The characters weren’t deep or layered. What you see is what you get. This actually helped the plot from being overcomplicated or intense. I prefer books with contained emotions, so this worked for me. (The emotional quotient will vary for each reader). Full of empathy and charm, the characters face real life, broken relationships, and emotions of happiness, sadness, tragedy, and betrayal —infused with love, friendship, and community. Also, becoming wiser on the other side and second chances. Tress, love,' she blurted. 'I just need a word with the wee one.' She leaned forward so that she was speaking to Tress's bump. 'Son, I know you're probably comfy in there, floating about without a care in the world, but if I could ask a wee favour. Could you hurry up and get ready to slide down that shute the second yer daddy gets here, because Aunty Nancy has a party to go to.' The story is narrated by the various characters, Tress, Max, Noah, and Nancy, from their POV, which I loved. While there is a host of characters, their stories bleed together. You feel for some of the characters, dislike others, and yell at some of them. Tress and Noah go through heartbreaking events, while Nancy and Val keeps a lightheartedness in the story. The characters were well developed, with depth, some banter, full of emotion, and just creatively done. The author’s writing style was complex, beautiful, funny, deeply emotional, and kept me engaged. This is one of the most emotional books I have read in a long time. I felt so terribly sad for the kindhearted Tress, who is about to give birth to her long awaited baby. And poor Noah, trying to stay strong for everyone but especially Tress while she is in labour and being an honest friend after the baby is born. I felt so much anger towards Max and Anya and their selfishness that destroyed lives. The Nancy storyline was fresh and funny. I was literally laughing out loud at her antics with Val. It was also nice to read about a late in life romance. I loved how this story has wonderfully fleshed out characters and how they acted like real people and the conclusion was very true to life as well. If you enjoy books that evoke many emotions, have lots of drama, and a bit of romance this is the book for you. All. The. Stars.

Shari Low (Author of One Day With You) - Goodreads

Told over the course of 24 hours, 2 couples have their lives radically changed. As summed up on Goodreads "One Day with You - two fateful goodbyes, two unexpected hellos, and 24 hours that change everything." I can't say it any better than that. To summarize, One Day With You is a heartwarming read that handles multiple themes with a deft touch. I look forward to reading more by the author. My only tiny gripe would be the way that one character’s evolution comes to fruition, in a way that I felt might have been too abrupt. I wanted to see more from the potential fall out with relationships–to see where things would go, to see how this character would deal with things going forward, but I didn’t get to see that. Despite it, though, One Day With You was an amazing and thought-provoking experience, with a lens inside of the human condition. It was a definite five-star experience! All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate.I really loved Nancy. I think she’s my favorite character. She has become an honorary aunt for Tress, who doesn’t have much family to call on for help, and she has known both Max and Noah their entire lives, having been neighbors for decades. While the world seems to be imploding all around the other characters, it seems Nancy becomes the calm for everyone, balancing everything out. I also enjoyed the plotline where Eddie is concerned. Although Nancy doesn’t regret the relationship and marriage she’d had with her recently deceased husband, there had been points in her life where she had questioned what life would have been like, had she chosen Eddie instead. The combination of nocturnal predisposition and bills altered her course, and she opted instead for a career in hotel and nightclub management in Scotland, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Nancy is excited to meet her first crush Eddie at the school reunion. At 66, she wonders if life is giving her a second chance. However, Tress’s request for help cannot be ignored. She loves Tress too much to say no. Noah, Tress and Nancy were such amazing characters and how they all interacted and were intertwined were so well written I felt like I knew them all. At the same time, Max's best friend Noah Clark said goodbye to his wife, Anya, blissfully oblivious that he would soon discover the woman he adored had been lying to him for years.

One Day With You: The BRAND NEW uplifting read of love One Day With You: The BRAND NEW uplifting read of love

The story is told over the space of just one day and it’s difficult to imagine how much actually happens in that 24 hour period, but Shari low manages to capture the highs and lows of life. One Day with You - two fateful goodbyes, two unexpected hellos, and 24 hours that change everything. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.) This was pleasant enough and a good read as you would expect from Shari Low. I guessed pretty early on what was happening, and to be honest there wasn't any attempt to prolong the suspense. My biggest issue is that I've read something very like this before, not totally but just similar. I'm not sure whether its another Shari Low book or someone else - okay I've looked at other Shari Low books I've read and it seems to be a motif of hers to bring together a group of people united by a situation in ways that only become clear later on, I've read One Last Day of Summer and that is probably what I was thinking of, although The Story of Our Secrets has a similar vibe. I love stories that intricately connect characters together, and that’s exactly what I experienced with One Day With You. While I had a pretty good idea of where Max was headed, and I also had a feeling about the secrets Anya (in the book, Noah’s wife is named Anya, not Mya, as the synopsis indicates) is keeping, what happens when it is all revealed is earth-shattering. It leaves the reader with many questions that are answered and revealed little by little over the course of the book, keeping you engaged. I didn’t want to stop reading, in an effort to get to the truth. An emotional wringer of a book, this one will stay with you for quite some time. You’ll love Noah Clark, wish you could have Tess Walker‘s heart and then suddenly you’ll ache for all those innocent people whose lives are forever affected by the careless choice of another.

Publication Order of Hollywood Books

I loved how every chapter was a character's POV. There were times in this book, I found myself thinking "No, no, no, no, no!" and others where I felt various emotions. This book was equal parts gripping, tense and emotional. It's heartbreaking but ends on a hopeful note. Val: Age 66. Nancy's friend since they met at primary school. She is married to Don, the love her life. He now has dementia.