As far as debut novels go this is a roaring success on every level. From character creations through to narrative choices this book has it all in spades. I was pulled head first into this thoughtful tale from the word go and I didn't want it to ever come to an end, which says it all really.

The writing was warm and witty and I was welcomed in like an old friend. The narration provided a smorgasbord of themes and topics to sink my teeth into and the pages seemed to turn themselves to reveal a frank look at life, love and friendship that we can all relate to on some level.

This book boats a fine ensemble of characters to be proud of and I loved them all in equal measure. Ginny was an all out success as far as leading ladies go. On first introduction her life is about to hit a downward spiral into the the pit of dispair taking my heartfelt sorrow with her. Life can be cruel at times and when every area of your life has hit a bump in the road it's hard to push through. But what a comeback! Silently witnessing Ginny claim back her life was an utter joy, I was right there for every tear, laugh and scream of frustration and I can't think of anyone better to have at the helm of this story.

But my, hand on heart, favourite element of this story has to be the unlikely and unique friendship between Ginny and Cassie . Chalk and cheese doesn't even come close to initially describe this pair, but somehow it seems to gel and work to create some of the most magical moments seen in this story.

Nicola Gill's writing was not afraid to touch on the darker elements that life can throw in your direction and this narrative took some deeply moving turns throughout its journey. Depression effects more people than we likely know of and this book took on this issue with a frank and honest approach to remind us all that we're in this journey together and we are not alone.

The Neighbours is an all out successful story of life, love and friendship that will warm your heart and move you beyond measure. I loved each and every word on those pages and can't wait to see what Nicola Gill brings to the table next.

Cassie and Ginny are neighbours. 55 and 35 respectively very un alike in ways, attitudes and characteristics but both are tenacious, both underlying the frivolity are good people and this is their story. Of hopelessness, despair, depression, relationships, the difficulty in finding (and keeping) a partner and their hopes for their futures.

It was a mish mash of feelings and basic living and trying to come to terms with life and come to terms they did - eventually. Ginny's basic fear of ending up alone without a family is shared by many and many would be able to empathise with her in this story though at times she annoyed me no end. Cassie is someone as a neighbor you'd steer well clear of - she was a pain in the butt but Ginny obviously saw beyond the façade.

The story was an excellent one and I will be looking out for this author in the future as well.

The Neighbours is a very amusing and poignant book which deals with friendship and relationships in a brilliant and touching way.
Ginny, aged 34, is feeling left behind when all of her friends seem to be moving on and have much better lives. She can’t even get her boyfriend, Jack, to commit to dinner plans hours in advance... Ginny feels her life is falling apart when she catches Jack in a very compromising position with her boss, the perfect Annabel, who is wearing bright pink underwear.
This event forces Ginny to start on a new path which includes befriending her neighbour, Cassie, after binge watching her on ‘I’m a Celebrity’. Cassie appears on the show in an attempt to revive her career as an actress. Cassie and Ginny couldn’t be more different, and not just due to the 20 year age gap, but their friendship develops beyond that of just neighbours and forms the basis of the storyline of this book.
As Ginny moves on from the shock of what she discovers with Jack and Annabel, how will she manage? Will she find another love? Will she find another job? Will her friendship with Cassie endure, despite their obvious differences?
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Neighbours is the kind of 'feel good' book I like to read after a string of books about murder. Two women, polar opposites living as neighbors. Unlikely friendships, ridiculous co-workers, etc. It's all there.

Read this with a cup of tea on a rainy day.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Neighbours is a great debut for Nicola Gill and a read that got better and better the more I delved in.
Ginny and Cassie are neighbours, Ginny is in PR, 34 and in the middle of a relationship that’s going nowhere, Cassie is famous, an actress that has just made herself unpopular to the public after her antics in a reality show. Two very different people that make a really good friendship..... eventually!!
I really enjoyed this and loved both main characters, Ginny, caring and one of life’s worriers and Cassie who is bitchy and thinks everything should be about her. Clinical depression was a part of this book and was written about well with even a few does and dont’s in there that I didn’t know about. But all in all it is an uplifting journey with a few dead ends along the way, just as life is not a smooth path this reflected that well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The chemistry between the two neighbors is unmatched in many recent books! What seems like the two would have nothing in common quickly evolves into a remarkable friendship that kept me turning the page well into the night.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I had high hopes for this book but i struggled as i didn't like any of the characters they moaned and moaned .

