We Are Family By Nicola Gill // 4⭐️
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We Are Family tells the story of Laura and Jess, two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Jess is a social media influencer with a seemingly perfect house, perfect children, perfect husband, perfect life. Laura works an unsatisfying job as a writer for an advice column, is in an unhappy relationship with her partner, and works hard to raise her son as best as she can. All her life, Laura has compared herself to Jess and often felt as if she came up short, and most of the criticism came from their mother, Evie. The death of their mother from cancer, however, draws the sisters together, and they realize that family is much more than blood.
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This book with such a joy to read! While it was a light and fun story, it touched on some pretty heavy topics such as grief and complicated family relationships. The sibling dynamics between Laura and Jess were so interesting, especially as told from Laura’s perspective. She reminds readers how easy it is to see things from your point of view without taking the time to understand how the same set of circumstances can affect others in different ways. Seeing the two sisters grow together after years of living with jealousy and heartbreak wedged between them was so satisfying, and I enjoyed every step of the journey.

A bit dramatic and heavy issues were talked about. They are important topics to discuss however I thought this was would be a light read about sister relationships, which I always love reading about. I ended up still liking this one even though it wasn't exactly what I expected. I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy!

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my review.

This is another book where I felt that the description didn't really match the story.  Also, I feel that there should have been  a bit of a warning of some of the family issues that are dealt with in this book.  This was listed as a contemporary fiction story and compared to some fairly light reads, but this book, for me, felt a lot more dramatic.  The story of the sisters being compared to each other, the way the mother leaves the one sister to feel all the time - it's some heavy stuff, at least for me.  I did finish reading the book, but it took me longer than expected because I needed to take breaks.  The subject matter just really got to me.

With a notification of trigger warnings for family issues, bullying, death of a parent from cancer, I think that others may enjoy this story.  But for me, without the warning, I did not enjoy the book.

We Are Family is a story following one of two sisters who are trying to cope with their lives after their mother passes away from cancer. Laura who is the protagonist is truly struggling with the relationship she had with her mother, and how it has affected many of her other relationships, especially with her sister Jess. Compared to Laura, Jess has it all with her perfect husband, two little perfect daughters, and perfect job being a fashion blogger. Laura on the other hand is shacking up with her lazy boyfriend who cannot keep a job, and their five year old son Billy who is kind of a brat, and hates her job as a journalist for a failing magazine company. 

The story follows Laura on her journey to self love after an emotionally abusive childhood. She has to come to terms with the choices she makes, mend her relationship with her sister, and some other situations that get dropped on her without losing herself completely.

I thought it was a good story, it felt a little rushed towards the end. I would have loved a more rounded ending, but it was a nice story.

This is the story of Laura. A magazine features writer for 'Natter', mother to 5 year old Billy, girlfriend of lazy Jon and put upon friend of Amy. Laura's sister is Jess, a social media influencer with two perfect children, a perfect husband and a perfect life. According to Laura, Jess does everything 'perfectly' - including grieving for their recently deceased mother who openly favoured Jess. As Laura and Jess lost their father 25 years ago, the loss of their mother leaves them as orphans - an idea that both traumatises and amuses Laura. Now Laura and Jess are forced together to sort out their mothers things and Laura isn't quite sure if she can deal with the jealousy she feels for her sister - can they forge a new relationship or will their mothers favouritism drive a wedge between them? 

This book is a nice gentle read. It is sad and funny in equal measure. Laura is very relatable and likable and promotes sympathy though there were occasions when I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop letting people take advantage of her. A perfect summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engaging story about two very different sisters who don't seem to get on very well but step up to the mark when necessary.  As we spend more time with the characters we learn about them as people, their struggles and triumphs.  One of the lessons which comes out of this is that you shouldn't be too organised but conversely it does not do to be too laid back, especially when you have a 5 year old child and a (frankly) rather flaky partner.  Luckily Laura and Jess learn from each other and find some compromises which benefit their relationship.  Heart-warming and beautifully written.

A wonderful novel about how grief changes us in so many ways. I love characters who are flawed but still relatable. You can find them here. It was just a great weekend read. Definitely recommend.

Sister relationships are complicated and this book gets to the heart of that perfectly. Thought Jess and Laura are several years older than me and my sisters I still found their relationship incredibly relatable and real. I loved how this book shows two very different (and also different from the "normal", "accepted", "mainstream") ways of grieving. Jess and Laura had incredibly different relationships with their mother and reactions to her death and I really enjoyed reading them play out. 

The book was good, but though I loved the story and the characters, it did sometimes drag on a little bit. Though the dramas of Laura and Jess' lives felt very real,  at times it. felt like the author was adding as much as possible to what these women were going through.  And though sometimes when it rains it pours is the reality, it felt a little much. But that's life for you... a little much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. 

I'm torn on how I feel about this book.  I'll be honest. based on the cover,  I thought it was going to be a fun read about two sisters, but  it was a little deeper than I really expected.  Two sisters who have never had the best of relationships but they work on improving their relationship after their mother's death. 

It was a truly good story even though at times it dragged at some times, but the book was very character driven  and you learn a lot about the sisters as the time goes on.  Laura and Jess are come to life  by jumping off the pages and are relatable.  This book made me miss having a sister.

