Love Untold by Ruth Jones #LoveUntold #NetGalley @penguinrandom

Love Untold by Ruth Jones

Published by Transworld, Random House UK, Bantam Press

Publication Date: 29th September 2022

Genre: Womens Fiction

My thanks to the publisher Bantam Press for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication via the NetGalley platform.

Book Description:

Grace is about to turn ninety. She doesn't want parties or presents or fuss. She just wants to heal the family rift that's been breaking her heart for decades.

But to do that she must find her daughter Alys - the only person who can help to put things right.

And when she finds her - if she does - she risks betraying granddaughter Elin. Who is far less forgiving of the past, with its hurts and secrets and lies. Meanwhile Grace's great-grand-daughter Beca is oblivious to all these worries, too busy navigating the highs and lows of teenage life and keeping secrets of her own.

All families have their problems. And most of them get resolved. But Grace's problem is thirty years old. And she doesn't have time on her side.

So is it too late for her to make peace? Or is reconciliation still within reach?

My Thoughts:

I was so excited when the publisher kindly approved my request to read Ruth Jones' new novel on NetGalley I may just have let out an exclamation of glee and done a happy dance around the room - so thank you Bantam Press for making me an incredibly happy lady!

Ruth creates such down to earth, believable characters - people you would love to have in your friendship circle or family - and you can't help but read her books with Nessa's fantastic voice in your head. Grama Grace is the most wonderful character who has hints of the excellent character Doris from Gavin & Stacey but without the profanities. She's not backward in coming forward though as we discover when she is "rescued" from her daily swim in the sea by a well-meaning couple early on in the book, scenes which had me chuckling out loud. In contrast we also meet Grace's grand-daughter Elin, head mistress of the local high school and embarrassing mum to Beca. She lives by what people will think of her and rarely strays from any rule book (real or self-created) which makes her very straightlaced. Which leaves the missing link, Grace's daughter Alys. Last seen decades ago Grace longs to put right the misconstrued last moments they shared and to explain where she feels things went wrong before she departs this mortal coil.

I loved this book, which shows that we are all fallible as humans, there is no right or wrong way to do things and every family has its secrets. The younger characters discover that no, they didn't actually invent everything, things have been happening that way for generations and just because the older folks don't talk about stuff openly doesn't mean it didn't happen or have a lasting effect. There is a great balance of humour and sentiment throughout the book - some people you will want to throttle due to their stubbornness and others you'll just want to throw your arms around and hug. 

I cannot recommend this book enough, just make sure you get your tissues ready as you will need them for both tears of sadness as well as some great laughs.

Pure brilliance from Ruth Jones once again. A neon-bright 5 stars from me.

About the Author:

Ruth Jones is best known for her outstanding and award-winning television writing, most notably BBC One's Gavin and Stacey, which she co-wrote with James Corden and in which she played the incorrigible Nessa Jenkins. The 2019 Christmas Day special of Gavin and Stacey gained national critical acclaim, drawing an audience of over 18 million, winning a BAFTA for TV moment of the year and a National Television Award for Impact. Ruth also created and co-wrote Sky One's Stella, which ran for six series. Ruth has starred in several other television comedies and dramas.

Her debut novel Never Greener was chosen as WHSmith Fiction Book of the Year 2018, was nominated for Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, was a Zoe Ball Book Club pick, and was a Sunday Times bestseller for fifteen weeks, three weeks at number one. Ruth's second novel, Us Three, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller in hardback and paperback and has sold almost a quarter of a million copies. Ruth was awarded a Comedy Women in Print Prize in 2020. Love Untold is her third novel.