Book Review: The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper by Zoë Folbigg

I am pleased to be welcoming Zoë Folbigg to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her new novel, The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper.

As the crowds gather for charming and charismatic Seb Cooper’s funeral, three women sit in the congregation, mourning his loss.

First there is Clair, Seb’s wife and partner of twenty years, and mother of his two children. Furious at Seb for dying and leaving their children without a father, Clair isn’t sure of her place, and has been left baffled and bemused by the conflicting stories of Seb’s last days.

Then there’s Desiree, the woman Seb left Clair for. Heartbroken, self-conscious, and wondering if she made a mistake coming today.

And the third and noisiest mourner of all is Noemie – Seb’s lover and the last woman to see him alive.

Three women who loved Seb in their own different ways.

Three women whose lives have changed forever.

But only one woman knows what really happened at the end…and only one truly had his heart…

*****

People gather at the funeral of Sebastian Cooper.

Three women in particular mourn for him.

Clair, the woman he had known since childhood, the mother of his children.

Desiree, the woman he left Clair for.

Noemie, the last woman to see him alive.

The premise for this novel intrigued me. Three women who had loved one man. The story packs a punch from the first page, starting with the funeral. How did they all get to that point? I just had to know. As a result, I couldn’t put the book down.

All the main characters are interesting in their own ways. All are complicated and flawed.

I had a lot of sympathy for Clair. Twenty years of marriage gone in a moment.

I felt a lot of empathy for Desiree, despite she and Sebastian’s behaviour earlier in the book.

Noemie was hard to like. I don’t know why I couldn’t like her. However, I will say that her mental health in this book is an interesting study.

Sebastian was the hardest character to empathise with although I concede, he didn’t deserve his end. He seemed to not always know what he had when he had it. I wanted to shake him many times.

I liked the structure of this novel. Told from the point of view of Sebastian, Clair, Desiree and Noemie, it flicks between the funeral in 2019 and flashbacks detailing the events prior.

I found the plot well developed, compelling and the book easy to get into. The themes, including love, marriage, betrayal and loss are weaved so effortlessly into the narrative.

The 2019 chapters and the interactions between the three women were particularly interesting. Clair and Desiree had every reason to hate each other and yet are thrown together for a horrible reason. Their interactions were very curious.

It’s quite hard to say much else without spoilers.

This unique novel is full of real, intricate, complex characters who are all simply trying to get through life, all united in their grief. It explores the aftermath of the choices you can make in the moment and how you never know how much time you have left.

I enjoyed this novel very much.

About Zoë Folbigg: 

Zoë Folbigg is the bestselling author of four novels including the chart-topping The Note.

She had a broad career in journalism, writing for magazines and newspapers from Cosmopolitan to The Guardian and Sunday Times Style, plus a weekly column in Fabulous magazine.

Previously published by Aria, her first book for Boldwood will be published in September 2022. She married Train Man (star of The Note) and lives with him and their children in Hertfordshire.

Say hello to Zoë via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub.

The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper was released by Boldwood Books on 27th September 2022. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones.

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.