I’d seen the praises of this book being sung on Intsagram and requested a copy off NetGalley – here’s the blurb:

“Sometimes it’s the things we don’t say that we need others to hear the loudest . . .
Izzy has always taken everything in her stride but motherhood is proving more difficult than she thought. She keeps telling herself it’s just a phase but the dark clouds are starting to appear.
Neighbour and widower Arthur might be in the winter of his life but he’s not ready to be packed off to a care home. He’s determined to do things his way.
When Izzy hears about Arthur’s big move, she offers to help. But Arthur isn’t telling her the whole story. It takes courage to admit you need a friend and when you feel invisible, all you need is a ray of hope. After all, what if the best is yet to come?”

I have to confess that when I first started this, I was concerned it was going to be a rehashing of books that have been done before. Soooo many ‘new Mum’ books where the husband is a completely selfish idiot (and Izzy’s husband is exactly that) and then the recent Mike Gayle book ‘All The Lonely People‘ where an octogenarian befriends a young, single Mum. But actually, ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ soon found its own voice.

Izzy is struggling with the demands of a new baby – and her husband, Andrew, is out at work all day and then still socialising with friends and doing sport in the evenings – he is so selfish and really needed a slap.

Arthur is struggling having lost his wife almost two years before. He has a nephew who looks in on him – but otherwise is all alone.

They strike up an unlikely friendship, along with Izzy’s baby daughter Evie.

Both parties gain so much more from their friendship than they first expect.

I also really liked the way the peripheral characters – other neighbours in their cul de sac, Joan at the charity shop, the vicar – and all interwoven through the book – just like they would be in real life.

Whilst this is a light, fluffy, gentle hug of a book – it also deals with post natal depression, loneliness, suicide and sudden death – but not in a ‘heavy ‘way. It’s a really lovely, simple read.

I really enjoyed this – and was in floods of tears at the end (mostly due to the surprising thoughtfulness of a teenager – with a couple of my own, I know how rare that is!)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC – although it came out 3 days ago, so you can buy it right now if you like the sound of it.