Parenthood changes a relationship irrevocably and you either grow together as you adjust to the new demands or drift apart. I only want what’s best for you, and I think this,” she points at the sky-blue paper, “is what’s best for you. Jem and Ralph are now parents to two children, three year old Scarlett and 4 month old Blake, both conceived after unexplained infertility and several miscarriages. Lisa Jewell has exceeded every expectation I could have imagined and produced an absolutely first class book.

There are also some serious themes dealt with throughout which makes it all a bit depressing and sad at times but nevertheless real, which for me makes Lisa Jewell stand out from some of her contemporaries in the world of women's fiction. An intoxicating, spellbinding read that will make readers entranced with Lisa Jewell’s wicked and gorgeous prose…raw, intense, gritty, dark and suspenseful.As they try to find a way back to each other, back to what they once had, they both become momentarily distracted—but maybe it’s not too late to recapture happily ever after. The disconnect between Jem and Ralph is familiar to me, and I found I really identified with their situation. I can also recommend Vince and Joy, 31 Dream Street, and of course, Ralph's Party which I can't wait to read again with fresh eyes.

She is painfully aware of it as she walks the fifteen minutes from the office on Wandsworth Bridge Road. I think since reading the first book I’m too old to want to read about self-obsessed 30/40 somethings.

After a week-long trip to California to sort things out, both Jem and Ralph have doubts about their relationship and themselves. I did read to the end as I soooo wanted to find some glimmer of the sort of story I was expecting, but it was not to be.