The Best Is Yet to Come

This book from Katy Colins is just what we need in these current times.When Izzy, a struggling new mum, meets pensioner Arthur you’d think they have nothing in common. But this unlikely friendship, and the love he shows for her baby Evie, proves that kindness crosses generations and age is but a number.In a year when community and kindness have never been more important, this books sums up perfectly that it is ok to ask for help.Colins handles difficult subjects beautifully. You will laugh and cry - but ultimately turn the final page with a smile on your face.Is is a perfect uplifting read.

The Best Is Yet To Come is a hauntingly beautiful novel that will stay with me for a very long time. Katy Colins has written a beautiful, empathetic and thought provoking read that will have you full of such love for those who mean the most to you. This book made me think fondly and wistfully of my grandparents.I wholeheartedly believe if my Nan had passed before my Grandad he would have been very similar to the thought process of Arthur and I guess that added to the emotion I felt in reading this.Izzy and Arthur strike up an unlikely friendship and ultimately they give each other a boost and a sense of rhyme and reason. Both of them are feeling lost in different ways, I wholeheartedly loved their journey even though there were a number of times my heart was well and truly in my mouth.The Best Is Yet To Come is split into chapters of Izzy and Arthur. When we first meet Izzy I wasn’t sure what was wrong – as a new mum she is going through all the motions. Her husband’s routines are pretty much the same and she’s exhausted and in need of a hot cuppa tea rather than the lukewarm ones that end up all around her house. In seeing her colleague in a supermarket car park she spirals with a number of fears going through her mind. This is a turning point of sorts for Izzy.When she first meets Arthur she’s quite simply a mess, but any new mum goes through the same situations. I loved being on this journey with Izzy I’m not a mum myself but have nieces and nephews so I understand how tired mums can be. I also really liked the unexpected friendship of Arthur and Izzy who live in the same Cul De Sac but no nothing of the other.In getting together the change in them both is heartwarming. Arthur gives Izzy a purpose and also makes her realise that she needs to cut herself some slack as she’s embraced motherhood a lot better than she expected. Her life is different and that’s ok, but Arthur makes her realise her blessings rather than what she thought she had lost. Izzy loves her daughter Evie but she spends a lot of those early stages feeling like she’s not good enough. There are some moments that shouldn’t be amusing that are but it all adds to the story. I loved the various scenarios that she undertook but I especially enjoyed seeing the change in Izzy especially with the baby groups and how her mindset changed, and she also made more friends along the way.Arthur has been going through the motions for the past two years following losing his dear wife Pearl. Izzy helped him realise there were a lot of lose ends he needed to clear up. The scenes of the pair of them going through Arthurs belongings was heartwarming and at times heartbreaking. I really loved seeing Arthur come to the realisation that he had a lot to live for, with unexpected elements along the way, within the family and within the neighbourhood. The aspect of appearances can be deceiving made me smile and also made me feel sad. We never know what’s going on behind closed doors.However, she didn’t know the full extent of his plan. This aspect of the story made me feel saddened even though I could understand in some ways. I liked seeing the changes in Arthur. I have to mention the charity shop, I worked for a charity shop for three years and I found this aspect real to life.Katy Colins has written a truly gorgeous story full of love, loneliness, grief, loss, friendship, there are a number of care warnings in this novel but they are dealt with, with grace and understanding.I cried and smiled in equal measures whilst reading this novel and I have instantly downloaded How To Say Goodbye by Katy. I’m most definitely a fan and this book will more than likely make my books of the year. I will definitely be thinking of this story for a long time to come.

This was such a life affirming book, and very comforting. My breath caught at the descriptions of life with a newborn as they were so true to my own experiences but articulated much better than I ever could have done at the time.Izzy is a new mum who befriends her neighbour Arthur after he has a fall. She helps him prepare for a move to a care home and they find hope and solace in each other. It's a novel about loneliness but is more realistic and far far better than The Authenticity Project. I gobbled this up - the scene setting was incredible and very nuanced.Something else I thought was really good was the depiction of motherhood. Writing about parenting a newborn is difficult because it is incredibly boring and repetitive. Women who've had children don't want to be reminded of that when they're reading and people who don't have or don't want children will be bored to tears. But this boredom and isolation was so important to the story that the monotony had to be included. It was done so well that I didn't notice that once again, Izzy was leaving the house with baby Evie and she'd been thrown up on again or had to go back in to change a dirty nappy. It didn't become annoying.Even as a mother, I find reading about motherhood in fiction quite jarring. Everyone's experiences are different, although we largely agree that it is difficult, even if just at times. I'm often annoyed at novels that depict motherhood as just pure misery, particularly if it's not integral to the story like it was here. And the author of The Best Is Yet To Come showed how much Izzy loved her baby despite the challenges - she wasn't a mummy-martyr, a trope I cannot stand!All in all, I really do recommend this book. It's very uplifting, has some nice twists and turns along the usual narrative arc and was altogether a lovely read. I'll be reading more of Katy Colins's books for sure!

Such a wonderful uplifting story, as a mum of two I could really identify with the main character Izzy. It’s such an easy read, I couldn’t put it down once I’d started. I will be recommending it to all my friends.

Loved Izzy and Arthur’s story. Uplifting and full of warmth. Highly recommend this!

Really enjoyable read, couldn’t put it down. Loved the characters and could really relate to Izzy. Just the kind of uplifting read I needed in these strange times.

This book is the perfect antidote to all the difficult and challenging times we have had over the last year.

I loved this book. Oh my goodness. I was so invested in this story. The whole adopting the elderly neighbour thing is heavenly. Broke my heart that Arthur thought he was invisible and a burden. Katy's writing is just so beautiful and relatable, I honestly don't think she could write a bad book (I have all her books and would highly recommend every single one). I really enjoyed it and I'm already looking forward to the next one.