Although it took me longer than I hoped to get round to starting this book, as soon as I picked it up I could not put it back down. It was a really great read, with some harder hitting moments as well as some really heart warming moments, and I loved hearing about the lives of both Ginny and Cassie, and their unexpected friendship.

An unpredictable gem! On the surface The Neighbours by Nicola Gill is a witty and entertaining Bridget Jones-esque romcom about one woman navigating the emotional rollercoaster of life, but underneath it's a beautiful and honest testament to the power of friendship and the hardships that come with it.

Gill's writing is warm and authentic and I adored the unlikely friendship between Ginny and Cassie, but The Neighbours is so much more than your average romcom. Touching sensitively on issues surrounding loneliness, depression and suicide, Gill's book is full of heart, hardship and heartbreak as much as it is funny and uplifting.

A brilliant debut from an exciting new author who I'll definitely be looking out for what she does next!

I struggled with this one -- it didn't pull me in right away. However, there were some very funny parts and I did feel the characters were well drawn.

When Ginny finds out her boss & boyfriend are having an affair she is crushed. But maybe what she really needed all along was a great friend. Ginny meets her neighbor Cassie and life takes some twists and turns!

Great story if you're looking for something light and funny!

The Neighbours focuses on Ginny and Cassie. Although seemingly worlds apart - Ginny is unlucky in love and in a job she hates, whereas Cassie is an ex movie star who’s recent appearance on I’m A Celeb... have made her public enemy #1. Despite their differences, when Ginny reluctantly agrees to become Cassie’s PR, they both go through plenty of changes they would have never expected.

I wish we had had more from Cassie, more in-depth about her past and her depression. I loved her character but this would have really made her stand out. Cassie goes from one big mistake to another, I really wanted to give her a shake.

The book felt a little predictable at times, but I don’t know many romcoms with an unhappy ending!

It took me some time to get into the story but I really liked the friendship between Ginny and Cassie and how the tables turn and yet they are there for each other. Ginny's character growth is amazing, she becomes a stronger person but is still the Ginny we meet in the beginning. She doesn't lose her essence. Cassie's story was a bit sad in the middle of the book but it shows you how the world of showbiz works; one minute they will have you on a pedestal and the next you are being showed in the worst light ever.

I did not know what I was really expecting when I started reading this book, but I really like it!Ginny is a thirty-something woman who is struggling with her place in life.The Neighbours was an enjoyable read though it did take me quite a few chapters to get into it and warm to the characters. This was about friendships and discovering who you really are .

This was a different book from my usual reads but I thoroughly enjoyed it, great characters with an interesting storyline that kept me interested

Warm, witty and wise, Nicola Gill’s immensely enjoyable debut The Neighbours explores relationships and women’s friendships with plenty of gusto, flair and heart. A brilliantly written and highly compelling read from a talented new writer, The Neighbours is a gripping and compulsive read you’d be foolish to miss.

Some women reach their thirties and have the world at their feet – whereas others like Ginny Taylor are still desperately trying to figure out what went wrong as they find themselves lurching from one calamity to another. At 34, Ginny was not supposed to be living in a tiny flat by herself after finding their rat of a boyfriend in bed with their boss. Ginny has had just about enough and thinks that life couldn’t possible get any worse, but little does she realise that things are about to get a whole lot more complicated and tangled as she discovers when she meets the person who has moved downstairs who wouldn’t be at all out of place starring in a reality show about less than congenial neighbours: Cassie Frost.

Cassie Frost had once been a national treasure and a beloved actress with millions of fans and a plethora of admirers – until an error of judgement got her the sort of publicity she did not want. Cassie had once been at the top of her game and is now languishing at the bottom. She needs to be back in the spotlight and to stop being a professional pariah, but as nobody is prepared to have anything to do with her, how on earth is she going to climb back to the very top? She needs a publicist and her neighbour Ginny happens to be a publicist looking for a job. The two women haven’t exactly hit it off, but could they end up providing each other with the solutions to the problems that have them in such a bind?

Cassie and Ginny are like chalk and cheese, but as they begin to spend more and more time together, they quickly realise that they’ve got more in common than they initially thought. As their worlds collide and the two women begin to rely on one another, both for professional and personal reasons, will they realise that sometimes first impressions are not always correct and that bad neighbours could end up becoming very good friends?

A funny, heart-warming and fabulous read I guzzled down in a couple of sittings, The Neighbours is a deftly written, highly amusing and immensely captivating tale you will struggle to put down. Nicola Gill is a wonderfully talented writer with a gift for creating believable, well-rounded and multi-layered characters you will love spending time with and Cassie and Ginny are two fantastic protagonists who will make you laugh on plenty of occasions.

A fantastic tale of friendship and the unexpected ways people surprise you, Nicola Gill’s The Neighbours is a charming and funny debut from a writer to watch out for.

So I haven’t read a good feel good book for ages, luckily The Neighbours made up for this. This is a page turner that will leave you with a smile on your face.

