By the Time You Read This

'A thought-provoking, lovely tale that will make you laugh and cry.' The Sun

This is my (Kevin Bates) manual for my daughter Lois. The love of my life.
Rules of the manual:
1.You must only read each new entry on your birthday
2.This is a private manual between you and me.
3.No peeping at the next entry unless it's your birthday!

When Lois Bates is handed the manual, she can barely bring herself to read it as the pain of her dad's death is still so raw.Yet soon Kevin's advice is guiding her through every stage of her life - from jobs to first loves and relationships.

The manual can never be a substitute for having her dad back, but through his words Lois learns to start living again, and finds that happiness is waiting round the corner ...

When he discovered that he had only six months to live, thirty-year-old Kevin Bates picked up his pen and wrote The Manual—advice for his five-year-old daughter, Lois, to live by, laugh at, and follow from twelve until thirty. Seven years later, when Lois is given The Manual, she can barely bring herself to read her father's words, the pain of his loss is still so raw. Yet soon Kevin's advice is guiding her through every stage of life from teen angst to career arcs, to knowing when she's at long last met "the one." While The Manual can never be a substitute for having Kevin back, the words left behind become Lois's steady support through all of life's ups and downs, and prove invaluable to unlocking the key to happiness.