This is the follow up book to The Lido which I read so many years ago that I can only really remember the bones. I guess what I am saying is that it's probably good to have read it, but this book also stands up well enough on its own.
So... we reconnect with Kate and Jay as they start their life with their new-born in rural Somerset. Initially Kate is struggling not just with the baby but also the change of scene, new life, have to make new friends and connections, her world has literally been thrown up in the air. But she wants it to work, and she also really wants to reconnect with the water, swimming being her sanctuary previously. So it is with excitement that she looks out a new swimming spot. This time wild-swimming in the river Avon. But will it be enough to give her the stability and haven she desires.
We also meet Phoebe, a community mental health nurse who connects with Kate over their joint interest in swimming.
There are a lot of topics contained in this book. Sewage dumping, council inactivity, water authorities, but it isn't overly political. All these things are included for the story, not for preaching reasons. That said, I found the rest of the book to be a little basic for me. I don't have children so I found it harder to reconnect to Kate and her challenges, I was able to sympathise but not empathise. I also missed Rosemary who I think was the lynch-pin in The Lido, Phoebe not really taking up that challenge in this book. Also I wanted it to be a bit grittier than it was. I found it was a little too soft for me. That said, it did keep me nicely occupied and away from real life for a nice few hours, and mostly entertained, that's the main reason I read so it definitely tickled that box.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A lovely read and had a feel good quality to it. You care about the characters and want them all to have a happy ever after.

Such a lovely follow on from The Lido, which I read a few years ago. It was nice to find out what happened to Kate. I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of Phoebe. A tattooed biker and mental health nurse. The relationship between the women was a joy to read about.
The Lifeline was an easy, enjoyable read which I would recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is my first book by this author and won’t be my last. This is the follow up to the lido which I didn’t realise at the time of reading and am going to go back and read although this could be read as a standalone

This was such a compelling and heart wrenching read with lots of fabulous characters and also brought a lot of hard hitting and relatable topics out into the open in a very sensitive way. The author has also used her personal experiences to bring this book to life which is what made it even more special and hope they found some comfort whilst writing this story and sharing it with others.

I think we all need the love of the farleigjh on Avon river swimming club.

I have to confess that it took me a while to get into this book. The Lido is one of my all-time favourites, so there was a certain trepidation about meeting Kate again – especially as she begins her journey into motherhood. However it was the other main character, Phoebe, I found it hard to get to grips with, but ended up loving her all the more because of it.

Naturally the redemptive power of water and of the friendships formed in and around it are central to this book, and I loved the new cast of characters. The members of the wild bathing club with the impossibly long name, Phoebe’s patients, the tired new mums – all drawn with empathy and care. Of course there are men in the book too, but the women take centre stage and that’s wonderful.

I have a slight quibble with the ending; I felt too many curve balls hit at a very late stage of the book, and although they created great tension and were all tied up in a satisfying way, the conclusion did seem a little rushed.

It was lovely to be ‘reunited’ with Kate and see how her life had moved on since The Lido. You don’t need to have read ‘The Lido’ before this story, but it helps you understand the importance of Rosemary and of swimming to her. The other main character, Phoebe, is a mental health nurse battling with her own struggles in life. Libby Page ‘does’ people so well. You are so quickly sucked into their lives, worries and joys. Her books give you faith in the human race again with their sense of community and seeing their best qualities. The curative aspects of swimming, and in this case, wild swimming in particular have a lovely calming effect on the reader. You do feel like you are in the water with the characters, enjoying the relaxation and healing qualities afforded by the cooling waters surrounded by nature. I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and the perfect antidote to a stressful day. Made me want to grab my swimming costume and head out to find the nearest approved bathing spot!

I hadn't realised that this was a follow up to The Lido, but I was very happy when I realised.
This time it's an area of river that the local wild swimmers are trying to save, we have new mother Kate, mental health nurse Phoebe and they are both struggling. We also have a wonderful cast of characters all of whom have their own fights, the river is the place that they feel happiest.
Interestingly the big bad this time is the local water authority who are responsible for leaking sewage, which is currently a big issue for a lot of waterways across the country.

The Lifeline is a lovely, feel good book with warm, relatable characters. It’s a sequel to Libby Page’s very popular The Lido but also works as a standalone read. I loved the setting by the river and the theme of wild swimming. It’s such an immersive read, I felt like grabbing a swimsuit and joining Kate, Phoebe and friends.

Kate, who featured in The Lido, has moved from London to Somerset and is finding that new motherhood isn’t all she thought it would be. Phoebe, a mental health nurse, puts her patients first and struggles to make time for herself. They, and other appealing characters, are brought together by the river swimming club at FarleighAvon, a club with a meandering name that I won’t attempt to reproduce here! The Lifeline does tackle some difficult, poignant themes but is a wonderfully light read and one that left me feeling upbeat. Five stars!

This was another excellent book from Libby Page! I loved the characters, both old and new, and their stories. I especially loved the sense of community created here yet again. Libby’s books always leave me feeling happy and warm, it’s like coming home.

Another lovely, cosy, heart-warming read from Libby Page.

Sequel to The Lido, the story treats us to what's happening now with Kate - having relocated to Somerset, and with a new baby, she finds herself somewhat adrift and struggling to cope.

But then she finds FoARSBRWAC - the crazy acronym for the Farleigh on Avon River Swimming, Bathing and Waterbased Activity Club - with a lot of varied and colourful members. Kate makes new friends and begins to find her purpose in life again; she's not the only one who finds sanctuary here - there are a number of other characters who are all interesting and have their own problems, and who all find refuge with each other and in the river.

