Review: The Forgotten Woman by Angela Marsons.

My Review:

I think that most followers of If Only I Could Read Faster know that I love author Angela Marsons. Her crime book series about DI Kim Stone are, without a doubt, my favourite crime series so I was excited to read a non crime book by the author. I give The Forgotten Woman an easy 4*.

‘I am a huge Angela Marsons fan, her crime series Kim Stone books are brilliant in so many ways. I knew that she had written two book before her Kim Stone series and had bought them both but had yet to read them. When I heard that Bookouture was re-releasing them I was excited, I heard there had been some tweaking and editing so decided to read the newer version.

The Forgotten Woman tells the story of Kim and Fran, two women who appear to have nothing in common. After meeting in an AA meeting the two forge an unlikely friendship, helping and supporting each other to rebuild their lives.

Both women have complex histories involving prostitution and a brief mention of sexual child abuse. They learn to deal with their past and move on in their lives. I really liked Kit and Fran, they worked really well together and were both believable as characters. I felt that it was a shame that the AA meetings weren’t portrayed more positively, and that they appeared to play no part in Kit and Fran’s recovery from alcoholism.

At times while reading The Forgotten Woman I couldn’t help but wonder how much of it was based on the author’s own experience. There was something about it that felt so real and raw that at times it made for uncomfortable reading.

While The Forgotten Woman didn’t blow me away like Angela Marson’s Kim Stone books it was still a really good read. It will open your eyes and make you think. For a first novel this book shows that Angela Marson’s is a talented author who definitely has more to tell us. I can’t wait to read more books by her and hope that she keeps writing for a very long time.

I received The Forgotten Woman from the publisher, Bookouture, via Netgalley in return for an honest review.’

The Forgotten Woman is out now and available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Blurb:

Two ordinary women. Two damaged lives. One friendship that would save them both

Kit Mason has lived a life of unimaginable pain. An ex-prostitute, she has fled the clutches of an abusive pimp and now finds herself living hand to mouth in a new city, without anyone to help her.

Frances Thornton seems to be living the perfect life. A lawyer from a privileged background, her perfect façade hides the painful secrets that still haunt her.

Brought together by their attempts to conquer their addictions in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the two women strike up an unlikely friendship.

But can they find strength in each other – or will the demons of their past catch up with them?

A compelling, moving and ultimately uplifting novel about overcoming the very worst life can throw at you and starting over. The perfect read for fans of Jodi Picoult and Amanda Prowse.

Previously published as My Name Is.