I’ve not read any of this authors books before, but having really enjoyed this I will definitely be buying other books she has written.
With well drawn characters and an entertaining story, I truly enjoyed every second

New Neighbours of Coronation Close is set in an interesting time in history. Set in 1936, the Molsey’s, in particular, Sir Oswald Molesy is making his mark and his views known (as is Hitler overseas, taking a firmer grip and making his views known ever more prominently); the monarchy is changing as a King is dead, which is where the book begins and the next in line is ascending onto the throne. It captures many moments of history, which puts events into context in amongst what was happening in the wider society. It’s pretty dark at times, as history shows us, but also hopeful as you root for a better life for Jenny.

Coronation Close is where Jenny Crawford and her husband Roy move to. It’s in the suburbs and secured because of Roy’s interest in politics, not just anyone’s politics, but he gets very close to Sir Oswald Mosley’s brand of politics. Life, just because they have a better council house now, is far from cosy. Roy has a temper on him and everything changed once he stuck a ring on her finger. There were money troubles as Roy and life around the docks, searching for work was difficult, prior to him meeting Sir Oswald Mosley. Roy becomes increasingly interested in him and spends vast amounts of time with him and seemingly changing their luck around; giving Jenny time to wonder if she can changer her life from one where she feels tied to the shackles of a loveless marriage to daring to set her sights to something happier.

It gives insight into a different period of time, when things were changing politically and yet domestically, whether you were an average person or monarchy, certain things were the same in certain attitudes and ways of having to be seen as doing what was considered the respectable thing to do above all else as there are consequences, no matter who you are and not always good ones. The question is, will Jenny, upon meeting an old lover, choose to change her life and do something considered radical for the times or will she remain with Roy? What of the monarch too?

It is certainly a book worth checking out.

I normally love a saga novel and race through them. Sadly this one took a while for me to get into, the characters were likeable but felt the story was lacking something.
Although it is the first in a new series I felt there were too many unanswered parts of the book left open and felt it just ended.
This is a first book for me from this author.

My first read and review for 2023!

As a fan of Lizzie Lane's The Tobacco Girls series, I was excited by the prospect of this new series featuring the residents of Coronation Close. Set in Bristol once again, there is a slight nod to the aforementioned series with the name of the tobacco company mentioned in passing.

NEW NEIGHBOURS FOR CORONATION CLOSE is set prior to the war beginning in January 1936 with the death of the King and the excitement taking over for that of the new King Edward VIII. I love how the book began, firstly with the then King's death, and King Edward VII's accession and ended with his abdication. It seemed the perfect close of one chapter before beginning the next.

The story begins in the poverty stricken tenements of The Pithay where Jenny Crawford lives with her husband Roy and two daughters Tilly and Gloria. The tenements are ancient, having stood for hundreds of years and are crumbling down around them. There are no indoor luxuries such as running water, electricity or gas. No bathroom or indoor privy. Even the kitchen is shared between tenants in the block. The place is appalling with only vermin thriving within its walls.

Jenny could have done better when she married Roy but naive and full of girlish dreams, she was swayed by his charm at the tender age of sixteen, marrying him two years later. But as they adage goes...marry in haste, repent at leisure. And Jenny has plenty of repenting to do now. Roy had quickly changed as soon as the ring was on her finger. He is a violent bully who is a little too free with his fists, and keeps a tight reign on Jenny should she step out of line. In his opinion, she needs no friends as she has him and her place is in the home keeping house for him and making sure his meal is on the table as soon as he walks in from work down at the docks. And there'd be hell to pay if she didn't.

As Roy takes on more work at the docks, boasting that he has won favour with his superiors, he starts to become a little more secretive and furtive in his behaviour that Jenny wonders if he is seeing another woman. But no, his interest is drawn to politics in the form of Sir Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts, and is soon donning the uniform of the British Union of Fascist party group. And it is through his ties with Mosley's group that he is able to swing a new council house in the suburbs on the newly named Coronation Close.

