We Are Family

by Nicola Gill

Laura has a laid back attitude to life. Her home isn’t spotless, and after a hard day she likes to take to bed with a block of cheese.

Jess, on the other hand, is your classic overachiever: The Big Sister, Chief of Chivvying, Queen of the family WhatsApp. Her life is picture-perfect.

Laura and Jess lost their dad when they were kids, and now their mum is gone too. And one of the hardest times in life is made harder by the fact they can’t agree on a single thing, from where to scatter the ashes to whether “passed away” is even an acceptable term.

But when Laura starts pushing her own boundaries and Jess agrees to let other people in to her (not so) perfect life, the two women realize they need each other more than ever. They might not be ready to admit it, but family is everything…

A funny, tender and thoroughly entertaining read for anyone who loves Marian Keyes, Ruth Jones, and Fleabag.

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

500 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2020

Reviews

[Bookadmirer]

DNF at 27%

I judge myself,’Laura said quietly. She bit the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath. ‘And the thing I wanted you to know is that I never felt that loved by my mother. She always preferred my sister and I never felt good enough. So that’s why—’She interrupted herself. ‘No, it’s not why. I mustn’t make excuses for myself. I should have been kinder and more patient. It’s not why. But it is context.’

It's really sad when parents have favorite children. In my family, my brother was always favored because he is the son of the family.

Even though the discrimination between Laura and her sister is completely different than me and my brother, I still felt Laura's pain. But I don't think Laura should suffer this much. I wonder how people like Laura would feel if they knew there are much worse cases of discrimination out there. I had to DNF this book because it's a very serious topic for me.

I know everyone's struggle is real but for me, this parent-child discrimination is a big deal. It's a huge part of my life and struggle. I can't continue this book because of that.

Arc provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Jess and Laura
Sisters
And polar opposites
Jess is a Insta influencer
Laura wears her pj’s to drop her son off to School
They have a ‘cordialish’ relationship and Jess is much favoured by her Mum ( who is never going to win Mum of the year award )
But when their Mum dies there is reproach, anger, sadness and recriminations, from both

It’s hard to say that a book centred around a death had me howling with laughter, but it did, also ( and I am not one to cry buckets at books, dunno y as do at films and tv ) I had a few tears, many grimaces, some shocked faces and as a lot of the reviews have said empathy, the author hit many a nerve for many people in this very honest, open, frank and truthful book ( after my partners recent passing of his Mum some of the narrative was spookily on point )
The book travels through Laura’s journey at this stage of her life, the good, the bad, the ugly and I would almost offer a money back guarantee that you will love her and her character, flaws and all
It’s a book of so many things, packed into one story that will have your emotions flowing and as you welcome these 2 ( and the other cast members ) into your life for the time you read about them fall in love with them, superb

10/10
5 Stars

[Ankit Garg · Rating 3 out of 5]

We Are Family by Nicola Gill is a heartwarming story about two sisters who have recently turned orphans. The loss of their mother brings the two of them together, who were otherwise quite the opposite in their day-to-day lives - one has a proactive approach to things while the other one has a tendency to lay back and chill out.

It is a slow read, and stresses on the importance of family in one's life. Despite which, it is an enjoyable book with moments and humor, happiness and sadness.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Recommended.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

Laura and Jess are sisters. Jess, the elder, is happily married to a lawyer, has two immaculate daughters and has a successful career as a social media influencer. Laura is a journalist for a women's magazine called Natter (which I misread throughout the book as Nutter), living with her boyfriend and their five year old son Billy. Whereas Jess is Marie Kondo, White Company, Farrow and Ball and Le Creuset, Laura has never really changed from her student days, their flat is piled high with dirty dishes, drying clothes and stacks of paper, it doesn't help that Laura's boyfriend only works part-time at a pizza restaurant because he is writing a book (although Laura knows he's been writing it for 10 years and has less than two pages written to show for his time.

The death of their self-centred mother from cancer is yet another bone 0f contention between the sisters at first, but maybe, just maybe it can bring them closer together.

Ah, women's fiction! A story where there is any amount of huge life changes and surprises all of which are pretty much glossed over - if all the things happened to my sister and me that happened to these two women in the the course of less than 12 months (COVID-excepted) I would be in serious need of therapy.

I didn't enjoy this at first, in fact I was seriously considering giving up after about 25% because I found both sisters so irritating, but I persevered and really got into the story, although I still feel the strong desire to shake Laura and tell her to woman up and grow a pair. Then, the novel just ended really abruptly with an eight months later epilogue in which pretty much everything had changed, it was as though Nicola Gill had run out of paper and had to wrap everything up really quickly, or maybe she had a dentist appointment? Anyway, I literally flipped my Kindle pages back and forth looking for the rest of the book ...

