Review: the Astonishing Return of Norah Wells by Virginia Macgregor

The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells by Virginia Macgregor

Publisher: Sphere (Little Brown Book Group)

Release date: 14 January 2016

Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: One ordinary morning, Norah walked out of her house on Willoughby Street and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she walked away from only to find another woman in her place. Fay held Norah's family together after she disappeared, she shares a bed with Norah's husband and Norah's youngest daughter calls Fay 'Mummy'. Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Where has she been? Why did she leave? And why is she back? As each member of the family tries to find the answers they each need, they must also face up to the most pressing question of all - what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back? From the author of What Milo Saw, comes this powerful, emotional and perceptive novel about what it takes to hold a family together and what you're willing to sacrifice for the ones you love.

I loved Virginia Macgregor's first novel, What Milo Saw, so I was excited to read her newest, the Astonishing Return of Norah Wells, and I wasn't disappointed.

Norah Wells walked out on her family one ordinary morning, leaving her eldest daughter Ella bereft, and her youngest, Willa, unable to remember her.

When she returns six years later she finds her eldest daughter all grown up, her best friend, Fay, living with her husband Adam (who she could barely be in the same room with when Norah left) and Willa calling Fay 'Mummy'.

Ella is delighted by her Mothers sudden return. She has spent the last six years desperately trying to find her Mother and has longed for the day she returns.

But just why is she back?

And why on earth did she leave in the first place?

These are just  a few of the questions that the Wells family would like Norah to answer.

But Norah has some questions of her own.

Just when did her husband and her best friend actually start liking each other?

And what will they do when they discover the real reason that Norah fled?

The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells is a lovely warm novel with some wonderful characters and I really look forward to seeing what this author has up her sleeve next!

the Astonishing Return of Norah Wells is available from 14 January 2016.

You can pre-order it now from Amazon online and Little Brown UK.

    Thank you to the publishers who invited me to view a copy of this novel via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.