I read this book so quickly as once I started it, I really couldn't put it down. The writing is like a big fluffy duvet that wraps itself around you and warms you up from top to toe. It's an exceptional debut from Katie Marsh and I'll be looking out for her next book.

The night that Tom has his stroke was described so vividly that I don't think I let out a breath until the paramedics arrived. Hannah's conflicting feelings then went into battle and my heart went out to her. She was planning to tell Tom that she was leaving him and had already started to detach herself from the marriage, that Tom played a big part in breaking, I might add. Hannah probably thought she had no loving feelings left for Tom until he has his stroke and the little bit of love that never dies is reignited. We watch as the flame grows but Hannah loses more of herself and she becomes all about Tom, never doing what she wants.

The turnaround in Tom was amazing - I think he experienced almost every emotion. He went from being a selfish workaholic, blaming Hannah for everything that went wrong in his life, to a selfless and brave loving husband, with the inevitable emotions of anger and sorrow in between.

I enjoyed reading about Tom's relationship with his sister, Julie, and felt that she transformed from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly over the course of the book. Julie is harbouring a lot of anger following the death of their Mum, as she felt that Tom didn't spend enough time with them. Tom is a lawyer and we read about times where he intended to put family over work but his boss wouldn't allow it. In difficult economic times, employees do feel grateful to have a job and this is often exploited by employers. I doubt Tom would have been sacked for leaving work at 10pm on a Friday to attend his wife's 30th Birthday, but I have no doubt that his boss would have made it his mission to find another reason to put forward for dismissal.

Each chapter ends with the story behind a memento of their relationship, such as ticket stubs and receipts, that reminds us how much in love they once were. I found that I looked forward to this at the end of each chapter so I could see what item would help me get to know more about Tom and Hannah. I do love a good flashback!

This is an invaluable book as we always think of stroke victims as of the older generation, but in reality it can affect anyone. This book will raise awareness of stroke and give people hope when it does happen to them or their loved one.

It really is an exceptional heart-warming book. It's like a massive hug and shows that even when you think you have lost someone's love, you can always rekindle that flame. Never give up on a relationship, you just have to work at it and remember why you fell in love in the first place.

I received this book from the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, in exchange for an honest review. ( )

The only reason why I didn't give this 5 starts was that the chapters alternated with the present day, and when Tom and Hannah first met. I really wanted to see the chapters stick to the present day.
Good story. ( )

Hannah has decided that today is the day she is going to leave her husband Tom; their once happy marriage has disintegrated to such a point that she feels they can no longer work things out, and she is looking forward to following her dream of teaching in Tanzania. But today is also the day that Tom has a stroke and Hannah feels that she cannot leave. A sense of duty compels her to remain and try and help her husband through his recovery, but as they face the future together, Tom is determined to try and fix their marriage and make Hannah fall in love with him again.

This book is told in both the present day, starting with Hannah’s discovery of her husband on their bedroom floor, clearly in serious pain, and in flashbacks which show how Hannah and Tom’s relationship started and developed and subsequently went wrong. I really enjoyed both storylines, and really enjoyed watching how these characters found and lost each other in the confusion of starting new jobs, moving into a new house and dealing with all the other problems that life can bring.

I thought both Hannah and Tom were pretty sympathetic characters – although Tom has clearly not been treating Hannah well prior to the start of the story, we the reader only ‘meet’ him at the time of his stroke, and the flashback chapters do serve to illustrate his point of view, so he is not quite the awful person that he could have been if the story were only told from Hannah’s point of view. The first part of the story actually made me cry as I tried to imagine the terror and uncertainty that both Tom and Hannah would feel as he had a stroke at the young age of 32, and realised that life might never be the same.

The writing flowed well, and I gobbled up huge chunks of the story at a time – I had to stop myself from peeking forward a few pages at times, which is always the sign of a good book.

My only slight criticism would be I wasn’t overkeen on some of the other characters. I liked Tom’s friend Nick, but his sister Julie and Hannah’s friend Steph were irritating (and Steph felt at times like a bit of a cliche). However, I feel churlish even really pointing this out, because overall this was a moving and absorbing read, which I would highly recommend. This is Katie Marsh’s debut novel, and I look forward to reading future books by her. ( )