“Perhaps it was the sense of how completely irrelevant all her fears were in the face of the utter vastness of the sea and sky around her. She loved the silence and the roar of the ocean, the velvet sky and the inky water. Mostly she loved the fact that it made her feel alive in a way that nothing else could.”

Set in a small coastal Irish town, The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club is told from multiple perspectives. There's Elizabeth, whose life feels like it's only just beginning following the death of her husband. There's her best friend Jo, whose daughter Lucy and son Niall visit from Dublin. Lucy agrees to help at Elizabeth's late husband's GP clinic and in the interim becomes a founding member of The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club alongside Jo and Elizabeth. Finally, there's Dan, a visiting writer from London who's come to Ballycove to finally discover where his life began.

The story is broken down into parts (a.k.a months) and effortlessly flows between these multiple points of view. I really enjoyed hearing from each of their perspectives and seeing how the story unfolded. While I saw some reveals coming, others were a pleasant surprise. Hogan's writing style was poignant, with elements of humour to expertly break up the dramatic moments.

To me, The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club was simply a joy to read. It was filled with both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments but ultimately felt like a warm hug. It's a story of love and loss, friendship and community. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was also fantastic.

I loved this emotional rollercoaster of a book. The three leads worked well together and were great characters and I enjoyed their stories... definitely a warmhearted uplifting story

My goodness, this pulls at the heartstrings!!

Faith Hogan is the queen of the emotional roller-coaster and this has everything to have you smiling through blinding tears, your heart will burst with love and sadness and you will be sure to get a lump in your throat while reading at the powerful message of hope and friendship.

I loved that to sort through your minds cluttered box, to find a way through the drama which envelopes these women that to simply have a midnight swim in the sea with like-minded women who never judge but encourage and respect and help. It really is the most beautiful thing!

This book speaks to you on so many levels and will resonate with so many. It tells the stories of how three women who are at different stages in life, three women who have their own roads to tread how they come together in the simple act of swimming and in doing so not only through the power of their unique friendship but through the healing power of finding peace in your own mind they start to recover, heal, find courage, find strength and learn to move forward it really is a beautiful yet simplistic story which will touch your heart and soul, I can not recommend it enough.

This is a book I have had on the TBR pile for a while now and having now read it I can't believe it took me so long.
A gorgeous, heartwarming read about Jo, her daughter Lucy and their friend, recently bereaved Elizabeth as they take to the waters of Ireland. Prepare to shed some tears.

A lovely warm story of people finding their way back to a little coastal village and discovering that all they need is right there rather than the big cities they lived in. No is dying from cancer and enjoys midnight swims with Elizabeth who is recovering from the financial fallout of her husband's death. Lucy comes home to her mum and takes over the doctors practice while her son is trying to survive without electronic games. Nicely interwoven stories and well written characters

This book was so good I went right over and took out other books by Hogan. Several! Her books are all cozy and warm with strong characters.

I received an ARC of this book via netgalley. It is a reasonably well written book. I am willing to put the grammar errors down to it not being proofed yet. The author invokes a real sense of place in her narrative. The real problem in the book is that there is no jeopardy in the storyline the reader knows where it is going from the moment Dan's story is revealed. The characters are "nice" but not particularly memorable. It has a feeling of the Darling buds of May where you know the road may be a bit rocky and contain an emotional cost but everything will work out in the end.

It is perfect beach reading. The reader becomes immersed in the story and it is undemanding

What a great and enjoyable book this was to read. Great characters you could get into and a storyline that was great to read - the sign of a perfect book! Highly recommend.

A charming and emotional story about overcoming difficulties through female friendship


In a rural seaside Irish village, Elizabeth turns to her friend Jo to help her cope with the huge debt left to her by her late husband, Eric. Jo recruits her daughter Lucy, who moves down from the big city to help run the village GP surgery that Eric used to own, bringing her teenage son Neil with her as she runs from her troubled past. When Jo herself receives some devastating news, the three women band together and find solace in the most unlikely way – taking midnight dips in the cold Irish sea. Eventually, they decide to organise a sponsored swim to raise money for a charity close to their hearts. Meanwhile, Dan, a writer from London, decides to tell the story of these inspirational women, but in his research ends up finding more than he ever could have expected.


