The Man I Loved Before by Anna Mansell

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 491 pages
Expected publication: March 10th 2020 by Bookouture
About the Book:
When Jem writes to her ex Ben, it’s to explain everything. All the secrets she kept from him – from the little lies she’d sometimes tell about how new those shoes really were, or how many glasses of wine she’d had that evening… right up to The Big Thing that happened on the night that changed everything. But she never expects he will actually see what she’s written. She is just writing because she thinks it will help to get the words out. Later, she resolves, she’ll burn the letter, and then the past will be in the past for good. Because Jem is doing fine now. She’s busy: working, spending time with her best friend, and looking after her mother, who’s in remission from cancer. She’s even dating again and has just met a guy who she thinks she could actually fall for. At long last, Jem is really, definitely somewhere close to happy. But her mum finds the letter and thinks she’s doing Jem a favour when she posts it to Ben. And Jem’s new, carefully rebuilt life begins to unravel in ways she could never have imagined. Then, when her mother gets ill again, she finds herself asking who has the key to her future. The man she’s falling in love with now? Or the man she loved before?

These characters are all very real in the best and worst ways and this story will suck you in and make you feel every emotion the characters do, right along with them. This is a heartbreakingly good story about trauma, loss, grief, and the complicated emotions that go along with being part of a family or being in a relationship.

This is an emotional, powerful and insightful story that should not be missed. I found it to be engaging from the start which helped me to connect to the characters quickly. Emotions are kept high throughout but Miss Mansell also introduces compelling issues that will keep readers riveted until the final pages. This book is incredibly well done. Do not start before bed because you will be up half the night finishing it... or maybe that’s just me. Wonderfully believable characters, heart wrenching plot, what insight into human emotions and psyche. I can't wait to read another Anna Mansell story.

Thank you NetGalley, Anna Mansell and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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