I wanted to like this book, the plot sounded intriguing and I could wait to read it. However as I started reading, I found the characters to be immature and it was hard for me to get through this book. It took me four day’s to get to 25 percent completed and I had to put it down. I did not finish this book, maybe I will come back to it at some point. But unfortunately I could not finish this story.

We Are Family was indeed an endearing read. I was compelled to read it because I related to the dynamic between the sisters specifically and because it seemed like a wholesome story. The characters were fairly easy to connect with. It was the plot, however, that left more to be desired. The story felt a little stretched out for me, revolving on one mere issue that could have wrapped up quite quickly. In other words, there just was not enough conflict, surprise, or interest as the story carried on. If someone was looking for a casual sisterly tale with limited drama, this is what I would recommend. Ultimately, this is a story that will likely fade into the background of my psyche with others, rarely to be summoned to my memory again. The author has talent without a doubt and I do look forward to her future works.

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a deep dive into a sisterly relationship, told from the POV of the younger sister. Lots to unpack here, and much heartache through the early death of the sister's father, and a mother who is self-involved at best and a passive-agressive narcissist at worst. When the story starts, both sisters are struggling to come to terms with the recent death of their mother. The two of them have never really gotten along, and the narrator's voice reveals a lot of hurt and envy - some justified, some on an endless loop that she's trapped herself in. Although I could empathize with the narrator in parts, I did find her negative personality hard to take. I think I would have liked this book better if the POV of the older sister was given an airing. The ending was satisfying, albeit formulaic, and I was glad to be able to put the finished book aside - it was just a bit too long for what it was..

I was really looking forwqrd to reading this but have decided to DNF at 10%. I might come back to it but I'm up to chapter 10 and Laura still is an adult who is acting like a child and putting up with a partner who acts like a child.

I just can't muster the energy to force myself to keep reading about a character I dislike so much. I have no issues with her complex feelings about her mothers death -- it's the "woe is me, no one understands me because I'm different and unique" attitude that frustrates me.

We Are Family By Nicola Gill // 4⭐️
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We Are Family tells the story of Laura and Jess, two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Jess is a social media influencer with a seemingly perfect house, perfect children, perfect husband, perfect life. Laura works an unsatisfying job as a writer for an advice column, is in an unhappy relationship with her partner, and works hard to raise her son as best as she can. All her life, Laura has compared herself to Jess and often felt as if she came up short, and most of the criticism came from their mother, Evie. The death of their mother from cancer, however, draws the sisters together, and they realize that family is much more than blood.
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This book with such a joy to read! While it was a light and fun story, it touched on some pretty heavy topics such as grief and complicated family relationships. The sibling dynamics between Laura and Jess were so interesting, especially as told from Laura’s perspective. She reminds readers how easy it is to see things from your point of view without taking the time to understand how the same set of circumstances can affect others in different ways. Seeing the two sisters grow together after years of living with jealousy and heartbreak wedged between them was so satisfying, and I enjoyed every step of the journey.

A bit dramatic and heavy issues were talked about. They are important topics to discuss however I thought this was would be a light read about sister relationships, which I always love reading about. I ended up still liking this one even though it wasn't exactly what I expected. I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy!

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my review.

This is another book where I felt that the description didn't really match the story. Also, I feel that there should have been a bit of a warning of some of the family issues that are dealt with in this book. This was listed as a contemporary fiction story and compared to some fairly light reads, but this book, for me, felt a lot more dramatic. The story of the sisters being compared to each other, the way the mother leaves the one sister to feel all the time - it's some heavy stuff, at least for me. I did finish reading the book, but it took me longer than expected because I needed to take breaks. The subject matter just really got to me.

With a notification of trigger warnings for family issues, bullying, death of a parent from cancer, I think that others may enjoy this story. But for me, without the warning, I did not enjoy the book.

We Are Family is a story following one of two sisters who are trying to cope with their lives after their mother passes away from cancer. Laura who is the protagonist is truly struggling with the relationship she had with her mother, and how it has affected many of her other relationships, especially with her sister Jess. Compared to Laura, Jess has it all with her perfect husband, two little perfect daughters, and perfect job being a fashion blogger. Laura on the other hand is shacking up with her lazy boyfriend who cannot keep a job, and their five year old son Billy who is kind of a brat, and hates her job as a journalist for a failing magazine company.

The story follows Laura on her journey to self love after an emotionally abusive childhood. She has to come to terms with the choices she makes, mend her relationship with her sister, and some other situations that get dropped on her without losing herself completely.

I thought it was a good story, it felt a little rushed towards the end. I would have loved a more rounded ending, but it was a nice story.

This is the story of Laura. A magazine features writer for 'Natter', mother to 5 year old Billy, girlfriend of lazy Jon and put upon friend of Amy. Laura's sister is Jess, a social media influencer with two perfect children, a perfect husband and a perfect life. According to Laura, Jess does everything 'perfectly' - including grieving for their recently deceased mother who openly favoured Jess. As Laura and Jess lost their father 25 years ago, the loss of their mother leaves them as orphans - an idea that both traumatises and amuses Laura. Now Laura and Jess are forced together to sort out their mothers things and Laura isn't quite sure if she can deal with the jealousy she feels for her sister - can they forge a new relationship or will their mothers favouritism drive a wedge between them?

