My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott.

When Ella married the handsome, celebrated artist Sebastian Montclair at just nineteen she was madly in love. Now, those blissful years of marriage have turned into the very definition of an unconventional set-up. Separated in every way but distance, Sebastian resides in an outhouse across the lawn from Ella’s ramshackle farmhouse. With an ex-husband living under her nose and a home crowded by hostile teenaged children, gender-confused chickens – not to mention her hyper critical mother whose own marriage slips spectacularly off the rails -Ella finds comfort in the company of the very charming gardener, Ludo. Then out of the blue Sebastian decides to move on, catching Ella horribly unawares. How much longer can she hide from what really destroyed her marriage . . . and the secret she continues to keep?

My Husband Next Door was my introduction to Catherine Alliott’s books so I wasn’t entirely sure what to except. It was an interesting premise. At the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure where it was going to go but the further I got into the story, the more I couldn’t put it down.

The plot rolls out well but not slow enough that I lost interest.

Ella is a very conflicted character. At the start of her story, you think she has it very together when in fact, she’s not aware of what effect her actions are having on her family and it was heartbreaking to read at times. There were moments when I was cheering for her and other moments when she was frustrating the hell out of me.

There’s a great cast of supporting characters, which help the plot along nicely.

By the end, I was hoping everything was going to be OK for everyone. There were some sad moments, happy moments and parts, which made me full on laugh out loud.

Fans of Catherine I’m sure will love it and, if you, like me have never read one of her books before, give this one a go. 

(My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott. 1^st August, Trade paperback £12.99/ebook £7.99, Michael Joseph)

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.