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calturner's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful and emotional read Bonnie and Stan is! How could any review I write do this wonderful and heartwarming book justice?
We first meet this charismatic couple when Stan is at the hospital about to be given some devastating news that will change everything in an instant. Poor Stan can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie alone, so sets out to find her a new love to share her life with after he’s gone.
The story is told in dual timelines, moving back and forth between the Liverpool of the swinging sixties when Bonnie and Stan first meet and the present day, as they, along with their family, try to come to terms with the devastating blow life has dealt them.
What follows is a beautiful love story that tells of a life well lived, full of the ups and downs, laughter and tears that we all go through in our lives. It’s a story of family and the difference our loved ones can make to our lives. But above all it’s a story full of warmth, hope and joy. Of a couple who have been through so much in their lives, but are still as in love today as they were when they first got together.
I loved the story of Bonnie and Stan’s early relationship in the sixties. The vibrant city of Liverpool is brought vividly to life as we learn all about Bonnie’s aspirations to be an architect and the exciting music scene that Stan is a part of.
The present day is an emotional read as Stan tries to come to terms with his own mortality, while Bonnie continues to believe that all is not lost and a cure can still be found. Add to that Stan’s desire for Bonnie not to be left alone and we have a moving and poignant story that tugs at your heartstrings.
I fell in love with Bonnie and Stan from the moment they were introduced. They felt so real to me and I was as desperate as they were for Stan to have the happy ending they so wanted for him.
A heartwarming and beautifully written story that moved me beyond words, Bonnie and Stan are characters who will stay with me for a long time to come. A story of life, love, loss and everything in between, this is a book that I would highly recommend.
We first meet this charismatic couple when Stan is at the hospital about to be given some devastating news that will change everything in an instant. Poor Stan can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie alone, so sets out to find her a new love to share her life with after he’s gone.
The story is told in dual timelines, moving back and forth between the Liverpool of the swinging sixties when Bonnie and Stan first meet and the present day, as they, along with their family, try to come to terms with the devastating blow life has dealt them.
What follows is a beautiful love story that tells of a life well lived, full of the ups and downs, laughter and tears that we all go through in our lives. It’s a story of family and the difference our loved ones can make to our lives. But above all it’s a story full of warmth, hope and joy. Of a couple who have been through so much in their lives, but are still as in love today as they were when they first got together.
I loved the story of Bonnie and Stan’s early relationship in the sixties. The vibrant city of Liverpool is brought vividly to life as we learn all about Bonnie’s aspirations to be an architect and the exciting music scene that Stan is a part of.
The present day is an emotional read as Stan tries to come to terms with his own mortality, while Bonnie continues to believe that all is not lost and a cure can still be found. Add to that Stan’s desire for Bonnie not to be left alone and we have a moving and poignant story that tugs at your heartstrings.
I fell in love with Bonnie and Stan from the moment they were introduced. They felt so real to me and I was as desperate as they were for Stan to have the happy ending they so wanted for him.
A heartwarming and beautifully written story that moved me beyond words, Bonnie and Stan are characters who will stay with me for a long time to come. A story of life, love, loss and everything in between, this is a book that I would highly recommend.
annat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ljwrites85's review
3.0
I have to be honest I’m not usually one for contemporary fiction but this book had two things that really appealed to me, first older main characters (Bonnie and Stan are in their seventies) and it’s partly set in Liverpool back in the Swinging Sixties, a decade which I love to read about.
Poor Stan, just on the verge of retirement and building his dream home, he finds out he has incurable cancer. He can’t stand to think of Bonnie on her own so he sets about trying to find her a new husband.
Bonnie and Stan is one of those ‘I’m not crying honest, there’s just something in my eye’ reads. I always find it a little harder to read a book with a protagonist who’s dying, especially from cancer which took my mother ten years ago, but this topic is handled with sensitivity by the author.
The characters are so well written, I felt like I almost knew them. Stan is the more pragmatic, accepting what is happening to him whereas Bonnie is looking for a miracle cure. I think we all have a little bit of Bonnie in us, especially when someone is ill.
My favourite aspects of the novel is when we travelled back to the sixties. The Beatles had just found fame and the buzz of the Liverpool music scene was at it’s height. As I’m from Liverpool myself I have a bit of a fascination with that era, my parents were both teenagers at the time and it just seemed like an exciting place to be. I also liked the attention to detail, like the description of the old Cavern club, which was just how my parents described it, damp and a little bit dingy but still one of the places in Liverpool to be seen.
