REVIEW: The Woman in my Home by Kerry Fisher

The Woman in my Home by Kerry Fisher

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Domestic thriller, Suspense

Read: 13th May 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 20th May 2022

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

I was starting to believe it might be my turn for the fairy tale. A man who adored me, someone to return to at the end of the day and to share my life with. And Rebecca. Capable, reliable Rebecca who could help me to manage my busy home…

Finally, Cath has met someone: a man she loves, Robin, and who adores her in return. And after years of managing fine on her own, running a successful business, raising her son, and caring for her elderly mother, she feels she deserves some happiness. And who better to provide it than charming, fun-loving Robin?

She expected everyone to be delighted for her. But her friends and family are suspicious of Robin. And Rebecca, a desperate single mother who Cath has hired as a live-in housekeeper, doesn’t trust him either. He’s too slick, he’s too perfect and it all happened too fast… how well does Cath really know him?

Cath is used to taking care of herself; she’s nobody’s fool. But when things start to go wrong in the house that’s been her haven for all these years, she’s forced to ask herself whether the man she loves is really what he seems… And having let Rebecca in to every part of her life, is Cath ready to face the secrets she might find there?

From the Amazon charts bestselling author of The Silent Wife and The Woman I Was Before, The Woman in My Home is a gripping read about family secrets and lies. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kerry Fisher's thrilling THE WOMAN IN MY HOME.

I've read a few books by Kerry Fisher but none of them had captured my heart like my first read by her "The Mother I Could Have Been"...until this one. To be honest, I'm not a huge contemporary women's fiction fan but slip in a little mystery or thriller aspect and you'll have me eating out of your hand. There wasn't a huge mystery to this one as we could see exactly what was happening even if some couldn't...but it certainly had that domestic thriller aspect I love. Provoking just the right amount of emotion, I have also wanted to smack some sense into a few characters whilst happily cheering alongside other. I'll say it now...Dolly was my favourite.

I wasn't entirely sure why it was titled THE WOMAN IN MY HOME until about halfway through when the author revealed a huge twist that changed how the reader looked at them...and the bigger picture. Even I, who is rarely hoodwinked, didn't see what one coming.

At fifty-seven years old, Cath has found love again after some thirty years as a single mum and living alone in her sprawling gated mansion complete with pool and tennis court. Having kicked out her womanising husband who found younger women far more attractive, Cath then turned her life around from nothing to a successful businesswoman that proved to be very lucrative indeed. But a time comes in a woman's life when she has made sacrifice after sacrifice so that her child never went without and now said child is thirtysomething and married with his own landscaping business, when she craves that companionship that has been missing from her life since her philandering husband walked out.

Enter Robin. He's handsome, charismatic, easy going and best of all, he loves Cath. Wealthy and charming in equal measure, he is perfect and everything she never thought she could want or hope for again. But is he really?

Thirtysomething Rebecca thought her life was perfect until her husband decided to guarantee the house she was still paying a mortgage on for loans he was taking out for some get-rich-quick schemes. All without telling her. So their marriage over, she packed up what was left of her life with her two young children and kipped on her heavily pregnant sister's settee for the foreseeable. Unfortunately while hubby was living the life of riley by the seaside with his parents, Rebecca was fast wearing out her welcome with her children in a cramped house preparing for a new baby.

After dropping Megan and Eddie at school, Rebecca traipse from business to business looking for any vacancy that will enable her to secure a roof over their heads and put food on the table without relying on her sister and husband's dwindling patience. She then wanders into the affluent Hetherington Close where she meets elderly Dolly struggling with a wheelie bin. The two women get talking and before long, Rebecca discovers that the beautiful house she has just been admiring belongs to Dolly's daughter Cath who owns and run a successful recruitment agency. Not wanting to farewell this kindly old grandmother-type, Rebecca offers to drive Dolly home where she admires her overgrown garden afterwhich she offers to help her get the garden into order for which Dolly agrees to pay her.

When Dolly has an accident resulting in a broken ankle, she moves into Cath's house where Rebecca follows and ends up as a cleaner-cum-housekeeper living in the run-down tennis pavillion in the backyard. Of course, Rebecca is desperate and undoubtedly grateful for Cath's generosity. Over the course of the following weeks, Rebecca is privy to Cath and Robin's growing closeness although aware of son Sandy's reticence of the man.

