The Only Way Is Up

by Carole Matthews

What do you do when there's nothing left to lose?

Lily and Laurence Lamont-Jones had it all: lavish holidays in exotic locations, a top private school for their two children and a beautiful home in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Then Laurence loses his job, and their house and all their belongings are repossessed. With nowhere else to go, the family move into a flea-ridden council house on a notoriously rough estate and start to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. But will Lily's dream of returning to a world of luxury ever come true - or have her priorities changed? For with the help of new friends, a little luck and a lot of determination she's about to learn what really matters.

Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, British Literature, Romantic Comedy, Womens Fiction

471 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Carole Matthews is an international bestselling author of hugely successful romantic comedy novels. Her unique sense of humour has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim all over the world.

A Minor Indiscretion and A Compromising Position both reached the Top 5 in the Sunday Times bestseller chart in the UK. You Drive Me Crazy reached number 8 in the original fiction charts. The novel Welcome To The Real World was shortlisted for RNA romantic novel of the year 2007.

In 2006 Carole co-edited - with writer Sarah Mlynowski - two new editions of the hugely popular Girls' Night In charity series called Girls' Night Out - one for the USA and one for Canada. All proceeds go to War Child.

Carole has presented on television and is a regular radio guest. When she’s not writing novels, television or film scripts she manages to find time to trek in the Himalayas, rollerblade in Central Park, take tea in China and snooze in her garden shed in Milton Keynes which is near London, England.

Reviews

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow another amazing book by this author. I loved every minute of it, was gripped from start to finish. Really felt like I was there in the story myself.

Can't wait to read more of her books.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok but I wouldn't rave about it. It was very predictable. Yes, I know it's chicklit but still.
Not very believable in parts. I mean, they come back from holiday and are locked out of their house, no possessions allowed!
What not even basics?
Ah, but she's got 20,000 grand worth of jewellery in her suitcase.
I was further thrown by the fact the story starts being narrated by the main character. Chapter 4 or something you're in for a change, it reverts to 3rd person. It happens a few more times along the way. Found that odd. To me, it was like the author didn't know how to explain things that happened when she's not at the heart of the action. It also means there are a lot of repetitions. Furthermore it sounded like the author has a bit of a class issue. All the rich people turn out to be nasty, the ones who have nothing have a heart of gold.
It's an easy read but I just kept on wanting to skip ahead.
I might try another of Ms Matthews' books to see how they compare.
If you could give half stars, I'd say 2,5

[Penny Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light-hearted read. Riches to rags story with lots of cliches about how you should be happy as you are and not keep striving to be happier 'if only'.

[Claire Weglowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lived it, loved it

[Sophia The Book Fairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing, witty and heartbreaking story by Carole Matthews continues to capture my heart.

So happy I finally reread this after 2 years, I definitely did appreciate it more and understood the discussion of topics like suicide,unemployment, privilege and social standards. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Carole Matthews latest offering. Have to admit I didn't like the 2 main characters at the start of the book - but came to love them - and couldn't put the book down - which I was surprised about as some of the reviews I had read weren't great.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that seems to have polarised opinion amongst reviewers, but I enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down. I could understand Lily's feelings and how easily she fell for the attentions of Seymour. But she recognized her mistake and had the strength to break off the relationship. The secondary characters were strongly drawn - Tracey, Skull, Les, Christopher, and yes perhaps there was some class stereotyping with Lily's new neighbours having hearts of gold and her former so called friends snobby and snooty. The fact that Amanda and Anthony suffered the same fate with loss of job and income was one aspect of the plot at the end which did not quite ring true. An intelligence chick lit and a very good read!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when there's nothing left to loose?

Get on with life is the answer.

This book is lighthearted, I found I really connected with the characters. A story how life and your views can change over night and how money doesn't buy you happiness!

[Mummalovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I’ve read, funny, heartwarming, fantastic characters lots of great observations on ordinary everyday life and people and as always with books by Carole Matthews a great read that you simply don’t want to end. Couldn’t recommend it enough.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and mostly enjoyable read however I did have to suspend belief at certain parts of the book and for me that was irritating.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily and Laurence Lamont-Jones are used to having it all: flash holidays in exotic locations, the perfect family home in Buckinghamshire and two children who attend the best school in the UK. However, after they return home from a holiday, they find out that not only has Laurence lost his job, but the Lamont-Joneses have lost everything after it’s all repossessed by the bank. The entire family ends up in Netherslade Bridge, one of the roughest estates in Milton Keynes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. As Lily tries to make do with her lot, she can’t help wondering if it might be possible to get back her plush life, but the Lamont-Joneses soon learn that money doesn’t buy happiness, and their fall from grace could teach them about what really matters in life.

I’m a huge fan of Carole Matthews and whenever a new book of hers comes out I’m the first to get excited about it. I’ve read the majority of her previous novels, enjoying some more than others and I’ve found that her books are getting better and better and she racks them up. Since Carole now brings out two books a year, it’s a great thing for her fans and I love knowing I’ll read two Carole books per year so I was really thrilled to receive her latest book The Only Way Is Up and I couldn’t wait to start it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t such a huge fan of the book.

When Carole Matthews decides on a plot for her books, she attacks the theme with gusto. It’s Now Or Never dealt with what it meant to turn 40, That Loving Feeling was about a couple trying to re-ignite their spark after being married many years and The Only Way Is Up is no different. Carole embraces the Lamont-Joneses fall from grace with the same gusto as her previous novels and, at times, it’s just a bit nonsensical; everything that happened was like one extreme to the next. First we have the Lamont-Joneses happily spending £20,000 on a two-week holiday (I am not kidding) and 10 pages later they’re slumming it in Netherslade Bridge in a council house. There was no middle ground for the family and they went from being insanely rich (or so they thought) to being dirt poor and it was a just a bit unbelievable and I don’t think that could realistically happen in real life (yes, I know the book is fiction but there’s usually a whisper of real life to books).

Don’t get me wrong, despite the unbelievability of the situation the Lamont-Joneses found themselves in, there was a lot good about the book. I absolutely loved the resolve Laurence showed to try and get his family back to some semblance of normality. Yes, it was his fault it had all caved in on them but he knew that and wanted to make it right and I admired that in him. I also found all of the myriad of characters at Netherslade Bridge really brought the book to life. Despite not knowing the Lamont-Joneses from Adam, everyone was eager to help them out and welcome them to the estate. It showed that despite what rich snobs like the Lamont-Joneses thought, people who live in council houses aren’t chavs and are actually decent people. I liked how being in the council house showed Lily and Laurence how normal people, without City jobs, cope with life.

My main problem with the book was Lily. I just didn’t really like her. She has a few good moments, and I liked her friendship with Tracey her next door neighbour, but she spent the majority of the novel wanting her big posh house back and it grated on me after a while. She wasn’t dying and she still had her family together, all that had happened was that they were a lot poorer yet it was as if it was the end of the world. She then does something totally appalling, of which I’ll discuss more later and that put me off her for good. Despite it being Laurence’s fault that the Lamont-Joneses were stuck in a council house, I actually liked him. He was in the wrong about a lot of things but as I said, he knew that, and tried his best to put it right. But my favourite characters were those who lived in Netherslade Bridge including Tracey the next door neighbour who bubbled with life along with Skull who despite his name was a very friendly man, and Len Eleven Dogs who, as you can probably tell, owns eleven dogs. They were a diverse bunch and they made the book for me.

