Prickly. Stubborn. Terribly lonely.
But everyone deserves a second chance…
Missy Carmichael’s life has become small.
Grieving for a family she has lost or lost touch with, she’s haunted by the echoes of her footsteps in her empty home; the sound of the radio in the dark; the tick-tick-tick of the watching clock.
Spiky and defensive, Missy knows that her loneliness is all her own fault. She deserves no more than this; not after what she’s done. But a chance encounter in the park with two very different women opens the door to something new.
Another life beckons for Missy, if only she can be brave enough to grasp the opportunity. But seventy-nine is too late for a second chance. Isn’t it?
A dazzling debut for 2020 – are you ready to meet Missy Carmichael?
A Well-Rounded, Complete Tale! 
I don’t think you can fail to be touched by this story; it has something for everyone and is packed with, more than anything, understanding.
Missy Carmichael finds herself living alone in the large family home where only she is left now. Her grown-up children each have their own lives and she finds each day is the same – they all run into each other with nothing to distinguish them. Then a stroll in the park results in tentative friendships which have the potential to change her life . . .
Such a wonderful story! The kind which you just sink into and identify with each character so easily. There are lots of Missy’s around, but rarely do we see behind the outer shell. This novel absorbed me, heart and soul; I have smiled and wiped away a tear more than once whilst reading. I’m always amazed at the intricate details some authors can pluck from their characters, and Beth Morrey has written intimately and tenderly about Missy. A heart-wrenching novel but one which definitely has the feel-good factor too. This is a well-rounded, complete tale – beautifully written, and fully worth 4.5*.
My thanks to publisher Harper Collins for my copy via NetGalley; this is my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: women’s fiction
- Format: ebook, hardback, audio
- Size: 381 pages
- Publisher: Harper Collins
- Publication Date: 6 February 2020
- Links: Goodreads
- Google Play
- Kobo
- W. H. Smith
- Waterstones
- amazon
Author Bio
I’m a TV producer by trade. For a long time I worked at RDF Television, where I helped create The Secret Life of Four Year Olds series on Channel 4 and devised 100 Year Old Drivers for ITV.
I’ve been trying to write a novel since my early 20s, when I wrote a spin-off from Mary Poppins called Sister Suffragette, which was all about Winifred Banks’ adventures when she wasn’t at home singing. It’s probably for the best that it’s still in a drawer somewhere.
Saving Missy is my first full-length novel, and I wrote it on maternity leave, inspired by the people I met while I was walking my dog in the park.
In my spare time I enjoy running, cooking curries, admiring my dog every day and Christmas once a year.
Social Media
Twitter: @BethMorrey
Facebook: @BethMorreyWriter
Grace J Reviewerlady 