Everyone has an author whose books they always look forward to and for me Amanda Prowse is one of them. Having been reading Amanda’s novels for several years, I’ve never read a book of hers that I haven’t enjoyed and so I was very excited to receive a copy of her latest release, The Art of Hiding. As I hoped would be the case, I knew from the very first pages that I wasn’t going to be disappointed - it was a fabulous book and there was just so much to love about it.
Within this particular book we meet Nina McCarrick who seems to have both a perfect life and perfect family with her successful husband, Finn, and their sons Connor and Declan who are both enrolled at a posh school. She couldn’t imagine life being any different until she receives a call that changes everything - there has been a terrible car accident and Finn has died. As Nina starts to come to terms with life without Finn, it quickly becomes apparent that things were not as perfect as they appeared. Finn has left behind a mountain of debt leaving Nina with no choice but to take her boys and return to her hometown where she turns to her estranged sister Tiggy for help.
One thing that Amanda seems to excel at is taking a seemingly normal family before turning their world upside down by revealing hidden truths and then fixing things again. In the process characters are created who you can’t help but feel connected to and whose stories you can’t help but feel invested in. This was certainly the case with Nina who seemed incredibly believable and real, someone who demonstrated a huge amount of strength and determination. Nina’s story is one that really highlights what’s important in life, what matters and what really doesn’t.
Throughout the entirety of The Art of Hiding, Amanda’s signature writing style that I have grown to love so much over the years really shone through. She has once again taken several challenging themes within this book and dealt with them in an expert manner - so beautifully and sensitively. Through her writing, Amanda really shows how it is absolutely possible to overcome any situation that life throws at you in order to find happiness and peace once again.
An emotional but ultimately uplifting and inspiring story, The Art of Hiding is yet another of Amanda’s books that will stay with me for a long time yet to come. Every time I think Amanda’s writing can’t get any better, she publishes something that proves it absolutely can. I adored the Art of Hiding and am thoroughly looking forward to seeing what Amanda writes next.
