BRAND NEW from bestselling author Julie Houston comes a powerful story of first love, long-hidden secrets and second chances. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, David Nichols and Ruth Jones.
First love, long-hidden secrets and second chances.
Anna Piasecki thought she had left her university heartbreak behind. After spending decades building a successful life, she arrives at sixty with everything as she wants it – a glittering career, a devoted partner and brightest star of all, her brilliant son Noah, the apple of her eye.
Theo Mandeville is trapped. Bound by aristocratic duty to his sprawling Yorkshire estate, he has spent decades living the life that was expected of him while regretting the star-crossed romance he walked away from.
When their children meet at college, Anna and Theo suddenly find their carefully constructed lives colliding. With a devastating forty-year-old secret hanging over them, can their families survive the truth and do they dare to trust that fate has other plans for them?
Spanning decades, The Way We Are Now is a sweeping, heart-warming and life-affirming tale of first love, friendship and second chances perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, David Nichols and Ruth Jones.
My Thoughts
The Way We are Now takes you on a journey through Anna's life from her early days as a student at Leeds University , through the Miner's Strike of the 1980's to he later life. The people she meets have a profound influence on her, none more than her student friend, Fliss and of course the wonderful Theo. Raised in a mining community in Yorkshire, Anna feels both the tug of home and family but also the claustrophobia of staying in the mining community. Politically motivated, she longs to be in London where decisions are made but finds that her working class roots are an early barrier to her ambitions.
This such an enjoyable read with some surprising characters and plenty to make you think about how life turns out. As you meet up with Anna and Theo at different stages of their lives, you find that chance events have a habit of upending things and diverting them. There are some surprises but Anna never loses her courage and independent look at the world. She can be generous towards others' faults but her friendships remain important to her as does her love and loyalty for her family.
In short: past secrets and loves
About the Author
Julie Houston is the author of 17 best-selling Women’s contemporary/Romantic Comedy novels. Represented by Anne Williams at KHLA Literary Agency, she was previously published by Aria/Head of Zeus but now writes for Boldwood. She has had UK top 100 selling books and Looking for Lucy hit the number 1 spot in Australia. Sing me a Secret was shortlisted for, and won, the Popular Romantic Fiction Award in 2021.
Julie is Yorkshire born and bred and lives in Huddersfield where her novels are set. After University, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior schoolteacher. After teaching for a few years, she decided to go to New Zealand to work and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to this country. She now teaches when the phone rings to cover absent colleagues and still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children.
Julie is married with a son and daughter, both in their twenties and now living in London. She has been a magistrate on the West Yorkshire bench for the last twenty-four years.
Thanks to Julie Houston Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
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