The Best Days of Our Lives: the big-hearted and uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of Anything Could Happen

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In spite of the sadness surrounding the family there is still lots of good humour in the book. I especially liked Tony, I thought his character was funny. He made mistakes in the past, but as he begins to realise he didn’t quite live up to being a particularly good dad, he is determined to make amends now that he’s lost one daughter. Lenis sudden tragic death has shook her whole family. Her sister Alice, mum Belinda, dad Tony and younger brother Will all experience their loss differently and they also deal with it in their own individual way. There are a few little mysteries along the way which do add to the story - Leni's story particularly, but I feel its these mysteries that help give closure to a devastating tragedy. Digital Reads A Curse For True Love : the thrilling final book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series

Given the nature of this book it may be triggering for some, there is loss of a sibling and the loss of an adult child. There are also issues relating to infertility and complications in pregnancy. Whilst these are very heavy issues Diamond handles them with the upmost care and respect.Set over the course of one life-changing year, The Best Days of Our Lives is a warm, big-hearted and poignant story, full of hope, heartache and love. Belinda Lenis mum is having a hard time dealing with the death of her daughter. She is in touch with a clairvoyant who she believes she is convening with Leni through. She is also thinking of selling the family home and setting up a b&b with her new boyfriend.

Tender, bittersweet and funny, Lucy Diamond is brilliant about love in all its guises’ Veronica Henry Lucy Diamond writes with such warmth and her compassionate characters really shine in this story - Gen was a particular favourite of mine. Where I’m most conflicted though, is in regards to the character of Leni. We know that she dies early doors (no spoiler - it’s right there in the synopsis), but there’s not real transformation from her being there to not. And part of me would like more depth to her character and more of her story, rather than the drip feeding we get. On the other hand, the main crux of the story lies on her sister, Alice, trying to uncover the last weeks of Leni’s life, and by keeping us in the dark too, it puts us on the same journey, so I can understand why it’s written like that, but it doesn’t stop me wanting more. I absolutely loved the author's writing - her words are fluid and poetic, which makes the story engaging and deeply passionate. As for character depth and development, hands down to Lucy Diamond! She's just great.Leni drives the narrative, making her relationships with the other characters shape them and bring them to vibrant life. I loved meeting them all because they are messy, flawed and human. Grab your napkins and brace yourself for a very emotional, heartbreaking, bumpy road ahead! 'The best day of our lives' is a beautiful story about love (in so many ways), grief, strength and overcoming your pain to build something amazing out of it... I love books by Lucy Diamond and this one was just as good as the others I’ve read, with lots of characters to keep you interested. Hive Store Ltd 2020. (hive.co.uk) is registered in England. Company number: 07300106. VAT number: 444950437. I know Tony the father is to be seen as the bad guy but he really isn’t. He has improved the most throughout.

I found this book so uplifting. Having lost a son nearly five years ago, I found it so comforting to travel on this family’s healing journey. It is definitely full on with the emotions, and potentially a bit too much. If they’re sad, they’re distraught, if they’re a bit lost then they’re mad. Everything is dialled up to such an extreme that it doesn’t always feel in keeping with the characters. However, her description of grief is perfect. I’ve experienced grief in a number of ways and it can present in the most bizarre of situations and the strangest of times, but she’s definitely hit the mark with that. She doesn’t sugar coat the grief but she is equally very sensitive about it. Through the novel we follow the four people closest to Leni, her mum Belinda, father Tony and sister and brother Alice and Will. Each is dealing with their grief in very different ways throughout the story. The way Diamond weaves each characters stories throughout works so well. Never do you feel lost or confused by what is happening. This is a story about grief, love and healing and as such the journey the family goes on is very special and yet also difficult. Diamond’s analogies of the butterfly having to fight it’s way out if it’s chrysalis and the way a river will learn to flow around a pebble we’re absolutely beautiful ways to explore how we might move forward after tragedy.

Reminding us how to fly

The different family dynamics in the book were also really well captured. The patchwork family was interesting and I enjoyed following on their journey to accepting not only the fact that one of them is dead, but accepting themselves, just like they are. This book will stay with me for a long time ,(so much so I won’t start reading another book for a while ) it touched my heart and made me realise that everyone has their own experiences and moving on is entirely individual.

Somehow, this is the first of Lucy Diamond’s books I’ve read. I know of her and I’ve seen her books and often been interest in them, but for reasons unknown to me, I have never actually read one. But I was very eager to read this one. This was a beautiful story that contained so much heart and lightness amongst its tragedy, such is the skill and warmth of Diamond’s writing. Its characters were written with depth and real humanity and as such their grief was raw and palpable and yet this is a novel that still manages to leave you uplifted by the end. The story is essentially about the grief her family feels when Leni dies following a bicycle accident. Lucy Diamond explores how guilt, despair, loneliness, isolation, anger and vulnerability reverberate through those left behind. Humour, love, excitement and joy

Humour, love, excitement and joy

This book was very sad as ultimately it follows a family in the months after losing a daughter/sister, but it was uplifting and inspiring too. It did have sprinkles of humour (thanks Hamish!!) throughout, and ultimately it portrayed real life for many families. And she admits: “I found myself in tears when writing parts of the book. But I didn’t want it to be miserable. I wanted it to be uplifting. Life is tough with difficult challenges but ultimately it shows there are good people and good times ahead.”