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This is Me
This is Me by Shari Low Review: Widowhood, Secrets and Second Chances
Shari Low's This is Me (Aria, 2019) follows Denise, widowed after forty years with Ray — her first and only love — as she learns the marriage she idolised was fatally flawed. Fans of Jojo Moyes and Marian Keyes get a gripping, emotional page-turner, though some readers find it repetitive.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers of commercial women's fiction — especially existing Shari Low fans — who want an emotionally generous page-turner about a widow discovering her 'perfect' forty-year marriage was flawed.
Worth it if
Worth it if you value emotional payoff over prose style — readers consistently praise an ending and tear-jerking epilogue that kept them guessing, and the grief-and-second-chances arc stands alone even for newcomers.
Skip if
Skip it if you want literary polish or structural surprise — at least one reader found the plotting repetitive and the bantering friend group forced, and the Moyes/Keyes cover comparisons oversell its ambition.
What readers & critics say
Coverage is concentrated in book blogs and reader-review platforms rather than broadsheet criticism. WhatCathyReadNext called it "an engaging, emotional story about motherhood, relationships and the choices we often face," while Stardust Book Reviews praised it as "a beautiful thought-provoking story" that delivers "a rollercoaster ride of emotions"; a NetGalley reviewer offered a more mixed take, calling it a must-read on dysfunctional family relationships while admitting protagonist Denise was a character "I tried to like, but I couldn't."
Sources: WhatCathyReadNext, Stardust Book Reviews, NetGalley, Fantastic FictionAsk LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- Yes, with a calibration. The central hook — a widow discovering her idolised forty-year marriage was fatally flawed — gives the book more weight than pure escapism, and the volume and consistency of reader enthusiasm is real: reviewers repeatedly single out the ending ('kept guessing the outcome right to the end') and a tear-jerking epilogue. The trade-off is surprise and polish: at least one reader found it repetitive and the friendship group forced, and the warmest responses come from readers already fluent in Shari Low's world.
- Similar books
- Readers who connect with This is Me should look first to Shari Low's own The Story of Our Life for more of her interconnected world, and to Marian Keyes' The Break for another sharp, funny take on a marriage under strain. In the LuvemBooks catalogue, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding offers a comparably warm, comic widow-rebuilds-her-life arc; Summer Island by Kristin Hannah delivers the same tear-stained family-and-secrets territory; and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig explores the consequences of life decisions from a more speculative angle.
- Who should read this?
- This is Me is squarely for readers of commercial women's fiction who want an emotionally generous story about grief, self-discovery and second chances — the Jojo Moyes, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes shelf. It rewards existing Shari Low fans most, since familiar characters from her earlier novels appear and, as one reader put it, 'feel like old friends now.' Newcomers can still start here, because the widow-rebuilds-her-life arc stands on its own, but anyone seeking literary prose over page-turner momentum should look elsewhere.
- What are the main themes?
- The engine of the book is grief and belated disillusionment: Denise must mourn Ray while simultaneously learning the marriage she idolised was fatally flawed. Around that core sit self-discovery and second chances — one reader called it a story 'about the consequences of our life decisions, and their impact on those we love.' Friendship and community provide the warmth and banter that balance the sadness, though one dissenting reader found that ensemble humour strained.
- Is this a good book club pick?
- It is a strong one. The central question — what do you do when the story of your forty-year marriage turns out to be partly fiction — invites genuine disagreement, and the theme of how our decisions affect those we love is universally relatable. The emotional range (laughter, suspense, sadness, anger) and the much-praised epilogue give a group concrete beats to discuss, though groups should note the book is commercial page-turner fiction rather than a stylistic showcase.
- Where should I start with Shari Low?
- This is Me is actually a reasonable entry point: the widow-rebuilds-her-life arc stands on its own, and it connects to her wider fictional world, so it opens the door to the connected novels. Readers who enjoy it can move on to The Story of Our Life, One Day in December, A Life Without You or With or Without You — all part of a catalogue of over 20 novels spanning a twenty-five-year, five-million-copy career. Existing fans get the most from This is Me's returning characters, but newcomers lose nothing essential.
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A Forty-Year Marriage, Reopened
Where It Sits in Shari Low's Catalogue
What Readers Say It Does Well
Where It Falters for Some
Who It Is For
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
- 2
whatcathyreadnext.co.uk
- Further reading
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Stardust Book Reviews
- 7
NetGalley
- 8
Fantastic Fiction
Age & Reading Level
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Adult
Our age band groups books for browsing; it isn't an age a review gave.
3 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
Skip if you want literary prose or tightly structured plotting — this is warm, momentum-driven commercial fiction that at least one reader found repetitive, with a friend group that can feel forced to anyone not already invested in Low's world.
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