3.25/5 stars!

We Are Family by Nicola Gill was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020. I’ve been seeing Nicola’s books on my bookstagram feed a lot for the last few months, and I really wanted to try her books out. We Are Family’s blurb seemed really interesting, and I’m really glad that I got the chance to review it. As my personal rating shows, I ended up having mixed feelings about the book. It was a good read, nevertheless.

We Are Family is about the complicated relationship between two sisters, Laura and Jess, and how they figure out a way to make a new space for each other in their lives after their mother’s death. This book touched many complex issues that arise in a family, including favoritism among your own children, which was basically the background of Laura and Jess’ troubled feelings towards each other. I liked how the author didn’t try to sugar-coat any of the problems that the sisters faced, especially the ones with their mother, and wrote about a dysfunctional family in such a detailed manner. Themes of grief and self-worth were expressed perfectly in the book too. I loved seeing the sisters come closer to each other and fix their relationship gradually throughout the book. The ending was satisfactory and had a twist which added a dramatic touch to the storyline!

Things I didn’t like : This book had more of a character-driven storyline than a plot-driven one, which is why I didn’t enjoy it much as I wanted too. Since the book is only told through Laura’s POV, I felt that the book lacked the depth it needed for building up a story about two sisters. I wanted to know more about Jess and her life too. Laura was not a really likable character in the first half of the book either, which made me think about not finishing the book at times. The last few chapters were a bit rushed too, a lot of things kept happening all at once.

Overall, if you’re a fan of family dramas and character-driven books, you can pick We Are A Family up!

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first book by Nicola Gill and it will not be my last! I loved this sister aspect in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of the advanced digital copy of this book!

Amé esta historia! Los personajes, la ambientación, la relación entre ellos.

We are family nos da una linda visión de todo lo que las relaciones interpersonales deben ser.

Sadly I didn’t warm to either of the sisters... it felt too contrived and didn’t ‘speak’ to me in the way that I thought it would based on the blurb!! Other people have loved this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. Struggled to the finish... 2*

This is a story of two sisters, Jess & Laura. While Jess is the perfect sister, with the perfect family and her life all sorted, Laura is laid back with a more casual approach to life. The girls had lost their father while they were young and now their mother is dead.
While the sisters try to come to terms with the loss in their own ways, they still don't see eye to eye on many things.
The story is mainly from Laura's PoV and her estranged relationship with her mother and how she feels alienated.
There is grief, coping mechanisms (Gaviscon), few laughs, a bit of bullying and finally all's well that ends well because We are Family
Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC

a thought-provoking book about relationships and family love. i was struck by the topic this book opened out, and i had to stop at times and think about my own situation. my first read from this author, would love to check out more works from her, and this is a solid read, a recommend, and it's just a good balance, i'd like to emphasize that at least. and this book might be a miss for some, and "it" for others, but just give it a try.

I found this books contents very thought provoking on many relationship level. Parents, sibling, partners, children, friends and work colleagues all on different levels of your consciousness and how you view and approach every single one of them.
I enjoyed the build up of the story, and the flashbacks that came to mind, leading you through the months, however, I found the end of the story to be rushed, and was left feeling quite deflated and wanting more information about Laura and her life after the final revelation regarding her father.

This was a brilliant read and the author has a great way of striking the balance between humour and sadness when writing about such raw topics as death and relationship breakdowns and family dynamics in such a profound and thought provoking way. HOw does the saying go you can choose your friends but not your family this book totally explored how you can feel an out cast in your own family and as though you don't belong

We are family makes you laugh and cry in equal measure. This is my first book by this author and definitely going to read her others. I read this in one day as couldn't put it down

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.

We Are Family is a contemporary women’s fiction novel set in England that looks at the lives and relationships of two sisters in their late 30’s after their mother’s death. Laura is the main character in the story and from the very beginning of the book we see that she has had a very complicated relationship with her mother and has felt that her mother was always very critical over her and not on her side. This makes the Laura feel like the grieving process is different for then that of her sister Jess (who Laura always believed her mother preferred).