The book is written in both first- and third-person, as is the way with Carole’s novels. Lily narrates in first-person whereas the third-person narrative is told from husband Laurence’s point of view. I liked the alternating points of view and found the book easy to motor through. My only annoyance with the writing was Lily’s constant need to be reassured that it would all be OK. I assume it was meant to be a reassurance, that she was needing that ‘yes’ answer but I found it annoying to see her repeat herself constantly. There was a minor plot twist as the book came into its final quarter, featuring Lily and her boss at the jewellers and I found it completely unnecessary which was the final nail in the coffin of me ever liking Lily. There was no rhyme or reason for what she did, except her own greediness, and no matter how many times she tries to justify it, it didn’t sit with me at all and is why I’m only rating the book 3/5. It was a solid 4 stars until that ridiculous plot device and the book could have done well to have had it removed. Overall The Only Way Is Up is another solid Matthews novel, and her fans will devour it, but there were a few things I didn’t really agree with. It’s worth reading just to meet the council estate characters though, they’re legendary!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

A fun, diverting read but there were a couple things i had issues with. Not enough that I would stop reading or anything though. I like this author, she usually gives me books that make me want to keep reading and not stop (this fit the bill), have lots of humor, and are very British. All things I like!

[Jennifer Welstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you fancy a laugh please read this book, it's really funny.

[Maria Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy light read. Perfect for a bit of distraction from all that is going on in the world just now.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurence and Lily Lamont-Jones are wealthy, middle class people. They live in the countryside in their huge house whilst, their two adorable children go to a fee-paying boarder school.

They want for nothing and don’t mind splashing out £20,000 on a family holiday.

It is after one such holiday that they return home to find their house has been re-possessed by the bank, they are bankrupt and that Laurence has lost his job.

Now all they have is the clothes they are wearing and what is in their suitcases. They are homeless, penniless, and with nowhere else to turn they have to look to their local authority to rehouse them.

The only house that their local council have is on the rough estate of Netherslade Bridge. The house they have been given is a run down, flea-ridden shack, but with no home to go to they accept what they have been offered.

The family is distraught and don’t know how they will live. At first they are sure it has been a mistake and that everything will come good soon, whilst they wait they try to make the most of a bad situation.

They soon learn who their real friends are, and how tough they are, with no-one but each other to rely on.

Will they be able to claim their old life back or is this their destiny from now on?



This is another of Carole Matthews’ fantastic books, as with all of her other novels, this one is an easy to read chick lit.

You are entered into the life of Laurence and Lily and are with them every step of the way, whilst they struggle with everyday life, a life that most people take for granted, as now they have no-one else to do everything for them.

In the beginning I got the sense of this quite snobby, perfect couple, with their two perfect children and I wasn't that keen on the characters. Its only once they lose everything that the characters really come to life.

Laurence is hit the worst by the situation. With no job, car and money and now having to sign on for benefits, he feels like a failure and becomes depressed. But it was the way that Lily handled the situation that I loved, from her finding the cheapest cuts of meat and learning to make a meal, to holding her family together. She is one tough lady and even with her posh accent, the locals seem taken with her.

The children learned to adapt very quickly and found the situation an adventure, including starting at a new school and making new friends.

The plot as I've read on some other reviews is quite far fetched, but people need to remember that this is a fictional book, with fictional characters and a fictional storyline, and if it was told as a true representation the story wouldn't be half as fun nor be interesting to read.

The book really hit home with me, as at 18 years old I left me parents home to find my own way in the world. The first home that I had was nothing like I was used to. It had no heating, there was a hole in the back door that let the freezing air in and the garden was a jungle. Part of me could empathise with the family and I could understand their emotions in given situations.

The family turn out to be fighters, and become more rounded people. They learn that just because someone lives on a council estate and doesn't have much money, doesn't make them a bad person, and that sometimes you need a glitch in your life to come back down to earth and see how the ‘other side’ live.

The book isn't a thrill ride, nor action packed. It is a sweet, loving book that shows you what true hardship can do to a family, and that it’s how you cope with the situations thrown at you, and pulling together as a family that matters.

[Rea Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few of Carole Matthews books before and have had mixed reviews about them. The Only Way Is Up is Carole Matthews new 2010 book release and was the only book shouting out to me from the shelves in WHSmiths this week!

