Just beautiful. Keira has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. A chance meeting with Tamsin and she’s found a new and supportive friend, someone who really understands what she is going through. Tamsin runs throughout her treatment, and slowly their band of two becomes and band of four others who are also undergoing treatment.. This is the story of their journey’s. Tissues at the ready!

In her introduction, the author Josie Lloyd explained how this book was inspired by her own breast cancer story and the inspiring people she met along the way. The book is really well written and it was good to read a book that honestly tells the struggles of going through cancer treatment, seemingly without sugar-coating it while still telling a story of strength and hope in the face of adversity.

I was drawn in from page one to Keira's world, from the introduction to her family and friends and then receiving the shattering news of her breast cancer diagnosis. I felt every step of her journey and the challenges, heartbreaks and uplifting moments along the way. I felt the reality of what a cancer diagnosis can mean, including the wide variety of reactions from different people and how it affects the family around the person as much as the person themselves.

The Cancer Ladies' Running Club is an inspiring story and I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially the ladies themselves, Keira, Tamsyn, Amma and Sian. The love and support they show each other is really uplifting and show the importance of friendship and understanding in difficult times.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a review copy of this book. I was initially attracted to the title and book description anticipating 'can do' fiction which skirted around the edges of the serious topic of the title - the 'C' word. However, reading the author's address to her 'Dearest reader' at the start it was clear that this book was informed by personal experience and I felt instantly engaged at a deeper level. The story is centered on Keira and follows her through from initial breast cancer diagnosis to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although this is fiction there is so much detail in the depiction of Keira's diagnosis and treatments. The understanding and intuition of the writing are evident and having had a Mother go through breast cancer I recognised so much. Keira is persuaded to take up running to keep her going through her treatment. The running was inspirational and realistic, creating joggers rather than marathon runners. Alongside her cancer diagnosis Keira faces other challenges - family tensions, preserving her small business and her marriage. I loved this book and raced through it. There is an energy aside from the running, this is a book full of great characters, courage and friendship.

#TheCancerLadiesRunningClub #NetGalley from the title I was expecting a sad and unhappy book but whilst I did shed a tear or two, this was , for the most part, uplifting and inspirational.. Beautifully written with some poignant and sad moments but humour too. I didn't want to put it down as I was eager to find out what happened to Keira, Tamsin. Amma and Sian. I did get a bit angry with Keira in parts when she didn't stand up to her husband, kids and business partner Lorna and let them walk all over her at a time when they should have been doing everything they could to support her. But she came good in the end, and whilst there was some predictability it was a very satisfying conclusion to the story.

When Keira is diagnosed with breast cancer she feels like her world has fallen apart. Trying to be strong for her husband and children she realises she also has to be strong for herself.
Her business partner Laura seems to be trying to shut her out and is making major decisions without her unsettling Keira just when she least needs it.
At the hospital she meets Tamsin who runs to keep fit and to help her with the mental effects of cancer.
Keira joins her and another two ladies running and together they support each other through the traumas of their treatment.
With the support of her friends and family she negotiates her treatment, other people's opinions and her own hopes and fears.
A real story of friendship, hope and courage
I can't recommend this book highly enough.

** spoiler alert ** Back in the day,I read all the books Josie Lloyd wrote with her husband,so I knew what sort of thing to expect.
This book is full of warmth,humour and friendship.
It doesn't go over the top with medical detail,or sub plots.
It has about the right amount of everything.
An inevitable ending,it brought a smile to me rather than a tear,and pretty sure that's how it should have been.

Quite the heart warmer.

What a truly wonderful read, loved every page, the ladies were lovely charecters, the cancer side of the story was told with care, a really fab read

What a heartwarming and positive take about friendship - really lovely.
Some of the story was a little far fetched for reality, but made for a fun read.

Although this story is about the journey of Keira who has breast cancer. It is an uplifting story of her journey through her treatment and the friends she makes along the way. Before reading i thought I would find it a sad read, but I found Keisha's story was truly inspiring, especially for anyone going through a similar situation

4.5 stars

Thank you to HQ books, Josie Lloyd and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this book.

Initially this was very emotional as Keira was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to tell her loved ones, including her children. However as the story progressed, this became an uplifting story of self discovery, fighting spirit and the benefits of helping others.

