Blog Tour: Ember by Catherine Yardley

Released: 23/03/2022

Publisher: Pegasus

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Buy link: Click here for amazon link

Blurb:

A family torn apart by their father's infidelity are forced to confront the past thirty years later. As Natalie's younger sister, Amanda, prepares for marriage and impending motherhood, her plea for the family to reunite uncovers pent-up tension and animosity. Can they forget the past and become a family again?

Natalie's life begins to unravel as their father starts to creep back into their lives and family tensions resurface, affecting her relationship with her boyfriend, Rob. Will the couple find their way back to each other, and can a family that has been torn apart ever heal their wounds?

Can you ever walk away from someone you love, or do some fires never die out?

My Thoughts:

I think I was initially intrigued by the cover for this novel - so simple, but so eye catching. I love the colour yellow, and the artwork with this one, paired with the curiosity of a debut, and I was sold.

I'll admit that when I began reading, it took me a little while to get into the story. I'm not sure why, perhaps due to the 'stiff upper lip' edge to the dialogue. However, as I got further in I realised that that was necessary to convey the characters and understand the family dynamics at play.

Natalie and Rob are the core characters here, but the members of her family are so closely written that you share emotions with Natalie as she figures things out. It's hard to comment on family dramas, as they can be sensitive in terms of the theme and this one was no different - there are elements of addiction and loss that are keenly felt and discussed across the pages, but the author is able to bring the whole thing together so well as we reach the end of the plot.

I won't say more about the plot, but I will say that if you enjoy multiple points of view within a novel (one of my favourite things) then give this a try - it's a good book to lose yourself in on holiday with a good mixture of romance and heavier topics.

Thanks so much to Rachel's Random Resources and the Pegasus for sending me a copy for review, I look forward to seeing what else the author has in store for us.