While we follow the lives of Ginny and Cassie, two very different women. The Neighbours is told from Ginny’s point of view. And the interactions between the two women solely focus on Ginny’s inner thoughts.

Which is a shame as Cassie is a vibrant, tell it as it is lady. I did feel like there were some missed opportunities for you sass and witty tongue to be used. Cassie definitely brought the enjoyment to the story.

I did love this book. However I thought that the beginning was a lot stronger. At the beginning it was funny, light hearted and clearly a book that was to be easily enjoyed. Towards the end it changed tone and was darker. I also felt like the plot was a bit rambling rather than the easy read at the start.

But, this was a book that I couldn’t put down. The Neighbours is full of love and self respect. About caring for one another and being honest with yourself about your goals, your ambitions and who you truly love. Sometimes all you need is a friend, sometimes you need a little bit of hep and sometimes it may take time to see that silver lining.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed this book, though I felt like we spent a lot of time at the beginning learning about her job and backstory and then that kind of dropped off at the second part of the book.

This is a solid character driven story about female friendship and mental wellness. Having said that, The Neighbours was not for me. The story wasn’t engaging enough and the lead character was somewhat difficult to connect with.

If you love character driven novels then this one is definitely for you! This book is very different from what I thought it was going to be based on the synopsis and the cover but I’m really not complaining about that because we basically step into Ginny’s shoes and we’re taken on a wild ride through her life.


Ginny is a great character to follow along with because she is flawed and she knows it. She doesn’t have the smoothest ride and she voices some of the things we would all love to voice in our lives or perhaps love other people to hear-she doesn’t think she can do it. She is convinced every career move, friendship & relationship is going to fail and so it is a joy to watch any moment where she actually succeeds.

Ginny befriends her neighbor, slightly washed up celebrity Cassie and this is where we get into some of the issues that this book covers. I think this writer did a great job of using Cassie as a platform for exposing the dangers of online trolls and the way society seems to think they can talk about people online in very different ways than they would to their faces. This topic is so timely and it is so important that it is explored further.

This book also deals well with the subject of depression-again through a characters first hand experiences, that does mean that there are care warnings for depression and suicide so make sure you exercise caution here. I think this was handled very well too, again using first hand experiences and really delving into the various different approaches to treating as well as living with depression.

There is romance in this novel but it’s a bit of a secondary storyline that goes alongside the rest of Ginny’s life and her insecurities. This is the area where some of the real comedy in the book comes out because there are some embarrassing mishaps as well as some very real moments. I really like that the romance was a bit of a subplot here just going hand in hand with everything else life throws at Ginny because that is real life and when you’re this involved with a character in a novel it’s always great when things feel true to life.

I really enjoyed this book despite the difference from what I thought it was going to be and I think you will to.

I usually try to read at least twenty percent of a book before I give up on it, but with this book I couldn't even make it to ten percent. The writing style of this is almost like a stream of consciousness journal. It jumps from one thing to another with no transitions. Some conversations are normal and have quotation Mark's, etc, but others just have the narrator comment on what happened without letting the character speak. Because of that I found it extremely hard to understand. One paragraph would be on one subject and then suddenly in the next paragraph it was three days later. It took me so long to read the little bit I read, I think it would take me twice as long to read the whole book than normal.

This was a difficult read for me. It provoked a range of emotions and not many of them were my favourite, ‘warm and fuzzy’ feelings. Well-written, I found the subject matter at times rather uncomfortable and sometimes struggled to fully engage with the plot.

Undoubtedly, the cover of this novel completely juxtaposes the subject matter. I was anticipating a “chick flick” sort of story with comedy and romance. However, instead Gill presents loneliness, old-age, depression and social pressures. There wasn’t much comedy and although I chuckled over Ginny’s private thoughts, this did little to relieve the overwhelming sadness in this story.

Ginny is a character whom I believe (sadly) many women can relate to. After losing her job, she faces pressures on how to make ends meet with zero income and mounting bills. Interview after interview, Gill describes the difficulties of trying to find a new job in a crowded market. On top of this, when Ginny walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her, she suddenly feels extremely alone. Her new housemate is forever with her own boyfriend, emphasising how Ginny does not have this relationship. Nearing her mid-thirties, Ginny feels the pressure of her “biological clock”. She is desperate to have children and is extremely conscious that being single will not help! All around her she feels everyone has a family and is settled down. Instead, Ginny believes that “time is running out” and fears she will not achieve her dream. It is a sombre set of topics because the expectation to have a family is so prevalent in society and I think the writer carefully captures Ginny’s private torment, whilst also, eventually, proving that such dilemmas can be overcome.

Ginny’s neighbour, Cassie, did not feature as much as I expected. Whilst Ginny learns many things from her cantankerous elder, I thought that Cassie would have an more obvious position in Ginny’s “learning”. When things take a turn for the worse, this plot strand adds a further sombre element to the story. Indeed, with recent news stories and the re-focus on ‘Be Kind’, I felt a little uncomfortable reading some of the chapters. This is at no fault to the writer, just a coincidence of bad timing.

