Author: Sara Foster
ISBN: 9781925184785
RRP: $29.99
Sara Foster is the critically acclaimed author of 3 bestselling psychological suspense novels, none of which I have read; her fourth novel is All That Is Lost Beneath Us and I loved it.
The book is set in the atomospheric Lake District of England, where the landscape is lovingly drawn. The Turner family has been in the area for generations and their love of the land is ingrained.
Georgia Turner is a seventeen year old with a secret that she has been carrying for way too long. School holidays are coming to a close and Georgia is desperate to share her news with her best friend, and cousin, Sophia. Unfortunately Sophia is ignoring her for an unknown reason and before she can get to the bottom of it they are involved in a hit and run which leaves Sophia hospitalised.
All That Is Lost Between Us is the story of a family adrift in a complacency that sees them moving further and further apart. Georgia has hit a stage where she just wants to be left alone, she has isolated herself completely from her family and it is really concerning them. Anya is a school counsellor, at Georgia’s school, and struggling with her inability to reach her own daughter when this is what she does for a living.
The novel is written from alternating perspectives to get us inside the heads of the whole family. Georgia, her father Callum and younger brother Zac are written in third person with Anya in first person. I think the four perspectives are all essential because we need to see how things got to where they are and how each of the characters are feeling about the situation.
Knowing Anya is feeling an immense chasm between her husband and herself it would be easy to be sympathetic to her and cast Callum in the role of responsibility, but as we read we learn that Callum is feeling that same distance and wondering about the likelihood of them finding their way back to each other.
It is easy to make assumptions and theorise about situations when you only have one side of the story, learning about all sides can have a major impact on final conclusions.
Suspense and mystery shrouds this story start to finish, there are lots of things going on that we uncover slowly. I wouldn’t say it is a gripping psychological suspense novel but there was certainly a serving of suspenseful family drama as we pieced together all of the secrets and betrayals.
I was engrossed in the story of Georgia’s secret and trying to piece together the clues to see where that would lead. The family dynamic was the element of the story that I most loved. Two people who were so deeply and passionately in love then settle into the routine of married life and parenthood, slowly losing sight of the spontaneity and togetherness they once shared. This is such an everyday issue that many couples will be able to relate to. An issue that could be turned around with some in-depth conversation but the words are hard to find after so long, how do you take that first step?
Much of this story will be easily relatable to those who are married and have teen children, it certainly made me think about what I have to look forward to in the upcoming years.
A novel of family, friendship and the isolation that secrets can bring. Most definitely worth the read and I will look forward to hearing other opinions.
I must say I really felt for Anya, trained to assist teens through their troubles and finding it almost impossible to reach her own daughter when she can recognise an issue; something I’m sure many mothers can empathise with. The love this family felt for one another was palpable even though they had lost a lot of their connection. I couldn’t help but hope that things would start to work out for them.
All That is Lost Between Us is available February 1 through Simon & Schuster and where all good books are sold.
Sara Foster can be reached on Facebook and her Website.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster 30 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading All That Is Lost Between Us so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
This book had me catching my breath, and wondering what the next chapter would reveal. I loved it.
The Turner family live in England’s Lake district, and they are at one with the beauty of their area. Three generations of the family have enjoyed their leisure time on the fells. Following in her Uncle’s footsteps, 17 year old Georgia loves long distance running on the fells, and is a champion runner at her school. In her final year, she has the chance to win sponsorship if she wins the event for the 3 year in a row. But over the summer holidays, events have happened that direct Georgia’s full attention and dedication away from the race. Pressure is on her from all sides to do well, but her thoughts are elsewhere.
The story line follows each member of the Turner family, and we learn how mother Anya and father Callum have drifted apart over the years, something they both regret. Anya is a counsellor at Georgia and her brother Zac’s school, and her job is to help students with emotional issues. But Anya struggles to use her training to be able to converse with her own children. Even when she can sense that things are not right with either Georgia or Zac, she can’t find the words to unlock the gap that lies between them, and this distresses her.
The book is easy to read, and I found it hard to put down, as it kept me wanting to know more, and to try and work out what the secrets were that each member of the family was hiding.
The ending was full of suspense, and had me in tears, but fitted in with the story and tied it all up well.
I really enjoyed this book, and will recommend it to family and friends.
Thank you for including me in those selected to review it.
All That is Lost Between Us is a fascinating read. Each chapter is written from the perspective of a character within the family,
Georgia, 17, carrying a huge secret in her heart and head, committed to becoming the Fell running champion, sullen at home wishing everyone would leave her alone and holding her mother at arms length.
Anya, Georgia’s mum, psychologist at Georgia’s school, desperately trying to understand the rift that has opened up between her and her daughter and the chasm developing between her and her husband Callum.
