The Girl in the Corner by Amanda Prowse
Published by Lake Union Publishing on December 20, 2018
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, eBook
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From bestselling author Amanda Prowse comes the poignant tale of a woman who has always been there for her family. But will they be there for her?
Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. They’ve shared twenty-five peaceful years since they were brought together by Dolly, Howard’s larger-than-life sister. But now, on the night of their wedding anniversary, Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae reeling.
Heartbroken, she takes Dolly on her would-be anniversary trip to Antigua and the two women drink and dance and talk like they haven’t in years. But in the break from real life, Rae realises her choices have always been made for her, and suddenly she’s questioning not only her fragile marriage but also her one-sided friendships. Is she really the pushover everyone else sees?
When Howard comes looking for reconciliation, Rae has a choice to make: keep the peace, as she always has, or put herself first for once and find out who she really is.
Just recently, I heard about Amanda Prowse, and her book, The Coordinates of Loss on social media. I had the opportunity to read and review this book and loved it (see review HERE). When I saw The Girl in The Corner, I was definitely interested in checking it out.
On their twenty-five year anniversary, Rae-Valentine’s husband, Howard confesses that he had a two-week drunken fling with a young waitress at one of the family’s restaurants. Rae is shocked, hurt, angry and sad, and feels like her whole world has instantly fallen apart as everything she believed was solid suddenly isn’t after all. Her husband, Howard, the father of her two children, is the brother of her best friend, Dolly, who she has known since she was 16. Rae begins to question everything she gave up on when she married Howard.
Needing some time apart to think, Rae decides to take Dolly on the scheduled anniversary vacation to Antigua, where the women spend time walking down memory lane, sharing stories of their youth and talking about family life while trying to avoid the obvious issue with Howard. Rae makes friends with a young waiter named Antonio, only to help remind her what she could have done had she followed her dreams instead of marrying Howard so young.
The Girl in The Corner is a perceptive and thought-provoking piece of women’s fiction with very smartly human characters. The story is primarily about a woman finally putting herself first and finding the strength and courage to take control of her life.
The story is well-paced right from the start, and it’s very easy to get invested in the story because it has depth and feels true and honest. I could seriously see a book two following her path of growth post-Howard too! I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of contemporary romance fiction. Ms. Prowse is a great writer who has the ability to convey her stories from the heart!
About Amanda Prowse: She has had twenty novels published along with six short stories in dozens of languages. Her recent chart topping No.1 titles What Have I Done?, Perfect Daughter and My Husband’s Wife have sold millions of copies around the world.
Other novels by Amanda Prowse include A Mother’s Story which won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the year Award and Perfect Daughter that was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016. Another recent novel The Food of Love went straight to No.1 in Literary Fiction when it was launched and she has been described by the Daily Mail as The Queen of Family Drama for her ability to make the reader feel as if they were actually in the story.
Published by Lake Union, Amanda Prowse is the most prolific writer of contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also score the highest online review approval ratings for several genres.
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I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy from Lake Union Publishers through Net Galley in exchange for my post. I was not required to post a positive review, but chose to because it was a great book!
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