I found this book to be very easy to read and fast-paced. At some points of the book the story goes back to when Laura is a child/teenager and describes a lot of situations where her mother does or says things that are not very supported of Laura. The characters in the book were likeable and I felt the author did a good job writing about problems that women do go through daily. I also found it really interesting that Laura’s mothers behaviour is not justified in the end by some secret tragedy that makes her so rude and selfish - it’s just who she is. I found that refreshing in a novel.

I did find that the ending came quite abruptly and wasn’t very strong. We just got a few pages that explained what happened in the 8 months at the end of the book without any real reasoning why. I gave this 3 stars as I did enjoy most of it but there were some parts that weren’t for me.

A fast paced and yet wonderful story. I really resonated with the sibling relationships throughout this story and enjoyed watching them interact with one another. I think the plot was well balanced and it provided a nice, fast read that pulled me out of my reading slump!

A tale of 2 sisters who rekindle their relationship after the death of their mother. The story is told with humour and compassion, they are very different characters and struggle to understand the other's life style choices.

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.

A really enjoyable book. The story relates to sibling love and jealousy and also grief, but the light touch of humour makes it very readable. Although primarily about Laura's relationship with her sister, Jess, it also examines her relationship with her young son, her partner and work colleagues. Having got 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters I found so much to be true. Gill is obviously a great observer of life. I wasn't sure the final twist was necessary but wondered if that was to set up a sequel.

We Are Family by Nicola Gill is a novel centered around two sisters, Jess and Laura, who are complete opposites resulting in frequent clashes. Following the devastating loss of their mother, they are obligated to work together to handle her funeral logistics but soon grow in their own relationship. This book was both heartwarming and heart-wrenching and explored both grief and the growth that can come following a loss. The writing highlighted how powerful a sibling relationship can be and how people can vary so much in processing grief. I do think the book could be a bit shorter, but I enjoyed my time with Jess and Laura! I will keep my eye out for future books by Nicola Gill!

Many thanks to the publisher Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Two sisters, totally different personalities, different lifestyles. How do they reconcile? In the light of their mothers death, resentment and old hurts are put aside. Is the surface successful one or the one who does not seem to have it altogether got it correct? Family is everything or nothing but a path to more hurt.

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Happy Publication day to #WeAreFamily⁣
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You can’t choose your family…but you can let them in.⁣
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Jess and Laura might be sisters, but they’re very different people. And when their mum dies, the sisters struggle to agree on anything, from where to scatter the ashes to whether “passed away” is an acceptable term. But as life forces them together, Laura and Jess realise: the only way through this is as a team. After all, they’re stuck with each other – and drinking wine is more fun as a pair…⁣
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A quick read that deals on family and grief. An overall enjoyable one that got me LOL sometimes and the twist was pretty good too.⁣
Thanks to @avon via Netgalley for the eARC

Oh, this one - it'll make you laugh and cry - especially if you're from a family like mine (and theirs) that isn't quite perfect!

When Jess and Laura's mother dies unexpectedly, the sisters are forced to make decisions together - even if they'd rather not. They're complete opposites and hopefully someday, those opposites will attract. There's wine, there are tears, but these two sisters are full of it and you'll surely enjoy their story.

A beautifully written story about 2 sisters trying to forge a friendship despite their differences, after their mum dies. Heart warming, funny and emotional.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

An Absolutely emotional read, I adored it, even when it hurt, tears of empathy and tears of laughter, it’s a fantastic story. The characters are so well written, I might not have a sister, but I’ve seen how true the relationship written here is via my friends relationships with their sisters. You can’t help getting annoyed, angry and defensive as you read, I find a could family relationship story always does, sign or very ‘real’ characters. Brilliant story, wonderful writing, I will definitely read more books by Nicola. Highly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion