❤️❤️❤️1/2
This Thing Called Love
Debbie Howells
Publication Date: May 5th, 2025
Boldwood Books
328 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Women’s Fiction | Romance
Debbie Howells has been a hit or miss author for me. I loved both The Life You Left Behind and It All Started With You , but The Vow and The Girl I Used To Be were a bit of a miss. I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised with this one and am so glad I gave the author another go.
This very emotional and moving story deals with loss and the bonds that tie us together. Our main character is Bee, and she is having a hard time with life, so she decides to look for the dad she has never known. Then we have Alex, who is dealing with a mother who is suffering from memory loss. Then, Bee and Alex meet and discover they are looking for the same man. Serendipity, right?
Howells always knows how to write stories that tug at my heartstrings. All her characters are thoroughly fleshed out and relatable; they’re complex, and I became invested in their stories. I loved the emotional journey she took me on with Bee and Alex, it was both interesting and emotional. I so appreciated that Alex was such a sensitive man and cared so much about his mum. I liked the idea of found family, the emotional depth and the themes of grief and loss, which were written with a conscious sensitivity. I liked that when I turned the final page, I was left with a feeling of hope, even though some of the topics were tough.
What fell a little short for me was the pacing. The book felt a bit slow at times, and the plot took a long time to develop, but overall, I found the book to be very touching and emotional.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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