Can Dan step into his brother’s shoes? We review The Promise by Lucy Diamond
The Promise – the blurb
When faced with the sudden death of his brother, Dan’s mission is clear. He puts together a project to help pick up the pieces and support his grieving sister-in-law Zoe, plus her young children. This is Dan’s promise – to ensure his family’s happiness, and to try and live up to the man his brother was.
But tying up loose ends brings a shocking secret to light, and calls into question everything Dan knew about his older brother. With more than just his promise on the line, Dan is faced with an ultimatum: Should he tell the truth and risk his family’s fragile happiness, or will his brother’s secrets end up becoming his own?
Grief and secrets
The book was a present and I have to be honest, I’m not sure I ever would have purchased it under my own steam. I worried how predictable it would be – I mean you just know Dan’s spreadsheet is going to be found out by Zoe right? I prayed Dan wouldn’t somehow end up getting together with Zoe as lets face it that would be plain wrong. With trepidation I read on.
Whilst it was predictable at times, it swayed just enough to keep the eyes from rolling. Diamond captures the many sides of grief from parents to children and I liked that it was from Dan’s perspective not Zoes. It could almost be considered controversial as the secrets about Patrick revealed themselves. I did like how my opinion of him flickered. The supporting cast were my favourites, especially the older and younger members. But it was very saccharine as similar books tend to be. It’s best described as heartwarming, would make a lovely romcom and fans of Diamond will not be disappointed. If you like The Promise try Away With The Penguins by Hazel Prior.
