'An assured and clever debut' Kate Kemp, author of The Grapevine

'Warm, witty and deeply romantic' Lauren Bravo, author of Probably Nothing

'Heart-warming, funny and so relatable' Laura Dockrill, author of I Love You, I Love You, I Love You

***

Sam and Daisy have been best friends since university. Back then Daisy was a wild, Fleetwood Mac-obsessed girl descended from the Yorkshire Moors, while Sam's youth was misspent traipsing around Liverpool on shopping trips and nights out.

But as they lean against each other on a wooden bench in the tired garden of their beloved local pub, gazing out at Sam's wedding, they have no idea that their paths are about to truly diverge for the first time.

As Sam's desire to become a mother consumes her, and Daisy's inability to resist temptation haunts her, these best of friends will lose sight of themselves - and each other. With each misstep and unintentional betrayal the gulf widens. But can they build a bridge, or will they let it burn?

***

'Spending time with the characters - in their hope, uncertainty and banter - was like being amongst friends' Gabrielle Griffiths, author of Greater Sins

'A heartfelt kaleidoscope of female friendship' Roxy Dunn, author of As Young as This

'A must-read full of heart' Stephanie Steel, author of The Train from Platform 2

'A touching, true-to-life story of friendship, the tensions and pressures of your thirties, and proper Northern representation' Sarah Handyside, author of Instructions for Heartbreak

'Sharp and observant, warm and touching' Bonnie Burke-Patel, author of Dead as Gold

'Warm, witty and charming, reading That Time Everything Was on Fire feels like gossiping with your best mates in a pub garden and finally feeling the sun on your skin after a long winter' Marni Appleton, author of I Hope You're Happy

'A beautiful ode to the female friendships that carry us through our lives, with all their many complications' Silvia Saunders, author of Homesick

'A heartfelt and timely debut' Elspeth Wilson, author of These Mortal Bodies

The hilarious, heartwarming literary fiction debut for 2026

About the Author

Kerry Downes grew up in East Yorkshire and has spent the last decade in south London, working as an NHS specialist audiologist. Her journey through fertility treatment over the last few years inspired parts of this novel. She lives in Brighton with her husband and two children.

Reviews

'Spending time with the characters - in their hope, uncertainty and banter - was like being amongst friends' Gabrielle Griffiths, author of Greater Sins

'A heartfelt kaleidoscope of female friendship' Roxy Dunn, author of As Young as This

'A must-read full of heart' Stephanie Steel, author of The Train from Platform 2

'A touching, true-to-life story of friendship, the tensions and pressures of your thirties, and proper Northern representation' Sarah Handyside, author of Instructions for Heartbreak

'Sharp and observant, warm and touching' Bonnie Burke-Patel, author of Dead as Gold

'Warm, witty and charming, reading That Time Everything Was on Fire feels like gossiping with your best mates in a pub garden and finally feeling the sun on your skin after a long winter' Marni Appleton, author of I Hope You're Happy

'An assured and clever debut about lives pulled in different directions, about hope and expectation, and the friendships that both weather life changes and sustain us through them' Kate Kemp, author of The Grapevine

'A beautiful ode to the female friendships that carry us through our lives, with all their many complications' Silvia Saunders, author of Homesick

'Fun and heart-achingly relatable, with characters so well drawn you'll forget this isn't your group of friends' Natalie Gregory, author of Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed

'A heartfelt and timely debut' Elspeth Wilson, author of These Mortal Bodies

'Gorgeous. A multi-layered friendship saga about the diverging paths of our thirties, which gently and delicately unfurls across five seasons of the panic years. Warm, witty and deeply romantic.' Lauren Bravo, author of Probably Nothing

'A heartwarming and powerful novel on female friendship, fertility, dating and finding yourself in your thirties' The Debut Digest

Book Information
ISBN 9780008665708
Author Kerry Downes
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint HQ
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 26mm