At the start of this book we meet the Lamont-Jones family, who are on a very expensive holiday with their children and friends. Life couldn't be much more perfect a lovely holiday, beautiful house, cars, horses, money is just not an issue to this family, or so it seemed!
When the Lamont-Jones family arrive back home it soon becomes clear that their lives are not perfect at all. Laurence Lamont-Jones has lost his job and has stuck his head in the sand hoping something would come up but it never did. The problem is he never told his wife Lily of the trouble they were in so this all came as a shock to her. They went from the family living the high life to the family with nothing but the clothes they were standing in, in only 4 chapters!
This book follows the Lamont Jones family trying to start from scratch, which means the children now go to the local school, both Lily and Laurence have to get out and find themselves work, and also trying to make the best of their new council hope with the help of their great neighbour Tracey.
Question is after losing everything and after the lies can Lily ever forgive her husband for all that has happened.

This is one of my favourite Carole Mathews books along with the Chocolate Lovers club. The story has you gripped the whole way through the book. I sometimes find that with some books that I read you always seem to find there is a part of the book that dips and becomes uninteresting but I can honestly say that this is not the case with this book.

I found that I connected really well with each of the characters. We were given enough information about the characters which made me feel like I actually knew them. The charcter Tracey who is the next door neighbour was my favourite character in this book as I think most people have got a Tracey near where they live! She brought an element of humour to the book which gave the story a nice touch.

I found the small snippet at the beginning of the book showing you an insight into the Laurent-Jones old lives was a great touch giving just the amount of information we needed to appreciate what a hit they had taken by losing everything.

I would highly recommend this book. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn't put it down as it was addictive to see how they are going to improve their lives in each chapter. I feel there was a hidden meaning to the book to try and tell us that there is more to life than money and that you get out of life as much as you put in.

This book is a must for your book list.

[Agi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Matthews. As always, this was a heart - warming book, full of laugh and charm, and have me hooked from the very first page. Totally down - to - earth, about real people and real life situations, I have just nodded knowingly and in agreement reading about those families problems and lives. all of the characters were just brilliant, I loved them all so much. Perhaps I don't agree with all of the decisions that Lily takes and I don't understand WHY but anyway, she is just so real, strong woman that you must like her. My heart went to her children when they must change school but they did brilliant and I was so, so happy. All the neighbours are just hillarious and I liked them a lot.
A very nice read, not a fairy - tale, and I don't know if with a happy ending - not for all, I'm sure, but I liked it.

[Margi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good and thought provoking book that kept me engaged from the beginning to the end.
I started the book and must admit to not liking it to start with as everybody was just so damn pretentious. But, one couples' lives came crashing down around them and after returning from a very expensive holiday to a house that was no longer theirs and a husband who no longer had his big time job things changed drastically. No more private boarding school, flash cars, wining and dining etc but a new life and home in a public housing estate. The characters and events were believable, with a few exceptions, and our family of 4 more grounded. They survived, became very resourceful and were surrounded by some very kind hearted and generous neighbours which reminds me never to judge a book by it's cover.

[Georgina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up tonight and got into it by the end of page 2. Don't let any reviews put you off. Carole Matthews won't disappoint! Read it in two sittings.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read. I liked the characters very much and it was good to get into their minds and see their different situations.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved every minute of this book

[Natalie Daydream Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming and great fun. A romcom about real people and real life challenges. A great and colourful cast discovering what really matters in life.

[Vlady Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book. Without being too philosophical it talks about the idea of happiness Which reminds me of another book I read where one couple equated happiness with having the means of making other people envious of their life-style.

And, in fact, The Only Way Is Up, shows that many people view happiness in just that way – keeping up with what other people have, and even better, attaining things that other people can’t have.

Talk about living your own life, or being an authentic you. Quite the contrary, in this book it’s all about keeping up appearances.

So what is happiness? There is the usual answer which is no answer at all – happiness is different things to different people. Then there’s the one – if only I had all the money I need. And again, the answer– money can’t buy happiness.