What a powerful read! The book and its characters hit a little bit too close to him, with its themes of conditional familial love, anxious attachment, and the bond of sisterhood. Nicola Gill's prose is strong, her characters so well written, I spent every moment that I wasn't reading the book thinking about them! I could feel Laura's emotions and the complexity of her relationship w her sister, and the book ends on a well earned happy note, that we as readers and both Laura and Jess very much deserve. It's a solid read I'd recommend to anyone looking for a good character-driven book!

Laura and Jess are sisters, with enough sibling rivalry to fill the pages of the novel.  Laura always believed her mother favored Jess, as Jess was in an established marriage with two daughters and a successful career.  Laura was in a relationship with her son’s father, who was not employed and lazy.  There was a lot of sniping at each other, but as the book progresses, so does their relationship, gaining deeper understanding of each other.  It was a light read, despite some of the timely topics presented.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Family relationships can be messy. Sibling rivalry is real and some parents make no qualms about hiding who their favorite is. Although, as this title shows, sometimes you can internalize and make things out to be more unjust for you without knowing the experiences a sibling had.

The stage is set for somewhat estranged sisters, Jess and Laura, when their mother passes away from breast cancer. Their lives look so different on the outside. Jess appears to have a perfect life. Great house. A loving husband who is climbing the career ladder. Kids that never seem to fight. Meanwhile, Laura has a partner who is as much kid as their 5-year-old son. 

It is during the months after their mother dies that Jess and Laura begin to spend more time together. Along the way, they both realize how important their relationship is. That not all that looks good is good. And that sometimes you have to do the scary things (e.g. apply for a job you think is out of your reach, ending a relationship that is one sided, and silencing that inner critic) to move forward in life.

I thought this book was going to be very light hearted, but it seemed the exact opposite. It threw me off which made me not enjoy this as much as I thought. Through the first half of the book I kept forgetting which sister was the protagonist. 

I think some people will really like this story, but it just wasn’t for me.

After reading ‘The Neighbours’ and absolutely loving it, I was so excited to read this by Nicola Gill! Safe to say it didn’t disappoint!! Laura and Jess were both lovable characters who both had their flaws, but the bond that they both have is unbreakable. Anyone with a sister understands that relationship and it was brilliantly shown in this book! Following Laura and her getting her life back together kept me hooked, I was absolutely landed at the ending! Would highly recommend this book! 
Thank you to netgalley for the copy of the book for an exchange of an honest review.

Thanks to Avon Books UK for granting my NetGalley wish - my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift. I enjoyed reading The Neighbours and was keen to see what book 2 would be like.

The story starts with the death of the mum of Laura and Jess. Laura is a kind person, eager to help, but is being let down by friends, work and her partner. Her sister Jess appears to have a perfect life - rich husband, immaculate house and well behaved children.

The story follows Laura and Jess as they try to deal with the death of their mum, 25 years after the death of their dad and to build a new sibling relationship.

I really enjoyed this book, it dealt with some difficult topics, but included humour too, especially in relation to the children of Laura and Jess. Both Laura and Jess need to make changes in their lives and to move forward, instead of letting the past spoil their relationship. 

An enjoyable read on a summers day.

This is a good book so far... my only complaint is that there is very little speech between characters so far.

Almost half way through and I'm still mostly enjoying it, but she's sprinkled in a few big brand names that I hope the author has got written permission to use, or she could get herself into serious legal trouble.

Only got 67 pages left to read then it's finished!  The only reason it's not getting the full 5 stars is the brand names that are used is all... a little thing, but it could save the author oneheckuva lot of trouble if she'd got permission to use them before publishing her book.

Just finished the book and I have to admit that it was pretty disappointing.  The beginning and end weren't too good, but the middle was a great read.

We are family is a story of two sisters who are brought together by tragedy. It's a lovely warm book that's talks about the relationship between the two after their mum passed away. And how they face life after.

A great family oriented novel which isn’t something I normally go for but I really enjoyed the changing dynamic between the siblings following their joint loss.

We Are Family follows Laura at a time when her and her sisters Mom dies. Her and her sister, Jess, have never agreed on anything until they realize to get through a time like this they need to work together. 

As a sister and family book this has potential. The story is there, the characters are not. I could not bring myself to like them and it was difficult to understand them. By the end I could at least understand and sympathize with them but I still couldn't like them. There were a couple of redeeming moments and twists that I did enjoy!

Laura was constantly arguing with herself. If she had a negative thought she'd get mad at herself and tell herself to not think that way. If she had a positive thought she'd get mad at herself and say it's okay to be negative. It was repetitive and frustrating, like a thought within a thought. She couldn't have a straight thought. Their mom was just awful. There was nothing that I could like about her.

The book had potential for me and I was excited about a sister book but this did not hit the mark for me.

This book gave me all the feels and some laughs along the way.  While it was a long book, I was invested in the characters and their stories.  

Laura and Jess are two sisters who are polar opposites.  They’ve never gotten along and as they deal with their mother’s death, the disagreements continue with bigger consequences.  But we can’t choose our family, right?  We are along for the ride as Laura comes grieves her mother and what might’ve been.  And then there’s Jess who’s seemingly perfect but we all know that’s impossible.  While the sisters tackle life without their mother and other big life changes, they have to depend on each other - for good or bad.

I really enjoyed this book and could definitely sympathize with two women living their lives in this crazy world.