When some of Dolly's precious jewellery goes missing from her house, Robin is quick to point the finger at Rebecca...after all, she is essentially homeless relying on Cath's good nature without a penny to her name. But Rebecca insists she didn't take the items despite having plenty of opportunity to steal them.

And then Robin's property development threatens to grind to a halt and his ex-wife is upping the stakes delaying the divorce and sale of their marital home. Despite Robin's pleas, she appears to be out for as much as she can swindle out of him putting him in a quandary...particularly as he and Cath intend to marry in just a couple of months' time.

Until one morning, there is a surprise visit that will set the ball in motion to turn everything on its head, revealing a twist I didn't see coming!

THE WOMAN IN MY HOME is a complex tale of secrets, lies, manipulation and betrayal. There is mystery, tension and even better, an unreliable narrator you don't know whether to believe them or not. Riddled with red herrings and misconceptions, the author deftly guides us up blind alleys for the ride of our lives. Her storytelling is compelling, her narrative sharp and witty - especially with Dolly and some of Rebecca's quips.

The story unfolds through Cath and Rebecca's eyes which gives the reader two very different perspectives and circumstances. It is humbling to note that Cath never forgot her beginnings or how difficult it was to rise above her husband's mistakes to make a life for herself and son Sandy. So she was very understanding of Rebecca's predicament despite Robin's constant probing that they know nothing about her.

Well paced with a plethora of secrets woven within, THE WOMAN IN MY HOME  does explore a very different side to life with desperation, loneliness and homelessness along with secrecy, lies and deception. And while this type of story is not unique, the way in which Kerry Fisher has portrayed it is quite original. 

And then there was the ending. It wasn't what I expected...but it highlighted the reality and left readers with a sense of wondering. Although I don't normally like loose ends, this one dangled like a promise of what was to come. It's up to us to decide, I guess.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE WOMAN IN MY HOME and didn't want my time with Rebecca, Cath, Dolly or Sandy to end. A delightful read that I thoroughly recommend.

I would like to thank #KerryFisher, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWomanInMyHome in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kerry Fisher was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent many years living in Spain, Italy and France. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. 

Other than reading and writing, Kerry loves cooking, entertaining, wine and friends. Though she admits to be being not very groomed and a bit messy.

She now lives in Surrey with her very tolerant husband, with an intermittent empty nest as her two young adult children come and go.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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REVIEW: Another Woman's Child by Kerry Fisher

Another Woman's Child by Kerry Fisher

Genre: Women's fiction, Contemporary fiction, Family drama

Read: 9th January 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 5th August 2020

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Could you take in your best friend’s child, even if it risked destroying your own family?

Jo had thought that her life – and her heart – was full. With a busy job, a husband and a teenage daughter who is going off the rails, keeping her life running smoothly had already felt hard enough.

But now Jo sits at the funeral of her best friend Ginny, crushed by the loss of a friendship that had endured for thirty years: from college and their first days at work through to settling down and raising their own children.

Against her husband’s wishes, Jo has made a life-changing decision: to take in Ginny’s teenage son Victor and raise him as her own. Despite her misgivings, Jo feels she had no choice: Ginny was a single parent and Victor had no other family who could take care of him.

But Victor’s arrival is about to break open the fragile cracks that were already forming on the surface of Jo’s family life and in her small rural community… and expose a secret that has remained hidden for many years, with devastating consequences.

From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife and The Woman I Was Before, Another Woman’s Child is an unputdownable and heartbreaking read about the secrets we keep from our families, and the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.

MY REVIEW:

I had a whole barrage of thoughts to on this book as I ploughed through it but now that I have come to review it they all seem to escape me. On the whole, I am in two minds about the book as I am not a slow paced type of reader and as the story played out for pretty much the entire first half, it pretty much read more like the joys of parenting obnoxious moody teenagers...not to mention the gossip mongering and narrow-mindedness of so-called friends who were quick to judge another parent's child whilst defending the honour and accomplishments of their own. 

The story begins with Ginny ruminating over the choice she has made, the secret she must keep whilst leaving readers wondering what is so massive that she, who processes everything by telling everyone, kept schtum on this...whatever "this" was. It is clear that Ginny is faced with coming clean in the face of death...and yet she chose not to. Why? We had yet to find out.

