Before We Say Goodbye by Louise Candlish

I picked up Before We Say Goodbye by Louise Candlish in our free village bus stop library. It’s usually full of complete rubbish, but I have found a couple of good books there this year – You Are Here and This Must Be The Place. I read Our House by Louise Candlish a few years ago (I also watched the TV series) and quite enjoyed it, so I thought Before We Say Goodbye would be worth a read. Our House is a psychological thriller, so I was expecting the same from Before We Say Goodbye, but it’s actually romantic fiction, albeit on the darker side of romantic fiction.

Published in 2009, it is the story of Olivia, whose mother has just died. Olivia and her brother Dean had a difficult relationship with their mum and Dean is just looking forward to the will and getting his hands on the cash. Days after her mother’s death, Olivia receives an address in the post from her mum – no letter, no explanation, just an address. It is the address of Richie – the one that got away. Olivia and Richie had a brief relationship when she was 16 and she’d always been convinced that her mother had deliberately separated them.

The school summer holidays are looming, but Olivia leaves husband Russell and her sons, aged 12 and 14, to look Richie up. She tells them she needs to clear her head after the funeral and only plans to be away for a night or two. Her boys have always relied more on each other and Russell than her, so she believes they will all be fine.

Once in Dorset, she spends time with Richie and his little girl. She feels happier than she has felt for a long time.

Should she go back or should she stay?

Before We Say Goodbye is an enjoyable read about family, love, grief and mental health. The chapters are mainly in the first person and focusing on Olivia in the present day, but there are some in the first person focusing on her teenage years and some in the third person focusing on Russell. Before We Say Goodbye is far from my favourite read of the year, but that’s because romantic fiction isn’t my preferred genre. If you do like romantic fiction, I would definitely recommend it.