A well written and enjoyable domestic drama set in a small town in northwest Tasmania. There’s a lot of topics covered from sexual harassment at work, bullying, coming out, alcoholism, coping with miscarriage, being a step parent, family dynamics, parenting in general, relationships and so on. There’s a good mix of characters with different family setups and issues and all are dealt with with a light touch. Generally speaking this isn’t my genre and I found some of the plot lines predictable but in some parts it was powerful and emotional.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with this book for an honest review.
I loved this book. The characters were likeable and the book was long enough to delve into their backstories as well as show how their relationships intertwined. The three main characters each held their own, as well as pull the other characters into the story. The main setting of the book, a small town in Tasmania had so many beautiful settings throughout it.
Whilst it was quite a long book it is well worth the read.

This book will be available on March 2nd, 2022.

This is another wonderful book by Fiona Lowe.
In this story one of the main characters, Addy has just returned to her hometown, Rookery Cove in Tasmania to take up a new job at a local TAFE with opportunity for promotion. It is also an opportunity for her to renovate her deceased parents house and prepare it to be a holiday rental. Addie is fleeing a toxic relationship and looking forward to a fresh start, but will the locals welcome the former teenage rebel back?
Steph, is the mother of two year old Monty and step-mother to teenage Zoe. Steph and her husband Henry decide to make a tree change and sell their mainland, city home and settle in Rookery Cove to run their respective businesses online. They dream of an idyllic country life with plenty of down time but reality comes as quite a shock to both of them.
Finally Brenda is a widowed mother of three adult children. Up until now she has felt she has lived her life as a lie and is debating whether to expose a deep buried secret. She is just not sure that her relationship with her offspring will withstand the revelation.
These three disparate characters come together with the formation of a community choir. Through this connection they draw strength from each other, but also an incident will threaten their friendship and the future of the choir.
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to review this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Sometimes when change is forced upon us, we feel it’s the worst thing, but often the result is an unexpected gift.”

A Family of Strangers is the sixth novel in the Women’s Fiction range by award-winning Australian author, Fiona Lowe. Addy Topic has left behind a toxic relationship in Melbourne and returned to her North-West Tasmanian hometown, Rookery Cove. It wasn’t her intention ever to return, but a new job and accommodation costs have steered her into the house she grew up in.

She has a grand plan to work and spend her weekends renovating, preparing healthy food, drinking less and getting fit. If only her new boss didn’t keep piling more work onto her…

The sea change that Steph Gallagher envisaged when she moved to Rookery Cove with her partner Henry and their young son, Monty isn’t proving to be quite the idyll she had hoped for. Teething problems with Henry’s cybersecurity business have meant that the division of labour is uneven, giving Addy little time to devote to her fledgling online baby clothing venture.

When Henry’s teenaged daughter Zoe joins them full-time, it adds to the stress: the sweet, joyful girl of their vacations has morphed into a sulky, antagonistic teen. Hormones? Or is there more at play here?

Brenda Lambeck may be eighteen months widowed, but she is happier than she’s ever been. The only thing marring it is her new partner’s insistence that she reveal their relationship to her family. But telling Courtney, the daughter with whom she has never been able to properly connect, strikes fear into her heart.

When her partner decides to restart Rookery Cove’s choir with a view to a fund-raising eisteddfod for the community hall, Brenda acknowledges that her own lack of enthusiasm might be for selfish reasons, but she can’t understand why Addy, given her musical background, is so reluctant to participate. Steph, eager for an activity that gives her some “me” time, sweeps Addy along.

All seems well until a shocking public betrayal precipitates uncomfortable confrontations, harsh words and heartbreak and, for one of the choir, the acceptance of a painful home truth. The drama doesn’t end there, but those affected do begin to realise just what and who are really important to them.

As always, Lowe gives the reader a believable cast who face realistic challenges, perhaps making poor choices and suffering consequences before they offer and receive support from true friends. If initially some of the characters seem a little stereotypical, they develop depth and complexity as the story unfolds and their history is gradually revealed. Her characters inevitably reward the emotional investment they demand.

Each of the three main protagonists is being manipulated to a greater or lesser extent by those close: despite a recent experience, past trauma and the resultant excessive alcohol intake clouds Addy’s judgement; Steph is quite conscious of it, but a recent tragic loss and the associated exhaustion result in apathy; Brenda is only really aware of it when it is pointed out to her, but afraid to act.

This time, the story features alcoholic blackouts, infertility, gaslighting and coming out, and demonstrates how the power dynamic can allow bullying by a personable misogynist. Once again, Lowe has crafted a moving, insightful and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

Fiona Lowe just gets better and better. A Family of Strangers is a cracker, the best one yet! Set in a small town In Tasmania it follows the stories of Brenda, Addy, and Steph. All their lives have changed and the book details they way they deal with it, and how they find solace in the town’s community. The characters and the circumstances are relatable. I thought it was a great read . Highly recommended. Thanks to Harlequin Australia HQ and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Set in a small community around a cove in Tasmania, this is the story of multiple families and their relationships. For Addy Topic, returning to Rookery Cove to take up a job that offers a valuable promotion forces her to confront past traumas. Stephanie Gallagher and her family moved to the area to live a slower pace of life but discovers it’s not that easy to balance family dynamics. After the death of her husband, Brenda Lambeck is determined to live her true life and mend the difficult relationship she has with her daughter but discovers it’s not straightforward.

Through the formation of a community choir, all these strands and others are pulled together to change the lives of everyone involved. This sounds like a cliched plot but, instead, in the skilled hands of Fiona Lowe the story becomes a page-turner.

The sign of an engrossing story is the way it entices you to keep reading, to discover the foibles of the characters and see how they overcome obstacles. I was urging some characters on (while simultaneously wanting to slap a couple of them). For me, that’s a sign of an engaging story.