I have to be honest this is quite a slow and steady novel and frankly I liked the sixties parts better than I did the ones set in the present but of course that’s just my opinion.
Bonnie and Stan is a must read story if you like poignant, character driven stories all about love, life and family.
Poor Stan, just on the verge of retirement and building his dream home, he finds out he has incurable cancer. He can’t stand to think of Bonnie on her own so he sets about trying to find her a new husband.
Bonnie and Stan is one of those ‘I’m not crying honest, there’s just something in my eye’ reads. I always find it a little harder to read a book with a protagonist who’s dying, especially from cancer which took my mother ten years ago, but this topic is handled with sensitivity by the author.
The characters are so well written, I felt like I almost knew them. Stan is the more pragmatic, accepting what is happening to him whereas Bonnie is looking for a miracle cure. I think we all have a little bit of Bonnie in us, especially when someone is ill.
My favourite aspects of the novel is when we travelled back to the sixties. The Beatles had just found fame and the buzz of the Liverpool music scene was at it’s height. As I’m from Liverpool myself I have a bit of a fascination with that era, my parents were both teenagers at the time and it just seemed like an exciting place to be. I also liked the attention to detail, like the description of the old Cavern club, which was just how my parents described it, damp and a little bit dingy but still one of the places in Liverpool to be seen.
I have to be honest this is quite a slow and steady novel and frankly I liked the sixties parts better than I did the ones set in the present but of course that’s just my opinion.
Bonnie and Stan is a must read story if you like poignant, character driven stories all about love, life and family.
maariahm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cheryl59's review against another edition
5.0
Oh wow what can I say about this book, I absolutely loved it, it made me laugh and cry and was just such an emotional love story. I read it in two sittings as once I started it I didn't want to put it down. I have recommended it to all my friends.
itsallaboutthebooksuk's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the present day and the 1960’s, Bonnie and Stan is a wonderful story about love, about family and about life.
When Stan is diagnosed with terminal cancer it’s not himself he worries about, it’s his wife of 50 years, Bonnie. They are husband and wife, soul mates and best friends and it breaks Stans heart to think of leaving Bonnie all alone and with the help of grand daughter Greya he plans to find Bonnie a new love.
Bonnie and Stan are relationship goals, I just absolutely loved this pair. Stan is very much a see it how it is kind of person where as Bonnie is looking for a miracle, a cure for Stan. The love they have for each other was beautiful and it was nice having older protagonists to read about.
I loved heading back to the swinging sixties when Bonnie and Stan first met. It almost felt like I was being transported back to that time and was in the Cavern Club alongside them with the buzz pulsating from the pages and the music singing in my ears.
I sometimes find it difficult to read about cancer, having lost my 7 year old daughter to a brain tumour, it is a difficult subject for me but Anna Stuart has written this story with such sensitivity and passion and I will admit I may have had a wee tear in my eye one or two times.
Filled with wonderful characters Bonnie and Stan is a story I will definitely be recommending to others. I really didn’t want it to end and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
When Stan is diagnosed with terminal cancer it’s not himself he worries about, it’s his wife of 50 years, Bonnie. They are husband and wife, soul mates and best friends and it breaks Stans heart to think of leaving Bonnie all alone and with the help of grand daughter Greya he plans to find Bonnie a new love.
Bonnie and Stan are relationship goals, I just absolutely loved this pair. Stan is very much a see it how it is kind of person where as Bonnie is looking for a miracle, a cure for Stan. The love they have for each other was beautiful and it was nice having older protagonists to read about.
I loved heading back to the swinging sixties when Bonnie and Stan first met. It almost felt like I was being transported back to that time and was in the Cavern Club alongside them with the buzz pulsating from the pages and the music singing in my ears.
I sometimes find it difficult to read about cancer, having lost my 7 year old daughter to a brain tumour, it is a difficult subject for me but Anna Stuart has written this story with such sensitivity and passion and I will admit I may have had a wee tear in my eye one or two times.
