaves her when she's six, following the birth of Evie's sister, Joanna. At her tender age she is unable to understand what exactly happened and the other adults in the scenario shut her out. Since then Evie has fought tooth and nail against building a bond with her new step mother, Francine out of loyalty to her mother. In the present day scenario, Evie finds herself helpless as a new mother. She feels overwhelmed and burdened by the constant care that the newborn demands from her. Sadly, she is also unable to ask for help from her current family. In desperation she conducts an internet search for her birth mother Helena and finds her. Midway through their reconnection however, circumstances change requiring her to lean on Francine as well. The story is told from the perspective of Evie and Francine mostly but with insightful injections from Evie's father as well. I thought the author did really well in sharing with us the feeling of confusion and drowning a new mother can experience. The idea that not all mothers experience motherhood in the same way and the fact that the not-so-happy stories are often hushed up and not discussed, can make a struggling mother feel alienated. Having experienced what her mother went through, is a revelation for Evie and helps rebuild their relationship. Her relationship with Francine too changes as she comes to realize the safe haven her second mother provided and continues to provide. I did feel however, that there was further scope for Francine's character and the inclusion of another lover was not really needed. I also found myself feeling sorry for William, Evie's father who lives in denial and avoids confrontations. As a new mother myself, I have been blessed with an excellent support system as have my friends so it was a very eye-opening read for me and I'm grateful to the author for taking me on a journey through the eyes of Evie, a mum who was hurting.