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with women's fiction because (like life) there is no resolution, no HEA, just an abrupt 'and this is where I choose to end my book' which leaves me a bit dissatisfied. However, so much of my griping can be put down to 'don't read women's fiction if you don't like the way it's structured' so make your own decision.

Overall, I did enjoy this but I found the ending rushed and I had more questions than answers.

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

[Adi Rocks Socks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars – I really liked it

This book cements Nicola Gill's place in my list of favourite authors -- this is the second book of hers I've read in less than a year, and if anything's clear to me, it's that she's a master at writing about relationships.

When I say she's a master at putting into words the ups and downs of a relationship, most people would think I'm talking about romantic relationships. (Sadly, this is what media has trained us to think of first when you hear the word 'relationship'.) Gill's skill lies in capturing the nuances of platonic relationships.

While her first book, The Neighbours, focused on an unlikely friendship between two neighbours, We Are Family chose to focus on the relationship between two sisters, Laura and Jess.

The Neighbours was more of a jaunty affair, with witticisms and an at-times acerbic narration; We Are Family took a different approach. Laura, our narrator, is highly flawed, and it's obvious from the get-go that she sometimes reads a little too much between the lines when there's nothing to be read, and that her narration is not entirely fair, often to herself. She's a doormat (IMO), is perpetually stressed with working full time AND being a proper parent to her son (her partner doesn't do much to help either with the income-situation, or helping out with the chores), and is incredibly damaged from how her mother has treated her all her life.

The book starts with Laura and Jess' mum dying. For most adults, this would be a time of great grief, and the only emotional battle they'd face is learning how to live without their parent. It's a bit different for Laura, because all her life, her mum has been comparing her to Jess, and claiming that she doesn't quite live up to her sister. It's evident from the flashbacks Laura shares that the way their mum has been treating her all along is clearly verbal and emotional abuse, with a few incidents of gaslighting thrown in. (Naturally, I grew an instant hatred towards Evie, the mum.)

Laura and Jess' dad died in a car accident when they were teens, and seeing that she wasn't allowed to grieve for him by her mother, Laura never really had a chance to heal. She's also had to deal with other forms of pain in her youth, and when their mum dies, something inside Laura snaps, which sets up the events that occur in this book. For Laura, it's getting to terms with the fact that she never confronted her mum over her abominable treatment of her.

In the midst of all this, we have fashion blogger and influencer Jess. And though Laura's biased narrative makes it sound like Jess has a perfect life, as captured on Instagram, it's clear to the reader that she too is struggling. Laura loves and hates her sister at the same time, and the competitive streak that was instilled by Evie (from when she pitted them against one another as children) often rears its ugly head, making Laura often feel less than.

This book covers the events that occur after Evie's death, and with alternating timelines, tells us the story of the type of relationship Jess and Laura had, have, and will have. Gill expertly handles several delicate topics, allowing Laura and Jess to work through them in a realistic way. It was emotional and thoughtful, and Gill deserves all the praise for focusing on familial relationships and friendship, at a time when everyone seems to love to write about romance.

Can Nicola Gill write a 500 page book about a relationship between two sisters?

Yes.

Does she write it well?

YES.

Just a tiny note on Laura — sometimes, I wanted to pick her up the way I used to pick up my Barbies, and tell her that she shouldn't allow her lowlife partner to treat her that way; that her sister was actually being nice; and that she shouldn't let her 'friend' use her the way she was being used constantly. It did get a bit annoying, but thankfully, that was part of her growth, and I was impressed with how Gill had her (and Jess) change gradually over the pages of the book.

Though this book is being marketed as being similar to Fleabag, I'd disagree. Laura and Jess are nothing like Fleabag and her sister — these two are actually likable characters, even though like the show, they don't get along all that well. Laura is a 'mess' like Fleabag, while Jess is seemingly perfect like Claire. You do get some of that Fleabag dynamic here, but someone who goes in expecting characters just like the show is bound to be disappointed.

The book is poignant and Gill's method of writing was a breath of fresh air, just like the last time. I truly enjoyed this book.

TW: Loss of a parent, miscarriage, infidelity, emotional/verbal abuse from a parent

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read and review this book. I look forward to seeing what platonic relationship Gill will choose to write about next!

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Note: This book is out now! - Sep 03, 2020

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Pre-review:

I enjoyed this book; full review to come. Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. :)

[Avani ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Are Family by Nicola Gill is a beautifully heartwarming story of two sisters, who have lost both their parents recently. They both don't usually match eye to eye to things and this loss in their life is what brings them together.

