The past has a habit of tracking us down. And tripping us up.
When Kate was twenty-two, she had an intense and passionate affair with a married man, Callum, which ended in heartbreak. Kate thought she’d never get over it.
Seventeen years later, life has moved on – Kate, now a successful actress, is living in London, married to Matt and mother to little Tallulah. Meanwhile Callum and his wife Belinda are happy together, living in Edinburgh and watching their kids grow up. The past, it would seem, is well and truly behind them all.
But then Kate meets Callum again.
And they are faced with a choice: to walk away from each other . . . or to risk finding out what might have been.
Second chances are a rare gift in life. But that doesn’t mean they should always be taken . . .
Never Greener by Ruth Jones is published by Bantam / Transworld in hardback on 5 April 2018. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
Sometimes a book comes along that totally steals my heart away. I become engrossed in the story, the characters begin to take over my life and when I turn that final page, I find myself feeling bereft that I won't be in their company again. Never Greener is one of those books. It's a big fat book filled with writing that is warm, witty and oh so wise.
This is a story of second chances in life. Ruth Jones expertly details just how unexpected a second chance can be as Kate and Callum meet again; seventeen years after the end of a relationship that almost tore both of them apart.
The reader doesn't know everything about the past but is a first-hand witness of the total turmoil that takes place as Kate and Callum reignite their relationship. This author's characterisation is exquisite.
Kate is an actress at the top of her game; she's married to the wonderful Matt and mother to five-year-old Tallulah. Callum is an older guy, a schoolteacher with three grown children, and obviously in love with his wife Belinda. Kate and Callum's lives couldn't be more different, yet when they meet again, all these years later, that spark is still there and despite any attempts to resist, it seems inevitable that the spark will create flames that could destroy so many lives.
I have to admit that Kate's husband Matt and his old friend Hetty were by far my favourite characters and I hurt when Matt hurt and I wanted to cry when he cried. I loved Hetty for her absolute loyalty to him and was desperately sad when even their relationship when awry for a while.
I couldn't and didn't like Kate, even when the author reveals details of her past, I couldn't bring myself to support her. However, this doesn't mean she's not an excellent character - oh, not at all; she's actually wonderfully wicked, spoiled and totally self-centred and perfectly created.
Ruth Jones' writing is so impressive. She captures the everyday lives of her characters, she injects humour and laughter in with the total devastation and sadness, she keeps it incredibly real and believable.
So, is the grass greener on the other side, well I have to urge everyone to buy this, read it and find out how the grass looked for Kate and Callum. It's an absolute stunner of a read, and I just know that this one is going to find a spot in my best reads of the year list.
Ruth Jones is best known for her outstanding and award-winning television writing - BBC 1's Gavin and Stacey, in which she played the incorrigible Nessa, and Sky 1's Stella, in which she played the titular role.
She has won acclaim for her performances in BBC dramas Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Little Dorritand Hattie, as well as comedies Little Britain, Saxondale and Nighty Night.
Find her Author page on Facebook
Ruth Jones is going on a Book Tour
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