Dead to Me by Lesley Pearse (first published in 2017 by Penguin Random House)
Dead to me, I’m now almost ashamed to admit, was my very first Lesley Pearse novel and I wish it wasn’t! I was instantly drawn in by two vastly different characters who were equally interesting and likeable.
Verity and Ruby meet under unusual circumstances; watching a dead body being pulled out of a river. Verity comes from a well to do home in London, but her parents are emotionally absent and her sheltered life is as dull as it is proper.
Street smart Ruby on the other hand, often has to scrounge around for food or steal to feed herself while her mother makes money for her next bottle by selling her body. Their friendship is instantaneous and sealed when Verity convinces Ruby to be her guide around London. In return Verity buys Ruby food and teaches her some manners.
But life is about to turn their circumstances inside out. Will Verity be able to survive the practicality and shame of poverty? And can Ruby be tamed into being a lady, shake off her rough childhood and better herself?
While both girls grow into womanhood, they are haunted and time and again confronted with the demons of their past. Will it break them, or will they get the happily ever after they both deserve?
Dead to me speaks to how the traumatic events of a childhood shapes the way you see the world. Our past can keep us shackled and small unless we find our courage to break free. Lesley Pearse is one of the UK's best-loved novelists with fans across the globe and sales of over 10 million copies of her books to date.
To find out more about Lesley, please visit her website.
WATCH: Dead To Me book trailer
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