Member Reviews
Three Irish schoolfriends Heather, Niamh and Lauren bonded over early morning swims at the lake and thought they’d be together for ever. But then they had a falling out and went their separate ways.
Now 15 years later, the three women are back. Heather, who was raised in a hippy family without much parenting, is helping her mother pack up her house.
Niamh, who has had a family with teacher Evan, is considering setting up a B&B. And Lauren is back because her beloved grandmother Rosemary left her the house.
In conjunction with the current-day storyline, the book dips into the past lives of the women, leading up to their big argument. Neither their feud nor their reunion made much of a splash.
This book follows the lives of three teenage girls in dual timeline - as teenagers and as current day women. And Rosemary, one of the girls grandmother, and how she keeps going after the death of her husband.
On the morning of the solstices at sunrise, the 4 gather at the lake for a morning swim and proclaim their intentions. Until one night the three girls had a big fight and don't show up the next morning. And fracture their relationships. The problem with this story is - it takes until the end of the book to find out why they haven't remained friends over the years. It drags out and I almost gave up without reaching the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC in return for my review.
Set in Lough Caragh a small town in Ireland, the story centres around three young girls who meet and become friends when starting high school. Niamh, Heather and Lauren. Lauren’s grandmother Rosemary plays an integral part in their stories, living in Mill House overlooking the Lake.
Centred around the lake, swimming and on the lake shore, the story moves from when the girls were young, to present day.
It’s a lovely book about growing up, maturing into adulthood with the trials and tribulations of life.
I really enjoyed reading this, I wanted to spend time swimming in Lough Caragh, which means The Lake of beloved friendship.
A lovely little gem of a book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.
EXCERPT: Sipping from her bottle of lemonade she watched the three girls and thought of her own group of friends. They'd helped her through thick and thin. Some of the most magical and the roughest moments had been safely navigated purely because of their support and love. Lauren, Heather and Niamh already looked like the best of friends. The way they were chatting and listening to each other warmed Rosemary's heart. There was something special between them, and that, Rosemary knew, was the best thing in the world. Deep in her heart, Rosemary hoped they's stay friends forever.
ABOUT ' THE SUNRISE SWIMMING SOCIETY': The day Heather, Niamh and Lauren met, they promised to be best friends for life, and that instant connection only grew stronger with their weekly sunrise swims in their stunning local lake. When they left school, they agreed that, no matter where life took them, every year on midsummer’s dawn, they would meet at their old spot and swim together.
Now, fifteen years later, the tradition has disappeared in the face of life’s realities. In fact, they don’t speak any more – not since that night . . .
But this summer, they find themselves back in their Irish hometown and realise this could be their last chance to recapture what they have lost. Will their return to sunrise swimming heal each of them, and help them rekindle the friendships they once treasured?
MY THOUGHTS: I'm going to start with the one negative, because other than this small fly in the ointment, I loved this read! It is too long and contains too much inconsequential information that adds nothing to the storyline. Do we really need to know that Niamh's parents met at an ABBA concert in 19whatever? No. This would have been a much better read at closer to 300 than 400 pages.
The story is told over two timelines - the current day and when the girls were growing up - and is told from the points of view of the three girls - Niamh, Heather and Lauren - and Rosemary, Lauren's grandmother. The characters are lovely. No one is perfect, and Rosie Hannigan does a wonderful job of depicting them in all their moods and different situations. I could envisage different scenes playing out in front of me like a movie, especially when the girls had their big bust up!
Their lives all turned out very differently than they had envisaged (make plans and God laughs) and there is some resentment and envy when they all meet again, and past issues that need to be worked through. Can they put their past differences and hurts behind them and resume their friendship, older and wiser?
My favorite character was Rosemary, a wonderful woman with a kind heart. Did I relate to her more because I am closer to her age than that of the girls? Probably.
