The only book of Cathy's I've read previously is her memoir about her late brother in The Last Act of Love, which was incredibly moving. I was interested to read her move into fiction... and I have varied feelings about it. I read it quite quickly, but some parts were really rather boring, and others were very moving. There was also a very ableist section about a baby being born 'normal and perfect' because it had 10 fingers and 10 toes and the parents had previously decided they would still love it even if it was 'abnormal'. It's basically a story about relationships - between friends and within marriages, but all centered around privileged upper middle class adults. I didn't get to feel much about any of the couples, there was not much in depth characterisation, it just seemed to skim the surface. There were parts which did affect me emotionally though, so I must have been invested a little in the story! Don't go expecting a big plot driven story though...

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't exactly gripping. It felt a little slow to get going. However, the characters all felt very real - not least because it was set in an area where I used to work and live and I know people just like that. Once it got going, I really enjoyed it and hope Cathy Rentzenbrink will write more novels as i enjoyed her other books too.

This is definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far! I loved it. We're dropped straight into the lives of the characters, all living on the same street. Each character feels very real and I think what I appreciated the most was that their problems and the difficulties they face are real, everyday ones. We encounter people navigating their way through life, love, marriage, parenting young children and trying to figure out their own place and what they want from life. The author is particularly adept at showing us what people think of the other parents versus what they're really like and what their motivations are. It makes us think about the assumptions we all make. I was particularly fascinated by Liam and enjoyed his character development. Juliet, as the main voice, was also very strong and very believable in how she chooses her battles.

I'll be recommending this to everyone I know!

I enjoyed this book about a group of couples living on the same street. The story examines love, marriage, parenting, friendships, being a working mother.
One thing I found strange was the way the marrative moved around to focus on different characters. It was mostly centred on the main character who is struggling with the loss of her mother and juggling work and motherhood. It moves to another couple for one chapter, then back to our main character. It then moves to a man who has left his wife, and we get a chapter or two focused on the wife,but then back to our main character. I think I would have preferred an even split, or a focus on one character entirely. It was odd to get a very small look into the other marriages, but with no real closure.

I felt this was an excellent depiction of a modern marriage, with its hidden wars and triumphs, while trying to navigate the stormy waters of a long time relationship. A great read!

I have enjoyed reading Cathy Rentzenbrink's non-fiction books previously so I appreciated the opportunity to read her debut novel. I enjoyed this one too - a novel about the highs and lows of marriage and parenting and relationships and community.

I really enjoyed 'Everyone is Still Alive.' I found it to be a poignant, at times funny, look at modern day life, with all its problems and joys.

Juliet and her husband Liam and little son Charlie have moved into Juliet's late mother's house. Juliet is struggling with guilt, grief and life as a working mother, and so relies on Liam, a writer, to manage the morning coffees and after-school play-dates. Liam revels in the secrets, fears and rivalries of their new friends on the street - all of which he is writing into his new novel . Juliet tries to ignore her misgivings, but then a break down of a friends' marriage causes painful truths to emerge.

Everyone Is Still Alive is a moving, intimate novel that explores marriage and parenthood and the way our modern lives are not perhaps everything we would wish.

Juliet, Liam and their five-year-old son, Charlie, move from East to West London after inheriting a house in Magnolia Road on the death of Juliet’s mother. Whilst Juliet is out at work all day, Liam, a sometime novelist, looks after their son. Juliet is grieving for her mother, and living in the latter’s house brings with it both comfort and daily reminders of her mother’s absence.
Liam decides to make his next novel all about the lives of the comfortably middle-class people who live in their road. Proudly working class (but, of course, he isn’t any more!), he mocks the mummies’ coffee chat, painting a picture of the hierarchy, the fads, their children and their partners for Juliet who is rarely closely involved in the day-to-day concerns of these privileged people. When Lucy’s husband leaves her, Liam begins to spend a lot of childcare time round at hers. Is Juliet right to trust her instincts? Is their marriage disintegrating?
This is an eminently readable depiction of primary school days, of obsessive parenting, of fads and fashions and anxiety, and pride in one’s small children. However, it is also a sensitive portrayal of people who are not sure who they are in life, what they should be doing, what they should really value and how they should find contentment. Whilst it is undoubtedly a novel about children’s development, it is also a story of adults learning to grow up and understand what really matters. A really satisfying read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group, Phoenix for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I adore this book I raced through it. The prose and the flow just feel so seamless and it’s a brilliant read. Would recommend in a heartbeat.

The anticipation for this book was high - and the enjoyment from reading it even higher. A hugely identifiable novel about relationships, parenthood and the difficulties of marrying the two. Loved it.

A hugely nostalgic book for me as it covered the “ joy” of the primary school years with young children. The authors captured the minutai of this so very well. A deeper insight though overall into relationships, families, parenting, love and loss told with real warmth. Great dynamics between all the families living on Magnolia Road. Hugely authentic, and a really welcome relief from the “ mummy noir” we have seen a lot of recently, as this brings a new fresh perspective.