Prickly. Stubborn. Terribly lonely. But everyone deserves a second chance…
Missy Carmichael’s life has become small. Grieving for a family she has lost or lost touch with, she’s
haunted by the echoes of her footsteps in her empty home; the sound of the radio in the dark; the tick-tick-tick of the watching clock.
Spiky and defensive, Missy knows that her loneliness is all her own fault. She deserves no more than
this; not after what she’s done. But a chance encounter in the park with two very different women opens
the door to something different.
A new life beckons for Missy, if only she can be brave enough to grasp the opportunity. But seventy-nine
is too late for a second chance. Isn’t it?
My Thoughts
At the age of 79, the world has been rapidly changing around Missy Carmichael, who finds herself estranged from her daughter, and her son – along with her only grandchild live on the other side of the world. Feeling as though there is little else to do, Missy spends her days wandering around her big empty house and drinking sherry as she relives her past, but unfortunately it is not the good memories that circle around her mind when she finds herself alone..
When two strangers, along with their dog, burst in to her life and manage to push their way past her rather tough exterior, Missy had no idea how much she had to give, and how much love she had within her to share.
This book was such a beautiful, heart warming read. It was practically impossible to not feel a connection with Missy from the start, as she battled with her loneliness, and had to learn to let people in to her life once again. Despite her rather tough shell, she has a heart of gold, and is deserving of so much love in return.
The unlikely friendship that sparks between Missy and Angela, a single mother from Ireland who has moved to the area with her son Otis. The ways in which these characters brought one another a new lease of life was so heart-warming and really highlighted the importance of friendship. When a loveable dog who is in need of a temporary home also comes in to her life, Missy is given a whole new purpose which really makes her thrive.
A gorgeous, uplifting book that I would highly recommend to others.
*Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours, Harper Collins and Beth Morrey for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts are entirely my own and are not influenced in any way.*
About the Author.
Beth Morrey is currently the Creative Director at
RDF Television where she has been involved in numerous productions
– she helped create The Secret Life of Four Year Olds series on Channel 4
and devised 100 Year Old Drivers for ITV.
She was shortlisted for the Grazia-Orange First Chapter competition
back in 2011, had her work published in the Cambridge and Oxford May
Anthologies, and was Vice-President of the Cambridge Footlights. Beth
lives in London with her husband, two sons and dog
PRAISE FOR SAVING MISSY:
‘A touching, deftly written debut that
celebrates community and kindness. a
touching, deftly written debut that
celebrates community and kindness’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘Our book of the month… a story of
friendship and having a second chance
at life – one to savour’
WOMAN & HOME
‘One of the biggest titles among a deluge of fiction following the trend for
uplifting literature’ GUARDIAN
‘The most beautiful and the most
moving book I’ve read in a long time’
EMMA FLINT
‘Sweet, not saccharine; sensitive, not
sentimental’ THE I PAPER
‘You’ll want to savour every moment of
this glorious debut… this is a simply
stunning story’ WOMAN’S WEEKLY
‘Bittersweet, tender, thoughtful and
uplifting… I loved it’ NINA STIBBE
‘A generous-hearted story showing the
transformative power of friendship and
community’
SARAH HAYWOOD
‘A joyful read about the power of people
in saving each other’
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘There’s much excitement in the book
world about this debut novel –
and it’s not hard to see why’
READER’S DIGEST
Victoria Wilks 