I first saw this book as an ARC on NetGalley, but it was in the middle of Covid-madness and I just didn’t have the time to read it. I was annoyed because I knew I would love it, so when I saw it in paperback recently at the supermarket, I had to pick it up. 

And I was right, I loved it. At times hilarious, at times heart-breaking, it was amazingly written to draw me in and immediately love Andrew as a character. 

He’s a bit of a strange guy – he works for the department of the council that deals with funerals for people who die with no family around. His job involves going into the houses of the deceased to try and find any details about potential family members and also to find out if there might be enough money to pay for the funeral. I’d never even considered that this would be a job, but I suppose someone has to do it… 

To his colleagues, Andrew seems to have the perfect life at home – a wife and two kids and a lovely house to go back to at the end of the day. But what they don’t know is that this is all a lie, and at the end of the day Andrew goes home alone to his slightly depressing flat. 

Andrew seems happy with this situation. Or at least, he thought he was, until Peggy arrives in his department and it seems like Andrew can’t keep up the facade forever. What he has to figure out though, is whether he wants to. And what might happen if he comes clean… 

I thought I had this book pinned and I knew how it was going to end, but without giving any detailed spoilers, there was a plot twist that made me gasp with shock. I feel like that might be giving too much away, but I need to talk to someone about this book and I don’t have anyone! 

I devoured this book in one day, I just loved the characters and the storyline so much and I felt completely invested in knowing how Andrew’s life would turn out. Laugh out loud funny, but also bringing tears to my eyes at times, it was a fantastic book to curl up with on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 

I’m just sad I left it so long before I read it.