Laura and Jess, both are opposites. Laura has a laid back attitude to things and life. Her partner is not usually productive and works at a restaurant as well as is writing his debut novel. Whereas, Jess is a perfectionist and married to a rich man. She herself is an online lifestyle influencer.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a full fledged package of sadness, happiness and tints of humor, all under one roof. The loss of their loved ones, and suddenly remembering all their childhood memories while unpacking their mother's belonging.

I could really relate to the character of Laura. We usually don't always admit and appreciate our family. But then times like this is when we realise, blood truly is thicker than water. The ending twist (about Laura's father) really blow my mind. I enjoyed it and I recommend this.
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Thank You to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange of a honest review.

[Natasja | natasjalovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent enough read. It's a story of two sisters that have always been pitted against each other by their late mother and how they're dealing with the grief of her passing, even if that grief isn't necessarily 'perfect' in Laura's case. The sisters had a difficult relationship with their mother, particularly the protagonist Laura who was always seen as 'the lesser' of the two, and because of this, the sisters have a strained relationship themselves.

The blurb sold it as something akin to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's excellent Fleabag TV series, but apart from the sister relationship, it wasn't very Fleabaggy. It was mostly just sad, and I didn't think the characters managed to walk the thin line between somewhat sympathetic and unlikable very well. I found myself annoyed with Laura throughout almost all of this, as she had a nasty habit of reading insults into every uttered sentence. Almost all of the conflict with her sister stems from this habit, and it honestly wasn't funny. It was just really frustrating. I wanted to shake Laura whenever she did this or when she couldn't say no to people who were obviously using her and then sniped at her sister that tried to help her at every turn. The sister - Jess - I never really got a proper feel for. We only see her through Laura's eyes, and although Laura's view of her changes throughout the book, it still didn't manage to give Jess much of a personality. Aside from a non-sexual affair (that isn't in any way explored), Jess was just the perfect person Laura resented her for being. I hate to bring up Fleabag again, but I missed the kind of sister relationship it had, where both were imperfect and funny characters in their own way.

The last conflict between the sisters - the biggest in a way - was resolved in absolutely no time at all, and off-screen even. The ending felt rushed because of that and the rest of the book definitely hadn't felt that way. In fact, it felt too long. But after I had struggled slightly with the first 40% percent of the book, I found myself really interested in the sisters and their story, so I was a little saddened that there wasn't more to the ending. Apart from that, pretty good writing. I'd pick up Nicola Gill again.

e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Samantha Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful story about two sisters, following their relationship as they deal with grief, love, breast cancer, bullying and life.
The more you read, the more you want to read.
I would recommend this book.

[Jenny C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed lots of elements of this book, which is a story of two sisters dealing with the aftermath of their mother’s death. They have never really gotten along and struggle to forge a relationship. The main character, Laura, was quite likeable, thought I became frustrated with how mean she was to her sister. I felt that she had quite a negative personality and I found that in parts I wanted to stop reading just because I found her quite annoying! I actually preferred her sister, though I’m not sure I was meant to. I would recommend this to others, it’s light and has a satisfying ending.
Thanks so much to netgalley, the author and the publishers for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two very different sisters dealing with grief in their own very different ways. At first the differences keep them apart until they both start realising being different does not stop them getting on. I was most drawn to Laura at first over Jess. The thing is though Jess grows on you so much she is not perfect she is human. They both needed to see that about each other. Other noticeable characters their late mum (still very present in memory), Billy, Jon, Ben and Marcus

[Annissa Joy Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two sisters who seem to have nothing in common and can’t seem to agree on anything after their mother passes, realize that family is the most important thing. Enjoyed this book but thought it was a little too long.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the advance copy.

[Rah Elated with books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely a 5🌟 that everyone should try .. it touches all the relatable and important topics such as family , love and work .

It tells the story of Laura who always felt inferior in her family compared to her perfect sister , Jess
Through grieving their mothers death and a series of other unfortunate events they realize there’s nothing more important that your own family .

I found Laura very relatable to me while reading this book and I was gripped from the start to end and
It’s a book I’d recommend to everyone .

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this eARC from Netgalley in exhange for a honest review
DNF 71%
The constant negativity and blaming (herself, familiy, others) was for me too much. Laura seemed to focus on someone else around 60-65% in the book, but still. She was constantly playing things over and over, the negativity tasted bad in my mouth. I Understand that people grief in a different way and people are different. But it was too much for me. I had a hard time with Laura, wish maybe we could have seen Jess`s side more too maybe it would have eased up a bit of the constant negativity and she was so frustrated and angry with her sister, her familiy, her son, her husband... herself.. Not much positivity was shown and i didn`t feel like she had much character growth until she started to focus on Jess in her hard time, but then i was out...