Jo and Ginny had been best friends for nearly thirty years so when Ginny lay on her deathbed succumbing to the cancer that was flooding her body, she pleaded with Jo to take in her seventeen year old son Victor. Jo never gave the option much thought but had thought it best to run it by hubby Patrick before making the decision. But dealing with the throes of teenage angst in the form of their own sixteen year old daughter Phoebe, they were both reluctant to take on another woman's child and therefore adding to their troubles.

However, as Ginny neared the end and she upped the ante in begging, Jo felt she couldn't say no to her best friend. After all, Victor had no one else but his ailing grandfather who was in no fit state to care for him. And so, she said yes. Patrick was far from pleased and begrudgingly travelled the three hours or so to Cardiff from their little village Sussex to bring Victor home with them. Relations were strained from the beginning as each tiptoed around the other in trying to accommodate the grieving young man. Phoebe was far from impressed with having to share her attention which manifested itself in even worse behaviour that had played out before this. 

And so there were parties, drunken nights out, a car accident fuelled by smoking weed, shoplifting and generally acting out. As if that wasn't enough, now that drugs appeared to be in the picture, the finger was firmly pointed in Victor's direction. After all, nothing like this had ever happened in sleepy Snedhurst until a black teenage boy came to live in their midst. Now it's all drug-fuelled orgies and whispers in dark alleys with the sleight of hand exchange for weed and goodness knows what else. I mean, who'd have thought these innocent girls would be snorting coke on the best silver until "he" turned up corrupt them?

So Jo not only had to grieve for her best friend in private, for fear of upsetting Victor in his own grief, but she had to contend with the obnoxious teenage angst and outbursts from a somewhat out of control Phoebe who obviously thought the world revolved around her as well as the neighbourhood gossips who believed that Victor had come to their village with the express intention of corrupting their virtuous teenage community. People who she had thought were her friends turned on her as quick as the whispers that flowed through the village.

And just when she thought things could get any worse, she is hit with a bombshell secret she never saw coming which thus sent her spiralling into an abyss of guilt and blame. How could she not have known? How could she not have seen this coming? And how could the people she loved the most in this world betray her in the worst possible way?

While thoughtful and compelling, ANOTHER WOMAN'S CHILD is very slow to start. However, I wanted to know what the big secret was and how everything was going to pan out. Of course, I couldn't wait to see hypocritical Faye get her comeuppance when the tables are turned and she sees her own daughter for who she really is instead of keeping the blinkers in place preventing her from doing so whilst systematically shifting the blame solely onto Phoebe and then Victor. The other parents play little part in comparison to Faye who was meant to be Jo's best friend in the village.

To be honest, I struggled with the first half, I really did. I found everyone thoroughly annoying except for Jasmine, the mother who didn't get quite so much spotlight as evil Faye, and who always had a crocodile of colourful children following in her wake, and of course the strong silent resilience of Victor who had lost his mother so young and was trying to navigate a new life, a new school and a new family all at the same time in the midst of the quagmire. And yet, he was far wiser beyond his years.

I didn't really warm to Jo and was aghast at the way she allowed Phoebe to talk to her. If I'd have spoken to my parents like that I would have been grounded till I was 70! The complete and utter disrespect she shows her mother is mind-boggling. I know we've all been teenagers and have had to navigate hormones and adolescence, but I don't remember ever being so disrespectful as she is. And Jo just let her walk all over her, citing that pushing her will only escalate the issue. Had Phoebe been taught to respect boundaries when she was younger then she would have been less likely to be so disrespectful now. But hey, what do I know? I did , however, find Faye a little too quick to lay all the blame at Phoebe's feet and criticise Jo for her parenting skills in that passive aggressive way that sounds like she's joking but she's really not.

And yet despite all the angst, disrespect and prejudice in the slowish start, ANOTHER WOMAN'S CHILD picked up its pace in the second half as secrets and truths were were slowly revealed. I had worked out the "big secret" as I pieced the little clues together that had been peppered throughout and was left in tears by the end. Not in a sad way but a happy way. I was actually laughing through my tears, particularly at Jo's mum's impromptu speech in her oh-so-diplomatic way...lol

A reasonably good read, ANOTHER WOMAN'S CHILD will delight fans of contemporary women's  fiction who enjoy the slow pace through an emotional journey that is thoughtful and compelling.

