Next up is my review for ‘Messy, Wonderful Us’ by Catherine Isaac. Many thanks to EdPr for the blog tour invite and to Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Here is my review:
In late 1983, a letter arrives, containing secrets so unthinkable that it is hidden away, apparently forever.
More than three decades later, it is found . . . by the last person who was ever supposed to see it.
When Allie opens an envelope in her grandmother’s house, it changes everything she knows about her family – and herself.
With the truth liable to hurt those she loves most, she hires a private detective to find out what happened to her late mother in the summer before Allie was born. Taking leave from her job as a research scientist, she is led far from home, accompanied by her best friend Ed.
But the secrets that emerge go far beyond anything they were expecting. Now, Allie must find the courage to confront her family’s tangled past and reshape her own future.
What does TWG think?
What would you do if you found out something that could threaten everything you have only ever known? Would you want to find out the truth despite being told to leave it? Or would you ignore what you had found out and carry on as normal?
I cant even answer that to be honest, and I dont think anyone could unless they were actually in that situation, and even then the answer could change multiple times!
Allie found a letter that took her breath away and left her questioning her entire upbringing, and she had to make the decision to either move on, or do a little bit of detective work. So, she decided on the latter….but at what cost?
As well as Allie’s dilemmas, her best friend, Ed, seemed to be beating himself up from the inside out. To him his marriage was on the rocks, but to his wife, Ed merely seemed ‘depressed’. It was pretty clear that Ed was joining Allie on her journey of self discovery.
‘Messy, Wonderful Us’ reminded me of a wood burner on a cold day; slow to heat up but when it was warm, it engulfed its surroundings in a powerful warmth that took my breath away and protected me in it’s own little fireball bubble.
The entire storyline was a magnetic force and beautifully written, and the fact that Allie’s job was researching cystic fibrosis was outstanding and gave the book even more of a unique edge.
Allie and Ed’s friendship is one that filled me with envy as it was just so genuine. I couldnt help but wish for a friendship like that for myself.
My heart was so invested in Catherine Isaac’s enticing story telling, I was bereft when the storyline came to an end! The attention to detail, scene setting, character development, relationship timelines were incredibly well thought out and made me able to envision all the finer details of the book as though I was there in person.
This was such a beautifully written, humbling, magical storyline which highlighted Catherine Isaac’s outstanding talent – I genuinely cannot fault this story at all. It has genuinely stolen my heart and soul. Such a stunning, stunning read.
The Writing Garnet 