38928320Goodreads Synopsis:
“Fearing eternal singledom, childhood friends Kate and Paul make the age-old vow that if they don’t find love by thirty, they will marry each other.
Years later, with the deadline of their 30th birthdays approaching, the unlikely couple decide to keep their teenage promise. After all, they are such good friends. Surely that’s enough to make a marriage?
Now, on the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, they will discover that love between men and women is more complex, and more precarious, than they could ever have imagined. As Kate struggles with a secret that reaches far into their past, will the couple’s vow become the very thing that threatens their future? Love Will Tear Us Apart is a moving and heart-breaking exploration of modern love and friendship, from the bestselling author of Try Not to Breathe.”

My Review

I read this book through The Pigeonhole, a sort of online book club, and read it with other readers on the web. It was split into 10 parts, called staves, emailed to me each day. I was able to leave comments throughout and interact with the others. There was an interview and comments from the author during this time, which really did add to my reading experience.

I’ve not read anything by Holly Seddon before, even though I’ve got her books on my Goodreads tbr, so I wasn’t too sure what expect. Would it be a thriller, a domestic drama or  a love story? Actually it was a very good mix of genres, with a fantastic spoonful of 1980s nostalgic thrown in.

I loved this book and couldn’t wait to receive each stave in my inbox each morning. The journey Kate and Paul took from childhood through adolescence and onto parenthood was quite tense and very emotional at times. Poor Kate definitely had more than her fair share of tragedy, which made me feel so sorry for her character. Just when I thought things were looking up for something awful would happen making me tear up and think not again!

Paul on the other hand just muddled through seemingly happy to be there if Kate needed him. I didn’t take to him as much as Kate and at one point I didn’t like him at all, maybe it was something to with him being a fan of The Smiths/Morrissey! 😉

I thoroughly recommend this if you enjoy domestic dramas, especially with the added 1980s nostalgia. And that ending, well it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was perfect and I will definitely be checking out Holly Seddon’s other books.

This is the first book that I’ve read for the 20 Books of Summer Challenge 2018.