I would like to thank #KerryFisher, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #AnotherWomansChild in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kerry Fisher was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent many years living in Spain, Italy and France. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. 

Other than reading and writing, Kerry loves cooking, entertaining, wine and friends. Though she admits to be being not very groomed and a bit messy.

She now lives in Surrey with her very tolerant husband, with an intermittent empty nest as her two young adult children come and go.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Mother I Could Have Been by Kerry Fisher (ARC)

The Mother I Could Have Been by Kerry Fisher

Genre: Family drama, Literary fiction, Chick Lit

Read: 4th January 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 22nd November 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

This is the first Kerry Fisher book I have read and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. I really and truly enjoyed it. An nice and easy read, the pace was steady, the story emotional and the ending heartwarming. Although I wouldn't classify THE MOTHER I COULD HAVE BEEN in the Mystery/Thriller genre, it does has an element of mystery to it. But I would shelve it with the contemporary, general fiction or even chick lit.

THE MOTHER I COULD HAVE BEEN is Vicky's story. She grew up not knowing her father and when her mother remarried to a man who didn't particularly like his new wife's daughter then went on to have two more children. Whilst her mother played happy families with husband Ian and children Joey and Emily, Vicky felt like the odd one out. Her mother always seemed to have more time for her new family rather than she did for Vicky.

2009. When Vicky graduated university, her mum rang at the last minute with the excuse that Emily had taken a fall and she was at the hospital; that she was sorry but wouldn't be able to make her graduation. Angered that once again her mother proved she didn't really want her, Vicky decided that when it came time for her to have a family she would show them the love and attention she had always wanted but never received. She would give her children what she had missed out on.

Then when her flatmate's family invited her to join them on a trip to Corfu, Vicky jumped at the chance to escape her troubles with her own family. But two weeks into the holiday, she begins to feel her presence really isn't wanted particularly when she overhears her friend Liv tell her mother she "didn't think she would be spending the whole holiday with us"!

So Vicky makes her escape and finds herself at beachside bar run by the charismatic Freddie. On a whim, she asks him for a job in exchange for board and lodging and by the end of the day Vicky had moved herself into the attic room overtop of the bar. The locals loved her, the tourists also loved her and soon Freddie did too. It wasn't long before Vicky left the attic room and moved in with Freddie. Together they enjoyed a free spirited relationship and when Liv's family left Corfu, Vicky found herself not wanting to go back home. So she stayed.

Then one day, Vicky is enjoying the solitude of a secluded beach the locals frequent...but not generally tourists...when she meets William. They spend a glorious day and evening together and he walks her home to the bar, giving her his number should she ever wish to see him again. Despite being with Freddie, Vicky can't stop thinking about William and before long she moves out of the room she shared with Freddie and moves in with William.

Vicky and William fall madly in love and they love their life in Corfu, and aren't looking to return home to the UK in the foreseeable future. That is, until Vicky discovers she is pregnant and everything changes. After a scare in her second trimester, Vicky and William decide to move back to the UK with William's family where she is welcomed by his mother and father.

When Vicky gives birth to baby Theo, she is filled with doubts about her abilities, which are more often than not, highlighted by William's mother Barbara. Vicky trusted Barbara to know best as she hadn't a clue on how to raise a child, but soon those subtleties turn into nastiness and Vicky finds herself at loggerheads with not just Barbara, but William too, who doesn't seem the least bit interested and tired of her constant complaints about his mother. Not only that, Theo didn't seem to like her and would scream whenever she came near...and yet he would calm in Barbara's arms.

But one Christmas, when Theo was 2, was the last straw. Barbara once again asserted her authority over Vicky for little Theo's attention and when he took a tumble with his new gift, Vicky was shocked to hear Theo cry "Don't want Vicky! Want Mamma!" Vicky was incensed and confronted Barbara about teaching him to call her "mamma". But Barbara brushed it off as "Theo's choice...short for grandma". When she tried to talk to William about it, he was more interested in his phone than what was going on and told her to calm down. Furious, Vicky changed into more comfortable clothes, jumped in her car and left...and she never went back.

