Eight-year-old Welsh girls and best friends Lana, Judith and Catrin swear an oath on a Curly Wurly wrapper that they will be best friends forever. But when the girls turn nineteen in the summer of their A-levels they go on a Greek holiday their bond is broken. Huw stood behind him, glaring at his children and daring them to misbehave in the presence of Christ’s Representative on Earth. ‘Catrin Mary, will you make Father O’Leary a cup of tea now?’ said Huw with fake jollity – his accent becoming positively Corkonian. This often happened when he was anywhere near churches, vicars or nuns. The shoes were a big mistake. Her toes had gone numb and every time a stiletto heel crunched on to the unforgiving surface of the pavement, it set her teeth on edge. Once again vanity had taken precedence over comfort. Nice one, Lana.

This book grew on me, as did the 3 characters and by the end was fully invested in their life’s and all that was going on ( good, bad and indifferent ) a b "BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, Ruth Jones, actor and writer". BBC . Retrieved 20 January 2019. A wonderfully warm, funny, totally engrossing and unputdownable novel about friendship. A gorgeous treat.' Kate Eberlen, author of Miss You and Only You I absolutely loved this so much. There were moments that made me cry and other moments that made me laugh.'

Creative Play

Alrigh’, Liz? ’ow’s it goin’, alrigh’?’ Father O’Leary was from Cardiff, and his broad accent and chippy, high-pitched voice always took anyone he met by surprise. He somehow sounded too urban for a man of the cloth. Of late I seem to have gravitated to romcoms (or thrillers), but one of my first and favourite ever authors is the late Maeve Binchy. And, in many ways, with its focus on relationships and their ever-changing dynamics, this reminded me of her and reignited my passion for this genre.

After the trip of a lifetime, the three girls are closer than ever. But an unexpected turn of events shakes the foundation of their friendship to its core, leaving their future in doubt - there's simply too much to forgive, let alone forget. An innocent childhood promise they once made now seems impossible to keep . . . Weren’t you meant to be in work at nine?’ asked Liz. She loved the fact that her student son had a summer job at the bakery – he brought home all sorts of lovely treats.Will you please take this seriously, the lot of you!’ Huw exploded in frustration, the Irish accent of his childhood creeping through as it always did when he was even mildly upset. He passed Catrin the money belt. ‘Now try it on so I can demonstrate adjusting the width.’ Catrin was bizarrely fascinated by the way Father O’Leary spoke. As if he was jabbing them all on the arm with his Cardiffian-accented utterances. Short, staccato and stilted. Like a series of dotted quavers on a music manuscript. He carried on, taking his crucifix out of his bag as he spoke and placing it delicately on the kitchen table. Liz surreptitiously removed Tom’s box of Shredded Wheat. ‘Your mum and dad – they wants me to say a little prayer for you, alrigh’? Just to send you on your travels, like . . .’ Cadwalladr, Carole (1 January 2012). "The Observer: Ruth Jones: queen of comedy". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 21 May 2012. Liz looked sheepish and turned to Catrin. ‘Well, your father thought seeing as you didn’t make it to Mass on Sunday . . .’

Three childhood friends, Lana, Judith and Catrin, best friends since primary school when they swore an oath on a Curly Wurly wrapper that they would always be there for each other, come what may. But their friendship is tested to the limits and their childhood promise seems likely to be broken. Oh, thank God! Look, the sooner you get here and we bugger off to Greece, the better. My family is actually deranged. My mother has only gone and—’ Arm wrestle!’ exclaimed Liz. ‘Dear God, is it any wonder you’ve not got a girlfriend, you go arm wrestling with young women at parties!’ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/18/lucy-letby-the-beige-and-average-nurse-who-turned-into-a-baby-killer Jones's trademark warmth and humour suffuse the novel with comedy and pathos, making for a heart-warming, entertaining and, at times, deeply moving story The ObserverI found the dialogue between her characters simply a joy to read. I liked how Ruth highlighted the difference between Cardiff and Valley accents. This is something we poke fun at every week at our Llantrisant depot. After the trip of a lifetime, the three girls are closer than ever. But an unexpected turn of events shakes the foundation of their friendship to its core, leaving their future in doubt – there’s simply too much to forgive, let alone forget. An innocent childhood promise they once made now seems impossible to keep . . . Filled with a multitude of believable characters this novel effortlessly spans the decades, filled with tragedy and humour, love and loss. I couldn't put it down and had to read the last bit with my Kindle plugged into my laptop because I'd drained the battery.