Promise Me by Jade Beer
Published by: Bookouture
Review format: Ebook
Reading this beautiful novel took me through a tidal wave of emotions from tears to laughter, but what a read it is! Charged full of emotion I found it nigh on impossible to put down.
The story takes you on a journey of four women whose lives intertwine for varied reasons. Jenny's story is a standout piece in the book reducing me to tears with every letter read from her mother. But for me, I would have liked her storyline to come to a more detailed conclusion as I do feel that we left her at such a vulnerable moment that I'm still wondering if she will be ok as I formed such an emotional attachment to her character through the beautiful writing.
Nat's journey doesn't reach the emotional heights found in other storylines but creates moments of light relief and pure joy to contrast the deeper elements in the book. She is every girl's best friend and the glue keeping characters together and I loved living vicariously through her unique line of work.
Helen's piece moved me greatly at the amount of love one woman can show to so many people in such a selfless manner. An instantly likeable character and a one I wish I could meet in everyday life, she is brave yet vulnerable with a fierce protection towards her daughter Betsy.
But for me, Betsy proved the most difficult character to get along with as I found my affections towards her kept turning hot and cold, but this certainly held my attention and kept me reading on and I loved the major cliff-hanging moments to her storyline.
These four main women added so many special qualities to the book creating an emotional storyline but I have to mention the comedy gold moments that came from Jenny's roommate Marianne, whose crass antics had me in fits of giggles creating extra light relief when needed and adding even more layers to this wonderful piece of writing.
Promise Me captures female relationships magnificently, in all their flawed glory, creating a standout piece of writing that moved me greatly. I loved everything about this book and didn't want it to come to an end and I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
If you could wish one thing for your daughter, what would it be?
Jenny lost her beloved mother as a teenager, and was left devastated. As a parting gift she left her daughter a bundle of letters, one for each significant day of Jenny’s future. First date, first broken heart, graduation day… and one for the day Jenny meets the love of her life.
Her mother’s letters are everything to her, but how can Jenny ever become the confident, successful woman her mother wanted her to be when her heart is broken by her loss? When an unexpected meeting has Jenny mistaken for somebody she’s not, Jenny learns that sometimes pretending is the easiest way to tell the truth and that loving someone can mean letting them go…
An absolutely unforgettable book club read that will break your heart. If you love Jojo Moyes, Cecelia Ahern and Nancy Thayer you will love this unputdownable page-turner.
About me by Jade Beer:
Hello!
I'm Jade. I'm a novelist, mother to two young daughters and the editor of Conde Nast Brides.
I love writing about women and all the challenges we face in our daily lives. I've been lucky enough to work with some incredibly talented women throughout my career as a journalist and editor - ones who juggle the most all-encompassing careers with family and friendships and everything else that life throws at them. They often make it look so easy. But we all know it's not. And that need to present one version of yourself to the world, while keeping the grittier, less polished reality under wraps, is a thread that runs strongly through my debut novel, The Almost Wife.
In my day job as the editor of Conde Nast Brides, I share my working life with editors of some of the glossiest, luxury brands in the world - Vogue, Tatler, Glamour - and I have the enormous privilege of travelling the world and sitting front row at beautiful fashion shows and working with the world's leading florists, cake makers and stylists. But I also take a daily peek into the lives of young women who are engulfed in one of the most exciting times of their lives - planning their wedding days. This, above everything else, is the really fun bit. Being on the front line if you like. Hearing their thoughts, fears, worries and ambitions for the future. This really powerful cocktail of glamour and reality dances across every page of The Almost Wife and is currently being poured into my second novel which is due out in October this year.
I'm not sure I could have written The Almost Wife without making it personal too, feeding some of my own quiet fears into the mix. I've sat in important meetings, dropping huge clangers that years later still make me cringe. I've got more than my fair share of self-doubt and suffer like many other women from the dreaded imposter syndrome. I worry constantly about my family. How much time I have left with them. Am I doing any of it right? Will I be riddled with regret in later years? Will my daughters be critical of the choices I made? Am I failing the people I love the most?
Although workplaces me full time in London, my heart is in the countryside where I live with my husband and our two daughters. The Cotswolds is where my husband and I used to spend romantic weekends plotting our future together long before children came along and is now where I watch them both run free, hoping I will keep them close for many years to come.
Take a peek inside my life on Instagram @jadebeerbrides.
