One Year After You by Shari Low - Book Review

Series: Sequel to One Day With You 

Publication Date: 05th Jan 2024

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: A touching read (should work as standalone) 

09th Feb 2024 

Odette Devine is a glamorous matriarchal actress on Scotland’s longest-running TV show. However, it’s her last day on the show. She is also broke and clueless about her future. She wonders if it’s a payback for the betrayal forty years ago. 

It has been a year since Max Walker died in the car crash on the day she gave birth to their son. Tress is yet to fully recover from the news of his long-term affair and that he was with the woman when the accident happened. 

Noah Clark might seem to have everything going well on the surface. However, he is struggling to get over the news of his wife having an affair with his best friend. And when she visits him, asking for another chance, can he do it? 

Keli Clark is being ghosted by the man she loves. She is stalking him online and has her suspicions but hesitates to make a decision. However, an expected message forces her to acknowledge things and decide. What should she do? 

How will the lives of these people converge on a single day? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Odette, Tress, Noah, and Keli. 

My Thoughts: 

The book takes place a year after ‘One Day With You’. It’s the anniversary of Max’s death and his son’s birthday. Tress and Noah are doing their best to move on from the betrayal of their spouses and provide the kids with a stable family. 

This book can be read as a standalone since there is enough backstory to provide the necessary information. However, it will help if you read the earlier one. That way, you can understand the dynamics between the characters (especially Tress and Noah) and appreciate Nancy and Val even more. 

I don’t remember if Keli was in the other book, but she gets her own POV here. Odette is a new addition. All four tracks come together in the last quarter to deliver the finale. 

Noah and Keli’s mom, Glinda, has only a couple of scenes. Now she’s the kind of mom one should have. Despite having limited space, she makes a super strong impression.   

The book deals with many themes like love, loss, betrayal, adultery, cheating, heartbreak, moving on, grief, anger, hope, etc. There’s enough lighthearted stuff to prevent the contents from getting too emotional. 

The backstory is repetitive and slows the pacing. It is necessary since this one doesn’t seem to be marketed as a sequel. Those who remember the previous book can skim through the info dump and finish the book faster (like me). 

I don’t agree with the idea of not telling Buddy about Max’s infidelity but sharing everything else about him. The kid needs to know what his mom went through. The last thing she would need is for the son to build a shrine for his ‘flawless’ dead father. Keep it real! 

An epilogue (set after a week) ties up everything and concludes individual threads with satisfaction. 

To summarize, One Year After You is a worthy read with important themes. The resolution is quite easy, but considering the genre, it is more than fine. 

I wasn’t expecting a sequel, TBH. The previous book had a good epilogue with a hopeful ending. Still, this was a good continuation with an HFN ending. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #OneYearAfterYou