It is interesting to think that once upon a time those who could kept slaves to do all the work needed to be done. Then there were the sweatshops where people still worked like slaves except they were called factory workers and were paid just enough to live from day to day.

Then those who needed workers decided that willing workers were better than unwilling ones and made work seem like a blessing and a privilege by giving workers special labels and offering awards like employee of the week, month, year.

So while Zola, in his book ‘Germinal’ talks about miners who worked around the clock for a pittance just to keep alive, in this book there are people who are also literally dedicating their lives to work – and willingly so. Of course, unlike Zola’s miners, they get paid well. But at what personal cost.

Couple of things that irked me was something that has often irked me in other books – the fact that when it comes to business and finance, the authors don’t seem to do their research. Like in one book, where an inexperienced woman decides to open an antique shop and five minutes later she’s rich and famous as antique dealer.

In this book one of the main characters – someone whose career is finance – finds himself in financial difficulties. It is so unrealistic that it puts your teeth on edge. Then right at the end is another revelation which makes the situation sound even more ludicrous.

You realise, as a reader, that the book would not have nearly as great an impact if it had been too realistic. So to enjoy the message the book has, you need to suspend some judgement.

And what is the moral of the story? There’s oodles of them. But some significant ones include the question - should people live in order to work, or work in order to live. And even, are people working as hard as they do because they need to, or because they’re constantly looking over their shoulder to see what other people are doing. Could they, in fact, be truly happy by working to satisfy their needs, instead of matching what other people find necessary for their happiness.

[Adelyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

I had chosen this one to read next as I was in the mood for an author I am familiar with and know I like, and fell into the usual Carole Matthews rhythm very quickly. All of her books choose a theme to focus on, in this case the riches-to-rags tale of the Lamont-Jones family, and like with all of her other books she’s very quick to get into that plotline. The opening scene of the families holidaying in pure luxury seems quite ridiculous by a few chapters in, when it is revealed that Laurence knew the extent of his troubles even before agreeing to the trip, but I’m happy enough to go with the flow as part of the story’s premise this early on .

Then we go into the actual moving to Netherslade Bridge part of the book, which I did find quite well-written although I thought the children were portrayed as being far too perfect in this part of the book. Apart from a bit of moaning when they weren’t allowed back into their own house, Hugo and Hettie pretty much were written as simply taking everything on the chin and getting on with it, not really realistic for a 8- and a 10-year-old, even in chick-lit world. I might have bought into this a bit more had their mom been a better example, but my goodness Lily drove me nuts with her complaining . I did like the neighbours though, my favourites being Tracey and Skull, and I did like the character that Laurence became especially after he started working at Cherry’s.

But unfortunately, a chick-lit is really only as strong as its main character and Lily Lamont-Jones just let this one down for me. And that was before the stupidity with Seymour set in, after which I really didn’t know what to say anymore . The fact that she was still thinking of her former life of luxury after so long shows zero character growth, and that was too weak a point in the book as a whole for me to overlook. To make things worse, there were parts where she thinks about her current/former life and the writing started getting naggy (“rich people aren’t the happiest / best / etc.”) - I agree with the sentiment but the tone was really annoying – that didn’t sit well with me.

This might be the lowest score I’ve ever given a Carole Matthews book, I do tend to really enjoy them (and this was no different in parts of it, especially the chapters that focused on Laurence), but as a whole package it wasn’t really to be.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

* Spoilers* I'm not a massive reader but just finished this book. Initially I really enjoyed the book until half way through when the main character undertook a silly "fling". The warnings were there she had been offered two jobs but choose to take the one where temptation lay bare and she knew she'd fall for him. Lily even justified it to herself as her husband Laurence had got them into this mess. To make matters worse this was at a stage where things were on the brink of turning round for the couple and it just seemed that this "romance" was shoe horned in just to provide some fantasy to the readership.

