Published By: Avon
Pages: 384
Released On: 18/06/2026
In 2006, Beth didn’t expect to get pregnant at seventeen.
Nor did she think she’d lose the name and address of the father of her child. Swept up in romance on her French exchange, all she remembers is that his hair smelt like mangoes.
Now, in 2026, at her school reunion, she opens the time capsule she wrote to herself at that time. A letter that alters everything Beth thought she knew about her past, and provides an all important clue for finding the father of her 19-year-old daughter, Maisie.
Hit hard by the difference between the life she hoped for and the one she’s living, Beth is faced with a choice: chase the adventures she once dreamed of, or embrace the new opportunities life presents?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I have read three of her books I think and I’ve enjoyed them all. She writes books that, at first glance might not feel relatable, but then you get to know the characters and you realise that the story could be your own.
It’s a book with a powerful message behind it, but it’s also fun and enjoyable to read.
I mean, it’s advertised as a “laugh out loud” story. But I can’t say I found it funny at all. That’s not a negative on the book, and if it hadn’t have said it, I wouldn’t have mentioned it, because it’s not something I thought the book needed.
It did take a while to get going. The opening half wasn’t bad, but it was a bit too genteel with not much happening. Which I generally don’t mind. But it started with this strong look at your past and realising you haven’t achieved what you wanted to, but then it continues in that vein for a while, a lot of thinking and talking and very little doing. So I’d have liked it to have picked up a bit earlier.
I like this idea of what you should have achieved by a certain age. When I was a kid, my life plan was: graduate at 21, get my dream job, buy a house at 24, marry at 26, kids by 30. Instead, I am 32, still living with my mum, chronically ill, and unemployed. So life doesn’t always turn out the way you think it’ll be. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s about finding the positives from your dream life in your real life.
I enjoy it, I did, don’t get me wrong. It was fun, exciting, hopeful, and everything I wanted. But it didn’t grab me. So, when I was reading it, I was enjoying it. But when I put it down, I didn’t find myself thinking about it or rushing to get back to it. But I can’t give you a reason why that is. Everything about it – setting, plot, characters, message – I enjoyed, but there was just this excitement level, this spark that was missing.
Books By Your Bedside 