[Kara (bookishskippy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever felt like you were always compared with your siblings in terms of EVERYTHING!
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Well i guess this is a book which you could relate to easily.
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Ratings:👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️
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This is a story about 2 sisters. Laura who was the miss perfect and Jess the more chilled one. Due to the recent event, their mother passed away leaving them as orphans. They have to work hand in hand together despite all those negative pulls of one another. They had to give in and organise their life in order to be successful. It is a huge leap for them but no matter what they say family always comes first.
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While i was reading this book i could relate to some content of it. Parents will always compare which is the best and the worst and will simply condemned them rather than motivating them. There were some funny and sad moments which the author was trying to drive the message out in the world.
I just wished that the book could have been shorter and not too lengthy.
Some important topics: grief, family, relationships,breast cancer, self-confidence.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Laura and Jess are sisters. They are also polar opposites who have always been divided by their differences and the favour of their mother. Now orphans, Laura and Jess have an opportunity to repair things - or to let their insecurities continue to drive them apart.

Gill has created very sympathetic characters who feel very real, like the type of women you'd run into on your way to the shops. This books shows how tangled and complex female relationships can be, no matter if they're with siblings, parents, friends or the mother of a schoolyard bully. Grief is also dealt with every well here and I'd easily have given this five stars without the last couple of chapters.

The ending comes across as rushed and the fallout of a large revelation occurs "off-screen". We don't get to see it ourselves (or the various other "events" that we're told about rather rapidly), which is disappointing.

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining read but tender and emotional at the same time. This is Nicola’s second book, if you haven’t read the neighbours then you definitely should. This story is about two sisters called Laura and Jess who are relatable characters and are going through subjects that I think most people can relate to. I really felt for Laura as I felt as though people see her as a push over and she never has any time for herself. Jess I felt as though even though she is the bigger sister, she seemed very bossy and a little bit stuck up, like look at me. But she is hiding things that no one knows about, will she let her secrets come between her and Laura or will Laura be able to help her? Even though there are sad parts to this story there are also some hilarious bits that had me in stitches. Some of the things Laura says and does and also her son Billy.

[Susanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a deep dive into a sisterly relationship, told from the POV of the younger sister. Lots to unpack here, and much heartache through the early death of the sister's father, and a mother who is self-involved at best and a passive-agressive narcissist at worst. When the story starts, both sisters are struggling to come to terms with the recent death of their mother. The two of them have never really gotten along, and the narrator's voice reveals a lot of hurt and envy - some justified, some on an endless loop that she's trapped herself in. Although I could empathize with the narrator in parts, I did find her negative personality hard to take. I think I would have liked this book better if the POV of the older sister was given an airing. The ending was satisfying, albeit formulaic, and I was glad to be able to put the finished book aside - it was just a bit too long for what it was..

[JASMINE KOH · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading books and books on murder and crimes, I thought I’ll try something different.

It’s not fast paced. It’s a slow read, at least for me. As there’s no crimes to be solved, hence no excitement therefore there’s no urgency to flip the pages ferociously. It’s a heartwarming story about how two sisters became orphans and how they coped with their loss.

In the story, you get your usual siblings and families squabble and misunderstandings.

Who does more housework ? Who brings in the dough?

You hearing your kids uttering your own words coming back at you. There were some humorous moments and some sad. Basically, it’s a day-to-day kind of story. Though show, I kind of enjoyed this different genre.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters Laura and Jess are polar opposites, Laura flies by the seat of her pants and Jess is so organised and together it’s just frustrating. When their mum dies, they have no one but each other to rely on yet their relationship is not the best. Can they rebuild it whilst keeping their own families and personal relationships in check.
Oh this was just fantastic, I laughed and cried whilst reading it and sympathised with the grief and pain they felt. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Linnea · Rating 2 out of 5]

an overly-drawn-out and repetitive slice-of-life story without weight.

"we are family" perplexed me; for how long it was, not much happened. ostensibly the story is about an unhappy woman who, over the story, comes into her own and develops a better relationship with her sister. what i read was a story about a sad and self-deprecating woman who whinges about the same things over and over, presumes the same things about the same people, never speaks up for herself until the end of the book, and is otherwise boring to read about. i think this book would have been well-served by a stricter editor and more focus on the major events of the book instead of glossing over them to rush back to the main character's anxiety spirals.

something could be said about the realistic nature of the story; real life is slow and one's inner thoughts are repetitive, but that doesn't make for an engaging story.

thank you to netgalley and avon books uk for an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily Grubbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read about two sisters with very different personalities. I really enjoyed the narrator’s inner-banter and humor. This novel explores the complexities of family, grief, and personal growth. While at times very sad, it was also funny and tender. I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Actual rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars. We Are Family wasn’t the book for me…

Let’s start off with some of the positives:

- Really appreciate how grief was handled throughout. There isn’t just one way to handle death and I liked how that was explored.
- Loved the flashbacks and how it showed Laura’s relationship with her family and boyfriend.
- Enjoyed the humour and felt myself actually laughing out loud.
- Thought the last 30% (mostly) was great as it delved into the character development I was waiting for.

