#BlogTour: SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW by Paige Toon @PaigeToonAuthor @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours @annecater #feelitall

Publication: 24th June 2021 – Simon & Schuster UK

Then

At fifteen, George is the foster brother Leah never asked for. As the angry, troubled boy struggles to come to terms with his circumstances, Leah finds herself getting drawn closer to him. Theo’s wealthy family have mysteriously pulled him out of boarding school and he’s now enrolled at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. But life doesn’t always go to plan…

Now

Shocking news brings Leah back to Yorkshire, baby daughter in tow. But Emilie’s father Theo isn’t with them, and George has unexpectedly returned. After half a lifetime, have they healed the scars of their pasts? Will coming back home set their hearts in a different direction?

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

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Happy Friday everyone! Today I am delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour for Someone I Used To Know, the incredible new novel by Paige Toon.

One of the things I know for sure it’s that you can’t never go wrong with a Paige Toon’s novel. I started reading this author four years ago when I got a copy of The Last Piece Of My Heart and I am a huge fan since then: romance, friendship, family, engaging and likable characters, beautiful stories, and the author’s excellent writing style are all part of the package.

Before you settle down reading Someone I Used To Know I recommend picking up lots of tissues because the tears are a certainty and once you start reading you won’t be able to put it down.

Someone I Used To Know is a beautiful, emotional, and heart-warming story set in Yorkshire, in a farm full of alpacas, rabbits, and teenagers. Leah, the protagonist, and her family have welcomed many foster teenagers since they left London for the countryside. Some of them have become part of the family and some of them went back to their families or were adopted by another family. George is one of the teenagers who finds a home at Leah’s farm, but his troubled childhood haunts him. Theo is the rich boy taken out from yet another boarding school with his own troubled family. Leah, George, and Theo form a deep bond when they are fifteen years old, but, fifteen years later, things are very different.

I won’t say anymore about the story to not spoil it, but let me tell you that I loved the characters of Leah, Theo, and George and I laughed and cried with them, I felt grief and sadness, and I can’t stop thinking about their stories. The story is told from Leah’s perspective. I really liked this character. We meet her as a teenager, feeling a bit neglected by her parents in favour of the foster children, but still always eager to help and support her big family. And we meet her as an adult, with a young daughter, back at the family home, trying to put her life back together.

While Leah’s story and her relationship with George and Theo is the main plot, I was also very interested in the theme of foster children. Paige Toon gives us a full picture of how the fostering systems work and it was heartbreaking to read about neglected children moved to different families every few months, never able to settle down, about siblings separated and adopted by different families. And it was good to read about people like Leah and her family that welcome children in their homes and make them feel part of their family, even if it is only for a few weeks or months.

As I said, grab the tissue and settle down because Someone I Used To Know is a book that will grab you from the first page and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. A memorable and beautiful story from one of my favourite authors!

A huge thank you to Anne and Simon & Schuster for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a proof of the novel.

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Sunday Times bestseller Paige Toon was born in 1975 and grew up between England, Australia and America. A philosophy graduate, she worked at teen, film and women’s magazines, before ending up at Heat magazine as Reviews Editor. Paige is married, has two small children and lives in Cambridge. She is the author of eighteen novels which have sold 1.5million copies worldwide. In 2016, The One We Fell in Love With, was selected for the WH Smith Zoella Book Club. Follow Paige at @PaigeToonAuthor and sign up to the Hidden Paige at www.paigetoon.com.