A heart-rending novel about a father’s love for his daughter

I truly enjoyed this book which gave me an interesting perspective on death and the next life. Will has a big decision to make. Does he crossover to paradise or stay behind as a spirit and be there or his child.

I truly enjoyed this book which gave me an interesting perspective on death and the next life. Will has a big decision to make. Does he crossover to paradise or stay behind as a spirit and be there or his child.

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Both the cover and the description of this novel intrigued me and prompted me to request to read it through NetGalley.

The first thing I'll say is that blurb does not indicate what happens in the very first two pages - Will's death. When I started reading this book, I was shocked and revisited the blurb to see if I had missed something big, but the blurb does not indicate that this is a bit of a "ghost" or "spirit" story.

That being said, although that's not really my type of book, I enjoyed this one. I liked the humor of it, and Will's constant shock and struggles with his newfound existence were at times really amusing. He also meets a lot of people who help guide him through this purgatory he's found himself in.

What I wasn't prepared for is how brutal this book gets at times. As Will works through his feelings and tries to connect with his daughter from his new plane of existence, he watches life unfold around him. He sees his family grieve and the ways in which that grief starts slowly tearing them apart. Throughout this tragedy, more befalls the family, and the novel got pretty intense at times. There were moments when I felt myself near to tears for these poor people.

I did enjoy getting a chance to read about a father and daughter having a positive, lasting relationship. I haven't come across a lot of novels that cover that quite as well as this one did. I also really liked the supporting characters; Will's family steps in to take care of Ella, and they all play an important part in the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although the blurb was a bit misleading, I'm glad I picked it up. I would definitely recommend this heartfelt read.

HarperCollins UK, Avon and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Will Curtis made a promise to his daughter Ella that he would never leave her. When an accident changes everything, Will has to think of a way to keep his connection with his daughter. His spirit guide keeps reminding him that the clock is ticking, but will not divulge anything that will help Will on his quest to make contact with the living world. As time winds down, Will has an impossible choice to make, one that just might impact Ella's future.

For what should have been a heart wrenching story, I found Time to Say Goodbye to be wholly emotionless. The connection to the characters just is not there and there is too much that is vague or unexplained. The shadowy, foreboding presence hangs there for most of the book, but not enough is said to anchor it to the plot. The side plot regarding Will's father takes too much of the focus away from the main story and I did not feel it was necessary to the story as a whole. Although the ending was a little unexpected, it was not enough to elevate this book for me.

'Time to Say Goodbye' tells the story of single father Will who would do anything to keep his six-year-old daughter Ella safe. After the death of his wife shortly after she gave birth to Ella, Will has tried to do everything on his own, promising Ella he will always be there for her, no matter what. But this soon turns out to be a promise Will can't possibly keep as he is hit by a car while on his way to pick up Ella from school; an accident Will doesn't survive. Will soon discovers he is now a spirit; he can't be seen by Ella or any other family members and the spirit realm expects him to pass over as soon as possible. But Will can't break his promise to be there for Ella that easily, so he's not quite ready yet to end his time on earth.

This was definitely an emotional read that made me tear up more than once! The plotline of the book reminded me at first of Hannah Beckermann's 'The Dead Wife's Handbook', which I read some time ago, but author S.D. Robertson certainly managed to give the storyline its own touch with twists I did not see coming. It was interesting to, for a change, read a book that's told from a male perspective; I immediately liked Will and his love for his daughter Ella was just heart-warming. I do not want to give too much away about the story, but it was fascinating, held my attention throughout, and quite surprising at times as well.

The author's writing style was well-paced and really easy to fall into. There was something going on at all times and I didn't get bored by the story. There aren't too many characters in the novel, but the ones that are there, mainly Will and his family (particularly his cute daughter Ella, Will's parents and his sister), formed an interesting bunch. The relationship between a father and daughter is at the heart of this novel and it is quite simply a beautiful story. 'Time to Say Goodbye' is an engaging, heartfelt and stunning read; a book that deals with quite a heavy and emotional topic, but in a heart-warming and captivating way.

A very well written story about thoughts many people surely have but don't voice. Lots of "what ifs" are explored and it is very comforting to realise the natural order of things is actually for the best.