Upon moving to Coronation Close, Jenny misses her old neighbours in Isaac and Ruth but it isn't long before she starts to build new friendships in the Close. Thelma, who is a force to be reckoned with, is first to introduce herself along with Cath and Maude. But it's her immediate neighbours, Dorothy and Harriet, that resonate with her...though for other reasons to ther rest of the residents. As their new home is further from the city, Roy must travel longer to work and then there are his Blackshirt meetings which he takes very seriously, as they lend him an air respectability (or so he thinks). This means Roy is away from home more and more until work takes him away for months at a time. Jenny is appalled at his association with the fascist group whilst at the same time relieved that the more time he spends with them, then the less he is at home. Can she live her new life free of the restraints Roy keeps her in when he's at home? Or must she continue looking over her shoulder in fear of his return?

Throughout her journey from the Pithay tenements to the new council estate in the suburbs, Jenny is reacquainted with an old flame in Robin Hubert as well as meeting her knight in shining armour Charlie Talbot. Both men believe she deserves better than the life she has but she reminds both of them that she is married and that is the end of it. Or is it? Which of them holds her heart? Could she be happy with one or the other of them should Roy never come back? Then just as she is beginning to slip into the comfort of her new way of life, a shock return puts her life as she knows it into a completely different perspective. What does it mean for her now?

One thing is for sure...everyone on Coronation Close has secrets.

NEW NEIGHBOURS FOR CORONATION CLOSE is the beginning of a promising new series set around the residents of Coronation Close. And while it was slow to start with the character building in Jenny and Roy and the lives in the tenements, it soon picked up once they'd moved to suburbia. There was one confusing aspect in Thelma being referred to as Dawson and Dawkins - both on more than one occasion - that I was unable to ascertain which was her actual surname.

As with any series, the story ended with a few unanswered questions which are bound to be followed up in future additions to the series. One of which being Jenny's neighbours which we the readers are privy to but not the other residents. There wasn't a lot of focus on either Cath or Maude but I'm sure that will also change with future stories. Of course Jenny was the main focus with Thelma running a close second.

As the era in which this is set, it was a time of prejudice and appearances were everything. People had to be seen to be doing what was expected. Respectability and status mattered. But what went on behind closed doors was no one's business but theirs. Men hitting their wives, wives submitting to obey their husbands in everything, deserters of war, homosexuality even those thought to be living immorally. And even the royal family were not immune for the accession of King Edward VIII saw him having to choose between duty and love. Because as someone who represents the people of the British empire and that of respectability, he could not marry a thrice divorced woman AND be king.

With a few loose threads still dangling in the breeze of Coronation Close, I can't wait to return to find out how they will be tied up or if their threads will unravel unexpectedly.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #NewNeighboursForCoronationClose in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

New Neighbours for Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

After reading her previous series ( Tobacco Girls ) and enjoying it , I was excited to find out the author had started another .
It was really interesting to read about the real life struggles from getting out of over crowded , mainly squalid housing conditions into brand new social housing.
The characters within the book are interesting and I look forward to reading more about them.

Jenny her two daughters Kelly and Gloria and her abusive husband live in tenement houses in a place called the bowl or the pew but no matter what you call it it is a salon it’s been there for hundreds of years and has yet to be updated. Although Jenny at one time loved and adored her husband Roy he started being abusive and now he’s changing for the even worse. he’s never been shy to announce a racial or ethnic slur but now he’s hanging out with the black shirts and they believe England should be for the English and no one else. Little does Roy know but the kind Jewish couple downstairs or the reason they even have Food on some nights because Roy isn’t generous with her household money. When a find Jenny giving a cup of broth to her kind neighbor because he allowed her to go first and cook her meal while we waited… Roy isn’t sensed, he is livid and he will take it out on Jenny and after he does he tells her to steer clear and not talk to the Jewish scum again. Of course Jenny doesn’t listen the kind that generous and in tenements like there’s neighbors have to stick together. The next day while she’s waiting outside for her kind neighbor to come home with whatever extra he could get so she can cook a meal she sees her handicap elderly Jewish neighbor doing his best to get home quickly because there’s three men behind him. When they finally get him to the ground they start to beat him and Jenny knows one of the men is her husband Roy but she screams murder anyway. Three men come who are big and burly and they break up the fight she even see sphere and Roy’s eyes. One of the men warns Roy to stay away from there and that he will be watching and at the Royce links of the man who Jenny learns is named Charlie helped her get him into his apartment she can’t help but feel an attraction to this man but stays her wifely course because she is a proper lady. That doesn’t mean she can’t think about him every now and then in a daydream and when she runs into him again he asked her if she would like to go for a drink she says no but wish she didn’t have to. Soon after Roy comes home saying he has great news one of the men he works for Trevor works for the council estates and is going to get them a proper home. Jenny is beside herself with happiness this is what she dreamed of. A little garden for her daughters to play in . They finally move in to Jenny‘s dream home at coronation close a newly built estate and this is where Jenny‘s life will change for the better and in some cases for the worse. This was a really good book I just thought there would be more to it and a more conclusive ending. I love a feel good breathe but don’t think that’s what I would call this it is a really good book and I love Jenny and Charles I love her neighbor and I even love the evil neighbors husband Harriet… You have to read the book to find out. This is that in 1938 and 39 and I loved reading about the times in place I just wish there was a more definitive ending. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A great introduction to the characters and scene setting for future books. I look forward to reading more in this series.