Filled with wonderful characters Bonnie and Stan is a story I will definitely be recommending to others. I really didn’t want it to end and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
daniellelouis_'s review against another edition
5.0
Bonnie and Stan is Anna's first contemporary fiction, yes, I'm shocked too because she ticked every single one of my reading boxes, from creating lovable characters, a hard hitting situation and a series of events that you can't help giggle at, although your heart is hurting! I'm not going to lie, I'm getting the lovely rush of emotions right now as I write this, but isn't that an indication of a great read? When it can still emotionally affect you days / weeks / months after finishing it. I fell hard for this book, and I don't think i'll ever get over it.
Let's start with the absolutely gorgeous characters, especially the main man himself, Stan. He's like a husband / granddad / father that you wish you had, he's kind hearted, funny and very much an old fashioned gentleman who has been told that he hasn't got long left to live. Most of us would grab our bucket list or shove our head into the sand of denial. What does Stan worry about? Leaving Bonnie behind to live the rest of her days in loneliness (I'm not crying, you're crying!!) How utterly loyal is he! Anna has written Stan and Bonnie as three dimensional characters with depth and heart. You get drawn into this captivating read by your heartstrings and get drowned out with tears and love.
The narrative occasional flicks to Bonnie's past; Liverpool 1963 to be exact, as a way to help the reader develop her character. She's quite naïve, finding herself being part of Liverpool's party scene at the same time The Beatles rose to fame. This flashback really works as it develops the foundation for the present day storyline. Anna penned a perfectly crafted contemporary fiction read that will stay tucked up in your heart, where your thoughts will flutter now and again. The storyline of a decades old marriage and the ending of it on the horizon is tissues on hand heart-breaking, but Anna has incorporated in ease flecks of uplifting and humouring aspects that will get you smiling between the rain showers.
The constant theme throughout is "If you truly loved someone you had to want the best for them, whatever it cost you" I think that's where Stan's head is at as he goes on these highly hilarious dates with men he's met online, with Bonnie in mind. I think that Bonnie and Stan would make a cracking rom-com cross tear jerker cinematic film. This is my request for that film! The dialogue includes an air of mystery as we get glances of Bonnie's past, the trials and tribulations of love and what is left behind when someone involuntarily leaves a marriage. An amazingly brilliant read that I'll be raving about for a long time to come! Thank you Anna for writing such a poignant alluring read! *Hands over a bucket of stars*
Let's start with the absolutely gorgeous characters, especially the main man himself, Stan. He's like a husband / granddad / father that you wish you had, he's kind hearted, funny and very much an old fashioned gentleman who has been told that he hasn't got long left to live. Most of us would grab our bucket list or shove our head into the sand of denial. What does Stan worry about? Leaving Bonnie behind to live the rest of her days in loneliness (I'm not crying, you're crying!!) How utterly loyal is he! Anna has written Stan and Bonnie as three dimensional characters with depth and heart. You get drawn into this captivating read by your heartstrings and get drowned out with tears and love.
The narrative occasional flicks to Bonnie's past; Liverpool 1963 to be exact, as a way to help the reader develop her character. She's quite naïve, finding herself being part of Liverpool's party scene at the same time The Beatles rose to fame. This flashback really works as it develops the foundation for the present day storyline. Anna penned a perfectly crafted contemporary fiction read that will stay tucked up in your heart, where your thoughts will flutter now and again. The storyline of a decades old marriage and the ending of it on the horizon is tissues on hand heart-breaking, but Anna has incorporated in ease flecks of uplifting and humouring aspects that will get you smiling between the rain showers.
The constant theme throughout is "If you truly loved someone you had to want the best for them, whatever it cost you" I think that's where Stan's head is at as he goes on these highly hilarious dates with men he's met online, with Bonnie in mind. I think that Bonnie and Stan would make a cracking rom-com cross tear jerker cinematic film. This is my request for that film! The dialogue includes an air of mystery as we get glances of Bonnie's past, the trials and tribulations of love and what is left behind when someone involuntarily leaves a marriage. An amazingly brilliant read that I'll be raving about for a long time to come! Thank you Anna for writing such a poignant alluring read! *Hands over a bucket of stars*
itsallaboutthebooksuk's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the present day and the 1960’s, Bonnie and Stan is a wonderful story about love, about family and about life.
