A beautifully written and heartfelt book about two young girls, one white and one black, who grew up together and then because of circumstances unknown to one, severed the friendship for over 30 years. As they find themselves back in each others lives due to an illness, the past is brought to light. This book touches on racism, alcoholism, abuse, cancer; so many things to heal including the best of friendships.

Ashley Farley has once again brought her readers a wonderful story with characters who will resonate with her readers. It's a dual time line book that takes place in the 70s and today in Charleston, SC about three generations of woman and their love for each other.

1970 in Charleston and May is the housekeeper for the Bellemore family - Willa, her husband and their daughter Lady. The housekeepers daughter, Nell, lives in an apartment in the house with her mom. Lady and Nell are exactly the same age and are best friends. When May dies suddenly, Willa decides to raise Nell along with her daughter and eventually adopts her despite the whispering from her neighbors about how inappropriate it is for her to adopt a black daughter. The family becomes estranged after an event at Lady's 16th birthday party and stays that way until Lady contacts Nell after 30 years of silence to tell her that Willa has cancer and would like to see her. As Nell and Lady struggle to connect along with the additional fact that they each have teenage children who go to the same school and are friends, tempers flare and old wounds are opened up. Will they be able to become friends and sisters again?

This is a story about family and love and forgiveness and racial inequality. Family is more than blood ties but is also made up of the people that we choose to love no matter the differences.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

A touching story of hidden secrets, shame, friendships, family and forgiveness. Parts of the story made me cry and other parts made me feel anger when thinking about how this could be a true story. The relationship between Nell and Lady and other characters in the book remind me how we are all flawed and are in need of forgiveness. Great read. I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my honest personal opinion. No review was required.

I have loved all of Ashley Farley 's books, Nell and Lady is no exception. I was lucky to be able to read this advance copy. A great read only problem
see a second book on how Nell and Lady's son and daughter.

I have loved Ashley Farley's books and Nell and Lady is no exception. I want to thank Ms. Farley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity and honor of reading an ARC of this amazing book.
The story is of the bonds of friendship between two mothers and their two daughters. The girls, Nell and Lady, promise to always be life long best friends,' "Together, forever. Let nothing or no one ever come between us." They sealed the pact with their secret handshake-fingers clasped together, thumbs and pointers forming the shape of a heart."'...... until one fateful night when their friendship falls apart. Secrets, resentments, fears, and accusations become a wall that seems insurmountable after years and years. My heart ached for the loss of what time took from them. The consequences of actions and then the choices that were made because of them that had my heart torn to pieces for them. This book is an emotional ride that left me realizing even more how important family, friendships and relationships are. Never to take for granted. This is a story of no matter how long or how far apart things can seem to be, love and forgiveness is stronger and can overcome when given the chance. I give this book a huge 5 stars for the wonderful characters and the caring way Ms. Farley writes about issues that can be difficult to address. Thank you!

"Together, forever. Let nothing or no one ever come between us."
This quote is between two young girls who are best friends and sisters- until they weren't.
Present day- Willa, her daughter Lady, and Willa's beloved granddaughter Regan live in a large estate in Charleston, South Carolina. They have not seen Nell in years and now that Willa is nearing the end of her life, she longs to reconnect to her long lost adopted daughter and learn what made her run from her family.
The secrets and hurt that occurred so many years past have separated this family and time is running out.
The angel is Mavis who can help Willa, Lady and Nell reconcile. They must listen to their hearts!
A beautiful novel of friendship, family and love!

A thought provoking story that takes place in Charleston, SC with a privileged white family who adopts her maid's daughter when she passes. Willa doesn't let her neighbors or friends decide that it looks bad to have a black girl living with her white family. Mavis was her best friend and knows she has to take care of Nell. The story provides a glimpse into race, privilege, heartbreak and rebuilding friendships broken.

Nell and Lady, by Ashley Farley, is a beautiful story of best friends, disappointment and loss, and of family—what it was, what it should have been but wasn’t, and what it, please God, could be again. Farley captivates readers with believable characters whose lives and stories are compelling and driven by their past. Nell is an amazingly strong and vibrant character--her emotions and actions resonate with readers. They are realistically and powerfully depicted as Nell tries to keep her life all neatly put together despite the desperate situations that had come her way and despite the anger she has harbored for decades. Lady, too, is portrayed realistically as she struggles with a broken life made tolerable through alcohol abuse. Their relationship, fractured many years before, had shaped their lived for a lifetime and now they are being forced to face the past. Was there a bridge strong enough to mend the horrific divide? And to be considered as well are two other best friends affected by the estrangement—their children, Booker and Regan. I loved the character of Mavis, housekeeper, nanny, forever friend. The story is riveting and moves quickly as the secrets and hurts from the past are revealed. It is permeated with love, drama, and emotional tension as the author tackles sensitive and gritty subjects—alcoholism, racism, cancer, physical abuse, heartache. Nell and Lady is a story from a talented author not to be missed.
I received a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

Nell and Lady is the story of two women one white and one black, raised as sisters when Lady's mother adopted Nell after her mother died unexpectedly, whose relationship became strained and then non-existent after Lady's surprise 16th birthday party. Their story is told in point-of-view chapters alternating between Lady and Nell and later Regan and Booker, Lady's daughter and Nell's son respectively. The author deals with current social issues such as divorce, domestic violence, cancer and its treatment, sexual harassment, alcoholism, single parenting, and an adolescent's loss of a parent at an impressionable age in a story set in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1980's and current day. Also intertwined is the underlying bias at the time in the South between white teenagers and black teenagers. The author kept me turning pagers, unwilling to end my reading until the very end. Do Nell and Lady reconcile? What about Regan and Booker? Who becomes valedictorian? Does Willa make it to the end of the book? You have to read it to find out the answers to all those questions.

HEARTRENDING!

Nell and Lady is a heartrending story spanning thirty years and three generations. Farley’s novel is set in Charleston, SC and involves two families who consciously chose to bind their lives together. The unusual thing is the two families are from different races - one is Lady’s wealthy white family and the other is Nell’s African American family (The Help) that works for them. “The Help” becomes “The Best Friend” & so do their children because they don’t think there is anything wrong with their friendship. One horrible episode changes everything and they become estranged for many years. This is a beautiful story of redemption in the truth, color doesn’t matter and love never fails. I was provided an ARC of this book by Lake Union Publishers. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence. I have also preordered a copy of this book for my own personal library.

What an amazing story about friendship and family. This story is told over most of Lady and Nell's lifetime and starts when they're adults with kids about to graduate high school. It's about 2 girls who grew up together and were the best of friends and then sisters, about when friendship changes which in turns affects their entire life. The author tells a story about 3 generations and how one night affects everyone but when you can open your heart everything will come together again.

Ashley Farley has written an excellent book again about the life of a family. The family's composition is unusual, consisting of different races, and how they handle both grief and happiness. Time is a spread of thirty some odd years, through teen angst, marriage, divorce, and cancer. There are three generations involved in the plot and the story is told through each ones eyes in different chapters. The plot is unique in some ways and in others, what one might expect. Characters are believable, as are the situations they become involved in. If you want ordinary this isn't for you, but none of Ms. Farley's stories are ordinary.