A fictional social history showing how family dynamics worked, what was expected and the terrible living conditions in the slums. Also more thn a nod to the new Kng and the abdication.

I hate to say this but I’m giving an honest review as this book was kindly granted by Net Galley - I found this to be an average read and was slightly disappointed - it was a book that I picked up now and again as I felt it lacked substance compared to previous books by Lizzie Lane.

New historical saga series.
City of Bristol from the slums to suburbia, Jenny Crawford lived in the pithay, blue blow alley, a dump of proverty.
When her a husband get moved to a new home in Coronation Close with their two daughters, new friends, new neighbours, and getting rid of Roy working away with the British Union of Fascists, Jenny is not enjoying life with her two girls.
This book is such a lovely read showing womens independent, I enjoyed reading right through jenny's journey. A start of a new series that I will look forward to following on in the year to come.

New Neighbours For Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane is a marvelous historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The book is set in Bristol in 1936 and provides a social commentary on the times. We see terrible slum conditions that some find themselves living in. This contrasts with the new council houses. There were waiting lists but once in your house, there were some surprising rules and regulations to follow. Drop-in inspections also happened.
We witness the camaraderie that slum living created. Bonds formed in adversity remained. People shared what little they had, with those who had even less.
Friendships grew up in the council estates but it seemed harder to make them as people didn’t live so closely together.
We see the historical context too with Edward VIII coming to the throne and having to choose duty or love. Oswald Mosely and his blackshirts began their reign of intimidation and terror. And Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister – this always resonates with me as he was a son of Bewdley, where I live, and there is a lovely statue of him in the town and also a plaque on the house where he was born in High Street.
It was also a time of prejudice as some characters have to either hide their identity or their character, for fear of prison or worse. There was a deserter from World War I and also a homosexual man. Others were judged for something they were not – a single mum is rumoured to be a working girl. Appearances were everything. The modern reader is so glad that we have moved on from these times so that people are free to be who they want to be.
I thoroughly enjoyed New Neighbours For Coronation Close. It was the perfect snapshot of a moment in history. I always love Lizzie Lane’s books.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

A lovely book by Lizzie Lane the story and characters bring the book to life for the reader and you feel as though you are there with them all.Excellent 5*

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lizzie Lane for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I have read all the Tobacco Girls series by this author and wait with anticipation next one so I looked forward to this new saga series from Lizzie Lane
Though I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learning all about the dynamics of the new characters I found that it didn’t flow like the previous series and seemed stilted.
That doesn’t mean I am not looking forward to learning more about the residents of Coronation Close and how the abdication will affect them.
As with all estates where people are put together there are different personalities and secrets behind closed doors.

All in all a good read for lovers of historical fiction

New Neighbours for Coronation Close is the first in a brand new series for Lizzie Lane. Based in Bristol, in 1936, Jenny married her husband, Roy when she was 18. He isn't a good husband, and the live in slums. He gets involved with the Blackshirts and is away from home now than he is there. He manages to go up in the world of Blackshirts and gets them a new home in Coronation Close. Jenny becomes friends with Thelma, a widow with 3 children who lives opposite. Thelma gives Jenny lots of advice and boosts her confidence. I read this is one sitting, it is an easy read and very relatable characters. Excited for book 2!

A brand new series and a good one. This was a great book and I read it quickly. If this is what the rest of the series will be like then I’m in.!!! My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is book 1 in a new series and I was initially attracted to this book as it is set in my hometown, Bristol, but although it was interesting to read about conditions at this time in history c. 1936, I soon found the characters taking over. I read this book in a day as I didn’t want to put it down. It’s well written and easy to read and surprisingly dark in some parts.

