Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

MICHAEL JOSEPH, £20 (EBOOK, £10.99) REVIEW BY LAUREN TAYLOR

The sequel to fan favourite Rachel’s Holiday (1998) has been a long time coming – and it doesn’t disappoint. In Again, Rachel, the lovable protagonist is her same funny, slightly neurotic self, who, 20 years on from her stint in rehab, has a new boyfriend, Quin, and a counselling job at the Cloisters. Readers will love meeting (and rooting for) a whole new set of addicts, and trying to figure out what happened in her marriage to Luke. Keyes’ wonderful ability to deal with messy relationship issues, grief and imperfect, but ultimately good, people uncovering painful truths somehow sits perfectly alongside her comedic touch and warmness towards her characters.