A couple of negatives (in my opinion) that I have to highlight:

- Honestly don’t think I particularly liked any of the characters, especially Laura or Jess who were the main characters.
- Would have loved to have chapters from Jess’ POV as well as Lauras. As it was very one-sided, it means I didn’t really have a chance to get to know more about Jess.
- Laura - she is probably the most hypocritical character I’ve read this year.
- The pacing of the book was off - 70% of the characters basically repeating the same behaviour. Found myself getting quite bored.
- As I said before, the last 30% was the best however it was so rushed. I would have loved if the events started unfolding at the 50% mark.

I’m sure there are other things I enjoyed/didn’t enjoy but these are the main ones I can think of just now. It wasn’t a difficult book to read, but I did think it was quite long for what it was - there wasn’t a massive amount of plot and the character growth didn’t happen until near the end.

[Ixxati · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know what? I wanted to DNF this book so bad because Laura is such a bitch and always bitter! I really really really hate her. I can't stand her attitude!! I know her mom favour Jess, her older sister more than her. But the way she treat her sister and defending her loser boyfriend, Jon goshhh I'm pissed off!! Whenever Jess tried to help her or said something she jump to conclusions and felt insecure.
There are a few twists and the ending was meh~

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

[Caroline Kerdouci · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests, We Are Family takes a humorous, lighthearted look at family dynamics, the true meaning of family and the complex relationships that form the basis of our lives. Laura is a journalist for struggling woman’s magazine Natter, living in Dulwich with partner Jon and four year old Billy. We meet her just as her mother Evie passes away, so that much of the narrative focuses on her grief for a mother she didn’t have a close,loving relationship with and her unresolved grief over the death of her beloved father, twenty five years ago. I know this doesn’t sound like a bundle of fun but honestly there’s so much compassion and warmth in the writing that hopefully,like I did, you will engage with this character easily and enjoy accompanying her through this phase in her life. It is Laura’s relationship with big sister Jess that will have you laughing out loud as well as the depictions of everyday family life, with little Billy illuminating these scenes and stealing the limelight.

The author quickly paints Laura as the disorganised, untidy, financially unstable little sister compared to Jess who is living the perfect life married to Ben with two extremely well behaved daughters. The fact Jess is the woman behind Instagram blog StyleMaven sets these two women poles apart, creating a dynamic that influences much of the following events. Portraying Jess as Evie’s favourite child further adds to this sibling rivalry that has never diminished, even though Laura is now thirty seven years old!! Definitely sounds familiar!

By creating such a down to earth ordinary lead character whom we can all relate to is what sells this book for me. I was with Laura every step of the way as she navigates her way through motherhood, her failing relationship with partner Jon and sibling rivalry. She is your typical everyday woman, juggling a less than fulfilling job, the demands of a four year old, a frankly lazy selfish partner, all the while assuming she is the only one struggling in her endeavours to keep life on track. Her inability to say no to the demands of her employer, her very one sided friendship with colleague Amy and Jon’s lack of responsibility and practical support makes her seem very real. Who doesn’t know someone like this? Laura’s heart is huge, brimming with love and kindness but I really wanted her to take a piece of her own advice, advice that she is adept at giving to readers of her agony aunt column in Natter.

Whilst Laura’s grief at the loss of her mum Evie and beloved dad dominate her everyday thoughts and affect her up and down relationship with sister Jess, there is nothing in her character that is offensive or unlikeable.I connected with her on a personal level in so many ways, recognising her sometimes spiky nature when it comes to interacting with her sister. Those deep rooted feelings of inadequacy and rivalry that stem from a lifetime of remaining in someone’s shadow felt all too familiar. I think in all families it’s very easy for individuals to assume certain roles so that these almost become self fulfilling. In Laura’s case she has adopted these feelings of inferiority, believing herself to be unworthy of Evie’s love and it’s a burden that is made heavier by the loss of her dad. As other areas of her life spiral out of her control this burden seems to further increase, spreading like a virus. However I don’t want to detract from the fact all these issues are explored with a type of humour that has you laughing out loud for the duration of this novel . I loved the way Laura often resorts to such childlike,immature behaviour in the presence of perfect Jess, that big sister dynamic so well observed I wondered if the author had insider knowledge of my own personal life! The social media scenes, the making of the funeral arrangements and Billy’s birthday party are all fine examples of the humour that is ever present,proving the author’s ability to take the mundane and turn it into a comic event.