Every once in a while, a book surprises you. Not just because it’s that’s good, or that strange, but sometimes, just quite simply… Because it goes above and beyond what you thought it would do. And that’s certainly the case in The Neighbours!

The story
Meet Ginny, 34, and Cassie, 55. Neighbours, and (very) unlikely friends.

Some women have it all. Others are thirty-four, renting a tiny flat alone because they recently found their long-term boyfriend in bed with their boss. Unfortunately, the latter applies to Ginny Taylor. Single and jobless, Ginny is certain her life can’t get any worse. But then she encounters her downstairs neighbour for the very first time…
Cassie Frost is a woman who had it all – she was a once-loved actress, but a recent stint on reality TV has rocketed her to online infamy. She’s suddenly become a national hate figure – and she desperately needs a new publicist. And Ginny is a publicist who desperately needs a job… but can she be persuaded to work for the uber-difficult, excessively prickly woman that lives below her floorboards?

Because sometimes – just sometimes – bad neighbours become good friends…

The opinion
Now, let’s start out with the obvious: Ginny? Not the most likeable of characters. That’s to say – she starts the novel quite passive, seemingly upset that good things don’t just happen to her. And let’s be real… In the beginning of this book? A lot of good things don’t happen to her.

Opposed to Ginny and her passive approach to life, Cassie has always chosen to be more proactive. Suffice it to say, their two ways of life don’t necessarily get along too well. Watching these woman grow to appreciate each other, however, made for at least half of my enjoyment of this book.

Something I’ve mentioned before is that I really like the concept of a bildungsroman and how it can be re-interpreted in modern literature. Nicola Gill certainly managed to do that, in a way, as she follows Ginny and Cassie and allows them to grow. As Ginny says herself, towards the end: with everything she’s been through, she’s grown stronger. Gill manages to portray that search for herself and her growth in an incredibly natural manner.

The rating: 4,5/5
If you’re in need of a book that features strong women, strong growth and a romance that is really captivating, but doesn’t claim all the attention, The Neighbours is just the book for you! (Goodreads)

-Saar

Relaxing, feel good, enjoyable read with nice characters. Total 'feel good' time if you want an easygoing happy book.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Ginny is struggling in life and love, in a job that is not her dream and in a relationship with a cad. Until she meets Cassie, her neighbor, who forces her to look inside herself to find what she really wants.

I enjoyed the love/hate relationship between Ginny and Cassie. Cassie was hard to like, but Ginny never wanted to give up on her. In the process, Ginny gains confidence in herself. I like how REAL Ginny is. She is as believable as she is flawed. I would enjoy having her as my neighbor.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. It took me awhile to get to reading this but I finally did and I thought it was pretty good. A little slow but I got through it. The other did a good job at describing the main characters and describing how their life went, Ginny kind of got on my nerves though at times and complained a lot so sometimes she got on my nerves throughout the book. It was a light and pretty quick read but I probably wouldnt recommend it to others. Ending was okay but the whole story I felt could have been better.

The story of an unlikely bond between Ginny, a 34 year old, aspiring author and publicist and Cassie, her downstairs neighbor, a 55 year old actress, who is suddenly being hated on by every else post her stint on a reality TV show.

The book starts off promisingly with good humor but sadly doesn’t end the same way.

The cover and the synopsis give this book a light-hearted, rom-com feel that is supposed to be a stress reliever, however to the contrary it wasn’t just that, midway the story got too heavy, dark and sort of lost the point by being all over the place.

I would have preferred to read more about Cassie instead of Ginny’s loser ex, also, Ginny was more annoying than likable and the story had great potential albeit wasted by poor editing.

A good few chapters should have been edited out to give the story a sharper edge and reduce the anger caused by Ginny’s poor decisions plus the story has too many characters and honestly I was confused a few times about who was supposed to be who?

