Forgive Me

Firstly I'd like to thank ED Public Relations for sending me this book to read and give an honest review. The blurb sounded mysterious and intriguing so this was a book that I couldn't wait to start.

Wow, what a powerful prologue - I have never cried so early on in a book or had that feeling of dread in my stomach without even knowing anything about the person in question, it was a hard-hitting start to an utterly compelling book!

When Eva made the devastating discovery I felt so sad for her, the author had described it all so well and I found it incredibly easy to picture the tragic scene. Eva's father was very cold and detached where she was concerned and this sent all sorts of questions racing through my mind. The main question hanging over everything at this point was `why?' and I was looking forward to joining Eva on her hunt for the truth.

Eva was a lovely character, she was mature for her age and with all the things she went through she had to grow up even more. Hurtful revelations after her mother's death were the first turning point for her and I hoped that she would grasp the opportunity with both hands. She began to see the world in a different light and questioned many things that she hadn't given much thought to before, I'd like to say that she wouldn't face any more difficult times after this but I'm afraid that it was just the beginning.

I felt a nervous anticipation when Eva went to London to see the studio for the first time, I wasn't sure if she was going to be strong enough to deal with it all. She took many knocks along the way and understandably there were times when she felt completely alone in the world, she really did seem to hit rock bottom and I felt desperately sad for her - I wanted to reach into the book and give her a hug. As she began building herself back up I was hooked, every little achievement made me smile and I felt like a proud mum as she dealt with any setbacks that came her way.

Phil played an important part in helping Eva to find her feet (he was so adorable, kind and caring), he supported her as she tried to piece together the puzzle of her mother's life while simultaneously trying to create a life for herself.

There was a particular moment in the book when it suddenly became clear what the big secret was and it actually gave me chills! It also made me think back to what had already happened and look at everything differently, it definitely changed the direction of the book for me.

The subject of depression came up repeatedly throughout the book and as someone who has had personal experience of this illness I felt that it was written well - it was handled with care and accuracy in my opinion.

Something that I really loved about this book was how involved it made me feel, the writing drew me in and I felt like I was part of the story. Not knowing what was around the corner certainly kept me on my toes, the shocks and surprises just kept on coming and a final twist towards the end simply floored me - I couldn't believe it!

The whole book completely captivated me - it made me cry, laugh, smile and frown. The message that I took from it was all about finding strength and courage when things get you down and this made me feel really empowered.