This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and the 2nd that I have loved

The book gives an open insight to how we were all feeling during the strange times of the pandemic. The characters brought to life the struggles that we all felt and are still feeling now. But it also gives you ways of getting out of the slump, no matter what background of life you came from

Josie Lloyd brings a refreshing way of storytelling which we can all relate to and by sticking to her roots, she is being true to herself as well. The Salty Sea-Gals have made me want to try to sea swimming, to experience the buzz and the thrill of the cold water against your skin, and to visit Brighton to see the sights that her writing brings to life

I NEED to look out for all her other books as well now.

A huge thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A beautiful story about second chances and the power of female friendships.
It was refreshing to read characters from different backgrounds and ages with a strong bond and individual personalities. The pull of the sea and simplicity of sea swimming was a joy to read

Josie Lloyd has written a book which I think a lot of people will be able to relate to. When Maddy runs away from her life to Brighton to find her son she meets a group of women who despite all being different have one thing in common , sea swimming. All with different reasons these women form a firm friendship and help each other overcome their problems from straight talking Helga to Claire who feels invisible in her life they are all remarkable women who with each other’s support and friendship they discover their strengths. How female friends can build you up like no others. Josie Lloyd is very lucky to have her own group of sea swimmers

This was such a feel good, heart warming novel and it was a joy to get to know all the girls. You felt like you were a part of the ‘Sea-Gals’ and reading them all come together in their times of hardships was lovely. Each one of them had difficulties they were facing, and their time out in the water was truly a balm for them all.

I got so invested in each one of the characters story arcs and the writing was truly compelling. Even though I couldn’t help but think a few of the things that happened were a bit coincidental and not very likely to happen, it still added to the story and added an element of drama. Like things were meant to be!

I also love that it was set during the pandemic, when there was lockdowns, restrictions and covid to contend with. Right through to the end, I was hooked and really enjoyed every page.

Brighton, post-lockdowns. Normality (or what passes for it) is starting to return. And the Sea-Gals are swimming in the sea.

A lovely tale of frienship

I was intrigued by the premise of Lifesaving for Beginners by Josie Lloyd and it started out well. I was a little daunted by the number of different stories I was presented with in the opening few chapters. I found it difficult to become involved with characters as each set-up section was fairly short. But, in the end, what really put me off the book was the fact that it was written in the present tense. Perhaps I had just read one too many such novel (and I really don't understand why this is such a popular trend), but I felt as though I were back in primary school reading a Janet and John book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an early review copy in return for a honest review.

Oh I loved the Sea-gals! I loved their various stories and how they intertwined - this is a book that made me laugh and shed a tear - a definite recommendation from me!

I loved this book and will be recommending it!

I fell for the Sea-Gals - a group of feisty women who swim in the sea. Maddy in search of her son; Dominica recovering from the loss of her husband from Covid; Claire finding herself apart from her roles as wife and mother; Tor confronting her family’s prejudices and Helga coming to terms with growing old. All find a release through swimming and help each other face their issues.

All find a way forward leaving you feeling satisfied that all is right with the world!

This was a very enjoyable read about a group of five women, each with their own issues, all living in Brighton and coming together to form a friendly cold water swimming group.

They were a variety of ages with 70 year Helga being the oldest. The main backbone of the story though is about Maddy, who lived a life of indulgence, with everything Instagrammed, until it all fell apart and she ended up in an AirBNB room in Brighton, looking for her missing son.

All the characters were great though, and each of their stories interesting, they were all there to back each other up and help when it was needed, once they'd let their guards down a bit and started chatting to one another about their problems.

Just a really engaging story, with a little bit of drama, lots of female bonding, and a satisfying ending.

A really enjoyable story about a group of women from different walks of life and how they come together in an unlikely friendship.

The story is full of the mini stories of each of the women but works so well together to give you a book that is hard to put down.

Joyful and uplifting- this was a fabulous read with well written, relatable characters that all brought a different dynamic to the story. Some quite heavy themes were covered in the book around homelessness, drug addiction, grief and loss, aging but all were sensitively written and the theme of the power of female friendship and the power of the sea made the story lighter without taking anything away. Highly recommended.

The Cancer Ladies’ Running Club was one of my favourite books of 2021; serious but uplifting and entertaining and I definitely expected the same with this book - and I got it.

I often struggle when there’s multiple character POVs and as expected, I did struggle to begin with here, figuring out who was who and who they related to, but that’s a personal thing. But within a few chapters my head was able to ease into it and it wasn’t much of a problem. I think what helped was they were all such different personalities with different stories and motivations so I could keep them separate, but then you had the sea swimming as the glue to hold them all together.

