I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for The One Before The One by Emma Cooper today. What can I say, I love Emma’s books! My thanks to Rachel Gilbey for giving me a place on the tour and to the publisher for my digital copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly and impartially.
When Liv’s boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike, seven years earlier, she thought her life was over. But with the help of their family and friends, she’s pushed her way through the grief, and now, miraculously, she’s found a way to love again.
Until the morning of her wedding, when Liv steps through a doorway, and finds herself, somehow, back at the flat she shared with Kit: seven years earlier, six days before he left. Now, Liv has a chance to live those six days over, and change everything. If she gets this right, she can find out why Kit leaves and stop him.
But can she save him? And if she does, how will she choose, between the man she loved then, and the one she loves now?
We’ve been waiting a while for a new book from Emma Cooper but she’s one of those authors who is worth the wait and her new book is no exception. I read it in two days and loved every second.
This book has a great premise. What would you do if you could go back and time and change a moment in the past that might then completely change the future? Liv has to grapple with this dilemma when, on the morning of her wedding, she finds herself whisked back in time to the week before the devastating disappearance of her boyfriend, Kit, an event which crushed Liv and took her years to get over to the happy and forward-looking place she is now. Maybe she has the chance to stop Kit disappearing and save herself all that heartbreak, but what will that mean for her and the man she now loves and is due to marry.
This author is a genius at capturing characters and taking the reader deep into their psyche so that we are living their feelings along with them in vivid technicolour detail. I went through every agonising second of Liv’s angst with her, felt all of her doubts and worries and wasn’t even sure myself what she was going to do before she made the decision in the book. Despite the fact that this book contains the premise that someone can time travel, I fully bought into it without a flicker of hesitation, some authors fail to sell me their story even when there isn’t any impossible experiences involved, so this is quite a feat.
The book takes some unexpected turns along the way, and there is some deft sleight of hand that makes the reader believe one thing is happening before pulling the rug from under them suddenly which turns everything on its head. Just when you think you know what is going on, you don’t and the story takes on a new impetus, like being given a sharp shove as you are flying down a slide. Honestly, once you start this book, I defy you to put it down until you have got to the end. A masterful novel, I’ve already bought a paperback copy to add to my library as I know I’ll want to read it again.
The One Before The One is to now and you can buy a copy here.
And please do follow the rest of the tour as detailed below:
About the Author
Emma Cooper is the author of highly acclaimed book club fiction, including The Songs of Us, which was shortlisted for the RNA Contemporary Novel Award. Previously published by Headline PG, Emma will publish emotional book club novels with Boldwood.
Connect with Emma:
Facebook: Emma Cooper Author
Twitter: @ItsEmmaCooper
Instagram: @itsemmacooper
