I finished this on my train journey today and heaved a sigh of relief that Louise Douglas has come up trumps again, although I do think I preferred The Love of My Life, this one really is another excellent read. I was absorbed by the story from page one and fell in love with Sean straight away - Douglas certainly can draw some wonderful characters, both Sean and Fen were very realistic, if somewhat flawed in places - but hey, how many of us arent? The story develops alongside the budding relationship between Sean and Fen with other characters being introduced along the way. The two children are great and I loved Sean's sister Lola! I liked the fact that the story is written in the third person, giving the reader the opportunity to see the story from all angles. There is a darkness about the story with references to things in the past, and I'd agree that at times it was maybe just a little far-fetched but this doesnt detract from some really emotive writing. On the whole this is a book about people and relationship and the long-term effects of things in the past - there isnt a wild and exciting plot, just a story of real, ordinary folk.

Missing You by Louise Douglas is a typical romance novel with a very small mystery (not really) element. Sean comes home from work to find his wife waiting for him at the door with his belongings. She wants him to move out. They have been married for eleven years and have a daughter named Amy. Belle has met and fallen in love with another man (an older man who is a writer). After staying in tacky motel rooms, Sean is told about a room to let by his colleague, Lina. Fen Weller lives on her own with her son, Connor. Connor has mild cerebral palsy. Fen works in a bookstore called The Gildas Bookshop. Fen is constantly looking over her shoulder and does not live her life to the fullest. She has put her life in a holding pattern since an accident occurred ten years ago. She needs more income so she decides to rent out her extra room. The room used to belong to her brother, Tomas. Fen has not seen Tomas in years. He has a drug addiction. Sean moves into Fen’s room and the two start to slowly get to know each other. Sean has to come to reality that his wife, Belle has moved on with her life and so must he. Just when things are working out between Sean and Fen, Belle starts calling. Belle has broken up with the Other (as Sean called her boyfriend). Belle now wants what she cannot have. Belle keeps calling needing help and then she takes too many pills. Sean is forced to go back to his old home and help her out. Sean feels he needs to be there for their daughter, Amy. But is this what he really wants? Fen has to face up to what happened ten years ago. Fen cannot move on with her life until she acknowledges what happened and makes things right. Will Sean and Fen get back together? What happened with Fen ten years ago? When I picked this book, I thought there would be more mystery in it. The so-called mystery or secret that Fen was keeping was so easy to figure out. I knew what the ending of this book would be as soon as Fen decided to let her extra room (British novel). I give Missing You 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was just an okay book. It was nothing new or exciting or different (I need to be more careful when picking books)! If you are looking for a romance book, then you will enjoy Missing You. If you are looking for something more, than this is not the book to read. Missing You was nicely written and the flow was not bad. I felt that there were some areas that could have been left out completely and would not have made a difference in the story. I received a complimentary copy of Missing You from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.