What if the fun of tracking down Suzy's exes brings up unwanted demons from her past?
On the morning of her mother's funeral, a letter lands on Suzy's doormat. She recognizes the handwriting at once. It's from Johnny, her first love. Enclosed is a CD, a compilation he's made from the time they were together in the 80s. At once Suzy feels young again and longs to listen, but then the hearse arrives; now is not the time for nostalgia.
After the wake is over, Suzy is returning the teacups she has borrowed to the village hall in the pouring rain when-BAM! -she is knocked down by a car speeding down the country lane.
She wakes in hospital, confused and disorientated. Her son, Cameron, and her best friend, Debs, insist she was alone. Yet Suzy's memory is different. She was with her friends, and there was freezing water all around them...
Has she been dreaming?
To find the answers, Suzy must get in touch with her past. It's a journey that involves tracking down several of her exes, facing her inner demons on the way.
PRAISE FOR SARAH RAYNER'S FICTION
One Moment, One Morning:
A moving account of what happens to three women in one week when a man dies on the Brighton to London train. Very impressive - The Bookseller
A great, quirky must-read with-a-heart for fans of Kate Atkinson - Red Magazine
A real page-turner . . . You'll want to inhale it in one breath ― Easy Living Magazine
The Two Week Wait:
'Evoking ordinary lives invaded by a deep yearning, Rayner's portrayal of her characters is carefully crafted and empathetic' ― Sunday Times
Delicious, big hearted, utterly addictive . . . irresistible ― Marie Claire
Explores an emotive subject with great sensitivity' - Sunday Express
Another Night, Another Day:
Rayner has done it again! A gripping read ― Brighton and Hove Independent
An irresistible novel about friendship, family and dealing with life's blows ― Woman & Home
A sympathetic insight into mental ill-health as it affects ordinary people. Powerful ― My Weekly
The Other Half:
For anyone who's been involved in a secret relationship or is considering an affair, this novel should be compulsory reading ― HEAT
A wickedly funny menage a trois ― Cosmopolitan
An engaging, insightful portrait of infidelity, told with charm, Rayner plays it just right in the war zone of love ― Kirkus Reviews
Getting Even:
A MUST READ! - The Sun
If revenge is a dish best served cold, then this is surely the Nigella of cold-cuisine cookery books ― HEAT
THE STORY BEHIND THE NOVEL
People often ask if my novels are drawn from experience, and the honest answer is Of course they are. Tracking down your exes online - quite a lot of us have been tempted to do this, haven't we? So, when Suzy sets out searching for her first love, I thought the thrill might resonate with readers.
Yet this doesn't mean my fiction is autobiographical. My husband didn't die like Simon in One Moment, One Morning and the experiences of Suzy in Searching for Mr. Yesterday are not my own. I do, however, have first-hand experience of losing someone I loved, as others will have. I'm also familiar with psychological trauma and fascinated by the human mind.
I believe mental health should be taken as seriously as physical health-yet often isn't. If reading about Suzy's PTSD helps others grasp what flashbacks are like and how scary reliving trauma on repeat can be, then writing this novel will have been worthwhile. I hope it's gripping, yet funny and entertaining too.
This year, my non-fiction guides on Anxiety, Menopause and Depression have been fully updated. The new edit
