Today it gives me great pleasure to join the blog tour for The Gift Of Friends. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and publishers, Headline, for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

From the Number One bestselling author Emma Hannigan comes The Gift of Friends, a magical story of love, friendship and hope.

Kingfisher Road – a leafy, peaceful street in the town of Vayhill. But there are whispers behind closed doors. Who is moving into Number 10?

Engaged to handsome, wealthy Justin Johnston, Danielle appears to her new neighbours to have the perfect, glossy life. But not everything is as it seems…

In fact, each of the other four women who live close by has a secret, and each is nursing their own private heartache.

But could a gift be waiting on their doorsteps? And, by opening their front doors, and their hearts, to each other, could the women of Kingfishers Road discover all the help they need?

This thirteenth and final novel from the beloved and inspiring Emma Hannigan is a life-affirming, uplifting story that celebrates the strength and joys of female friendship.

Review:

I was absolutely honoured to be given a place on this tour, partly because The Gift Of Friends is the author’s final novel so it’s a privilege to read it (Emma Hannigan sadly passed away earlier this year) and partly because Emma Hannigan is so popular and I’m thrilled to be joining such brilliant bloggers. However, The Gift Of Friends is actually the only Emma Hannigan book I have read. This will change in future, as I found her writing style so easy to engage with and I loved every minute of this wonderful novel.

The Gift Of Friends is a highly character driven novel which focuses on five women who all live on Kingfisher Road. Because there are so many characters, especially if you include their partners and families, it took me a little while to figure out who was who, but once I did, I was totally captivated by their stories and willed them to find happiness. They are incredibly deep and well drawn and I loved getting to know them. I was in awe of their friendship and the value they placed on it was immediately clear.

The cover image for The Gift Of Friends might suggest a flowery plot, but this could not be further from the truth. Emma Hannigan explores some quite gritty issues including domestic violence, adoption and disability. It is interesting to read about these issues and learn how they affect each character, and I was surprised by the emotional journey on which this book took me.

The Gift Of Friends is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: