I love Mark Watson's stand-up comedy so I was eagerly anticipating his latest novel, despite it being on the topic of suicide. Whilst this is clearly a difficult subject to tackle, Watson does so with tact, sensitivity and without becoming too dark or heavy. In fact, parts of the novel are funny and uplifting. All the characters, from the main protagonist James, to his best friend, roommate, ex-girlfriend, sister and mother are all well written and relatable. By experiencing the perspectives of these characters and the struggles they are experiencing, we are able to build a picture of their lives and what has in turn lead James to his heartbreaking decision. Watson writes beautifully, helping the reader not only understand and appreciate James' decision, but also to see the thoughts and flaws of his family and friends and understand why they have been hesitant to reach out or brush off any concerns despite the love and empathy they have for James. Something that is all to easy to do in real life. I did feel that the ending was a little abrupt and I would have liked an extra chapter on the immediate aftermath in order to have a truly satisfying end and to answer a few remaining questions but I appreciate that this wasn't necessary to fully enjoy the story. Overall, a moving, honest and touching story. Written beautifully with relatable and interesting characters. Recommended.

I confess, this is a review copy that has sat in my to be read towers for far too long but seeing it on the Read for Ukraine tables reminded me so I have finally picked it up. Quite an unusual read, yet completely gripping. Funny, yet heart breaking and addictive. I can see why so many people have taken this book to their hearts. The text is sent... then people start reaching out but will this make any difference? Will any of them actually manage to make contact with him? Can they change his mind? Very happy to recommend on to others.

I enjoyed this. James is a young man, disillusioned with his life, and he sets out a plan to jump from a bridge in Edinburgh and end his life. To that effect, he boards the sleeper train from London and sends a text message to all his contacts telling them goodbye before he pops flight mode on. The story follows the timeline of his train journey, with his contacts soon networking to work out where he might be and try to save him - from his flat-mate, his ex-girlfriend, his estranged sister in Australia, a whole cast of diverse characters with different relationships with James. Initially I found this book quite slow to get into, but then I spent a couple of hours with it and found reading it quicker helped, it made the pace of the train journey more realistic. All in, a good read, a story which shows how even those who appear stable from the outside are inwardly fragile, and how there exists such good in humanity.

This book tells the story of James Chilton who boards a sleeper train from London and Edinburgh and sends out a text to his 158 contacts saying that he is ending his life. This amazing book tells the story of the contacts trying to get in touch with James who has turned his phone on to Airplane mode. This book touches on the subject of Suicide and I would recommend this book. With thanks to Netgalley & Harper Collins for the ARC of this book in exchange for this review.

Well this was a little different to what I was expecting. And not at all bad! We start on a train journey where James decides he has had enough of the world and wants out. Instead of leaving a note, he decides to write a short text explaining his actions and "sends to all". We then follow his contacts as they receive and react to the news, as well as learning what happened to James to make him get to this point in his life... It's quite hard hitting but in a subtle way. Often it's the small things that, when they all mount up, can be more devastating to a person than a short sharp big shock... It's also quite emotional - obviously given the main subject matter - but despite the suicidal overtones, the book doesn't ever get too dark. It's also quite moralistic in nature but again not over the top. Instead of being preachy, it just hints at ways that maybe you could see the other side of an interaction with someone. See it from their point of view, see how your actions affect others even though you may not feel responsible for how they take things, you can influence their present and indeed future. Characterisation is tricky as we see people at the height of an emotional time but all the characters we meet along the way felt real to me, especially James who I managed to connect to very early on in the book. It's kinda obvious from the start where we would end up, and I am a bit shocked that James' friends didn't also come to the same conclusion as I did, but there you go! It's an interesting tale, and a quite important one, especially given the state of the world as we know it at the moment, and does give a bit of food for thought regarding mental health. It's a book that I am glad I read and one whose themes will stay for me a while...