So last month, I had just returned home from work and I heard the notifying ping of an email on my phone. Gone are the days when anyone gets excited over emails any more and I assumed it was the usual so-and-so liking a 12 month old post from Facebook or a promotion for a new facial cleanser I could never afford.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the email was from none other than Harper Collins Publishers, alerting me to the fact that Cathy Glass’s brand new book, Can I Let You Go? was available!

Excited much?

I was approached by a lovely lady who had read my previous Cathy Glass blog post (which you can read here) and asked me if I was interested in reading and reviewing Glass’s latest novel. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! I was also sent another book to review as well which I will review in a separate post.

I received the book within the week and read it in less than that. All I can say is that I was not disappointed.

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Cathy Glass is an incredibly gifted foster carer with over 25 years of experience within the fostering industry and has cared for more than 150 children and writes about her experiences with some of the many children she has fostered. As I have mentioned in my previous post, I read that Cathy will write about a child that represents a particular group of children she may have cared for, i.e. a child who was sexually abused or smuggled into the country illegally.

This new novel tells the true story of Faye, a gentle, sweet girl with learning difficulties who’s pregnant and uncertain about her abilities to care for a child. She lives with her two devoted grandparents who also have concerns about Faye’s parenting skills, thereby everyone agrees that it may be best for Faye to consider giving up her baby. However, when Faye arrives at Cathy’s house, she begins to have second thoughts.

Within only a few pages (and indeed from reading the blurb) I already had tears in my eyes as Cathy also writes of the passing of her father. I think from reading her books for so many years, characters that are consistently mentioned have a place in your heart, and from how Cathy writes about her family and parents with such fondness, it’s not difficult to picture your own loving parents reflected in Cathy’s. Although my parents are not together any more – they are both happy and healthy, and I can only imagine the grief of a loved one passing, so I would like to take this opportunity to pass my condolences on to Cathy and her family. I think with this in mind you can only imagine some of the difficulties that Cathy must have faced by taking on a new placement whilst dealing with her own personal circumstances. Again – what an inspiration! This just shows to me how caring and devoted Cathy is to helping others, but I’m also glad this was included in the book as it shows the reality of fostering: that it can be intrusive upon your life but you do your best, no matter what, and hope it’s enough.

The book was a page turner right from the start and did not end in the way I expected. Again – more tears! All of Cathy’s books are memorable but I think due to Faye’s gentle soul, vulnerability and courage, this one in particular really stuck out.

I’ll say no more but if you are a massive Cathy Glass fan, like me, or enjoy real-life stories or are interested in child-care or just fancy something inspiring then this is the book for you. Click below to buy the book and check out some of Cathy’s other work.

Despite their serious nature, Cathy’s books are very delicately written, very easy to read and will leave you wanting more.

I have no idea whether or not Cathy Glass will be writing more books, but I truly hope so!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Kate X

 

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