Things We Need To Say by Linda Middleton
Published by Choclit / Joffe Books on 27 August 2025
📝 Review Note:
This review is provided as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours which runs 27 August until 2 September 2025. Follow along, with the Book Tour Schedule.
Thank you to Linda Middleton, Choclit/Joffe Books, NetGalley and, of course Zooloo’s Book Tours for including me on this book tour and for providing a copy of the digital edition of this romance / women’s fiction to read and review.
As always, this review reflects my honest thoughts.
About the book
Don’t let The One become The One Who Got Away.
Emma thought she had her life figured out – the career, the love, the future. But her career feels like it’s going nowhere, and her once-perfect relationship with Jay is beginning to unravel. She fears that the life she envisioned is slipping away.
Jay has always dreamed of running his own restaurant. But he never imagined that in chasing success, each step forward would pull him further away from Emma.
As cracks in their relationship deepen, Emma and Jay realise that their love story wasn’t as perfect as they once believed. There are things they’ve never said to each other – things they must confront if they’re to save what they once had.
If they don’t take control of their own happiness, they might lose the one thing they can’t afford to – each other.
Emma and Jay are about to discover that finding where you truly belong means letting go of everything you thought you knew about love . . . and yourself.
Who is Linda Middleton?
My novels, Things They Never Said and First Impressions are contemporary romances set between London and Cheshire, two of my favourites places.
For as long as I can remember I have loved getting lost in a good book. My mum would take me to the library and I’d return home full of excitement at what I was about to read. I also loved cooking so I went to university to study Hotel Management in a city where I had always dreamed of living. I loved the vibrancy of the city and lived there for nine years. When it became too expensive, I moved back to Cheshire, to another city I had fallen in love with, Chester.
After a few years I found I didn’t enjoy working within the catering industry, and held a succession of jobs, managing a bookshop and then secretarial work. In my spare time I began to write. At first I wrote short stories and had several published in women’s magazines but I really wanted to become a novelist. Towards the end of 2022 I sent Things They Never Said to Choc Lit (now part of Joffe Books). To my delight they accepted it and it was published in June 2023. My second novel First Impressions came out in August 2024, and a third book is in the pipeline. I do hope you enjoy reading them.
You can find Linda on instagram @middletonwrites
My Review
Sometimes love stories aren’t about the perfect romance but about the real one — and that’s exactly what Linda Middleton gives us here.
Emma and Jay are a couple who seem to have it all, until life starts pulling them in different directions. Career frustrations, unspoken feelings, and the weight of ambition create cracks that neither of them can ignore. What I liked most about this story is that it doesn’t sugarcoat relationships — it’s about the hard conversations, the missed chances, and the courage it takes to fight for what (or who) really matters.
This is a heartfelt and thoughtful read. The writing flows beautifully, the emotions feel genuine, and I found myself rooting for Emma and Jay even when they stumbled. It’s the kind of book that makes you reflect on the things we often leave unsaid in our own lives and relationships.
If you enjoy women’s fiction with a romantic core, relatable characters, and a focus on love tested by real-life challenges, this is well worth picking up.
This review may also appear on my social media and selected book platforms. All links are correct at the time of posting.
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