REVIEWS

REVIEW OF ‘HOLDING HANDS’ BY DARLENE FOSTER

This is a sweet later-in-life romance between two octogenarians. Ellen meets Tom at a clinic where he volunteers as a hand holder for patients having eye injections for macular degeneration. The problem is that Ellen's son, Bob, doesn't want his mother to have a relationship as he may not get his inheritance. Bob is devious and will stop at nothing to keep Tom out of his mother's life. I enjoyed the story, especially the realistic depiction of people in their eighties and how they deal with this stage of life. There are some laughs and some poignant moments. The characters and settings are real, and the plot moves along nicely. It's a great read by a writer who knows people and medical settings well. It's never too late to fall in love. 

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4 star review on 24/3/26 by Olga Miret on Goodreads 

I  am familiar with the work of this author and have read many reviews about it, but this is the first short story/novella I’ve read by her.
This story is somewhat unusual, especially for a romance, because it focuses on two characters in their eighties, Tom and Ellen. Readers meet Tom, who is almost ninety and a widower; he lost his wife, Jean, the love of his life, a year ago, and he still misses her and cannot get used to life without her. He has managed to create a routine at the supported accommodation where he lives, and he remains fairly active, but he feels lonely. He works as a volunteer as well, holding the hands of patients (many of them quite elderly) who have to receive intraocular injections to treat a degenerative eye condition. He tells his own story in the first person, and he is quite a down-to-earth and likeable character. He has no relatives left, as he and his wife never had any children, and it is impossible not to imagine what life would be like at that age if we were in a similar situation.
Ellen, on the other hand, suffers from severe arthritis and mobility problems, has been a widow for many years and still has a big zest for life. She also has a son, Bob, but she doesn’t get on well with him, and it is not surprising, as he is selfish and only interested in getting hold of his mother’s money. She gets to tell her own side of the story, also in the first person, towards the end of the novella, and there are very moving moments readers get to share with her.
Tom and Ellen meet thanks to his volunteering, and they both connect due to their similar circumstances. They enjoy each other’s company and would like to spend some time together in their old age, but Bob feels threatened by this relationship. He tries to control his mother and does not allow her any freedom, just in case she might do something that could interfere with his chances of inheriting all the money.
I won’t go into any details, as there are quite a few surprises and twists in the story, but as you might expect, the path of true love (or true affection and friendship) does not run smooth, even at this age.
I really enjoyed meeting this couple and getting to know their lives and their strong and independent spirits, despite all the hurdles and challenges they have to face. The author manages to create very compelling and realistic characters in this compact story that packs a lot of details in few pages. There is also a memorable (and horrible) baddy, and a touch of the unexpected at the end that will delight most readers.
I am sure this won’t be the last of Stevie Turner’s stories I read, and I recommend it to all readers who like older protagonists and second-chance stories with a big heart.

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5 star review by D.G Kaye on Goodreads  22/3/26

Holding Hands is a wonderfully touching story taking in the perspective of aging seniors. Tom, a widower living in a senior home is taking in life as much as he can, despite the drawbacks of aging and him missing his departed wife, Jean.

Tom seems a spunky man, despite his nearing 90 years old. Tom keeps himself busy by volunteering at an eye clinic as a hand-holder for incoming patients as they are getting eye injections for their degenerative eye disease. He has his routines and still takes the bus, and shares a lot of himself with us about his love for his Jean, as he visits her grave daily and enjoys chats with her. One day in the clinic cafeteria, he meets elderly Ellen, then holds her hand during her treatment. The two strike up a friendship, and we get to understand his feelings when he talks to his beloved wife. Despite him living alone and finding happiness among other people, Tom can’t help but feel a bit guilty having any interest in any other woman because he doesn’t want to betray the love he felt for his wife. But Tom’s loneliness makes him curious to learn more about Ellen, as company is a rare thing for him.

As their friendship builds, there’s a bully in town, ‘Bastard Bob’, as Tom likes to refer to Ellen’s overbearing son who’d rather she be alone and isolated than to have any social life. As their friendship grows, Tom and Ellen come up with some shenanigans to be able to spend time together, making many efforts to dodge Bob at any opportunity. This is when the book heats up with ‘their plan’. Will they pull it off? You’ll have to read to find out.

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5 star review on 24/3/26 by Alex Craigie on Goodreads

This is a delightful book about an elderly man who volunteers to hold the hands of anxious patients awaiting eye injections. His accounts of his daily life are masterfully done and really capture the loneliness, boredom and humour of a man approaching his 87th year. His wife died just over a year ago and there’s a touching description of him standing inside her empty wardrobe to capture the lingering scent of her.
Tom is so lonely at the beginning of the book he passes the time volunteering, sleeping, going to bingo, and even attempting line dancing just to be with people.
Then he meets a fun-loving woman, Ellen, at the eye clinic and things change for him in ways that he couldn’t have anticipated. The only fly in the ointment is Ellen’s controlling and disapproving son Bob. This isn’t a ‘cosy’ story, as such, but I’ll not give away any spoilers except to say that the ending came as quite a surprise.
This is a well-written tale that captures the fun and loneliness of people in a way I found enchanting.

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4 star review on Goodreads by Pete Springer on 30/3/26

Holding Hands is not your ordinary novella, as the two main protagonists, Tom and Ellen, are both in their 80s. Tom has been a lonely widower since Jean, his wife of 65 years, passed away. To keep himself occupied, he volunteers twice a week at a local hospital. He serves as a hand-holder to comfort patients undergoing eye injections for macular degeneration. While at the hospital, he forms a friendship with one of the patients. Ellen may be confined to a wheelchair, but she's still full of life.

Together, Tom and Ellen fill a void in each other's lives. The only problem is that Ellen has a wretched son named Bob, who is very controlling of his mother's life. He thinks he stands to inherit a fortune from his mother when she passes, so he's now pretending to be the caring son. When Bob begins interfering in Ellen's and Tom's relationship, Ellen suggests that the two friends get married so they can live their own lives without Bob's interference. Will they be able to pull that off without Bob getting in the way?

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5 star review on Goodreads by Sally Cronin on 25/4/26

It takes great skill to write an intriquing psychological thriller and condense it into a novella. The author certainly knows how to write compelling characters and you are immediately drawn into the life of widower Tom who is nearing ninety but still has the will and drive to be part of life in a meaningful way.

Once the reader has become immersed in his daily life and his kindness he offers to so many in his voluntary work, Ellen enters the scene bringing with her something Tom has long thought denied to him. Unfortunately it also brings the unwanted presence of her son.

This is not a love story in the traditional sense but is about a relationship built on mutual respect, kindness and a desire to maintain the right to independence and to still experience all that is good in life. It is amazing the lengths others will go to deny you that privilege. It is certainly a reminder to live every day to the full and not allow anyone to prevent you from doing so.

The story heats up as Tom and Ellen make their break for freedom with evil following in their footsteps. There are some heart stopping moments which keeps you turning the pages… There is not doubt you are in the hands of a skilled storyteller.

I can highly recommend this short read for anyone who enjoys a clever and well written thriller.