This book first hit my radar when Sarah Turner / The Unmumsy Mum talked about it on her Instagram. Sarah freely admitted that Matt Coyne is a friend – but said how much she loved the book – and given that Sarah’s debut fiction novel was one of my only 5 star reviews on Net Galley last year – I had high hopes. I requested an advance review copy from Net Galley and was delighted to be granted one. Then, on the very day I started reading it, Steph Douglas (of Don’t Buy Her Flowers fame) also posted how much she’d enjoyed it – so I was even more excited to get stuck in.

Here’s the blurb:

“Frank and Red are a mess.
Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the ‘ghost’ of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate.
And then Red moves in next door.
Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he’s got a trampoline.
From the moment Red’s blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born.
. . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.”

This book is SOOOO GOOD! From very early on I loved how well Frank and Red were written – they both felt incredibly ‘real’ and perfect embodiments of characters their age. The incessant wittering of a 6 year old versus the desperate need for quiet of the grumpy septuagenarian were just part of their personalities that were captured so well.

The supporting cast too, Sarah as a harassed single Mum, the classroom characters which you would recognise from every school – and ‘Marcie’ who was a loving – but forceful – ghost who was just wonderful.

I had this on my Kindle – so hadn’t seen the cover until I just saved the photo for this blog post – and it’s perfect. A massive thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC. It’s out on 1 February 2024, so I would definitely recommend pre ordering it now. Your future self will be very grateful!