As Laura and Jess deal with the aftermath of Evie’s death, spending more time in each other’s company I wondered whether Jess’s life isn’t quite as perfect as Laura believes. Perhaps now is the time to knock Jess down from her pedestal and dismiss this idolised vision of her sister that threatens to almost engulf Laura. I was silently encouraging her to be herself and stop with the comparisons, apply for that dreamed of job and maybe start asserting herself in all areas of her life. Could Laura’s harshest critic actually be herself? Can Jess and Laura build bridges and restore their relationship back to its childhood glory? Is their love and friendship bigger than all their misconceptions and rivalry? Or will life throw them yet another curveball?

I loved Billy’s voice as a four year old energetic, inquisitive boy which sounds authentic and he is such a lovable character. Proclaiming his grandma is dead at every given opportunity is highly amusing, unless of course you’re his harassed mother but he brings such exuberance and fun to the narrative making him a welcome addition. I drew parallels with Laura’s difficult relationship with Evie and my relationship with my own mother but also identified with the loving relationship she has with her father having very much been a daddy’s girl. Perhaps that is why this storyline resonates so much with me as in many ways I could be Laura!

I think I actually preferred We are Family to the author’s previous novel The Neighbours. The author doesn’t shy away from tackling important, sensitive subjects such as grief but her writing style means she broaches them with warmth and humour. She excels at portraying family dynamics in a way that we can all identify with, making this novel relevant, entertaining and an absolute delight to read, proving also that family isn’t confined to bloodlines alone. Forgiveness is the end goal in this storyline which Jess sums up so eloquently, maintaining that ‘broken can be beautiful’.....’we need to forgive ourselves and forgive others’...’embrace our cracks’. Wise words indeed.

We are Family may be a lighthearted read but this contemporary tale of family life, with all its ups and downs brought a smile to my face with every turn of the page. As the year has progressed this type of book holds far greater appeal for me as a reader than ever before, fast becoming my go to genre when I need a boost. Who doesn’t want to lose themselves in a world that ultimately promises to lift your spirits and allow you to make (imaginary)friends with the characters, if only for a short while? Just like The Neighbours, I highly recommend this novel as in the short time it took me to read I felt I was enveloped in a little bubble of happiness and hopefulness that I didn’t want to burst.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

[Ancillar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story of two sisters,s Laura who always felt insignificant compared to her perfect sister , Jess who have to deal with grief after their mother passes away. AS they heal they realize that they need each other because family is important. The plot and the characters because it was so relatable I particularly liked Laura as she was more relatable to me

[Nabiha Tahsin · Rating 4 out of 5]

*𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘*
**All opinions are of my own**
A solid 4 stars!
This was a phenomenal story of complicated family dynamics, grief and regrets. The best thing about this book is how much realism is inserted in it. I was a great fan of this point of the book.

"We are family" focuses on the story of two sisters Laura and Jess, who couldn't be any more different than each other. Jess, the eldest one has a perfect life, perfect career as a Social media influencer, perfect husband and perfect family. Everything in Jess's life is picture-perfect. Laura on the other hand, has a messed up lifestyle, her job as a column writer or precisely the Agony Aunt isn't all mesmerising, her partner Jon is a laid-back guy content with being a lazy couch potato, Laura is tired of pushing him for a stable job at least for the sake of their 5 year old son Billy, but Jon is adamant nonetheless. So, we can see Laura's home life is far from being picture-perfect. And her mother never stopped comparing Jess's perfect life with Laura's laid-back home life.
Jess and Laura lost their father as kids, being brought up by a mother who didn't shy away from doing partiality between them was never a good place to grow up. They always failed to be like other families, a happy mother daughter trio. This has strained Laura and Jess's relationship forever.
But now Laura and Jess are grown ups, in their late-thirties and their mom's dead.Finally the sisters start to get along with each other, and slowly rekindle their bond, Laura finally realises Jess isn't all perfect goody-two shoes, she had her bad days, made her fare share of bad choices and is as humane as everyone else.
We are presented with a messed up family dynamics with lots of confrontations filled with emotions, grudges, regrets and so much more. This book is written in Laura' s POV, we get a "Then" flashback chapters which helpes the readers to understand Laura's relationship with her family.
I really loved reading this one, how the sister warm up to each other finally after never having a close bonded friendship with each other. By the end of the book, Both Laura and Jess mend their relationship, they also discover some hidden shocking truths about their family. I felt so bad for Laura the entire time, I hated Evie for destroying Laura's childhood and turning her into an over-emotional mess.
This book is really emotional and talks about family relationship and how you can never really put your back to your estranged family.
When I started this book at first, to be honest, I thought it will be in my DNF list. But holymoly! How wrong I was! This book was amazing throughout. I loved reading about this two estranged sisters who are so different from one another. The older one Jess had a perfect life and was the favourite child of their mother, while as the latter one Laura grew up in negligence and in the shadow of her perfect older sibling. We see Laura falling the victim of inferiority complex and Jess being the bossy older sibling added fuel to their strained relationship. Even during their mother's funeral, both were quite hostile to each other.
This book presents how favourism in a family harms the children in the long run. I am very delighted, the author pointed this out. This book was surely one emotional ride and I couldn't ask for a better ending.
I am so glad the sisters got their well deserving endings. I have been reading a lot of sisterhood trope books a lot for a while but this particular book with its character development stole my heart.