This book is a nice gentle read. It is sad and funny in equal measure. Laura is very relatable and likable and promotes sympathy though there were occasions when I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop letting people take advantage of her. A perfect summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engaging story about two very different sisters who don't seem to get on very well but step up to the mark when necessary. As we spend more time with the characters we learn about them as people, their struggles and triumphs. One of the lessons which comes out of this is that you shouldn't be too organised but conversely it does not do to be too laid back, especially when you have a 5 year old child and a (frankly) rather flaky partner. Luckily Laura and Jess learn from each other and find some compromises which benefit their relationship. Heart-warming and beautifully written.

A wonderful novel about how grief changes us in so many ways. I love characters who are flawed but still relatable. You can find them here. It was just a great weekend read. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'm torn on how I feel about this book. I'll be honest. based on the cover, I thought it was going to be a fun read about two sisters, but it was a little deeper than I really expected. Two sisters who have never had the best of relationships but they work on improving their relationship after their mother's death.

It was a truly good story even though at times it dragged at some times, but the book was very character driven and you learn a lot about the sisters as the time goes on. Laura and Jess are come to life by jumping off the pages and are relatable. This book made me miss having a sister.

What a powerful read! The book and its characters hit a little bit too close to him, with its themes of conditional familial love, anxious attachment, and the bond of sisterhood. Nicola Gill's prose is strong, her characters so well written, I spent every moment that I wasn't reading the book thinking about them! I could feel Laura's emotions and the complexity of her relationship w her sister, and the book ends on a well earned happy note, that we as readers and both Laura and Jess very much deserve. It's a solid read I'd recommend to anyone looking for a good character-driven book!

Laura and Jess are sisters, with enough sibling rivalry to fill the pages of the novel. Laura always believed her mother favored Jess, as Jess was in an established marriage with two daughters and a successful career. Laura was in a relationship with her son’s father, who was not employed and lazy. There was a lot of sniping at each other, but as the book progresses, so does their relationship, gaining deeper understanding of each other. It was a light read, despite some of the timely topics presented. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Family relationships can be messy. Sibling rivalry is real and some parents make no qualms about hiding who their favorite is. Although, as this title shows, sometimes you can internalize and make things out to be more unjust for you without knowing the experiences a sibling had.

The stage is set for somewhat estranged sisters, Jess and Laura, when their mother passes away from breast cancer. Their lives look so different on the outside. Jess appears to have a perfect life. Great house. A loving husband who is climbing the career ladder. Kids that never seem to fight. Meanwhile, Laura has a partner who is as much kid as their 5-year-old son.

It is during the months after their mother dies that Jess and Laura begin to spend more time together. Along the way, they both realize how important their relationship is. That not all that looks good is good. And that sometimes you have to do the scary things (e.g. apply for a job you think is out of your reach, ending a relationship that is one sided, and silencing that inner critic) to move forward in life.

I thought this book was going to be very light hearted, but it seemed the exact opposite. It threw me off which made me not enjoy this as much as I thought. Through the first half of the book I kept forgetting which sister was the protagonist.

I think some people will really like this story, but it just wasn’t for me.

After reading ‘The Neighbours’ and absolutely loving it, I was so excited to read this by Nicola Gill! Safe to say it didn’t disappoint!! Laura and Jess were both lovable characters who both had their flaws, but the bond that they both have is unbreakable. Anyone with a sister understands that relationship and it was brilliantly shown in this book! Following Laura and her getting her life back together kept me hooked, I was absolutely landed at the ending! Would highly recommend this book!
Thank you to netgalley for the copy of the book for an exchange of an honest review.

Thanks to Avon Books UK for granting my NetGalley wish - my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift. I enjoyed reading The Neighbours and was keen to see what book 2 would be like.

The story starts with the death of the mum of Laura and Jess. Laura is a kind person, eager to help, but is being let down by friends, work and her partner. Her sister Jess appears to have a perfect life - rich husband, immaculate house and well behaved children.

The story follows Laura and Jess as they try to deal with the death of their mum, 25 years after the death of their dad and to build a new sibling relationship.

I really enjoyed this book, it dealt with some difficult topics, but included humour too, especially in relation to the children of Laura and Jess. Both Laura and Jess need to make changes in their lives and to move forward, instead of letting the past spoil their relationship.

An enjoyable read on a summers day.

This is a good book so far... my only complaint is that there is very little speech between characters so far.

Almost half way through and I'm still mostly enjoying it, but she's sprinkled in a few big brand names that I hope the author has got written permission to use, or she could get herself into serious legal trouble.

Only got 67 pages left to read then it's finished! The only reason it's not getting the full 5 stars is the brand names that are used is all... a little thing, but it could save the author oneheckuva lot of trouble if she'd got permission to use them before publishing her book.

Just finished the book and I have to admit that it was pretty disappointing. The beginning and end weren't too good, but the middle was a great read.

A great family oriented novel which isn’t something I normally go for but I really enjoyed the changing dynamic between the siblings following their joint loss.