#BlogTour: Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall @CorvusBooks @eithneshortall @annecater #GraceAfterHenry #RandomThingsTours

I’m thrilled to be kicking off the blog tour for Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall.  It will be published in ebook and paperback on the 3rd May 2018 but you can pre-order your copy here.

Before I share my review with you here is a bit about the book.

Book Blurb:

Grace sees her boyfriend Henry everywhere. In the supermarket, on the street, at the graveyard.

Only Henry is dead. He died two months earlier, leaving a huge hole in Grace’s life and in her heart. But then Henry turns up to fix the boiler one evening, and Grace can’t decide if she’s hallucinating or has suddenly developed psychic powers. Grace isn’t going mad – the man in front of her is not Henry at all, but someone else who looks uncannily like him. The hole in Grace’s heart grows ever larger.

Grace becomes captivated by this stranger, Andy – to her, he is Henry, and yet he is not. Reminded of everything she once had, can Grace recreate that lost love with Andy, resurrecting Henry in the process, or does loving Andy mean letting go of Henry?

My Review:

Oh my goodness I did enjoy this book! I think I went through every emotion possible whilst reading it, one moment I was laughing the next sobbing much to my husband’s bemusement.

I loved Grace she is such a fantastic main character as she is so real.  Right from the start, with her hilarious attempts to put off other house buyers she got me on her side. Her relationship with Henry was lovely to read about, especially all the cute little personal routines or idiosyncrasies that become normal in a relationship.  I particularly loved that they were reading the same book together and taking it in turns to read out loud.  It was heartbreaking to see how altered Grace is after Henry died and my heart ached for her as she tried to live without him.

The idea that someone could help you heal and move on from beyond the grave is a lovely thought and one I so wish was true.  I’m not sure if this was exactly what the author meant to imply but I took her seeing Andy as Henry to mean he was helping her in some way which lead to some very poignant scenes that brought a tear to my eye.  It was very touching to be able to watch Grace heal and develop in her new relationship.  The intimate view that the author gives makes you feel like you are intruding sometimes on Andy and Grace especially in the more emotional moments.  I really felt for Grace and her anguish at starting again and her loss was palpable at times. I really wished I could give her a hug and help her.

This is a fairly easy read as the writing just flows allowing the reader to be easily caught up in the story.  There is always something happening so the reader is never bored and the mix of funny and sad moments helps to keep the reader engaged. The characters are brilliantly developed and the fly on the wall view meant that I felt I knew them very well by the time the book ended.

This is the author’s second novel and I will look forward to reading more from her in the future.  If you are a fan of PS I Love You I think you will enjoy this book.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater and Corvus books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eithne Shortall studied journalism at Dublin City University and has lived in London, France and America. Now based in Dublin, she is chief arts writer for the Sunday Times Ireland. She enjoys sea swimming, cycling and eating scones.

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