Although they were dealing with their own crises and challenges, there was hope, a building anticipation of their budding romance for the second time and the promise of a future together. But when he realises that the key to saving his marriage lies in the hands of the mean-spirited ghost of his least favourite ex-girlfriend, Joe knows he's in real trouble. When Helen's two teenage children go on holiday with her estranged husband and his girlfriend, she expects to be alone for a week other than a planned brunch with friends. At forty-five, Helen Morley sees herself as “A washed-up, middle-aged, part-time primary school teacher, with a broken marriage and her best years behind her. But it's because of the end that I almost knocked this down to a 3 star review, and probably it's a 3 1/2.

Mike Gayle books and biography | Waterstones Mike Gayle books and biography | Waterstones

Apart from knowing less than nothing about music trivia, football, and the vital statistics of supermodels, Rob’s new friend has one huge flaw…She’s a girl. Gayle has a knack for creating unique but relatable characters, and I was so rooting for these two to rekindle the passion. Since then he has written eighteen novels, including The Man I Think I Know, selected as a World Book Night title, and Half A World Away, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club.Appalled by this lack of maturity, Mike draws up a To-Do list containing every single item he’s been meaning to do but just keeps putting off. The ending was also a letdown as it meanders into unnecessary unrealistic threads and failed to salvage what little was left. Thanks to hodderbooks I was also given a copy of the delightful The Museum of Ordinary People which I’ll be passing on to a friend soon! Mike became a full-time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by the Independent as ‘full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations’, and by The Times as ‘a funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic’.

A Song of Me and You | Mike Gayle | 9781529344813 | NetGalley A Song of Me and You | Mike Gayle | 9781529344813 | NetGalley

With a Porsche on the drive and a job that requires him to spend more time in BA's club lounge than his own lounge, it looks like things are going in the right direction.

Life isn’t a simple linear path and Helen, Ben and Adam epitomise modern relationships, family ties and difficulties, and the pressures of simply living, in a sensitive and heartfelt story that gets under the reader’s skin and affects them profoundly. There are lovely, tender moments and such real examples of our inability to be truly honest even with those we care about the most because of a lack of confidence. Despite the example of their own parents' enduring marriage, the three Bachelor brothers show no signs of settling down. So when she opens her front door to Ben Baptiste, eight-times Emmy Award winner and lead singer of the award-winning band Bluelight, she’s stunned.

A Song of Me and You by Mike Gayle | Goodreads

To mark the silver anniversary of My Legendary Girlfriend, Hodder will also be publishing a new paperback edition in September, and the author’s most recent novel, The Museum of Ordinary People, will be released in paperback on 16th March 2023 and will be backed by a major marketing campaign. Mike’s novels always break my heart, but then he cleverly fits the pieces back together again with his memorable characters. Except that her not-quite-ex-husband, Adam delivers Esme and Frankie back to their mother after an unpleasant altercation with his new squeeze.

Gayle said: “Over the years I’ve made it my mission to create characters that even the most cynical of readers have no choice but to root for, but with Ben and Helen, even I fell under their spell. In this one, Helen has split from her husband when she found out about his affair and his subsequent moving in elsewhere. This witty, warm and moving book examines a wealth of different relationships with an honesty and reality that is Mike Gayle’s trademark. Appalled by this lack of maturity, Mike draws up a to-do list containing every item he's been meaning to do but keeps putting off. The Kiss Quotient: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience!

A Song of Me and You by Mike Gayle | Hachette UK A Song of Me and You by Mike Gayle | Hachette UK

This is a book that made me smile with nostalgy at the teenage love, nod my head at the family dynamics so well captured and in the end made me shed some tears. Now, with two fast-maturing girls on his hands, Tom has to learn how to accept his responsibilities and navigate the newly discovered world of single fatherhood - starting immediately. And 2023 is set to be his biggest year yet, with a campaign running from now right through to Christmas. Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.Poignant, uplifting and utterly charming, I was swept away by Ben and Helen's story, equal parts relatable and fantastic but always, always pulling on my heart strings.