Fractured: A magical love story from the winner of Romantic Novel of the Year

by Dani Atkins

What would you do if life gave you a second chance?
The night of the accident changed everything...
Now, five years on, Rachel's life is crumbling. She lives alone in a tiny flat, working in a dead-end job, desperate with guilt over her best friend's death.She would give anything to turn back the clock. But life doesn't work like that... Does it?

The night of the accident was a lucky escape...
Now, five years on, Rachel's life is perfect. She has a wonderful fiancé, loving family and friends around her, and the career she always wanted. But why can't Rachel shake the memory of a very different life?

Gripping, romantic and heartbreaking, Fractured is a magical love story, set at Christmas, that asks: can two different stories lead to the same happy ending?

Reviews for Dani Atkins:

'A captivating story which packs an emotional punch' Heidi Swain.

'A true love story, written by a mother's heart' Milly Johnson.

'Emotionally intelligent, absorbingly rich... Atkins is a brilliant writer who has created wonderful characters' Daily Mail.

'Powerful. Ruthlessly honest. Hauntingly moving. The characters ripped my heart wide open in this beautiful story about love and loss and heart-rending choices. Dani Atkins does not shy away from asking tough questions, and her answers are ones that will make you weep. Intense and emotional, I loved every moment of it' Kate Furnivall.

'A stunning, heartfelt story of fierce maternal love, sacrifice and second chances' Alice Peterson.

'A beautifully told story about a careless mistake that changes the lives of everyone involved... Deeply moving' Ella Harper.

'A gorgeous story with a perfect ending... Heart-breaking' Faith Hogan.

'A breathless read of hope and resilience... You'll never forget it' Penny Parkes.

• ISBN10: 1781857105
• ISBN13: 9781781857106
• Publish Date: 1 July 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Head of Zeus
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: http://bloomsbury.com/

Reviews

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Firstly a massive thank you to Becci Sharpe at Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of this book for review.

I really loved this book. It was heart-breakingly beautiful. I was so hooked after the first few pages that I struggled to put this book down. Even to eat, sleep and work. It wasn't just the storyline that made this book addictive it was the way the story flowed from chapter to chapter.

We see Rachel start in the life where everything has gone wrong. Her best friend died saving her life at the age of 18, her dad is sick and she missed out on going to university after that tragic night. Five years later and after Rachel ends up in hospital she wakes up and it seems everything is right again.

I absolutely hated Matt and Cathy. They are those sort of people that think they deserve to get whatever they want and don't give a damn how it makes other people feel or affects their lives. They think they are better than everyone else.

Sarah was a great friend in both versions of Rachel's life. She was supportive and knew exactly what to say in each situation.

Jimmy. How do I describe Jimmy. He clearly loved Rachel with every fibre of his being. I mean he literally gave up his life for her. I was constantly rooting for them to get together. He is perfect for her. He is a good, kind and caring man.

I was welling up at the ending of this book. It was so sad and sweet at the same time. I honestly can't tell you how much you need to read this book. It's excellent.

[Leah]

When I spotted Fractured by Dani Atkins on Amazon one day while browsing, I thought it sounded brilliant! I love life swap stories – like Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella and all of Melanie Rose’s books. So I pre-ordered the novel for my Kindle and eagerly awaited its arrival. It’s taken me a little while to read it as review copies kept getting in the way, but while browsing for my next kindle read one night I decided it was time to read Fractured, and it was such an enjoyable read.

I admit, when I first started reading Fractured I wasn’t sure how the novel would play out, but its actually really great. Rachel introduces herself to us, and tells us that to fully explain everything that happened she must go back 5 years to when her life changed irrevocably after a car crashed through the window where Rachel and her friends were having dinner before heading off to uni. Rachel’s friend Jimmy was killed in the accident and since then the friends became distant, only getting back together for Sarah’s wedding. But when Rachel has an accident the night before Sarah’s wedding, it throws her life into chaos. Because when Rachel wakes up, it isn’t her life at all that she’s in, it’s a new life where Jimmy is still alive…

I thought the plot for Fractured was amazing. I wasn’t sure if we were going to see both lives play out, but as it turned out we mostly saw Rachel’s new life, where everything is perfect and Jimmy is alive and no one is ill. It did make me question why we hadn’t gone back to the Rachel whose life was horribly bleak, but that is more than explained during the last chapter, so much so that I’m glad no one was watching me reading because my mouth was hanging open and tears were forming in my eyes. It was so unexpected but it was sooooo well done. I was seriously chuffed because as the ending neared and no explanation was forthcoming I was a bit worried! But it was all nicely wrapped up which is a major bonus.

I really loved the characters in Fractured. Rachel was a brilliant character and I could feel her frustration leaping off the page as she tried to tell everyone about her old life, how jimmy was meant to be dead and she was meant to be scarred. Though why would you want to be back in a life that’s infinitely worse than the current one ill never know – but to be fair to Rachel it was the life she knew. It was such a well written, enjoyable novel. I think Dani Atkins is a fabulous writer, and I hope this book reaches the audience it should as it’s brilliant. I definitely recommend the book and I look forward to Dani’s next novel.