[Khansa Jan Dijoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for approving my request for this ARC.

We Are Family by Nicola Gill is about the strained relationship of two sisters. It explores how Laura and Jess reconcile with each other after their mother's death. This book focuses on the issues and the importance of family, so I requested it without a second thought. I like stories that are family oriented and this book did not disappoint me; I like its realistic plot, good narration, although the story slightly dragged.

The story is long and mundane, but I really like it because it was realistic. It focuses on the present time when Laura and Jess interact after their mother's death. It also contains a good amount of flashbacks, which give an insight into the reason for Laura's feelings towards her sister and mother. Other aspects that the plot focuses on are parenting issues, marital issues, digitization of companies etc. I particularly like how the book focuses on the theme of family and how it is explored through the feminine side of the family such as through sisters and mothers. The narrator provides an insight into a person struggles as a sister and as a mother to keep her relationships afloat. These aspects of the plot make the story relatable to the reader and make it easy for the reader to empathise with the characters, especially with their struggles as a family.

The narration is from a third person limited point of view. It solely covers Laura's side of the story and I did not mind it at all because it helps the reader understand why she does certain things and what she feels about the people around her. The other characters are solely seen through Laura's perspective so you would expect them to have very limited character development, but Gill has nicely built those characters so there is enough space for them to grow in Laura's story. This narration particularly allows the reader to understand why Laura is so distant from both her mother and her sister. Therefore, this point of view allowed for an efficient character development of Laura, which is important for the plot in order to understand why she is estranged from her mother and sister and what she has to get over in order to reconcile with Jess.

No matter how much the plot and its narration appealed to me, it still dragged. The mundanity and realistic nature of both elements appeased me a lot, but there were times it was just too much and I thought that that those parts deviated from the main action. This story could have been completed in less than four hundred pages because some things were unnecessary such as Jess' troller. If you're going to add a threatening troller, at least make it more dramatic; this problem quickly goes as it comes, so I feel that it was not needed. The slow development of the plot made this book a slow read for me, so this time, I do not blame myself for slow reading.

We Are Family by Nicola Gill is a heart warming book about how two sisters bond after years of being aloof. It has a sweet plot and a nice narration, which makes the story touch your heart so easily. Although, the plot drags a bit and it did not need to be overly mundane, it still is a good story. I recommend this story to brighten up anyone's dull quarantine days.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many times have we heard the saying, “you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family?” I think everyone can relate to that idea, at least at one time or another in their lives. Nicola Gill’s new release takes this concept to the extreme. Two sisters, fiercely competitive in every way, are forced to examine their relationship after the loss of their mother (who blatantly favored one daughter over the other). We Are Family is a realistic, poignant and darkly humourous examination of (dysfunctional) family dynamics.

From the publisher – Laura has a laid back attitude to life. Her home isn’t spotless, and after a hard day she likes to take to bed with a block of cheese.

Jess, on the other hand, is your classic overachiever: The Big Sister, Chief of Chivying, Queen of the family WhatsApp. Her life is picture-perfect.

Laura and Jess lost their dad when they were kids, and now their mum is gone too. And one of the hardest times in life is made harder by the fact they can’t agree on a single thing, from where to scatter the ashes to whether “passed away” is even an acceptable term.

But when Laura starts pushing her own boundaries and Jess agrees to let other people in to her (not so) perfect life, the two women realize they need each other more than ever. They might not be ready to admit it, but family is everything…

I did enjoy We Are Family overall. Nicola Gill does a wonderful job of creating characters that you can really relate to. They are human; flawed, emotional and ultimately in search of happiness and respect. They go through ups and downs and face real life conflict throughout the novel. As a result, you become emotionally connected to Laura, her sister Jess and their respective friends and families.

