I listened to this on audio with Dawn French reading it and was very enjoyable in the fact she could express how she wanted the story and words to come over to its reader.

All characters in this book fit neatly into a box, they are either nice, funny, dim or nasty. There is an absence of any complexity , ensuring that the reader is not unnecessarily taxed by thinking. This is a good job, otherwise they may ask questions such as what happened to the dead baby which is presumably still unclaimed in the hospital at this point ! Hope is the grieving mother and as she leaves the hospital, the grief hits her particularly hard. She is wobbly and bouncing off walls on her way out. She falls against the wall right at the room where the other mother and baby are - and she opportunistically grabs their child. The parents are sleeping. But that night one gives birth to a very healthy little baby girl and the other faces the most unimaginable heartache when their baby is born a stillbirth. A bright, brilliant and heartbreaking tale of two mothers, two babies and the far-reaching consequences of one fateful day Yahoo! Style Oh my goodness. This was such an emotional read with a difficult subject at its heart but amongst the emotional turmoil there is humour too. Dawn French handles the story with warmth and somehow even though a wrong has been done, the leading female characters feel so credible that you really care about them. In fact they all have vivid personalities, including the minor characters. There are those like DI Thripshaw that provide the comedic and toe curling moments with his malapropisms and crassness whilst his colleague DC Debbie Cheese provides the empathy.Told with French's unfailing wit and warmth, Because Of You is the tale of family bonds and the mother-daughter relationships that ultimately make us who we are Independent Minnie is raised in a much lower social class than she was born into. The vocabulary of the incredibly immature Hope, and how she raises Minnie as her BFF, is really grating.

I grew up watching French & Saunders so I could hear Dawn French’s very distinct voice in my head as I was reading it. She’s funny and talented but I really disliked this book. It was upsetting and irritating in equal measure. Whispering Stories was established in 2015. The blog is here to share our love of books and the bookish world, alongside our other passions in life. We are based in the UK. After five long years of waiting for a new novel, Dawn's millions of fans will fall in love with this tantalising story of motherhood.I read this book due to its surprise (to me) longlisting for the 2021 Women’s Prize – an explicit sign from the judges (the chair of whom blurbs the front cover of the book) that they were looking for a range of books from literary to storytellers. My review is of the audio book version, as well as the story. I’m rather an audio book novice – I have this terrible habit of falling asleep whilst listening to books – its not boredom – especially not in this case, but rather a voice in my ear soothing me to sleep! Florence isn’t noticed as missing for some time with her parents asleep and the midwives leaving them to rest. When the news breaks the hospital presume Hope left way before Florence was taken and she isn’t a suspect. I think feeling sorry for Hope also came from knowing that Florence’s dad was a self-loving idiot who would have ruined his daughter’s life, just like he did his wife. I like the way that Dawn French kind of made him out to be the baddy in the book, and that he was an MP too. I adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all Marian Keyes

The more the story unfolds, the more sillier it gets. That is silly as in unrealistic, not silly as in funny. Dawn French moves between the aftermath of that fateful night and 18 years later, when the explosive impact of Hope's actions is finally felt Daily Express

I previously read the author’s “A Little Bit Marvelous” and commented that it was an “inoffensive read and the last chapter goes some way to redeeming the stereotyped characters, unlikely central drama and all’s well that ends well (as well as slightly unlikely) resolution” – and a lot of that could apply to this novel also. The story begins on New Years Eve, on the cusp of a new millennium. Mothers-to-be Hope and Anna are in a London hospital giving birth however only one of them will leave with a baby. An enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. Funny and enjoyable to the end We Love This Book