The Year that Changed Everything by Cathy Kelly @orionbooks @cathykellybooks

The Year that Changed Everything by Cathy Kelly

Published by Orion Books

Publication Date: 18th October 2018 (paperback)

390 pages

Genre: womens fiction

I only called in at my local library to drop some books back and stop for a quick cuppa, but the beautiful cover of this book grabbed me. I thought I would try a few pages while I drank however a good hour later and I was hooked into the story of 3 women with the same birthday but very different lives.

Book Description:

Three women, three birthdays, one year that will change everything...

Ginger isn't spending her thirtieth the way she would have planned. Tonight might be the first night of the rest of her life - or a total disaster.

Sam is finally pregnant after years of trying. When her waters break on the morning of her fortieth birthday, she panics: forget labour, how is she going to be a mother?

Callie is celebrating her fiftieth at a big party in her Dublin home. Then a knock at the door mid-party changes everything...

Treat yourself to the heartwarming and life-affirming new story from international bestseller Cathy Kelly

My Review:

When you're in your teens you assume that by the time you hit 30 you will have your life sorted and be in control, with none of the self-doubt you have as you hit adulthood.  This book shows that no matter what age you are those doubts still nag at the back of your brain, can catch you unawares even when you think you've got your ducks in a row.

Ginger is a plus-size young lady who thinks it's her size which is holding her back - ok so at work she paints on a façade of capability and not giving a toss, but in her personal life things couldn't be more different and "best friend" Liza knows her better than anyone and knows her weaknesses.

Sam is a confident business woman, forever in control of her life. Except she isn't, as several rounds of IVF have failed and she doesn't know how to deal with this.  Luckily Fate has stepped in and she finds herself pregnant naturally but then the worries crank up to a whole new level as she realises that new motherhood throws in the need for a whole new skill set that she's talked herself into believing she doesn't have.

Callie on the other hand has everything: huge, glamorous house in a desirable area, successful business owning husband Jason who dotes on her every whim (and more) and stroppy teenage daughter who only has to ask and anything she wants appears as if by magic. But Callie isn't comfortable with the lifestyle as she and Jason came from much more working class backgrounds.

The book leads us through the same year in each of the women's lives; the women don't know each other and have no reason for their paths to cross. From the disastrous events on each of the women's 'big' birthdays we follow how each of them deals with the ensuing months.  All 3 of them feel they have hit rock bottom in their lives and have to dig deep to work out how to face their problems. Friends, work colleagues and family all step in to help the women see that if they take a good look at themselves they are stronger than they think.  People aren't always who you think they are; those you think you can trust will let you down big time and you need to cut those ties whereas others you thought would never be there for you step up and offer you a leg up to get you back on track.  It's in the hardest times that you find out who you can truly rely on.

I really liked the characterisation in this book. The good guys are heart warming, the bad guys are proper rotten eggs who had me angry on behalf of the girls. I also liked the way the 3 threads of the story slowly but surely interwove so that the ladies end up in the same place at the same time - physically and emotionally. I did expect there to be more of a problem with Poppy's transition from private schoolgirl to her new life living with the gran she'd rarely met before on a council estate. I don't think many spoiled teens would make the adjustment quite so smoothly in the circumstances. Otherwise great story telling from one of Ireland's best authors in my opinion, this is suitable for all age groups of women who enjoy a good yarn.

About the Author:

Cathy Kelly is published around the world, with millions of books in print. Cathy is the bestselling author of The Honey Queen, Once in a Lifetime and Between Sisters, and is a No.1 bestseller in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Her trademark is warm and witty Irish storytelling about modern life, always with an uplifting message, a sense of community and strong female characters at the heart.
She lives with her family and their three dogs in County Wicklow, Ireland. She is also an Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland, raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDS.
Find out more at www.cathykelly.com or follow her on Twitter @cathykellybooks