She had intended to return...but every time she tried she found she just couldn't face William or his mother in what would be another "battle of wills". In the end, she stayed away for about six months before she decided to speak to William face to face. But when she approached the school where Barbara had insisted on Theo going to, she saw William kissing a tall blonde woman...and even worse, Theo seemed to love her too! It seemed their lives had moved on without her...and she wasn't even missed. Not even by her son.

So Vicky turned her car around and drove away.

Devon, 2016. Caro Campbell and her husband Gilbert ran a small holiday business with their son Fergus. Caro had a daughter India who, for all intents and purposes, was a complete pain in the proverbial! That woman would find fault in anything and everything! Caro loved both her children but India could never see it.

On New Year's Eve, India had left her three children - Ivy, Rowan and Hollie - in Caro's charge with strict instructions that she must follow to the letter. However, it was New Years and Caro was entertaining guests whilst the children were watching television in the den. By the time India and her husband returned early, Ivy was drunk and Rowan and Hollie had fallen asleep in the den in front of inappropriate TV programmes. India was livid and accused her mother of being disrespectful to them and their wishes. Some weeks later, Caro received a letter from her daughter cutting off all ties with them since they "could not be bothered to respect their wishes". Caro is gutted. India has always been difficult but she still loves her, though India fails to see that.

However, the business has been suffering recently and Fergus suggests hiring someone to manage it so he can get on with doing the hands-on work of redecorating the cottages. Enter Vicky her and dog Lionel.

Vicky is soon at home at Applefield Cottages, and although she says little, she is good at her job and it isn't long before Caro finds they cannot do without her.

When an investigator knocks at Caro's door one day looking for Vicky, bringing news she does not want to hear, Caro begins to see the cracks in Vicky's demeanour as the young woman breaks down and opens up to her. Soon the two women become fast friends and while both of them are mothers, both find themselves in a situation they can see no way out of.

THE MOTHER I COULD HAVE BEEN begins as Vicky's story but ends up Caro's as well. It is moving, it is tragic, it is heartbreaking, it is emotional. A story about life, love and loss. About motherhood and relationships. It is filled with raw emotion, devastation and heartbreak but by the end it is so heartwarming you will be left with an afterglow.

There were times I could have gladly slapped Vicky, but for the most part, I could understand where she was coming from as for much of my life I have felt like the odd one out or unwanted. So I could relate to how she was feeling...and although I didn't agree with her walking out on her son, I could totally get why she did. Had I been in her situation with a mother-in-law like that I probably would be tempted to do the same thing. Vicky had no self-esteem, no confidence and no real value of herself. Is it no wonder she could easily be manipulated?

The two people I could not stand the most were Barbara and India. Both were filled with a jealously so fierce though they reacted in vastly different ways. Sometimes I wondered how Vicky could not see through Barbara's subtleties...but then she had no self confidence and she trusted Barbara. And William? I could have gladly throttled him for being so indifferent and uncaring to Vicky's emotions. So what if he thought she was being over-the-top? His job was to protect her and Theo. He only served to drive a wedge between himself and Vicky.

I really loved the backdrop of Corfu and found myself wanting to stay there! But the story I really enjoyed was Caro's. I don't know...I think I found Caro an endearing and heartwarming character. I could feel myself enveloped in her arms and the love radiate from her...I don't know why her own daughter couldn't.

THE MOTHER I COULD HAVE BEEN has such heartwarming moments it made this book such a feel-good read, despite the heartbreak at the centre of both stories. Vicky may not have been entirely likable all of the time, she wasn't an emotional person and kept her feelings hidden, but she had a deep love for her son that she truly thought he would be better off without her. She had so much love but didn't know how to show it.

As Vicky's and Caro's stories intertwine, THE MOTHER I COULD HAVE BEEN draws us in from the first pages and keeps up engaged right up until the last, as we journey through tears and joys, regrets and heartbreak, loss and second chances.

I thoroughly enjoyed this journey and will not hesitate to take up another of Kerry Fisher's. I urge you to pick up a copy of THE MOTHER I COULD HAVE BEEN - you will not be disappointed.

I would like to thank #KerryFisher, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMotherICouldHaveBeen in exchange for an honest review.