I love a good read where the characters are interesting and relatable, and The Sunrise Swimming Society certainly fits that bill. A lovely multi-generational tale infected with Irish wit and warmth.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#TheSunriseSwimmingSocietyRosieHannigan #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Rosie Hannigan writes uplifting novels of friendship, love, and hope. When she's not writing, she enjoys gardening, where she listens to podcasts and ponders what it is that makes us human and how marvelous it is that we prevail no matter what we come up against. When she's not gardening, she's stargazing, usually with the love of her life by her side and a glass of red in her hand. And every now and then she hops on the back of her husband's motorbike in the hopes that the passing countryside will serve her some inspiration.
Rosie lives in Ireland with her husband, her children, and her adored but ageing cat. (Amazon - abridged)
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Avon Books UK via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Sunrise Swimming Society by Rosie Hannigan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
The Sunrise Swimming Society by Rosie Hannigan is a story of friendships, mistakes, and forgiveness. It's also a story of found family and second chances.
Niamh, Lauren, and Heather were best friends during their teenage years but have fallen out with other. Fifteen years later, all three women have no communication with each other, though they are updated on each other's lives. The common factor in their lives is Rosemary, Lauren's grandmother, who had taken the girls under her wing. She is gone, and the grief of losing her might be the catalyst for a reunion. But can broken relationships mend?
I might have shed a tear or two at the end of this book. I fell in love with Rosemary. Her character reinstated that no matter what our age is, we can start over and accomplish our dreams. The other characters were a sort of shadow for me because though they were best friends, their relationship was not really as fleshed out as I would have liked. Rosemary is what makes this book.
Thank you, Avon Books UK, and Netgalley for this book.
CW: Loss, Grief, Parentification, Neglect, Infertility, Infidelity, Alcohol
This is the first book I have read by this author and Rosie certainly doesn't disappoint. Very enjoyable and will be looking out for more.
You know exactly were this book is going from the first page, but the journey there is an absolute delight.
Three friends, now estranged, thrown back together in the village they grew up in. Did their life choices pan out as they thought they would? Are they happy in their lives? Can they ever get over their differences and get back their friendship?
A lovely warm blanket of a read that I would adore a sequel to as I’m now bereft I’ve left their company.
Lauren, Naimh and Heather were firm friends from starting secondary school to the night of celebrating their leaving certificates. Then, they had a massive row and haven't spoken to each other since.
Fifteen years later they are all going to be in the village at Christmas. Naimh still lives there, despite having big plans to travel the world, she got married and had children.
Lauren has returned to convalesce both her body and mind after losing another baby. She has also inherited her grandmother Rosemary's house and needs to sort it out.
Heather has returned from her travels and has agreed to help Pippa her mother, sort out her house, now that her father has left.
When they were teens they used to swim in the Lough with Rosemary who firmly believed that the Lough was the cure for most things that ailed your mind. Individually they return to the Lough, but it's not until there is a near tragedy that invisible strings start to pull things together once more.
A lovely book to read and I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed the previous book by this author.
I never pass up an opportunity to read an Ireland-set book. Throw in friendship and one of my favourite hobbies, open water swimming, and I’m sold. The question is, did the reading of the book live up to my high hopes for it?
This story covers two timelines, the here and now in the lives of three grownup, estranged women and flashbacks to their teenage years when they were the closest of friends. What happened in the intervening years to ensure they haven’t spoken to each other from then until now and how has the estrangement affected their lives. Women with a close group of friends will know how important this relationships are in our lives and for our mental wellbeing; I can’t imagine not having my closest friends in my life for five minutes, let alone years.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of how life never quite ends up how you believe it will turn out when you are young and carefree and believe the world if your oyster and nothing can touch you. How easy it is to take your opportunities and the people around you for granted and think nothing of squandering them. How different things look back with the benefit of hindsight, but of course you can never go back and change things, you have to move forward.
This is a book of gentle but truthful drama and very female centric. I really loved the characters, they were all interesting, flawed but eventually redeemable women that you would be quite happy to be friends with if they crossed your path. Their lives were believable; not straightforward but completely relatable to a normal woman picking up this book. If you enjoy seeing people like yourself reflected back at you from the pages of a novel, you can do much worse than this novel.
