Book Description
Four friends, one big secret... and the journey of a lifetime.
It’s nineteen years since they stopped speaking to each other, but now Morgan needs to contact her
three best friends from school: Paige, Emily and Tiff.
Her teenage son wants to meet his dad and Morgan can’t ignore his requests any longer. And Paige,
Emily and Tiff all knew what actually happened back then. Even if that was what led to their
friendship group falling apart, they’re the only people Morgan can think of who might be able help
her find the man who disappeared without a trace before she could tell him she was pregnant.
Can Morgan persuade her old friends to go on a road trip to track him down? As adults – with
marriages, children and a whole bucket-load of their own problems – will they be able to work
together to solve the mystery? And if so – just when forgiveness for the past looks like it might be
possible – how will they cope with the biggest shock of all?
A story about love, families and how the people who know you best are the ones you will always
need in your life. Totally heartbreaking, brilliant, uplifting fiction for fans of Jill Mansell, Paige
Toon and Sheila O’Flanagan.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'When We Were Friends' by Samantha Tonge.
Read and reviewed for Samantha Tonge, Boldwood Books, Book & Tonic, NetGalley and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.
Publication date 4th October 2023.
This is the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last!!
This novel consists of a prologue and 39 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
'When We Were Friends' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Samantha discusses/includes bullying and violence to a child.
This book has fantastic descriptions that set you straight in the scenes. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.
Where the heck have you been hiding all my life Samantha!!! Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolutely beautiful page turner!! An absolute must read!!!
OMG!!! I to get stuck in to all of Samantha's previous books!! They are just guaranteed to be stunning!! I absolutely adored the unique storyline which is hard to come by when it comes to books as there are so many out there but Samantha has created an absolutely beautiful storyline!!!! Many people have had close friends as children that they no longer have has adults for several different reasons. You may have just lost touched, moved away or fallen out. Do you ever think how life would have been different if you were still friends? Do you regret losing touch? This book tells the story of four friends who were humiliated at their school prom by someone who broke their close friendship apart. As adults one of those friends, Morgan, decides to bring the friends back together as adult. When they were school friends they had formed the 'The Secret Gift Society' where they would each use their gifts of logic, kindness, empathy and a sixth sense to solve problems and mysteries of their fellow students. Morgan reaches out to Tiff, Paige and Emily to ask for their help in solving one last mystery 'The Case Of The Missing Father'. However, it wasn't just as children these friends kept secrets from each other but they are still hiding things. Can these friends put their past behind them to help Morgan or will history repeat itself? An absolutely stunning book that takes you from Manchester to France to Cornwall on more and take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. This is a story filled with friendship, secrets, forgiveness and a few unexpected twists!!! I was completely invested in this book from the very first page and was hooked throughout. I just could not put it down and ended up devouring it in one sitting!! Samantha's stunning evocative writing skills really do bring the locations, emotions and the characters to life!! This is one of those books that is very easy to read and perfect for any reading situations whether you are laying on a beach or curled up in front of a fire. It is an absolutely ideal read for anyone who is looking for a beautiful and heart warming read that will have you hooked from beginning to end. I absolutely LOVED the realism of this storyline which made it so easy to picture everything that was going on which had been helped by Samantha's fantastic evocative writing skills. I cannot wait to get hooked into more of her books so I hope she is busy writing her one while I get stuck into her previous books!! This is definitely one of those books that will turn a frown upside down and make life seem a lot brighter. Grab your copy today and fall in love with The Secret Gift Society today!!!
Well done Samantha on an absolutely beautiful book!!! This may be the first book I have read by her but I cannot wait to get hold of more books by this extremely talented author!!!
The characters were all an eclectic mix and each one of them were realistic and strong. I was completely invested in them all. It also makes them more realistic, believable and made me feel even more for them than I normally would. They each had their own unique personalities with positive and negative behaviours. Morgan is a single mum who has devoted her life to her teenage son Olly. She works in a supermarket and has put her dreams of going to university on the back burner so her son can go. She was the logic of the gang. Emily used to work as a nurse but is currently on sick leave and is seperated from her husband. Emily brought kindness to the group. Tiff used to get bullied for being on the larger side but is now a well known actress and brought empathy to the society. Paige owns her own business helping companies make money through learning others body language and signals. She is married to Felix and had a 'sixth sense'. I absolutely loved all of these women and each brought out many different emotions as I was learning more about them but one thing they had in common is that they are all strong women, they just don't all know it yet. I loved learning about them as individuals as well as seeing their interactions with each other and seeing their friendships and relationships change and develop throughout.
There were just so many amazing characters that I loved getting to know that I could write about them all day but I don't want to bore you so I'll start to wrap it up here. Each of the characters are memorable and unique in their own ways and they are a group that I wont be forgetting any time soon! Before wrapping this up though I do want to mention 'Madam Moo Moo' who I absolutely loved and she just goes to show how much of an impact a kind adult can have on a child and I also want to say that this book just goes to show that you should never take someone for granted or judge them until you know everything about them and what they are going through!! A thought provoking and amazing group of unforgettable characters!!!
Pick up this book and get lost in this absolutely gorgeous page turner! This has got to be one of the most heartwarming books I have ever read 💜!!!
Congratulations Samantha on an absolutely stunning read that I just could not put down!!! I am absolutely mind blown that I have never read any of your absolutely gorgeous books yet!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! Welcome to my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Samantha's 'The Memory Of You' which promises to be just as gorgeous as this book. It is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!
Overall an unputdownable, gorgeous, STUNNING page turning book filled with holidays, regrets, memories, forgiveness, friendship and so much more!! A perfectly relaxing, thought provoking and stunning unique read!!!!
317 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback at time of review via Amazon 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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Author Bio
Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of fifteen romantic fiction titles
published by HQ, and most recently Aria. Her first book for Boldwood, Under One Roof, will be
published in February 2022 and marks a broadening of her writing into multi-generational woman’s
fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SamanthaTongeNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-tonge
Purchase Link