When Stan is diagnosed with terminal cancer it’s not himself he worries about, it’s his wife of 50 years, Bonnie. They are husband and wife, soul mates and best friends and it breaks Stans heart to think of leaving Bonnie all alone and with the help of grand daughter Greya he plans to find Bonnie a new love.
Bonnie and Stan are relationship goals, I just absolutely loved this pair. Stan is very much a see it how it is kind of person where as Bonnie is looking for a miracle, a cure for Stan. The love they have for each other was beautiful and it was nice having older protagonists to read about.
I loved heading back to the swinging sixties when Bonnie and Stan first met. It almost felt like I was being transported back to that time and was in the Cavern Club alongside them with the buzz pulsating from the pages and the music singing in my ears.
I sometimes find it difficult to read about cancer, having lost my 7 year old daughter to a brain tumour, it is a difficult subject for me but Anna Stuart has written this story with such sensitivity and passion and I will admit I may have had a wee tear in my eye one or two times.
Filled with wonderful characters Bonnie and Stan is a story I will definitely be recommending to others. I really didn’t want it to end and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
When Stan is diagnosed with terminal cancer it’s not himself he worries about, it’s his wife of 50 years, Bonnie. They are husband and wife, soul mates and best friends and it breaks Stans heart to think of leaving Bonnie all alone and with the help of grand daughter Greya he plans to find Bonnie a new love.
Bonnie and Stan are relationship goals, I just absolutely loved this pair. Stan is very much a see it how it is kind of person where as Bonnie is looking for a miracle, a cure for Stan. The love they have for each other was beautiful and it was nice having older protagonists to read about.
I loved heading back to the swinging sixties when Bonnie and Stan first met. It almost felt like I was being transported back to that time and was in the Cavern Club alongside them with the buzz pulsating from the pages and the music singing in my ears.
I sometimes find it difficult to read about cancer, having lost my 7 year old daughter to a brain tumour, it is a difficult subject for me but Anna Stuart has written this story with such sensitivity and passion and I will admit I may have had a wee tear in my eye one or two times.
Filled with wonderful characters Bonnie and Stan is a story I will definitely be recommending to others. I really didn’t want it to end and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
nickimags's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a lovely read, set partly in the 1963 and present day with the story told from both Bonnie and Stan’s perspectives.
I loved both characters but enjoyed Bonnie’s 1963 story the most as I’ve always loved anything to do with the 60s. I loved reading about the Merseybeat scene and getting glimpses of The Beatles and Cilla Black in the famous Cavern Club. I really did feel I was back there when I was reading the chapters set in 1963.
Stan’s chapters in the present day were poignant, but also fun as he goes on secret ‘dates’ to find a new husband for his Bonnie. I loved the relationship Stan and Bonnie had, it was so refreshing to read about a long and happy marriage in a novel. The love they have for each other is wonderful and something I’d love to see more in fiction.
There were a few minor characters that really helped the story move along. Dave, Stan’s friend and colleague is a bit of a dinosaur when in comes to women, and it’s lovey to see his character develop along the way. Greya, Stan and Bonnie’s eco granddaughter who helps Stan with the whole ‘dating’ idea, is like a breathe of fresh air and right on point with her passion for the environment. And of course I can’t miss out Aunt Nancy and her wife Astrid and the Midsummer party!
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and cannot recommend it enough for lovers of contemporary fiction.
I loved both characters but enjoyed Bonnie’s 1963 story the most as I’ve always loved anything to do with the 60s. I loved reading about the Merseybeat scene and getting glimpses of The Beatles and Cilla Black in the famous Cavern Club. I really did feel I was back there when I was reading the chapters set in 1963.
Stan’s chapters in the present day were poignant, but also fun as he goes on secret ‘dates’ to find a new husband for his Bonnie. I loved the relationship Stan and Bonnie had, it was so refreshing to read about a long and happy marriage in a novel. The love they have for each other is wonderful and something I’d love to see more in fiction.
There were a few minor characters that really helped the story move along. Dave, Stan’s friend and colleague is a bit of a dinosaur when in comes to women, and it’s lovey to see his character develop along the way. Greya, Stan and Bonnie’s eco granddaughter who helps Stan with the whole ‘dating’ idea, is like a breathe of fresh air and right on point with her passion for the environment. And of course I can’t miss out Aunt Nancy and her wife Astrid and the Midsummer party!
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and cannot recommend it enough for lovers of contemporary fiction.