My Husband's Wife - Amanda Prowse

I'm a huge fan of Amanda Prowse so I was over the moon to be asked if I would read and review her latest novel My Husband's Wife.

Rosie Tipcott has it all, a wonderful husband, two gorgeous girls, good friends, a nice house and she's happy with her life. The only thing that's missing is her mother, who left when Rosie was young, but who she regularly talks to on her weekly visits to her favourite bench, high on the Woolacombe cliffs.

But Rosie's idyllic life is thrown into disarray when her husband Phil announces out of the blue that he's not been happy for a while and that he's leaving her for another woman. How could she have been so blind to not see this coming? Rosie does what most other women would do in this situation, she cries, she begs, she pleads and she gets angry but it's all to no avail and Phil leaves.

Rosie tries to be strong for the sake of her girls, Naomi and Leona, asking for extra work at the caravan park where she cleans, talking things through with friends and family and allowing Phil to see the girls but someone is determined to isolate Rosie from her support network and leave her with nothing, not even her beloved girls.

Amanda Prowse has a phenomenal talent for creating characters that are so believable they could be your neighbour, friend, family member or even you the reader and this book is no exception. Rosie is an endearing character and one that I immediately took into my heart. Her journey is full of triumphs and tribulations and I experienced every one with her, from visiting A&E after the hilarious incident with the poo shaped eraser, to the moment she discovers the reasons behind her mothers disappearance all those years ago. I laughed, I cried (again!) and I got angry. I wanted to meet some of these fictional characters and give them a piece of my mind for treating Rosie so atrociously.
 
Marital breakdowns are never normally pretty but Amanda Prowse has once again worked her magic by taking on a difficult subject, giving it her deft touch and writing a book that I'm sure will strike a chord with many of her readers. I only wish that I had read it slower!


In short, My Husband's Wife is another stunning novel from Amanda Prowse, who I am now going to crown the queen of women's fiction and long may she reign!


With kind thanks to Simeon Prowse for the review copy.