I liked the idea of this book. The cover looked great and really enticed me to reading it. We meet Kate, a journalist who is takes on the job of trying to save an outdoor lido from being closed down. Rosemary is an elderly user of the lido, has used it for most of her life and the lido holds special memories for her. Kate and Rosemary join forces, in an unlikely coupling, to try and save the lido.

I love the idea of an outdoor Lido and really wished I lived near one which I could use! This book did give me great images of what these lidos are like and I have to admit to feeling quite emotional at the thought of the lido closing down. I liked Rosemary's character, although Kate took a bit of warming too. They did, however, work really well together and formed a heart-warming partnership in trying to save the lido. I enjoyed the storyline, but for me it did drag a little throughout the middle of the story and it felt like more of the main story could have been focussed on the lido rather than all the other characters and their backstories. It struggled to hold my attention throughout, but there were some nice parts of the book which I really liked.

Kate (26) and Rosemary (86) are brought together by the threatened closure of Brixton lido. The Lido is hugely important to Rosemary as it is tied up with memories of her husband. Campaigning to save it gives her a sense of purpose. Kate, a local reporter, is tasked with covering the campaign. I found her a little depressing to start with, with her ready meals for one and her mousy timidity. Many of the secondary characters are interchangeable, very nice people with 'simple' stories. I would have liked more complexity, maybe some 'grit', especially for a story set in London. That said, it is a very 'gentle' read and ideal for a quiet holiday.

This was a lovely feel good story which I enjoyed reading. Our main characters Kate and Rosemary are united together unexpectedly supporting a good cause, however what they find along the way is more than that. A lovely story of unlikely friendships, romance and dealing with loss.

I liked this book a lot. I think this sort of thing could be the new chicklit, not mysogynistic/unfeminist, but enjoyable and easy to read. An interesting subject and definitely suitable for my library and a reading group.

A sparkling debut! This was a really uplifting read, celebrating community, friendship, and outdoor swimming. It gave me happy memories of childhood days at Ilkley Lido, and made me determined to visit a lido again.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance ARC copy of this book.

A lonely reporter forges an unusual friendship with a woman whose life has been shaped by the local Lido which comes under risk. Genuinely heartwarming.

“The Lido” is a fine example of the new genre of fiction, UpLit, which is not taxing in the least, but certainly can lift the spirits. This novel centres on Kate, a young woman trying to find her way in London, where she becomes involved in a community effort to save the local lido spearheaded by Rosemary, a spry 86. This is an entertaining read for anyone who can appreciate a good swim or who like to see what happens when a community comes together. It’s getting three stars rather than four only because as a former local journalist, I found it a little hard to believe that Kate would become so involved in an effort she was assigned to cover—surely the professional ramifications of that would have been swifter and more severe. But other than that, a lovely story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that I had seen being talked about a lot on Twitter, where I follow a lot of bookish people – bloggers, publishers, marketers etc. I usually get swept up a little in the hype of the big new releases, but I try hard not to worry too much if I don’t get picked to review them, as I’ve been caught up in that swirl of insecurity many times before! I requested this on Netgalley, so was thrilled when I got approved, and it really is as lovely as everyone has been saying it is.

It tells the story of Kate and Rosemary, two Brixton residents who are each fighting their own battles. Kate is a young journalist, living alone in London, struggling with her career, and wondering how she got to be so lonely. Rosemary, 86, has lived in Brixton all her life, and watched the local area change almost beyond recognition, with her beloved Lido remaining the only constant. When the swimming pool is threatened with closure, Kate and Rosemary form an unlikely alliance, and friendship, and work on protecting their community. While they are campaigning, the friendship that they discover helps to save them both too. The Lido is a heartwarming and lovely read and is another addition to an increasing number of books that are exploring the idea of loneliness. Libby Page has created an engaging cast of characters who were very easy to warm to.

Kate and Rosemary’s relationship is touching, the story is ‘nice’ I just didn’t get the point of the book. A local Lido is about to be closed and Rosemary has spent many many happy days there. But it’s about to be built on by a developer.

