That Special Someone has been, unread, on my bookcase for far too long and I am SO glad that I finally got to read it! I am a big fan of Tanya Bullock’s so why it’s taken me so long to read this is beyond me. Simply too many books and not enough time, unfortunately.

What a beautiful, powerful and emotional story!

That Special Someone centres around single Mum, Izzie, and her 18 year old, learning-disabled, daughter, Jaya. Having never known her father or any grandparents, Jaya has only ever had her mother. They have only ever really had each other.

Izzie is fiercely protective of Jaya and isn’t really prepared for her to become an adult. When Jaya announces that she would like to be married and have babies, Izzie just goes into panic mode. She had thought Jaya would just live with her forever, but she is forced to confront the fact that Jaya is a beautiful young lady with wants and needs of her own.

As a mother I can totally understand how hard it is to let your children grow up, make their own decisions and mistakes and trust that you’ve brought them up well enough to be responsible for themselves (my children are 19 and 18). However, if your child has any kind of disability or difficulty then it must a hundred times harder. Izzie comes across as completely neurotic at times, but I totally got her, and my heart went out to her.

When Jaya falls for her teaching assistant at college the story takes a completely different direction. Jaya is just dreaming of her happy future with the man she loves and doesn’t have any malicious intent in her actions, but clearly doesn’t anticipate the hurt she is about to cause. I could almost physically feel the pain Izzie endures at this time. I can’t even imagine what I would do in the same situation.

I love how this story alternates from the point of view of the different characters, almost like diary entries. Looking at the same situation from the very different perspectives of Izzie and Jaya was captivating. Jaya’s innocence, and naivety, is so beautifully written. It’s so clever how effortlessly this contrast’s to Izzie’s viewpoint as a protective mother, living on her nerves and completely defensive on behalf of her daughter. The bond they share is blatantly unbreakable.

This is such an amazing story full of love and raw emotion, with a beautiful ending. I loved it!

Via Amazon UK

“Like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, this novel informs readers about young people living with disability.” GOODREADS

If you enjoy Mike Leigh films you will love this book.” GOODREADS

“The lightest, most entertaining, of reads on a serious dilemma facing many parents of autistic teens, single parent or not.” GOODREADS

“This is not like any other novel I have ever read – It tackles major taboos head-on, but the author does it in a way which is so sensitive and witty, you wonder why they were ever taboos at all!” GOODREADS

‘A wonderful, poignant and witty story about the life, loves and struggles of a young woman with learning difficulties.’ JILL FRASIER, Founder and Director of healthcare charity, KISSING IT BETTER

“A brilliant debut novel. One regret – it finished too soon! I want to know more!” GOODREADS

Life as the single mum of a learning-disabled teen is tough…

…but it gets so much harder when puberty hits.

To single mum Izzie’s alarm, all her 18 yr old daughter Jaya wants from life is to get married and have babies. This creates a moral dilemma for Izzie. How she can continue to protect her daughter whilst at the same time letting her go?

In the small Midlands town where they live, there is little prospect of meaningful employment or continuing education for Jaya. So, Izzie wonders, would finding a ‘suitable husband’ via an arranged marriage for half-Indian Jaya be so crazy?

But when Jaya falls head over heels for a teaching assistant in her college’s Special Educational Needs department, a disastrous sequence of events are set in motion. Life for Jaya and Izzie is turned around in ways that nobody could ever have foreseen.

“The complex issues surrounding learning disability are addressed in an honest & thought-provoking manner.” GOODREADS

“Debut novel manages to combine a sensitive subject with Black Country Humour”. ‘WATERSTONES LOVES’, WATERSTONES, WALSALL

“Utterly engrossing and innovatively written.” AMAZON READER

“A refreshingly different book – thoroughly recommended!” AMAZON READER

“One of the best autism books out there.” GOODREADS

If you enjoy fiction by Mark Haddon & Jojo Moyes you’ll love this beautifully-written, page-turner of a novel. Download your free sample now…

This book is free in Kindle Unlimited!

About the author

Tanya Bullock is a college lecturer, writer and award-winning filmmaker. She lives in the UK with her husband and two young children. She has a passion for foreign culture and languages (inherited from her French mother) and, in her youth, travelled extensively throughout Australia, America, Asia and Europe. As a filmmaker, she has gained local recognition, including funding and regional television broadcast, through ITV’s First Cut scheme, two nominations for a Royal Television Society Midlands Award, and, in 2010, a Royal Television Society Award in the category of best promotional film. On maternity leave in 2011 and in need of a creative outlet, Tanya began to write That Special Someone, the story of a mother’s quest to help her learning-disabled daughter find love. It was a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and The Beryl Bainbridge First Time Author Award 2016. Her second novel, Homecoming, a love story with an unexpected twist, was published in 2016. The Lonely Hearts Crime Club is Tanya’s third novel. A cozy mystery with a surprising finale, it will be published in the spring of 2019. All Tanya’s novels are published by Blackbird Digital Books.