The book also deals with infidelity and depression.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

When I started the book, I felt that it was going to be a good read. But sadly, by the end of the first quarter I was just not enjoying it.
I felt that the story didn’t seem to flow and just jumped around. I couldn’t warm to the characters.
I was provided with a copy in exchange for an honest review, so I proceeded to finish reading it. But unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it and won’t be recommending it to anyone.

Ginny Taylor thought her life was pretty average. A job she sort of liked with a boss who was sort of a jerk and a boyfriend who maybe wasn't the End All Be All but he loves her. Until she walks into her own apartment to find her boss and boyfriend going at it. After a week off work, Ginny comes back and throws enough of a scene to get fired. Months later and she still hasn't found a job, exactly. Although she has sort of become friends with the actress downstairs, Cassie Frost. Yes, that Cassie Frost, the one who was recently on a reality show. The reality show that has people issuing her death threats. The Cassie Frost that is in serious need of some good PR. But Ginny doesn't want to be her PR person.
The flow of this book is just delightful. Even and steady, I was able to sit down and read this in one sitting and was not ready to put it down at any point. Because it does cover a year, not every part of Ginny's life is delved into and was a bit shallow but an overall delightful read.

Four stars
This book came out February 6th
ARC kindly provided by Avon Books UK
Opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I did not like the writing style or the characters, but I did think that the plot was cute and a heartwarming premise. I'm sure someone will enjoy this!

I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers and crime novels recently so I will tell you that The Neighbours was absolutely the breath of fresh air that I needed. That’s not to say it wasn’t without it’s dark, deep topics – especially as Ginny is dealing with some tough things at the start of the book – but it is also a much lighter read than those I’ve been reading lately. It’s one that had me laughing out loud one moment and then cringing the next. It was just the book I needed to read.

I really loved the relationship develop between Ginny and Cassie. It felt real, raw and honest. I really enjoyed watching as they helped each other without realising that they were helping each other. I definitely think the characters were my favourite part of this book.

But of course, it was also the narration that pulled me in. Nicola Gill has done a wonderful job of creating a book that is easy to read. I got pulled into Ginny’s head very quickly and easily. I instantly felt empathy for her and the horrid hand that life had dealt her. It was just wonderful to see how she dealt with it all and how the humour of the book came into it. Everything just flowed really easily which is just what I love about a contemporary read.

This book took me on an emotional rollarcoaster and I absolutely loved every second of it. I am very much looking forward to reading whatever Nicola Gill writes next and I would also highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good contemporary fiction read – especially one that is full of good English humour!

Ginny didn't mind her life. She had a boyfriend, a well paying PR job, and her best friend was her flat mate. Everything was vanilla. Until that vanilla life falls to shambles. She catches her boss in bed with her boyfriend. She can't find a new job. Her best friend has moved to New York and her new flat mate is constantly in bed with her own boyfriend. She feels as if she can't live up to her parents' standards. With the world of social media boasting every engagement, child welcoming, wedding pictures, she feels as if her own biological clock is ticking. Ginny may never find the one.

Then Ginny makes friends with the one person she least expected: the neighbor below, the once Hollywood starlet, Cassie Frost. Cassie has not been taken too kindly in media recently with her lack of PC (make no mistake she does not discriminate and actually fights against it). But as Ginny and Cassie spend more time together, divulging stories of each others failures in romance and jobs, Cassie sees a possible chance that they could help each other; Ginny become Cassie's personal PR rep, and in turn Cassie pays her. But working for Cassie is not the easiest. If anyone has ever watched the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and seen when Susie Meyers works as Sophie Lennon's manager, this is how I loosely saw it. Both have great glimpses of personality, but are quite difficult to manage when they don't have a good public image.

Ginny finds luck when she nabs a PR job, and the boss actually gives her the chance to succeed, and her co-workers care about her. Her friend Julia sets her up with her brother Nick, who in comparison to Jack is literally Mr. Perfect. He truly cares about Ginny's days, comforting her, and taking care of her. What's not to love?