Writing is fine but the story is just pointless but I liked the relationship between the two main leads.

This is the author’s debut. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I really liked Kate’s character. She’s easy to relate to. I have experienced the anxiety she feels moving to a new city where she doesn’t know anyone and is swamped by loneliness. The author does a great job of conveying how she feels. I could sympathise with her and wanted her to find her feet in South London. I loved the friendship that develops between Kate and Rosemary, an eighty-six year old woman whose been coming to the pool, now threatened with closure, for almost eighty years. I loved the way Kate really takes on the cause of joining protests to save the pool. You, go girl. The Lido made my insides go all marshmallowy and gooey. Trust me, this is good. What a life-affirming, heart-warming book.

I wanted to like this, but I didn't. The cover sold it, and it had a great deal of attention, but the tone was never quite right. The present tense didn't work for it. Thanks very much for sharing though, as I was interested and I would have continued to be curious.

Loved this book. An uplifting read about a friendship between young and old. It brought back memories of an area I know well, and obviously the author does too. The characters are very believable, by the end of the book you feel you know them personally. The story is centered around the preservation of the lido (which thankfully is still there today) and fighting the developers.

A charming story of two unlikely characters finding friendship and support in their campaign to keep open a Lido in Brixton. It is a feel-good book that warms the cockles but also challenges our preconceptions. It is a perfect summer read, well-written, interesting and well-drawn characters and a good plot to have us cheering over.

I was really grateful to be able to read this book. Life is quite stressful as we are doing a big house move and relocating 300+miles.
I needed something that would relax me at 3am. This book did exactly that.
It's a lovely book, full of love, friendship, loss, pride, families and hope.
It was a lovely ending, not quite what I was expecting.
Thanks to Netgalley, Libby Page and Orion publishing.

This is a lovely book bout friendship, love and community.
It shows the power of friendship which can transcend generations and empower everyone.
Saving the lido saves more than a pool.
Highly recommend.

The cover drew me to this book but unfortunately the story struggled to hold my interest.

Rosemary lives by the Lido which has special memories for her & her husband. Along comes a company that wants to close the Lido & develop the site & Rosemary finds an unlikely friend in young reporter Kate.

I was recently laid low in bed for a couple of days with a nasty infection. Dosed up on antibiotics and feeling thoroughly sorry for myself, I was in need of a serious pick-me-up and, denied my usual outlets of after-work jogging and killing zombies on my PS4, turned to Libby Page's debut The Lido, which has been marketed as 'the feel-good debut of the year' and had been lingering on my Kindle for a while.

The novel centres around a lido in Brixton, London. With member numbers falling, the local council puts the lido under threat of closure and a luxury property company start circling, eager to turn the place into a private gym. This brings together 26 year old local news reporter Kate; recently arrived in London and feeling adrift in big city life, and long-term lido member and Brixton resident Rosemary; recently widowed after a long and happy marriage. As the two women's friendship develops, the community of Brixton Lido is bought back to life - but will it be enough to save the lido from the developers?

As you can probably tell, this is a heart-warming and very feel-good read - it really was the perfect book to curl up with when I was feeling poorly! The main drive of the plot is the unlikely friendship between Kate and Rosemary - two fantastically well-realised characters. I really identified with Kate, adrift in a new city and struggling with anxiety whilst pretending to her nearest and dearest that she was loving her adult life and everything was fine. Following her through the novel, as she begins to make connections and identify a community of her own, is a joyful journey - as is watching Rosemary come out of her shell and live life for herself following the death of her beloved George. 

Brixton also really comes alive as a place and community. Whether it's an accurate portrayal or not I couldn't say, having never visited the place myself, but it feels like a living place in the pages of The Lido - filled with a diverse cast of characters that did feel representative of the melting pot of London life. Colours, sights and sounds leapt off the page and there was a real sense of the vibrancy of city life. Rosemary's memories of her childhood growing up in Brixton were also a nice touch - providing a sense of the changing nature of the city and the community, for both good and ill.

