Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is a beautiful story of friendship, family and hope set in the 1970's, I absolutely loved it and highly recommend.

Classic "women's fiction". Heads up, though, that this tale of three generations stars equally Booker and Regan, the children of Nell and Lady respectively. Missed cues and crushing shame are at the root of this tale of two women- sisters- who are estranged but come together when their mother Willa is dying. There were a few false notes to me, most notably Willa's reaction to a friend of Nell's and I wonder if that was meant to be how Nell perceived it more than what she thought was at fault. I also could have lived without the - for want of another word- woo woo chapter. AND I wanted the recipe for the cheese biscuits. All that said, I read this quickly and with great enjoyment. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Received a copy of this book by netgalley,really enjoyed the storyline,friendship that can develop,and the destruction of them a real warm read to this book.A definite summer and winter read.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Lake Union Publishing Pub Date 18 Sep 2018

Such a powerful story. Family can come in all shapes and sizes....and will always always be there, even when you don't want them to be. The subject of race in the deep South handled so well, written at a time when whites and blacks stayed to themselves...unless you were brave enough to let love do the thinking..
I loved this story. Very well written, kept my interest from the beginning..touched my heart, made me sniffle a time or two. The plot was engaging and the characters so so charming and believable, I would just love to sit and visit with them! Ashley Farley in one of my favorites and she, once again, didn't disappoint! A must read!
Any book that plays with my emotions gets a 5 star rating!

I enjoyed this book. I liked the storyline and the characters. Nell and Adelaide ( Lady) were both women I would have loved being friends with. They have known each other since they were small girls.. On Lady’s sixteenth birthday, something happened to Nell. Nell can’t share it with her best friend but holds her responsible. Lady gets frustrated with Nell because she is acting so weird and they end up not talking to each other for many years. The telling of this story is at times sweet and frustrating but it is well written and I will definitely recommend this book to family and friends. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Such a powerful book with a heartfelt and touching storyline. Family secrets in the deep south are woven with prejudice. Nell and Lady has their differences but through the story they rediscover the old bond that they had growing up. I liked that the reader could see the different thought processes of each character with the multiple characters speaking in the book. Farley's descriptive writing style helps a reader to feel like you are there in the moment and smell the smells and taste the food. Beautiful book.

Nell and Lady is a beautifully written story of friendship, loss, family and hope. The story is set in Charleston in the 70's, 80's and present day. Mavis is a young black woman who finds a job as a live in maid to the Bellemore family. She finds herself pregnant and Willa Bellemore agrees to let Mavis keep her job and raise her daughter, Nell, alongside Willa's daughter, Lady. Nell and Lady grow up together and are best friends. When Mavis unexpectantly dies, Willa adopts Nell as her own. After a traumatic incident pulls Nell and Lady apart in their teen years, they have virtually no contact until present day when Willa is sick with cancer. I loved this story! I loved reading from the viewpoints of the different main characters. A++

This is a wonderful story of friendship and it’s trials and tribulations, family and it’s ups and downs! So well written I had a hard time putting it down. All of Ms. Farley’s books are wonderful but this one is phenomenal, don’t pass it up!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I did the ugly cry. Several times! This is such a moving and thought provoking story. This story also presents a conversation we should all be having on how we treat one another. Nell and Lady were brought together by circumstance, but they are family through and through. A must read!

A warm and inviting look into the lives of two young girls brought together through circumstances, that they had no control over yet growing up they went separate ways.
Life always has a way of bring up the past and in this heart warming story we see how Nell and lady cope with just that .
My first time reading this author and I can highly recommend I will be reading her other books iam delighted to have had an early copy from net galley in exchange for a honest review

I got an ARC - thank you so much as I really enjoyed this book. I started it on a rainy morning and read throughout the day. A great cozy read. Would definitely recommend if you are looking to curl up and get lost in a nice story.

This story pulled me right in. Held my attention and little twists kept me guessing. Family is who you give a little leniency on behavior, but for some reason we think family should be able to read us like a book. We want our privacy and space but don't understand when those closest to us don't help or figure out when and why we are struggling. Communication is key, forgiveness is given, love was always there.

Nell and Lady is a standalone novel. I have enjoyed the author's previous books and was looking forward to reading this one. And it was worth reading! It tugs at your emotional heart strings like her previous works. This book explores what can happen with one incident that changes multiple lives in unimaginable ways. If you like good stories about family, friendship, and forgiveness then this is the book for you.

This book was definitely one of my favorite reads of this year! The emotionally realistic view into the lives of two very different family's lives was so interesting to me in a way that captured me from the beginning. Even though this book dealt with a rough topic of how the "old days" were, it was so engaging and wonderful. Absolutely amazing!

This was an interesting story pertaining to the racial divide in the South between whites and blacks. It demonstrated the difference between the privileged and under-privileged in a small community in a 1970s backstory. The friendship that grew from Nell and Lady's circumstances was a lovely one until a tragic incident occurred to Nell on Lady's 16th birthday which created a huge rift between the two friends that spanned decades. This is a story on love, loss, redemption and forgiveness. While I did enjoy the concept of the book, it was not the page turner that I thought it would be. The writing style did not flow smoothly for me, yet, I did appreciate the idea behind the plot.

This book offers a glimpse into the life of a wealthy family, 3 generations in Charleston S. Carolina. There is friendship, and forgiveness with some racial problems woven in. I enjoyed this book very much and feel privileged to get to read it before publication. I have preordered for a few friends that I think will love it as much as I did.

This book was a refreshing change as it has a different slant to those usually written about ethnic division. A good mix of likeable and annoying characters. I especially liked Regan and Booker who were such realistic young people living with the pressures of many trying to get into university in our present age. They seemed such kind young people despite their rather fractious upbringings and I really wanted them to be happy and succeed. . Highly recommended.

What a wonderful book about racial divide and not following the norm someone else established!
Well written and it sucks you in and won't let go. Celebration of friendship and love in the face of racism.

I thought this was a very well-written book. In a time where there was a racial divide, Willa Bellemore followed her heart and not what society dictated. She became best friends with her maid, Mavis (aka "May May") and adopted her daughter, Nell, when Mavis passed away unexpectedly, raising Nell and her own daughter, Lady, as sisters. The events that unfolded on the night of Lady's 16th birthday forever alter the lives of the 3 women and as the story progresses we find out more about what happened that caused Nell to shut Willa and Lady out of her life. As I read I kept hoping these women would find a way to heal and be a family again.

Nell’s mom Mavis, was housekeeper to Willa and Lady, but also Willa’s best friend so Lady and Nell grew up as sisters. When Mavis died Willa adopted Nell and the years pass by. But at Lady’s 16th birthday party something happened to Nell that causesd her to start pulling away from her adopted family until she graduated from nursing school and stopped having any contact with them. The years pass, both women married, and had children, who ironically are best friends, though neither parent yet knows this. Willa has cancer and wants to see Nell, both Lady and Nell are going through tough times in their own lives, and Nell doesn’t want to see them. But life has a way of intervening, and long ago hurts must be addressed. A lovely story.