Review: If You Were Here by Alice Peterson

When her daughter Beth dies suddenly, Peggy Andrews is left to pick up the pieces and take care of her granddaughter Flo. But sorting through Beth’s things reveals a secret never told: Beth was sick, with the same genetic condition that claimed her father’s life, and now Peggy must decide whether to keep the secret or risk destroying her granddaughter’s world.

Five years later, Flo is engaged and ready to pack up her life and move to New York with her high-flying fiancé. Peggy never told Flo what she discovered, but with Flo looking towards her future, Peggy realises it’s time to come clean and reveal that her granddaughter’s life might also be at risk.

As Flo struggles to decide her own path, she is faced with the same life-altering questions her mother asked herself years before: If a test could decide your future, would you take it?

An emotional, inspiring and uplifting novel about living life to the fullest...

Review: Well this book sucked me right in and then spat me out again just a bundle of emotions. When they say that a book give you all the feels, this must be the book they're talking about because it is emotional and joyful and heart wrenching all at the same time. 

I love the fact that this novel is told from 2 different generations. We have the grandmother and the granddaughter and whilst they are of course strongly connected through Beth, Peggy's daughter and Flo's mother, they lead very different lives. They do have a certain amount of fear in common through. It was wonderful to hear both their sides of the story and also to watch both of them grow in different ways over the course of the book. 

There are diary entries from Beth built into the storyline. I loved reading these as they really did move the story forwards and also provide some tension and some key cliffhangers as the novel progressed. Beth gives us clues as to what is currently going on in both Flo's and Peggy's lives and it was wonderful. I love any story that includes diary entries. 

I really enjoyed the setting of this book as well because I am very familiar with that part of London and could imagine the characters going about their lives there. An Honourable mention goes to the secondary characters in this book also. I loved getting to know James, Maddie and Ricky. They really grounded our main characters and I loved their own back stories and families just as much as Peggy and Flo's. 

I really recommend this book. I didn't actually end up shedding tears over this one although it was intense but it was wholly uplifting and encouraged me to live life to the fullest that's for sure!

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