The Year that Changed Everything [review]

The Year That Changed Everything - Cathy Kelly

Title: The Year that Changed Everything
Author: Cathy Kelly
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

[Synopsis]

Three women celebrate their birthdays . . . 30. 40. 50. But their milestone birthdays marks the start of a year that will change everything . . .
Ginger isn’t spending her 30th the way she would have planned. Tonight might be the first night of the rest of her life – or a total disaster.
Sam is finally pregnant after years of trying. When her waters break on the morning of her 40th birthday, she panics: forget labour, how is she going to be a mother?
Callie is celebrating her 50th at a big party in her Dublin home. Then a knock at the door mid-party turns her perfect life upside down . . .
Full of warmth and wisdom, this is a story about finding happiness on your own terms from international bestseller Cathy Kelly.

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[My Review]

The Year that Changed Everything is a feel-good novel about three women, all with the same birthdays but each 10 years apart, and each with their own problems. It addresses various themes, including (and I don’t feel that including these ruins the plot as you know or can easily see what’s coming with these themes pretty early on): body image & positivity, post-natal depression, betrayal, family life and much more, all wrapped up in this positive, warm read.
The characters are all convincing and enjoyable to read about, and I liked seeing their progression throughout the book. Some elements are quite predictable/ a tiny bit cheesy, but really you expect a little of that with this kind of read (or I think so anyway), and Cathy Kelly still manages to get the balance just right, between being a heart-warming story and not being too cloying in its message. Her novels often get it just right, to be honest – you know you’re going to get a great story with Cathy’s work, and this is another example. It’s a celebration of female resilience and friendship, which in my eyes is always a winner.
The Year that Changed Everything is  definitely well-written escapism – perfect for a lazy weekend read when you want something feel-good and warming, but with added feeling!
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.


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