Love, Almost by Hayley Doyle: Book Review

Happy Publication Day!  Love, Almost is a beautiful story about love and relationships. Told from a woman’s perspective, it is very intimate and relatable. This is the first book I have read from this author, but I hope to read more from her in the years to come.

Chloe is a 36 year old woman who is head over heels in love with Jack. The romance has been intense since the two met five months ago. Indeed, the couple travelled together to Thailand and now live together. Tragically, Jack is killed in an accident and Chloe’s world is torn apart.

As Chloe soon learns, Jack has not disclosed his relationship with Chloe to the many of the important people in his life. As a result, she is caught in an altered state where she is grieving for her loss, but this loss is not recognized. Even her friends note that she only knew Jack for but a minute. But her grief is intense and she struggles to stay connected to his memory. Remembering the plans the two had for the future, Chloe decides to complete this list and hopes to learn more about Jack and their relationship along the way.

I was a little nervous going into this book given that Jack is killed and I tend to get emotional over such tragedies. For those of you who are also sensitive to books with such events, be rest assured that he passes away very early in the book and before you can attach yourself to his character. The story is about Chloe working through her grief and to reflect further upon their relationship and its meaning.

I really enjoyed this book and felt engaged throughout the book. The character development is very good, and I felt connected to Chloe. I appreciated her journey as she works through her grief. I loved the relationships that Chloe develops with Jack’s family which eventually provides context to Jack and Chloe’s relationship. I found the conclusion of the book satisfying.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story which was narrated by the author who provides a very good performance. Her voice is age appropriate, articulate and pleasant to listen to. I listened to the book at my usual 1.25x speed which provided me with a comfortable listening experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.

My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.