This novel is definitely character driven and a slow build in terms of plot development. Laura narrates the story and provides immense detail into her relationships with Jess, her partner, Jon and her mother, Evie (both through present day events and flashbacks to childhood). I do think Laura is an interesting character and has great potential. However, she definitely has issues and jumps to conclusions very quickly (which becomes redundant after a while). She takes fault with everything Jess says and does. This, coupled with her innate desire to please her mother and constant competition with her older sister, impede her ability to be successful in her relationships and career path. There were several times I just wanted to tell her to snap out of it!

I do wish we had gotten the story from Jess’ perspective as well, since the novel is framed as an examination of two sisters and their lives (a sequel perhaps?). She was interesting in her own right and deserved more detail and perspective.

To wrap up, this was an enjoyable read overall. If you are looking for a well developed, character focused narrative, then this is definitely the book for you.

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of two very different sisters trying to manage their own pasts and their current relationship after their mother’s death. Particularly tragic as the girls lost their father when they were pre-teens, and their mother’s pushing forward and not allowing them time to grieve continued and exacerbated some of the inequities in the girls’ upbringings. Growing up, Laura has never felt “enough’ and her mother reinforced that feeling by always comparing her to ‘the good sister’ Jess. Sadly, all these years later both Laura and Jess are busily fitting into the expectations (and the associated damage to self-worth) that they brought. While Laura is more ‘easy going’ and tends never to put herself or her dreams first in any relationship, her sister Jess is an influencer and fashion blogger: everything in her life (and what she shares with Laura) is just perfect.

Now with the death of their mother, the two have decisions to make, and, of course, come at them from totally different ends of the spectrum. Adding to the mess is Laura’s inability to, or even willingness to dream that she deserves more, and allowing things in her life to compile and build so no real ‘exit’ is available. When you mix in a partner who is selfish and critical, unhelpful at best and yet another person to add to Laura’s troubles at worst. We are at a bit of a disadvantage here because Laura is the sole narrator and often is assuming blame and overthinking situations beyond the pale. Easy to see her as a victim, and many times I just wanted to SHAKE her –but there is hope. Her sister’s life isn’t quite so perfect (no one’s is) and the confidence that Jess has in going for what she wants, and reframing her life in ways that perhaps account for her sister’s needs, long left unfulfilled by a verbally abusive mother and lingering grief do bring some ‘solutions’ and potential for their relationship to come.

A bit too long, and some of the drama was overblown to be solved and sorted in a paragraph, never to rear its head again, the story is certainly character-driven with plenty of moments and situations that most of us can relate to and understand. Gill has a way of framing issues and delicately unpacking them, leaving us seeing options long before the characters but so that everyone, eventually, gets a sense of new hope.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

It might sound odd to praise the humour in a book that begins with a death, but that's just how it is. In We Are Family, Nicola Gill has expertly pinpointed some of the emotional rollercoastering that goes on when someone close to you dies; the mad things you suddenly find funny, the moments of poignancy, the daft things that people say to try and give comfort, and the small, unexpected things that reinforce the sense of loss (such as the scent of perfume, or even a brand of teabags).

In addition to being exceptionally funny, We Are Family is acutely well-observed in the detail of how in today's world, we are expected to grieve, cope and get on with everyday life all at the same time -- and how we often feel that we are being judged for doing this.

Over the course of this story, the main character (Laura) finds life in death: as one door closes, another opens. As she reacts with shock and then experiences the complexities of grief, she struggles but also finds moments of solace in her relationships with all the people who are still around her; her son, her partner, her best friend.

And of course her sister, the central relationship here. Laura and Jess are on the surface very different, but also more alike than they realise; they're both creative people, and both products of a challenging and critical upbringing. Both Laura and Jess make questionable decisions over the course of the story, and do and say selfish (and sometimes spiteful) things. But the story is generous and allows for compassion and redemption, for both characters. I found the plot especially satisfying as it began to draw together Laura's experiences and Jess's, and deftly demonstrated that in her own way, Jess was as much a product of a dysfunctional home environment as Laura.

There are some brilliant set-pieces in this novel: the children's party, the floral tribute at the funeral. The character of Evie, Laura and Jess's mother, is a strong presence throughout and her personality -- and her failings -- cast a long shadow over the whole story.

Joan Rivers said something about humour and grief once: that the two go hand-in-hand more than people realise and that humour is a very human way of coping with life's most difficult challenges. Often we tiptoe around the idea of death, and of people who are grieving. In We Are Family, Nicola Gill has tackled this head-on, and found the humour in it as well as the hurt. It's absolutely brilliant, and full of beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) insights on life, death and family. Highly recommended.