Alex Fox knows there are lots of things she should be.
She should be the perfect wife to her chronically ill husband Sam, and the perfect motherto their two daughters. She should be excelling in her high-stress job. And she should be completing the demanding to-do lists she makes to keep herself on track.
Even if, just sometimes, she doesn't have time to breathe.
When Sam's condition worsens and Alex donates a kidney to save his life, her carefully scheduled existence starts to unravel - eventually forcing her to face up to a past that she has buried for years.
As the family she has fought so hard for threatens to fall apart, can Alex finally confront the mistakes that have shaped her - and rediscover what is most important in life?
Review: this book was such a surprise in that I was expecting a book about a husband and wife and their love and their health but what I got was a book with a strong feminist message and a book which highlights the devastating effects of bullying on both children and adults-so unique!
Firstly, I love the way this book is structured. We have a dual narrative between Mum Alex and daughter Izzy. I really love when we have a child narrator even as part of the story because we get such honesty and such innocence when we have a child narrator, it brings a whole other level to the book. I also loved the fact that Alex's sections had the to-do list at the start of them just like on the back of the book so we get to see what state of mind she is even before we start reading her chapters.
As I've mentioned, we have very different leading characters in this novel. As well as Alex, we have Sam, her husband to whom she gives the kidney. Sam is great and definitely provides the lighter moments of the book, but he's a little naive too because he doesn't always realise what is going on with his wife and children. Izzy is a great character but is such a worrier, she is playing out some of the worries her mum has now and also some of those she had as a child. Jenna is the older daughter of the family and she is also worried about her parents but at the same time as being worried about school, how she looks and sex.
Alex is a great main character because she has all the worries that we often have as women on a day to day basis but also she has some skeletons from her past that have made her the way she is. We get to find out about those in due course but they have definitely had an impact on the way she lives her life. I also love the fact that Alex notices the discrimination she faces as a women in the workplace but also as a women in the home. She feels like she has to be strong to show her daughters how to be strong but also because she has a husband who has been so sick for so long. I could both sympathise and empathise with her as a character and I loved spending time with her.
Yes I cried at multiple points in this novel because there are obviously sad and worrying times for this family. But I also cheered at the way Alex and co challenge some of the discrimination that women face. I also loved the fact that even ten year old Izzy was already stomping all over those gender stereotypes and the whole thing just felt very empowering. I was drawn into the story and raced through it in just two sittings. I would definitely recommend adding this one to your TBR!
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