I am delighted to be taking my turn on the blog tour today for the new book by one of my favourite Irish authors, Remember, I Love You by Claudia Carroll. My thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the tour and to the publisher for my digital copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly and impartially.
Recently-widowed father of one Luke is desperate for a sign.
Since his beloved wife Helen passed, Luke and six-year-old Amy are just about keeping the show on the road, but he’d do anything to have Helen near him again.
Connie’s much-missed mum was everything to her daughter. A friend, a cheer-leader, a comfort, and the best housemate Connie ever had. What she wouldn’t give to speak to her one more time…
Teenage twins Alex and Lucy both miss their dad desperately but neither have the words to put it right.
In the heart of Dublin, a quiet community is forming, drawn together by the loved ones they have lost, but kept together by friendship and laughter. As Luke, Connie, Alex, Lucy and the other patrons of the Leesom Street Café learn to smile again, none of them are quite ready for meeting the person who may be able to make all their dreams come true.
Because if you love and listen hard enough, goodbye might not be the end.
No one expects a book where the central theme is death and loss and grief to be warm and funny and not at all depressing, but that is exactly what you will get when you pick up Remember, I Love You by Claudia Carroll. If you ever wanted a book to remind you that life goes on, this is the one for you.
The story follows a group of people in Dublin who are all dealing with the loss of someone close to them, whether it be a parent, spouse, fiancé or something else. Anyone who has lost someone important to them knows what a struggle grief is, how lost and alone it can make you, how desperate to cling on to anything to stop you from drowning in the pain. This is where the Bereavement Cafe comes in. It is a place where people can gather and talk about their grief with people who understand, and it becomes a lifeline for this disparate group who are trying to make sense of their lives after loss.
But then famous author, Lucasta Liversidge, arrives in their mist, and there is a possibility that she might have the power to bring them messages from their departed loved ones. But is this a hope that any of these lost souls should cling on to? Does she really have the power to change their lives for the better in their darkest hour?
This is a book about holding on and letting go, about remembering the people we have loved and lost, but living life to the fullest in the aftermath of grief, about forging new relationships whilst honouring the ones we had. It may seem impossible in the moment, but with love and support it can be done, and anyone who has been in this situation will be able to relate. This story is so honest and will really resonate with anyone who has been in this situation.
All of the characters in this book feel like real people to the reader and my heart broke for all of them. Luke, trying to hold his life together for his daughter when his wife is gone, Connie, whose whole life is collapsing with the death of her mother, and the twins who don’t seem to have been brought together by their shared grief. It is all so sad and, yet, this book contains so much hope when people come together to support and care for each other. That’s the uplifting message to take away from the story.
The author writes with such tenderness and understanding of people and of grief, but also manages to insert a thread of humour throughout that stops the book sinking too far into the maudlin which keeps this book in the vein of a light read, which is unusual and fresh when dealing with this subject. I felt like it hit the perfect tone and, as someone who has dealt with a terrible grief, the book left me feeling uplifted and upbeat, which was wonderful.
Don’t shy away from this book because of its subject matter, it is a fantastic read.
Remember, I Love You is published today in all formats and you can buy a copy here.
Please do visit some of the other blogs taking part in the tour as detailed below:
About the Author
Claudia Carroll is a Dublin-based bestselling author, actor and broadcaster. Her contemporary romances were most recently published by Zaffre, but she is now turning her hand to multi-generational women’s fiction for Boldwood.
Connect with Claudia:
Twitter: @carrollclaudia
Instagram: @claudiacarrollbooks
