The Love Of My Life by Rosie Walsh: A Book Review

Years ago, I read Rosie Walsh's first book "The Man Who Didn't Call - and I absolutely loved it. Years later, I have finally finished reading her second book, "The Love of My Life". I loved Rosie's writing style in her first book - and this one was no different.

Let's set the scene, shall we?

The story centres around Emma and Leo, a couple who seem to have the perfect marriage. Leo is a good husband and father who writes obituaries for a living. Emma, a marine biologist, adores her job exploring coastal areas searching for rare crabs and other marine life. They share a daughter, Ruby and their dog, John Keats. 

The story starts with Emma waiting to get her results after she's gone through cancer. It's a nerve-wracking time for the couple, but thankfully, the results came back fine, she's in remission and life seems perfect again - for now. 

It's only by accident that Leo stumbles across some paperwork which Emma has hidden away from sight. It states that Emma didn't graduate from the university he thought she went to study. This leads to a whole can of worms opening up and Leo questioning Emma's past and questioning others about it.

As Leo tries to divulge all this information about his wife's past, we also see another subplot of a TV personality's sudden disappearance - does this link in with Emma's past?

I can't tell you much more as it will give the whole story away! But it's an intriguing read!

Would I recommend The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh?

Absolutely! This domestic thriller really leaves you questioning a lot about this couple's marriage and about what happened in Emma's past. The story is quite a sad one as it deals with an awful lot of trauma from Emma's past. 

The book is told from the perspectives of Emma and Leo. Each chapter is short in length, which makes it a lot easier to read. Rosie reveals clues to what are believed to be indicators of Emma's post - but the earlier clues are kind of like decoys. Rosie's first initial hints and clues threw me right off track into what I believed happened in Emma's past. Absolutely genius writing on Rosie's part. 

As the story progresses, we begin to understand and comprehend Emma's past and admire how she has managed to get her life back on track, despite her heartbreaking past. 

There are a few twists and turns near the end, but the book does reach an emotionally satisfying end, which I was pleased with. The Love of My Life questions how well you can really know your spouse. By the end, it questions how much you are willing to forgive the ones you love. 

*Trigger warning - this book does deal with mental health and attempted suicide. 

A brilliant read and I can only hope that Rosie Walsh writes another book in the future as I adore her writing!

Let me know your thoughts on The Love of My Life!