Personally I am not a fan of having covid and lockdowns in fiction books as I’m fed up enough with it in real life, but Josie hit a nice balance, she didn’t make it in your face or an overarching plot point, it was just in the background which I definitely preferred.

There are five main characters and a cast list of many secondary characters. Our main story revolves around Helga, Claire, Dominica, Maddy and Tor.

Helga: is an elderly lady living by herself, with health problems but a strong will, doesn’t take to fools.
Claire: a wife and mother who feels she is becoming invisible, only good for cleaning and cooking.
Dominica: newly bereaved after losing her husband, trying to figure out her place in the world and what her future means now.
Maddy: splits from her husband and travels to Brighton trying to find her son who walked out of the family home.
Tor: a young woman who is dedicated to charity and helping others, struggling with admitting her sexuality to her family.

There’s a lot to swallow there. Lots of sensitive subjects, but somehow, Josie has managed to balance them all. She’s given them all time to shine, time to grow, come to terms with them, and she’s made sure that everything is realistically dealt with by the end. Then you have the secondary characters of Jamie, Alice, Pim, Linus amongst many others. They make a community out of the story and it’s a really friendly community, one I’d be happy to be a part of.

What made me laugh is when I told my mum the basic premise and themes (adultery, divorce, homelessness etc) she sarcastically said, “oh, uplifting stuff then?” And at first glance, you’d be inclined to agree with her. But that’s the thing about Josie’s books (or at least the ones I’ve read) it’s tough on the surface but amongst it all is joy and it is definitely uplifting.

I admit, I do not like Brighton and so I couldn’t identify with all the praise the location was getting in the book. And I’m also frightened of the sea and open water, but the joy of open water swimming, especially in the dark depths of winter, just leaps off the page in such a sparkling way.

I really enjoyed this. Although it dealt with some heavy themes the women's friendship and support shone throughout. A lovely story and the common thread of swimming brought them all together beautifully.

This is a character driven read featuring a group of sea swimmers in Brighton. The five 'Sea-Gals' range in age from seventy something Helga to Tor who's in her twenties but all are struggling with different life challenges including grief, coming out, infidelity, aging, illness and the menopause. I liked the different story lines and positivity of friendship and sea-swimming in helping the characters deal with any challenges. The sensitive topics were also sympathetically and authentically done. But, I found the "earthy, happy energy" of the women a bit much at times. So, a great feel good story that I liked but didn't love as much as the author's other books.

Heartwarming, warm and uplifting - the ultimate in comfort reads. Great characters that draw you into their lives and leave you completely invested in their stories.

The characters in the book bring the story alive and leaves you wanting to hear more about them. A solid four stars.

This book is absolutely wonderful. It is about love, it is about life, it is about friendship. It is so heartwarming and uplifting and utterly wonderful.

A wonderful uplifting story about friendship and helping each other in times of need. With a delightful cast of characters, this was a pleasure to read.

Three and a half stars.

Maddy appears to be living a charmed life with a strong Instagram following every minute detail of her beautiful home and garden. But a missed phone call from her estranged son Jamie on Christmas Day and discovery that her husband is having an affair with one of her close friends lead her to abandon her current life and move to Brighton to try to find Jamie.

Living in a dreary Airbnb apartment, she meets a diverse group of women one day while walking her neighbour's dog on the beach. The women, the Sea-Gals, swim in the sea all year round. They include former sailor Helga, widow Dominica, vegan Lesbian Tor, and later harassed mother-of-two Claire. each woman has her own troubles, her own fork in the road to navigate, her own decisions to make. Together they find that sea-swimming helps to put life into perspective.

I liked this, but I didn't love it, perhaps because I had already read The Wednesday Morning Wild Swim which has a similar vibe. Also, I felt the ending was a bit unrealistic. (view spoiler) However, it did really make me wish that I lived by the sea so that I could go sea-swimming, even though I am a poor swimmer, don't like the cold, and don't really like swimming in the sea!

Josie Lloyd has said that this book is based on her own experiences during lockdown, living in Brighton and taking up sea swimming and the authenticity shows. Also, while I might roll my eyes at the way in which there is a character representing different aspect of a woman's life (the single woman, the mother, the divorcee, the widow, the crone), Brighton is the sort of place where you could easily find a group like this.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a uick, easy and cute read that just scresmed positivity. I loved everything, the writing was great, the story was engaging and inspiring and the characters were relatable and loveable. I loved it.