The story covers Keira's challenges with her health, her family and her business. This book made me question how we can support friends and family who are diagnosed with cancer - it was thought provoking as well as a well written story.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest. This is not my usual genre therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was not was I was expecting, I thought o would be in tears reading it, instead I was uplifted and smiled in bits too! Well written and loved the characters and stories they portrayed

I was attracted to this book as I work with someone who had breast cancer and I can relate to the ladies of this running club. I loved this book, I loved the characters, I laughed and I cried along the way. It is a great book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Publishers for sending me an eARC of this book.

I was really excited when I was approved to read this book because I thought it was going to be a really heartfelt and deep book. On one side I was right, but it also had a bizarre crime mystery that really ruined this book for me.

Let me start with the positive; I loved the main four women and the friendships that they developed with each other. They were all such good characters and just sprung to life off the page. You couldn’t help but admire the incredible strength of each of them. They developed really strong and touching relationships with one another and never let their diagnosis slow them down.

There were so many emotional moments in this book; when all the other women come to run with them for the first time, when they’re completing the 10K race and people encourage Keira to just keep going, and the ending of the book just 😭

If this was the whole book; about each of these ladies journeys, how they come to terms with the diagnosis, other people’s reaction, I am sure this would have been a five star from me.

Sadly, alongside this really heartwarming plot was a really bizarre fraud plot that just totally ruined this read for me. The plot was so ridiculous and it was so obvious where it was going; there were no twists because it was just so contrived. It’s just such a shame because it really ruined my enjoyment of this book.

Also, some of the wider characters are just knobs and so unlikeable. I didn’t like Tom 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I thought he was incredibly selfish and didn’t seem to think about Keria. She’s been diagnosed with cancer and your harping on about her forgetting the dogs vaccinations... do it yourself mate. Yes he redeems himself in the end but it takes the whole book for him to realise.

I really wanted to love this book but it just felt like two stories in one, and one really marred the other for me.

It’s out 25th June, so you can make your own decision if you read it!

An uplifting warm book, despite the subject matter of Cancer, with a message of hope but also more than enough realities along the way. A real roller coaster of emotions and it is obvious that Josie has drawn upon her own experiences which makes the book so relateable with copious amounts of understanding. There are several sub-plots of day-to-day difficulties with family, work and relationships, all bubbling along in the background.
Despite all, it is a light, well written and easy read with a touch of humour but also dark moments to keep the book grounded. .

Oh my word, this has got to be one of the best books I have EVER read!!!! I just wish I could give it more than 5 stars

Being a survivor myself, I thought it would be a tough read but it was brilliant from start to finish

It made me laugh and it definitely made me cry

I feel like the characters came alive with Josie's writing and it a book that I 100% want in my collection

I did enjoy this book although I did find it a struggle and that’s more my issue than the books, as it just felt a bit too close to home and a bit too raw for me right now. So maybe something to be aware of but generally an uplifting book about friendship, strength in adversity and the realities of cancer

We’ve all had someone we know who has been affected by cancer.
This story was a look at how women deal
with a breast cancer diagnosis - and how it affects their friends and family!
I enjoy going for a run with friends, and I liked reading about the running group aspect also, and how popular the group became. The support they gave each other was also lovely to read.
Once I got going with the book, I read it was much as I could and the last third of the book was finished on a long journey recently. However, I was disappointed with the ending that just seemed to finish quickly. But overall a light, easy read as it did not dwell on the sadness that cancer can and does cause.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a wonderful book. It brought me to tears on more than one occasion
We must all know someone who has had cancer, but I have never given much thought to how the treatment effects the patient . The story doesn't shy away from the harsh reality of cancer treatment and the gruelling impact it has on your body. I developed a whole new level of empathy for anyone going through this treatment. This is a really positive, warts and all coverage of pre-diagnosis, diagnosis and treatment by way of sickness, hair-loss, relationship struggles and what happens when the treatment sometimes doesn’t work. This book is a story of serious illness and all that comes with it, it shows all the struggles to everyone concerned , it gives a real feel of ups and downs and the relief of coming out the other side. I thoroughly recommend reading this story to help understand the related problems.

I absolutely adored this book. So beautifully written and so honest and true. It’s clear the author had a fantastic understanding of the subject and after reading the acknowledgements I see why.

I haven’t witnessed cancer personally but someone close to me lost their (very short) battle with it a year ago and it breaks my heart every single day, so this book was lovely and just as fluffy as necessary and I think everyone should read it.