This was a well written and heart-warming story about female friendship with an uplifting message. The way the three central women’s lives end up intertwining was almost an ode to the power of sisterhood, and it was inspirational the way they found hope even in dark places and tried to make the best out of bad situations in their lives. The author knows her setting of rural Ireland well, and her vivid descriptions created a powerful atmosphere, particularly in scenes featuring the eponymous swimming club.


Unfortunately, although I could tell that it was a well-crafted story, I found this book a little dull. I never really connected with any of the main characters, and none of them stood out as unique personalities to me. I also found some aspects of the plot quite predictable whilst also seeming unrealistic, the big twist involving Dan. There were also a few inconsistencies that irritated me – for example, I’m not sure how things work in Ireland, but in the UK an A&E consultant can’t just switch to being a GP if they feel like it.


This was a charming story but a little bit bland for my tastes, with a few too many gaps and coincidences in the plot. However, it was well-written and the story is quite inspirational. For people looking for a gentle, non-dramatic read, this is a book for you.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club book is an easy summer read, that I enjoyed reading. The story is easy to follow, if a bit predictable at times. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me review the book.

What a wonderful book!.Full of interesting characters, an emotional storyline and a title that tells you what brings them all together. If you want a good book to make you laugh and cry along with the characters then this is the one for you - oh, and be prepared to put aside whatever you were supposed to be doing to get to the end!

What a feel good book. A great setting, wonderful characters and a lovely uplifting story. I laughed & cried, I loved it.

A sweet book with a good cast of characters and an evocative setting. I warmed to all the characters and was rooting for a Happy Ever After but was also pleased when not every loose end was tied in a bow!! Multiple themes of friendship, keeping up appearances, illness and finding your place.

A quick read - but not light and fluffy - the author has an easy writing style that handles difficult topics well. My first book from this author, I’ll look out for more.

4*

I really enjoyed this book which was very uplifting even though there is death in the story. The characters were well described and I really liked the women in this book. I even wished there was a real Ladies Midnight Swimming Club so I could be a part of it. The only slight detraction for me was that everything ended nicely tied up and was reminiscent of a fairy tale - and they all lived happily ever after. Having said that, I wouldn’t have liked it if everyone‘s life ended up horribly!

Elizabeth and Jo are friends who live in a small town on Ireland’s west coast. When Elizabeth’s physician husband dies and leaves her with a mountain of debt, Jo asks her daughter, Lucy, to take over his surgery while Elizabeth sorts things out. Lucy arrives from Dublin with her teen son and seems in need of healing herself. Jo lets the two in on her secret: midnight plunges in the ocean bring peace.

As the three try to sort out their lives, the midnight swims become central–and become a community rallying point when Jo has her own challenges to face. Charming, heartwarming, and filled with wonderful friendships.

As always with Faith Hogan’s work this story is set in the most beautiful landscape of West Ireland. The author has described the village and coastline so well I could see, hear and smell the vision that nature had created.

This story was so very poignant for me as I too have faced a hurdle that one of the main characters faces. Previously I have found storylines like this hard to read but Faith Hogan didn’t choose this as the main focus and she dealt with it with sensitivity and dignity.

The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is a story about friendship, learning to adapt and overcome life’s hurdles, starting anew and recognising what makes you happy.

We have a widow who learns her late husband wasn’t who she thought he was, a young Dr recently divorced in need of change from the mayhem of a city hospital, her son who is struggling with the changes in his home life, a writer from London desperate to learn of his heritage and a mother/grandmother who loves her coastline and wants the best for her family and friends.

As Faith Hogan sets the scenes so beautifully with her words I was soon invested with all five of our characters and was keen to learn what happens next for them. I’d love a sequel to this story as I feel there’s so much more to give. Maybe also I loved the characters and setting too much and I just don’t want to let them go yet …

A totally absorbing story that is high on emotion but equally filled with Irish charm and warmth. Along the journey of life these ladies find solace with each other but also with nature and the freedom of the midnight swimming club that gives them breathing space to express their thoughts, let their inhibitions go and breathe in the beauty all around them.

This novel of friendships. Life changes and having the courage to start again was a good read. I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful story with characters that really endear themselves to the reader. Heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure.

I was drawn in by the title and the premise and it certainly delivered on its promise. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This book was a wonderful chick lit type of story. I think many readers will be able to enjoy these wonderful characters and their journey.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.