Book Description
We all remember that one magical summer that changed our lives. For Joe, it’s 1999. School is over, and with zero idea of what he’s meant to do for the rest of his life, he’s reluctantly accepted a job at the local summer camp. Anything to drown out the sharp grief of missing his dad and move on from what school calls his ‘anger problems’. But getting screamed at by hyperactive ten-year-olds is almost enough to make him quit on day one.
Almost.
Then he sees Amy Ashworth for the very first time, her black hair shining in the sun – and learns that nothing hits harder than first love. She’s the only person he knows who reads for fun, or who’s seen Titanic fourteen times. But there’s another side to Amy. Soon, she’s the only person he’s ever been to a wild house party with, or kissed under the twinkling stars. It’s the happiest Joe has ever been… until the terrible day when what’s left of his family fractures into a million pieces.
Caught up in Amy’s whirlwind, Joe can’t bring himself to tell the truth about his life. Would his dad have wanted him to fight for the girl he loves, or protect his family, no matter what?
Only one thing is certain: this is the summer Joe will grow up. But when he looks back decades later, will he be ashamed of his choices? And will Amy still be by his side?
Heart-warming, hilarious, nostalgic, and bittersweet, Truly, Madly, Amy explores first loves, last chances, and the summers that shape us. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Mike Gayle, and anyone who remembers the carefree days of being just sixteen, when the world was full of possibility.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Truly, Madly Amy' by Kerry Wilkinson.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 21st July 2022.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Child Across The Street', 'The Party At Number 12', 'The Boyfriend', 'The Child In The Photo' which I would also recommend reading.
I was originally drawn to this book by its cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Mike Gayle, and anyone who remembers the carefree days of being just sixteen, when the world was full of possibility.' I am a huge fan of David so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Kerry and if this is as good as 'The Child Across The Street' 'The Child In The Photo', 'The Party At Number 12' and 'The Boyfriend' it is sure to be an excellent read. I am also excited to see what his writing style is for a completely different genre to what I'm used to with his psychological thrillers. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 55 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited England on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Kerry has based the book on.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Joe Miller. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
Well, well, well Wow!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK! What an absolute cracker of a book!!! This book sucked me straight in from beginning to the extremely emotional ending.
It was extremely well written with excellent descriptions which put me straight into the storyline making me feel like a teen again. The blog and the cover suited the book perfectly. If I had to sum it up in 3 words they would have to be beautiful, bittersweet and unforgettable!!
I must say that when I originally seen this book and then seen the author I most definitely had to do a double take!!! You know when you know an author for one genre, you have read several of their books and then BOOM you've gone from psychological thriller to coming-of-age teen, it takes quite a while to get over the shock!!! So, I did my research, discovered That YES this IS the same Kerry Wilkinson that has set my heart racing and put me on the edge of my seat and filled with tension. I am then a bit dubious and concerned wondering whether this man who can keep me up worrying if my door is locked at night can really make a successful romance. Well, I had absolutely nothing to worry about whatsoever!! Kerry is obviously a man of many talents and absolutely smashed romance just as well as he does psychological thrillers!! Congratulations Kerry that is an absolutely fantastic achievement!!!! Anyway, moving on....
I absolutely love, love, LOVED the storyline!!! I have never actually read a book that is based around a summer camp, or one that is set in 1999, when I would have been in my terror thirtweens!!! Oh God what an age!!! I'm sure if there was a local summer camp then my parents would have been the first to sign me up to it!!! I absolutely loved the fact that the chapters weren't just boring numbers but titles that related to the chapter. Kerry set the atmosphere of a summer camp absolutely perfectly and I had a feeling he had been to one even before reading the authors notes as he describes them extremely well from what I have seen on TV.
I read approximately half of this book on kindle and listened to approximately half on audio book. I must also give a huge congratulations to the narrator Joe Jameson who not only brought the storyline to life by really portraying the emotions through his voice but by doing absolutely fantastic impressions of males and females with different accents so a HUGE congratulations Joe. I cannot imagine that this was anywhere near an easy feat!!! I am looking forward to discovering more books read by yourself as you definitely have a perfect "book" voice!! I sometimes struggle to absorb the storyline through an audio book but if you are the same as me I can promise you will not have that problem with this amazing narrator!!
DON'T EVEN CHECK THE FIRST PAGE OUT AS IT SUCKED ME STRAIGHT IN UNTIL I GOT TO THE VERY LAST WORD IN THE AUTHORS NOTES!! AN ABSOLUTE SUCCESS!!
Dont be put off by the genre change with Kerry as I can promise you he has absolutely smashed it and is even better than some of the books I have seen where the author had only focused on romance!!
The storyline took me straight back to 1999 and Savage Garden with 'Truly Madly Deeply', I absolutely LOVE that song. It is absolutely rammed with different emotions from happiness to guilt, sadness to anger, love to hate. It completely captures the intensity of love, mental health, grief and the stresses of every day life! I loved that at the end Kerry mentions Covid and the restrictions happening which was intriguing as it took me straight back into lockdown times and made me even more grateful that things have seemed to start slowly calming down. I completely blew through this book in a day. This book will take you back to your first love and your first kiss regardless of how old you are. Watching Joe join summer camp, meet Amy, fall in love, grow up and so much more was very emotional as you see so much change in him from the start of the book to the very last page.
I absolutely loved both Joe and Amy and became completely and watching them meet and go through so much while Joe is struggling with his Mum who is also going through hell was beautiful. I felt honoured to be there to see this happen and some of the events that they went through, well I think most of us Brits can say we have likely done at least one!! That is the other thing I love about this book is that it is so realistic it makes the author believe they are reading a diary rather than a fictional book. It wasn't just Joe and Amy I became invested in but Joe's Mum and sister Michelle, Joe's friends such as Mark, Pete, Ian, Dan and Luke, Sarah's friend Gem, the absolutely amazing George and the sweet Charlotte. My heart absolutely broke when I read about a certain character, absolutely gutting 😭. I really can't say any more about that event. I couldn't stand Charlotte's mother who I thought should have showed much more support to her and give her more time. You can't love everyone though and whether you love them or hate them this absolutely fantastic group of realistic characters come together to make this storyline one that will stay wait you for a very long time!!! Beautiful and bittersweet I absolutely loved it!! Please make sure you read the authors note at the end. I really enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will also find it exciting and intriguing!!
This book was an absolute breath of fresh air! I thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age tale and I highly
recommend everyone read the Author's note. I would also love see what became of Joe and Amy, along with yourself Kerry 😉
CONGRATULATIONS KERRY ON YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE PAGE TURNER!!!! THIS IS WHY YOU ARE ONE OF MY TOP 5 MALE AUTHORS!!! HERE'S TO YOUR NEXT SUCCESS 🥂
Overall an absolutely stunning, bittersweet page turner that will keep you hooked and wanting more.
Genres covered in this novel include Coming-Of-Age Fiction, Humorous Literary and Romance Literary amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of David Nicholls, Mike Gayle, and anyone who remembers the carefree days of being just sixteen, when the world was full of possibility.
390 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@KerryWilkinson @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.
He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.
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Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B3LJCG85social
Audio:
Listen to a sample here:
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