Callum spending more and more time away from the family at the Mountain Rescue Centre, where he is the team leader, when he is not at work, and with a guilty secret of his own.
Zac, the younger brother, who loves playing computer games with his friends, and accidentally uncovers a truth that could rip the family apart.
Unusually, the first chapter is a prologue and is voiced by Georgia. She is desperate to tell her cousin, and best friend, Sophia the guilty secret she has been holding in all summer. But Sophia seems to be ignoring her. As the two girls walk home one night from a party she turns to tell Sophia what is on her mind, only to find at the same time Sophia turn to her to say something. Before either can speak Danny, a boy from the school, calls out to Georgia and runs to join them on the walk home. Suddenly from nowhere a car appears from behind and seems to drive at the three of them, Danny manages to pull Georgia away, but Sophia is hit.
Is it an accident or is it a hit and run? if a hit and run who was the car aiming at, and why? Why was Callum not answering the phone when Anya was trying to contact him to let him know Georgia had been involved in an accident? What did Zac find when he went into Georgia’s room, what did Sophia want to tell Georgia? Who is Leo? Will Georgia become the Fell running champion and gain her scholarship, who is the strange woman in the hospital looking at Sophia through the window?
For the rest of the book Foster weaves a web through each of the family member’s memories and perspectives to teasingly answer all of the above questions (and more) and lead us to the surprise (or obvious in hindsight) ending.
Highly recommended.
Great review
I really enjoyed “All that is Lost Between Us”, it kept me guessing & I do love me a little bit of mystery!
I found it interesting how it alternated between Anya, Georgia, Zac & Callum (& it took me a while to realize Anya’s parts were in first person & the other parts were in third person).
The setting grabbed me too, a bit dark & mysterious with the rolling greens, secret forests & misty mountains. This set the scene for suspense & intrigue.
The character development was done well. I really started to get to know their different personalities, private thoughts & why they were behaving the way they did towards each other (cue secrets, affairs, self discovery & a high school crush).
Thumbs up from me. If you like a good mystery, well rounded characters & a storyline that keeps you wanting more, this would be a great read for you!
All That Is Lost Between Us was a great read. It took a bit to grab me at the beginning, but by halfway I was hooked!!
There was so much going on in this story which made it all the more exciting to read.
The story has a main theme which to me was all about family and the bonds that can be struggle to maintain. This family had many secrets and worries which really stood out, but gradually throughout the story, those bonds tightened and the family resolves their problems and came together as a unit at the end. Each had their own battles to face but put their family first to overcome them.
The characters were well thought out by the author and each was very easy to relate to. Each chapter was narrated by the family members, being Anya, Callum, Georgia and Zac. It was interesting to note that Anya ‘s voice was in 1st person, as opposed to the others who were written in 3rd. My thoughts about the reasoning behind this was that Anya had a very strong character and as a mum, her role was to keep the family together, which she did brilliantly.
The setting was fantastic. It really captured the suspense and thrilling nature of the novel with the detailed descriptions of the mountains and dark misty forests.
I loved the ending. Everything was piecing together, secrets were being revealed and the characters true personalities were emerging. It was a crazy last few chapters but I just couldn’t stop reading! It felt so real and I just had to know what was coming next.
A really enjoyable read!!
Thank you Beauty & Lace for another great novel!!
I absolutely loved reading All That Is Lost Between us. I was hooked from the start. It had a good mix of suspense, drama and great characters.
I loved how each character was easy to relate to which made reading the book so much more enjoyable. Having each character tell their own story really helped us get to know each character.
All in all this book is a big thumbs up from me.
I finally received my copy of All That is Lost Between Us on 19th April. It was worth the wait to read it.
The story of two related families with teenagers who find out the hard way the dangers of secrets and the unforgiving internet can impact on, not only their lives but of all their family and friends.
The parents of one family have drifted apart over the years while the other faces the trauma of their daughter being in a hit and run accident. Little do they realise the dangerous web that has caught their teenage children and how it involves them all.
Foster draws you in from the first chapter and does not disappoint with the rest of the book. There are unexpected detours and twists and turns that will keep you riveted to the conclusion. You will find yourself trying to piece together Georginia’s secret and the surprise that her cousin Sophia also has a secret and the danger she puts her cousin into.
The descriptions of the scenery is superb.
A good book to read and highly enjoyable.
The standard of these books are incredible and takes you on a journey – I thoroughly enjoyed every page
I really enjoyed this book outlining the relationships between children and their parents as the children grow older showing there can be so much going on in the childs life that the parents have no idea is happening, and the childs fear of what will happen if the parents find out. I really liked how all the characters intertwined with each other and how the relationships between people can develop and how feelings cannot be helped and the lengths some people will go to to get back at people who they feel have done them wrong. I loved this book from the first page and would highly reccommend to others