As you can probably guess from the blurb, this book is full to brimming with sugar - it's supposed to be a heart-warming read after all - which does occasionally threaten to lurch over into full on 'cake with icing and sprinkles on top' saccharine. The ending in particular is so sweet that it could be in a Richard Curtis movie - in fact, this whole novel is a prime candidate to be a Richard Curtis movie. But what's the harm in a book that wants to make you feel better about the world? Happy endings seem to have gone out of vogue but, in our turbulent times, it was nice to read a novel where friendship, self-fulfilment, and community won the day over loneliness, anxiety, and corporate greed.

Ultimately, The Lido is a heart-warming and up-lifting tale of friendship, hope and new beginnings. Sure to get you out of the doldrums, this is a pick-me-up read with some fantastic characters and a brilliant sense of place. Perfect for fans of Joanna Cannon or Maria Semple, this is an easy, enjoyable read and is perfect for whiling away a summer afternoon with - or reading in bed when you're feeling a bit low!

As refreshing as a jump in a chilly pool, as effervescent as a glass of champagne, the characters in The Lido sparkle with life, love, loss and great humour. The tantalising glimpses into Rosemary's past show her evolution from independent teen to wise and wiley widow, and is a delicious counterpoint to panic stricken Kate, who just wants to feel worthwhile and to actually LIVE her life. When the two come together to fight to save their local Lido, we see their blossoming friendship and the resulting magic - complete with rubber ducks, wetsuits, and a fantastic sense of community. Beautiful, heartfelt and hilariously funny. One I will be recommending a lot!

This was such a lovely book that I read with Tina @ Reading Between The Pages, and what a superb book to buddy read!

I loved the short chapters that carried me along with Rosemary and Kate’s stories, both so compelling that I really didn’t want to stop reading. As this was a buddy read I had to force myself to stop, rather unsuccessfully, so that Tina, being 8 hours behind me could catch up. We had some lovely twitter chats discussing the different characters and what we thought might happen in the end.

This is a book that had so much imaginary in it, from Rosemary’s memories of living in the area all her life and Kate’s present day experiences. I really felt like I was in Brixton as I was reading, I could hear the sounds, see the colours and smell the aromas. The Lido itself sounded like such a special place and I loved reading the vignettes of the employees and regulars users. Every time the author described someone swimming, floating or just dangling their feet over the edge, I felt like I wanted to join them. I also wanted to help them save this very special place from closure.

The story isn’t just about the lido though, it also tells the story of the loneliness that both Kate and Rosemary experience. Kate’s from having moved from Bristol to study and then work, and then struggling to find friends, even though she lives in a busy house share. Rosemary’s loneliness is from losing her husband, friends and familiar places over the years and how she desperately misses them. I love the way the author has weaved this throughout the book making it quite poignant at times, but not overwhelming or depressing. It did make me want to jump inside the book to give both Rosemary and Kate a great big hug and to reassure them that they would be okay no matter what happened to The Lido.

This really is a special book and one that has become of my favourite reads this year. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a feel good read this summer.

"The Lido" is Libby Page’s debut novel and is a pretty good one at that.

The plot flows well across the chapters told in the third person, the majority of which concentrate on the story of 86-year-old Rosemary and 26-year-old Kate who have much in common bar the closure of the local lido and despite their age gap. The book takes the importance of loneliness, friendship, kindness and community and runs with it – although, sometimes a little too quaint and sickly sweet for me in places – “Nice” characters, “Nice” location etc. I would have loved some of the gritty London and real Londoners to come through in the story line. The London in the book is not the one that I know; the capital city of the book still feels more like a small rural town! I’m not surprised to see that the film rights have been sold; it would be perfect for the big screen especially as there are chapters and subplots that I feel could be fleshed out or even removed… I’m still a little confused why the fox was included so much!

4/5 – All in all an enjoyable light, summer read. Recommended for readers who loved the recent releases from Rachel Joyce, Gail Honeyman and AJ Pearce and would be good for Book Group discussions also.

Thank-you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Readers e-proof copy from publishers Orion.