Despite the low self-esteem from both female protagonists, it has to be acknowledged that this is a story of hope. Both Ginny and Cassie do turn things around and whilst the path is challenging, it is intended to prove to readers the importance of being in control of your own destiny. It is this thoughtful tone that helps lighten the gravitas of the overall plot.

This was a well-written and thought-provoking story. My criticisms are based on my own expectations of the novel. I was hoping for something light-hearted and fun – this is not the case with Gill’s offering. The characters are certainly types that many readers will relate to; I believe this book is best enjoyed sandwiched between more upbeat stories and bearing in mind the topics acknowledged, it should be remembered that this does finish on a happy note.

With thanks to Avon books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thirty-four-year-old Ginny has had the worst week of luck. First, her best friend moves out of the flat they shared for a swanky new job in America. Then she comes home to find her boyfriend in her flat and he’s not alone, he’s caught in the act with her boss of all people, and now she has lost her PR job too.

Fifty-five-year-old Cassie was once a loved actress, now after a stint on I’m a celebrity in which she came across as rude, obnoxious and completely horrible the public has turned on her.

The two women live in the same block of flats and with Cassie now needing a PR specialist and Ginny being out of work, can they help one another out? How will these two, very different women cope with one another and can Ginny make the public see another side to Cassie? – That’s if she has one!

The Neighbours was an enjoyable read though it did take me quite a few chapters to get into it and warm to the characters. The plot is amusing in parts and it was fun to watch these two women who are like chalk and cheese work together. There were also some poignant moments and sections that focused on mental health that was written exceptionally well.

There were parts within the book that I felt were there to pad it out, such as Ginny’s new flat-mate and her boyfriend. I didn’t feel they added much to the story or that I particularly found them likeable, they were just there if you get where I’m coming from.

I did find that the more I read the more I could emphasis with both women and that it was wonderful to see them both grow as individuals as well as form a lovely friendship. You also get to see under the wooden exterior of Cassie. It is lovely to read about two women who though very different were both plausible and realistic.

This is a book about how friendship can be formed even in the most unlikely situations and with people who seem the polar opposites of one another. Sometimes you need someone different to you to make you understand more about yourself and to show you another side to life.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good mix of laugh out loud humour along with some very serious topics that are very current at the moment.

The short chapters were easy to read and made me want to keep going.

I thought the mental health aspect of this story was handled sensitively and in a knowledgeable manner, although I feel it should have maybe come with a trigger warning as there was no mention of the subject matter in the synopsis.

The book kept good pace and I loved the characters. I felt towards the end of the book there were a few too many different storylines added that weren't really necessary to the story. It already had enough to hold its own with the main plot. Had it not been for that I would have given this 5 stars.

A really enjoyable read.

Ginny, 34, has got it all. She’s got a good job in PR, a best friend who is also her flatmate and a boyfriend. But at the start of The Neighbours her best mate is moving out to accept her dream job in New York and she finds her boyfriend Jack cheating on her with her boss. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down.

Cassie, 55, was once a beloved actress but now she desperately needs a publicist to improve her image after a disastrous appearance on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

The two women are neighbours and with Ginny desperately needing some paid work after swiftly leaving her job, Cassie manages to convince her to become her publicist. It leads to an unlikely friendship between two very different women, but one that I really grew to love.

The Neighbours is engaging, pacy and very timely. It looks at depression and what it means to be a good friend to someone who is really struggling with their mental health. It also tackles the challenging topics of celebrity and the impact of tabloid news when the world seems to have turned against you.

I loved that the book was packed with references to recognisable London locations and I really fell for the romance in the book, while appreciating that it wasn’t the only thing that mattered in Ginny’s life. There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns – when I thought I knew where the story was going it often took me by surprise – but it still delivered on the ending I really wanted!

All in all, an enjoyable read!

An excellent multi-generational look at friendship, romance, career, self-esteem, self-realisation, seen from 30 something, Ginny's point of view. The writing style is contemporary, referencing current events and issues. It's easy to read and focuses on the lives of Ginny and Cassie, who is in her fifties and experiencing the sharper end of being a media star.

It takes a while for us to meet Cassie, and to begin I wondered where the title 'The Neighbours', related to the story. When the two do meet, both women are experiencing all-time lows in their lives, and consequently are lashing out. Any kind of friendship seems unlikely, but Cassie needs someone to promote her positively and Ginny needs a job, so they start there, and out of a professional need, a worthwhile. mutually beneficial friendship grows.

Ginny is lovely but flawed, and meeting Cassie forces her to look at herself, and see how she can achieve her life goals. The relentless, unforgiving nature of modern life is explored, with its consistent toll on mental health, and self-worth. Like many good friendships, the two women are different in many ways, and this draws them together because they both have something positive to offer the other.

Humorous and poignant, this is a relevant story about life in the twenty-first century and the importance of friends, who care about you, and not your career or financial status.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK in return for an honest review.