Beatrice Alright’s life is far from all right!

Bea was a college student studying to be a doctor when she met Declan, a man twenty-one years her senior. She quickly felt pregnant to him, moving into his Dublin flat, and quitting school to raise her daughter, Ellie. Bea loves being a mother, but four years later, the rest of her life is far from ideal – Declan is emotionally distant, stingy with money, and rarely home since he travels a lot for his career, and Bea is struggling to make ends meet working all hours as a hospital cleaner. But always one who looks on the bright side and sees the best in people, Bea is convinced that Declan is only days away from proposing. But instead Declan drops a devastating bombshell, one that sees Bea and little Ellie, broke and alone with nowhere to go on the snowy streets of Dublin weeks before Christmas.

Bea’s journey to find stability and a place to call home for herself and her young child was as heart-wrenching as it was heartwarming. As strong and resilient as she was, losing her parents at a young age and growing up in the foster care system meant her search for love and need to be cared for left Bea vulnerable to being taken advantage of by others. There were several characters I wanted to punch! Bea had the kindest, gentlest nature, it only took the first few pages of the book to understand how altruistic, thoughtful, genuine and generous with her time she was. Unfortunately, she naively thought those she surrounded herself with would give back the same in return, but as we know sadly that isn’t always the case. Thankfully, there were characters in this novel who were willing to reach out and lend a helping hand and heart.

A main theme of this novel was the shock of sudden and hidden homelessness and the shame, embarrassment, and sense of failure associated with it, and I thought the author handled a serious social problem in a realistic and sensitive way. A second prominent theme was new unexpected friendship, burgeoning new romance, and found family. And these parts were a delight. I adored all the bonds that formed. Four-year-old Ellie was also adorable, and her dialogue and behaviour was age appropriate. Which brings me to the third theme – motherhood. Bea was an incredible mother, always putting her daughter’s needs ahead of her own, and it was always abundantly clear that she loved Ellie more than anyone, and would sacrifice anything to protect her.

There were some dark, tense moments, a truckload of emotional ones, several tears shed, but overall The Secret Life of Beatrice Alright was a warm, enveloping hug. Included in the kindle version is an excerpt from Brooke Harris’ 2023 novel – Memories of You, which sounds just as moving. I look forward to reading it and everything else she’s written. It only took me a day to read this. - I think that speaks for itself!