Published 3rd February by Headline Review.
From the cover of the book:
Whir, beep, click, breath. Whir, beep, click, breath.Pippa Gallagher is rushed in to hospital following a traffic accident.
As Pippa lies unconscious, fragments of the past flash through her mind. The day she met Steve Gallagher, the man who would become the love of her life. The heartbreak she felt tonight as she got into her car, her eyes blurry from tears.
Meanwhile Steve sits at her bedside, his eyes fixed on her pale, still face. He has no idea where his wife was going when she crashed. No clue as to why she became distracted behind the wheel. All he knows is that she is his world. And that he wasn't there when she needed him most.
For the next twelve hours, Steve tells Pippa all the reasons he loves her.
But is it too late? Can Pippa find her way back to him?
******************
Pippa and Steve were meant to be together, something that Steve knew from their first meeting during their school days, but it wasn't until fate threw them in each other's paths again as adults that their relationship blossomed into romance and marriage.
Tonight, years later, Pippa has been rushed to hospital after a road traffic accident. She lies unconscious with thoughts drifting through her mind about her life with Steve, and the unhappiness that caused her to become distracted and lose control of her car.
Steve sits bewildered at her side trying to fathom out where she was going and what caused her to crash. The one thing he is sure of is that he loves her and cannot think of life without her. Pippa's doctor tells him that the first twelve hours after such an accident are crucial, and if he sits talking to her the sound of his voice just might bring her round.
He has twelve hours to tell her all the reasons why he loves her, and desperately hopes this will be enough to help her find her way back to him...
If ever there was a tale about the many aspects of love and marriage then this is it. Told in alternating narratives from Pippa and Steve, this gorgeous book takes you from the time they first speak through the significant moments of their relationship, cutting back and forth between the present heart-rending scene at Pippa's bedside, and the past, until all the threads collide with the answer to the mystery of Pippa's car accident.
I'm not about to go into detail about the story, because this is one you need to experience blow by emotional blow, soaking up the delicious way in which Pippa and Steve's perspectives weave together to paint the picture of a couple who, though fated to be together, find themselves following a path through the highs and lows of joy and heartbreak, rather than the steady fairy tale happily-ever-after they envisaged.
Beautifully written by Olivia Poulet and Laurence Dobiesz, who are a married couple in the real world, this touches on so many themes that shape the way in which a marriage plays out, especially expectation, and it brings in so much about the power of love, family ties and close friendships along the way. Without a doubt, there is a lot here that makes you cry - I found my eyes brimming over in the very first chapter and had to mop up tears on and off all the way through, building up to a full on sob-fest at the end. But there are many heart-warming moments, and lashings of humour that will have you laughing out loud too. Imagine the way a Richard Curtis film can cut you to the emotional quick and make you chuckle in equal measure and you will get the picture.
For me, this is right up there with the best of Jojo Moyes, so if Moyes is your thing then you will absolutely adore this one too. It's wonderful!
12 Hours to Say I Love You is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats from your favourite book retailer.
Thank you to Headline for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.
About the authors:
Her play, #Blessed, which she wrote with her husband Laurence Dobiesz, was pick of the week for BBC Radio 4.
In 2019 she started up production company 100 Names Films with a group of like-minded film makers. They have completed two short films as part of The Repertory Shorts. The first, Deliver Me, was written by and starred Olivia and Laurence. It won the Special Jury Award at the 2020 London City Film Awards.
As an actor, she is known for The Thick Of It, the Loop, Back, Doc Martin and Holby City.
12 Hours to Say I Love You is her first novel.
12 Hours to Say I Love You, written with his wife Olivia Poulet, is his debut novel. It is published in the UK by Headline in Spring 2022.
As a team, Laurence and Olivia wrote the radio drama, #Blessed, which was BBC Radio 4’s Pick of the Week.
Their short film Deliver Me won the Special Jury Award at the 2020 London City Film Awards. It was the first instalment from The Repertory Shorts, which sees them write and act in a series of shorts alongside an ensemble of film makers. Their second film, Do It, which he co-directed, is being released late 2021.
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