This story is clearly very personal for Libby Page, in the notes at the end we realise that a lot of the experiences mirror her own life changes. I hope you've found similar peace to Kate, Libby!

A great follow up book to The Lido although you can really read this one as a standalone. I wasn’t too keen on the start as it really jumped around the main characters but once it all joined up and stopped jumping around less, it turned into a very good read. Great characters and a great storyline that wasn’t complicated, just very enjoyable.

In this sequel to The Lido Kate is now living in Somerset and struggling to adjust to life with a new baby in a new village. It should be everything she ever wanted but she doesn't feel how she expected. Phoebe is a mental health nurse whose personal life flounders as she focuses on her patients - in dedicating her care towards them she neglects herself. Both women find a community within a group of local wild swimmers that changes everything for them.

There's a huge focus on mental health with this book (not just because of Phoebe's career). Following on from the themes in The Lido is the importance of friends, family and finding your place. Thoroughly recommend.

Another feel good book by Libby Page! I enjoyed the variety of characters and how they get together for the commubity and supporting each other. It was too motherly for my taste, as I am a child free by choice person, but I understand why Libby wanted to portrait that. I didn't expect The Lido to have a follow up novel and it was a nice surprise. Loved the talk about mental health, is impprtabt to have that visibility regardless of the circumstances.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Orion Books for the opportunity to read ARC of this amazing book, If you have read The lido you are going to love this book like I did .



This book tells the Story of Kate who has moved from London to Somerset with her Husband Jay and has recently just had a newborn baby and is trying to find her feet again after having her baby and one day comes across a local river swimming group where she meets Phoebe who has amazing job helping people as a Mental Health nurse which comes with a lot of issues as Phoebe is trying to help all the amazing clients she looks after but at what cost to her own relationship ? thankfully she finds the local river swimming group and meets kate and what follows without giving away any spoilers is amazing book about, friendship being there for each other in your hour of need and helping each other also in the community in your hour of need and saving people

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc!

I really loved this book, it’s been a while since I have read. Libby Page book but I’ve loved them all. I felt like following both main characters here gave so much depth into the book, it really let you see how being a mother or a mental health nurse can affect you without you ever realising.

I think the motherhood one really hit me as I am not a mother yet it’s not something I realised hit it was good to see this perspective.

The pace of this book was really good and gripping. I read the book in a day and a bit as I didn’t want to put it down! I really think everyone would enjoy this book. A solid 4 star read for me

I read the author's debut novel Lido when it first came out and I loved it so much. Learning that there was a sequel I was really excited to get my hands on it to see if it could possibly live up to the first book I read years ago and have probably built up even more in my head since.

It did. I read it in one sitting. Actually could not put it down until I was done. I think I was exactly the target audience for this book which deals with some quite difficult themes - being a new mother and mental health prominent among them. When I became a young mother mental health was not talked about and I felt so many things that are described in this book that I actually feel a lump in my throat as I'm typing this. I wish somebody could have told me some of the things I just read.

I'm so glad this book exists and even though so far I've talked about the darker themes, there was so much light and love weaved into the people and their lives throughout the book. It really conveyed 'this too shall pass', but (mostly) in a non-trivial way.

This book would be ideal for people going through a rough patch, and for new mothers especially, but I don't think anyone should feel left out when reading it. Even if you haven't experienced these things personally, odds are that someone you know has, and if you're lucky enough to be untouched by it in any way, enjoy it for the sheer pleasure of reading a fell-good book about people from completely different backgrounds coming together and finding something that connects them.

I am leaving this a five star rating, because I know I will love this book when I read it later this year.

However, I cannot read this ARC provided by netgalley and the publishers because the words GROUP, ORION & PUBLISHING are peppered liberally throughout the text - often in the middle of sentences. I am not prepared to reduce my enjoyment of a new LP novel in this way just to read it early.

This proof is unreadable.

An incredibly heartfelt and moving book by Libby Page who can do no wrong in my eyes. Beautifully written and engaging I loved every second of reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

I read the Lido last year, followed very quickly by The Vintage Shop, having enjoyed both of those, I was thrilled when I saw the same author had another book out -The Lifeline.
We catch up with Kate who with Jay and baby Rosie have moved out of London to Somerset and is finding being a first time parent hard and missing the Lido and her friends. She joins a local river swimming group where she meets Phoebe, a mental health nurse whose world has started to crumble around her. The two women become friends and their local river swimming group becomes a lifeline for many of the locals.
I’m not a good swimmer, but I’ve quite fancied wild swimming - it’s too cold where I life and I’m not confident enough but reading about them floating down the river and seeing the wildlife sounded quite delightful.
Another brilliant read by Libby Page 📚

I really enjoyed Libby Page’s debut novel, The Lido. It was one of the first physical books I read after getting back into reading a couple of years ago. When I saw that The Lifeline was a follow-up to that book, I was very excited to see if I would like it as much.

The Lifeline follows Kate, who appeared in the first book and joins her after having had a baby and made the move from London to Somerset. The book also follows a new character, Phoebe, who is a community mental health nurse. The two women end up connecting after joining the local river swimming group.

I think this book was a good and easy read despite the difficult topics included that the main and side characters were dealing with. I did feel that there was maybe just one too many things included which lessened the impact. This book would be very relatable for anyone who has recently had a baby and is trying to navigate the changes that come with that experience. I thought that Phoebe was also a good addition as another narrator, along with the other members of the swimming group who I would have liked to have heard from a bit more.

I did not find this novel as compelling as The Lido, so it could be that Rosemary was the key ingredient for me! This was still an enjoyable read and exactly the type of story I was in need of when I read it.

I am rating this book 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars).

Thank you to the publisher, Orion for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.