Briefly, Jenny Crawford married Roy when she was only 18 and they have two daughters. Living in a tenement in The Pithay life is tough, very tough - her husband is physically and mentally abusive and she is a drudge. But when Roy gets friendly with someone who works for the council it seems their fortunes are changing. Given a council house on a development in Knowle West Jenny is ecstatic with her new home. With Roy away working she soon makes friends but can her new life continue unchecked?

This wouldn’t be my normal read but maybe I’ll be reading a bit more in the future as I really enjoyed it. Plenty of action, and not all cozy/romantic. I love the historical information, some of which I wasn’t aware of, and some great characters, especially Thelma and of course Jenny. Cliffhangers (not my favourite thing) lead me to hope book 2 is not going to be far away. A good historical novel, with romance, humour and a dark side - most enjoyable. 4.5⭐️

Jenny in a bad marriage with Roy, finds a new lease of life when they get a place on Coronation Close. Trouble continues with Roy but Jenny is able to find new friends and perhaps a better life. Great beginning to a new series!

received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so happy to be offered to read and review this book as I’m a long time fan of Lizzie Lane and her fantastic novels, especially The Tobacco Girls Series.

I was overwhelmed by the descriptive detail of what life was like for ordinary people in 1936 just from the first few pages.

Jenny had married Roy when she was just a teenager and what a grave mistake she’d made!. He was a horrid man who beat her made her abide by his rules which meant having no friends and money of her own just the meagre amount that he gave her. The money that he did give Jenny was not even enough to buy proper food or clothing for her and her two girls.

When he got involved involved with the horrible Brown Shirts and got them a council house it was kind of like Jenny had the chance of a new life as she made new friends who loved her fiercely which I adored so much, Thelma was one of my favourite characters who’d also suffered heartache and was just doing what she needed to survive.

I was so invested in this story, I was hoping and praying that Jenny could finally be free and happy on Coronation Close, maybe with her old friend Robin or new friend Charlie.

I soon realised that all residents of Coronation Close have secrets that they want to keep.

I’m so excited for the rest in this new series, I hope I’m not waiting too long.

Bristol 1936: Jenny Crawford has resigned herself to a loveless marriage. living hand to mouth with their two children. Like many others, husband Ron struggles to find work at the docks, but a chance encounter turns his outlook and the family's fortunes around. Not only does he get regular work, but they are allocated a council house on Coronation Close on the outskirts of the city. Jenny and the children are overjoyed, this is the fresh start she could only ever dream of. But trouble never feels to far away. With Ron spending more time with Sir Oswald Molsey bulling black shirts, Jenny is left to her own devices and eager to fit in, begins to make new friends.

This is a beautifully written and moving story. It's also the first book in a new series. Filled with some lovely characters, but we also get the odd nasty one. Life is hard for Jenny and her children. She is terrified of her husband, who is a nasty bully. There are some parts that are quite dark. Jenny gets allocated a council house and things start getting better, I like the authors style of writing, she never disappoints. I was hooked from the first page. Hopefully we won't have long to wait for book two.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #LizzieLane for my ARC of #NewNeighboursForCoronationClose in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved this book, found it hard to put down as I wanted to see what happened next.

Jenny believes that she has to do as Roy, her husband tells her to, and lives by his rules, which can be strict, even when she’s not sure how they and their two daughters are going to eat next.

But then, things change as Roy starts getting more work down the docks, he is also involved as a blackshirt for Oswald Mosley, this leads to meeting people in the right places, the outcome of which is they get a house and can finally move from the area and current accommodation.

Jenny is very happy wit the new home in Coronation Close, because it has a garden and the girls have their own rooms. But she does miss her neighbours Isaac and Ruth.

She starts to make new friends, one of which is Thelma, who helps her to live her life for herself.

I hope there will be another book as I’d love to know what happens next in Jenny’s life.

I recommend this book.

An excellent start to a new series by Lizzie Lane.

A very moving story which is beautifully written. Lizzie has an excellent way of drawing you in so that you feel you are there with them.

I loved the characters, with the exception of a couple, but only because of their characters in the story. My favourites had to be Jenny and Thelma.

An excellent page turner which had me totally gripped from the beginning until the end and I found it incredibly difficult to put down. Really disappointed when I got to the last page and can't wait for the next in the series.

I would definitely recommend this book.