If, like me, you enjoy reading books sent in the beautiful, verdant scenery of Ireland, you will love immersive yourself in the world of Lough Carragh and its inhabitants. If you have travelled in rural Ireland, particularly in the south, the place will feel familiar and homely to you, and you will quickly relax into life there and feel part of the story.
Overall, this was a thoroughly lovely read that delivered everything I hoped it would when I picked it up and if you are a fan of the writing of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly or Faith Hogan, you will love this book.
Life changes people, but down deep are they really different?
This story centers around 3 women who were best friends until they were torn apart. It is told in two timelines, 20 years apart. Niamh, Heather and Lauren were high school friends and life has taken them along different paths. Heather is a facade to the outside world, Niamh feels unfulfilled and Lauren longs for a child. The story follows what happens when Heather returns to their town, and how they interact.
I don’t think I enjoyed this book as much as I did the last book by this author, The Moonlight Gardening Club, but it is a solid read for those who enjoy reading women’s fiction and friendship books. I will continue to look forward to future books by this author.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.
This touching story has love, kindness and friendship at its core.. three teenage girls find friendship when they start secondary school, yet after sharing their hopes and dreams for the future nobody could predict where their lives would be 15 years after leaving school.
I loved the interaction between these characters and grandmother. Rosemary, the lynchpin of the story. It was interesting to see how the teenage dreams changed and how the now mature girls dealt with the changes.
My only irritation was the use of the word ‘gotten’. It grated as it seemed out of place in the narrative.
Overall I enjoyed this warm story.
Friends from the first school days these three people then fall out and it is 50 years later that they meet and become friends again. This is a heartfelt novel and I enjoyed it. 5stars.
Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC
A lovely tale of friendship told by three women over two time frames. Niamh, Heather and Lauren were BFFs until they weren't but now they're back together and the years- and the arguements- fall away. It's a gentle, nicely written novel that will make for a pleasant weekend read.
The Sunrise Swimming Society is a captivating tale that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories of friendship, resilience, and the enduring bonds that withstand the test of time. With its poignant narrative and richly drawn characters, this book is a testament to the healing power of love and forgiveness, reminding us it's never too late to reclaim what was once lost.
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The story is about 3 girls, they meet at school on their first day, together they become best friends. One of the friends’ grandmother is always there for them to help and offer advice.
But, when they are 18, they go their separate ways after having huge arguments.
Then after 15 years, their individual issues bring them back in the village they grew up in. The story is told from all three girls’ perspectives in the present and the past.
The characters were all relatable.
I recommend this book.
Set in Ireland, 3 friends from school had a big fallout and never spoke to each other until they are reluctantly reunited many years later.
A heart-warming/ heartbreaking story of friendship. I was particularly drawn the Rosemary, the grandmother of the group. Its a slow burn read set over two timelines
The Sunrise Swimming Society by Rosie Hannigan focuses on young women learning to grow their friendship and support each other through life. Ultimately, it is the older women in the community who show them the best example of how to do this.
This was my first book by Rosie Hannigan. I really enjoyed this book. It is about 3 girls who meet on the first day of high school and become the best of friends until they have a huge falling out when they are 18. Circumstances then bring them back to their village 15 years later. I like the way the story is told from each girl’s perspective and I also enjoyed the way the story was set in 2 time zones. The characters were all believable and I loved the connections to the grandmother, Rosemary and her friends as well. Its well worth a read.
A sensitive insightful and touching tale of three best friends from a small town in Ireland who swim in their lake on early mornings.
Niamh Heather and Lauren became firm friends when they started at secondary school together but as the years go by a blow up between them pulls them apart. Fifteen years later can they pick up their friendships and live and support each other again.
This is a beautiful story of friendship and the different types of families there are in a community. Great characters, easy to visualise and warm to, their history and individual stories were brilliantly written. I really enjoyed this tale taking me to county Wicklow in Ireland. A moving story that made me smile.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the early read. Highly recommended.
They were supposed to be friends for life but after a few years that was not to be until a second chance came along that brought the three friends back together. A wonderful encapsulating story of friendship and relationships. This is a book not to be missed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.