This is the story of two lonely people, one with a stressful past, and the other with a difficult current situation. Each has a young child. The story switches between their viewpoints, charting their growing friendship and more.

There’s not a whole lot of plot; the mystery surrounding the past isn’t as terrible as it might have been; the issues in the present are resolved, more-or-less. The book is primarily about coming to terms with the past, and the need for honesty, while making wise decisions and moving forward.

I liked the main female character, and thought the scenes with the children worked well. It was harder to like the male protagonist, who is a stereotypical beer-swilling insensitive guy; yet he’s very attached to his daughter, and gradually learns more about himself and those he cares for.

The conversation is believable, if a bit trite in places, and the writing is good. Overall, I thought this an enjoyable read, difficult to put down by the time I was half way through, although there was more bad language than I’m comfortable with. The ending was positive and hopeful, albeit predictable and rather too abrupt.
( )

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. ( )