After this unwanted addition to the book I started reflecting on the rest of the book and it made me realise that it was just a bit too far fetched. It had some really good points with what's important in life and some of the observations were bang on and highly amusing. "The world's biggest telly"

Even towards the end when things were really starting to look up. Laurence had his highly enjoyable job at Cherrys with the promise of a few grand pay rise and potentially being brought into the business and them both settling down and enjoying their estate lives. The author still had to revisit the Seymour / Lily relationship and that she still loved him but knew her family needed her and that she could not be with him. It just wasn't needed and really let the book down.

[weemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library book, read for a book club 📚

4.5 ⭐ rounded up

I loved this book so much more than I was expecting to (it wouldn't be my normal choice; I only picked it up because of the book club) and found it really difficult to put down!

The story follows a ridiculously rich couple who lose all their money and, while it's predictable, it is thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly well fleshed out (for a light read).

I liked all the characters (minus Seymour) and appreciated the complexities of their character, especially when they were going through a rollercoaster. I thought they were relatable (as much as the super rich can be!) and realistic.

What brought it down half a star for me was the cheating part of the storyline. I thought that was completely unnecessary and was a part I really didn't like. If she had got the job in the sandwich shop, it would have been essentially the same story and - in my books - a better one.

Despite that though, I still had to round it up to 5 ⭐ because I loved reading it and didn't want to put it down!!

[Sarah Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is now 12 years old I hadn't come across it before. However it is as relevant today as it would have been back then. if you only read a handful of books this year please make this one of them, it is superb.
I loved it from the outset when our male protagonist loses his very high paid city finance job and a extremely wealthy family are left with nothing. it's about their fight back and their own discoveries about each other and their family values.
Some great lines that will make you laugh out loud for example when the father tells the children to go and watch the TV. When the kids say they don't have a TV he tells them to watch the walls!
The book is not at all doom and gloom and is so full of peoples determination to make the best of what they have, even if it is very little. I loved the kids wanting initially to keep the fleas they get as pets and then later on in the book when they get nits.
What a fabulous book.

[Read With Tarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do when there’s nothing left to lose?

Lily and Laurence Lamont-Jones had a picture perfect life. He was a successful husband, their kids went to boarding school, they went on luxurious holidays in exotic locations and they had a beautiful house in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Until one day it was all taken away from them. Laurence lost his job and everything they own was repossessed. They ended up moving into a council house in a rough estate and they were to learn what really matters…


I liked this book. Tracy was, to me, the best character in it. I liked her friendship with Lily. And maybe Matthews could have scraped the whole affair thing. I didn’t particularly like that. Maybe it could have been better if Lily’s boss, Seymour, became infatuated with her instead. And we’d see how she would deal with that. But other than that it was a good read.

[Allison Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another of Carole’s books I absolutely loved and couldn’t put down. It had me gripped from the start to finish. The story could of actually have been written in today’s times. Where you are just one pay cheque away from losing your home and heading on a downward spiral. One minute you have it all and the next minute you have nothing. I’ve actually come across both sets of people, wealthy who are as tight as a pair of jeans too small and people who have nothing but would share anything with you, even their last rolo. And I still say people who have nothing are the nicest. It’s a believable and entertaining story. And has some hilarious parts to it. And you definitely shouldn’t judge a book by its cover 😊. Highly recommend this book. Carole is one of my favourite authors, she’s amazing

[Sofia Lazzaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a riches to rags story. I read one review that said - and I'm paraphrasing here - that it was unrealistic that the family wasn't allowed to have anything except the clothes on their back and in their luggage, and the golf clubs (the story begins with Lily, Laurence, and the kids returning from visiting Italy). I agree with this reader. It might be an exaggerated situation of what can happen when people live beyond their means, just to keep up with the Joneses. But who knows? Maybe these situations really do happen.
Regardless, I did enjoy this book. The family learns a harsh lesson about what's really important in life, and as a reader, it's a manual about what not to do with your money. :)