This book…. This book will have you laughing one moment, and tearfully emotional the next. It is just a stunning read and the whole book traverses the peaks and falls of loss and parenting artfully with the right amount of humour and the right amount of respect. I think that this is the first of her books that I’ve ever read and after reading this one I’ll definitely be exploring the others.

Nick and his wife were separated when she sadly passed away after a short battle with cancer. She leaves Nick their two children and just a single book that she has put together to help him manage parenting. Nick left the family home some time beforehand and he has to navigate his way back to two young children who aren’t a hundred per cent sure who he is. In the book are five dates that Kate want’s Nick to go on, which she set up before she died. Through these and through little bits of the past and watching Nick move into the future, we learn exactly what led him to be where he is today. With Nick we find out the man he can become and how he can move forward with his life – with lots of funny anecdotes, great humorous moments and excellent characters in his two children.

My question though – what is a ‘Press’ in Ireland? People seem to keep food in some, toys in others…

Publisher: Hacette Books (Ireland)  5th June 2014

If you liked: I find Reilly’s style quite different to the usual, but I really think if you loved this and the storyline you’ll love ‘How to talk to a widower’ by Jonathan Tropper.