The Best Days of Our Lives: the big-hearted and uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of Anything Could Happen

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As for Will, the youngest McKenzie, he's in denial, having hopped onto a plane to Thailand days after the funeral.

We are provided with a satisfactory ending with many explanations given and loose ends tied up which I was glad we weren’t provided with an ambiguous ending. It keeps the reader guessing every bit as much as Alice as she tries to piece together Leni’s last few weeks. Although the novel has moments of sadness it also encompasses hope and the importance of having a strong support network. The story, on the whole, was very character driven and the author did a good job with describing them, yet I still think that Leni was really the weakest link and I'm guessing it shouldn't be like this, I was supposed to like her and because I didn't, well, the whole story was already from the beginning spoiled for me. Diamond’s analogies of the butterfly having to fight it’s way out if it’s chrysalis and the way a river will learn to flow around a pebble we’re absolutely beautiful ways to explore how we might move forward after tragedy.

Meanwhile their dad Tony who has become somewhat alienated from his children since his divorce from their mum Belinda has a new baby on the way, and at his age, well, he wonders if he can start all over again.

The story follows all four family members as they deal with the absence of Leni, a powerful personality. Alice, her sister is angry, she’s lost a friend, and more so they were at odds with each other in the run up to Leni’s death. Then, a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.It’s unsurprising that the parent’s and children’s stories link as they’ve all lost the same person, but there are some secondary characters that pop up here and there that help tie it all together.

Three lives collide in this gripping story about friendship, motherhood and marriage and the façade of perfection people present to the world. Hours spent talking to Leni through a psychic hotline may be bringing Belinda comfort but deep down surely she must know that this is not real at all? A series of mysterious paintings and beautiful embroidered pictures hint at a love story over 60 years old. Last few books by this author didn't gel with me so much, but "The Best Days of Our Lives" turned out to be a poignant yet funny, touching story about a family dealing with the worst - with grief. The only one who annoyed me was Alice, as what Leni was up to in her last days consumed her to the point of obsession and took over her whole life.

I know of her and I’ve seen her books and often been interest in them, but for reasons unknown to me, I have never actually read one.

Leni’s death forces Alice to rebuild things in her own life and I loved the metaphor of the butterfly showing her struggle and the symbolism of the peacock feathers throughout the book. As there were so many characters to get to know I thought things might become quite confusing but it was easy to follow each of their individual storylines and I enjoyed seeing how at some point they were bound to come together. There are a few little mysteries along the way which do add to the story - Leni's story particularly, but I feel its these mysteries that help give closure to a devastating tragedy. The family dynamic between the characters has the potential to be complicated, but the author completely pulls it off.

Each family member (Mum Belinda, Dad Tony, sister Alice and brother Will) deals with the grief of losing Leni in their own way. This is a story about grief, love and healing and as such the journey the family goes on is very special and yet also difficult. UK popular contemporary fiction author Lucy Diamond pens a family drama saga that fans will appreciate.