The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh

Rating: 3 of 5 stars 

Pages: 384 pages
Published: March 2022

Full transparency … I chose The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh because I liked the cover art and the title. Being in a very romantic stage of my life with a wonderful person made the title resonate with me. So, yes, I shallowly chose a book because of its cover. Judge me. I don’t care. 

This Book of the Month selection is about a woman with a heavy past that catches up to her in present day. The main character, Leo is living a happy, “normal” life with his wife of 10 years, Emma, and young daughter, Ruby. Emma is a well-known marine biologist. Leo is an obituary writer. When Emma suffers an illness, Leo tasks himself with crafting her advance obituary, which requires him to begin to dig into Emma’s past. As he researches more, he learns his wife is not who he thought she was. Her name is not even Emma. Emma doesn’t exist on paper at all. The suspense-filled mystery leads Leo to the truth and Emma to face the dark truth about her past. 

Book of the Month categorizes this novel as psychological and romance; however, after completion, I would call it a mystery. I found the the title is a little misleading, but the story is intriguing. It kept me reading to the complete conclusion. As a reader, you experience some of the feelings that Leo is experiencing as he learns the truth about his beloved wife. The alternating perspectives add to the suspense and speed up the pace to an otherwise slow novel.  

Recommendation: This was not the best book I read so far this year, but it certainly isn’t the worst either. I never thought I would put it down. I always intended to finish reading the story. So, the burning question: Should you judge a book by its cover? I don’t know. It wasn’t as good as the cover and title led me to believe, but it sure does look nice on my book shelf. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.