Nicola Gill not only tackles relationship and job stress of life, but also how to help your friend deal with depression. Readers whom have never experienced such can learn what not to do just as Ginny had to learn a bit the hard way of what you should/should not say/do.

Nicola Gill's book is not a chicklit. It is the perfect modern women's literature book you need to read. The romance is not overwhelming, nor is it mushy. It is overshadowed by the greater messages at play: You don't need to be married to have a kid, nor should you worry about a "time clock" for marriage and children. Do not settle for a man that can't take time to tend to your needs. The Neighbours is unintentionally comical, like watching an episode of Friends, but more relate-able

‘The Neighbours’ centres on a story between two characters; Ginny Taylor, a thirty four year old PR consultant and Cassie Frost, an on and off Actress. They are in fact neighbours, this is how the most unlikely friendship develops! and what a friendship it is too. I really feel for Ginny as her boyfriend Jack is caught with Ginny’s boss (talk about work being awkward from then on) This event takes Ginny on a turbulent journey with Cassie. Although we get an insight into all aspects into Ginny’s life I love that the story always comes back to her relationship with Cassie.

I love these two characters, they are the complete opposite of each other. Cassie is outspoken and says what she thinks but Ginny is more introverted. Though after being friends with Cassie some of her personality starts to rub off on Ginny (this isn’t necessarily a bad thing!) ‘The Neighbours’ sends out a very clear message, it’s always good to have a friendly ear when things get tough ❤️

What a debut from Nicola Gill! I loved the very loveable main characters. The narrative is free flowing and the emotions of the characters just leap off the pages. I have been gripped from the beginning. I can’t wait to see what Nicola writes next. If you are after a read that will make you gasp, make you laugh and make you cry (yes I was on the verge!) then this book is definitely for you! 😊 I give ‘The Neighbours’ 5*/5*

Thank you so much to Avon for a copy of the book

Ginny is 34 and has just found her boyfriend and her boss having sex in her apartment. Appalled and furious, she goes on a crying jag for awhile before heading back to work. Her boss then calls her in the office and she is fired. Ginny is a woman with low self-esteem and knows that she isn’t getting any younger while wondering if she will ever marry and have a family. Now, she is struggling to find another job.

Cassie is 55 and lives in a flat below Ginny. She has long been a well-known actress but after appearing on a reality show, Cassie is no longer loved. In fact, people dislike her.

Cassie introduces herself to Ginny and when she finds Ginny is currently out of work, begs her to put her PR skills to work and help her get some work. At first reluctant to do so, Ginny finally relents and get her a gig on a morning show which goes badly.

This book follows Ginny as she looks for a new job and her indecision about which man she wants to marry which all boils down to who does or does not want babies. In addition, we see how a strong friendship grows between Ginny and Cassie. Ginny proves herself to be a compassionate person.

This book could have been edited and reduced in length. It was slow to get moving and somewhat shallow at times. I did find myself laughing out loud here and there which kept me reading on. I’m sure readers will enjoy this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Neighbours was a women’s fiction that revolved around Ginny and her neighbor Cassie. It was about friendship, fighting depression, relationship, getting over fear, and working to achieve dream.

Writing was good. I liked the way author represented Ginny’s mediocre life and Cassie’ defamed life with realistic tone that had balance of seriousness and wit. Story was told from Ginny’s perspective.

Book started with 34-yr-old Ginny talking about her simple life whose fertility clock was ticking at rapid rate. She was holding onto her boyfriend to fulfil her simple life by marrying and producing babies with her. But that went to downhill when she found him having pleasure with her boss at her own flat. You can guess where this is going. Jobless, boyfriend-less, wallowing in sadness and self-pity was not exactly a picture she imagined. At the same time her neighbor, Cassie was turning into national hate figure after a reality show. She needed publicist who can help improve her reputation and Ginny desperately needed a job.

Now Ginny lacked confidence and she was not sure she could handle Cassie’s bad reputation and a prickly nature while Cassie no matter what people says never lacked confidence and her power of persuasion was irresistible.

The story was about two totally opposite in nature and in life style neighbours forming strong friendship, helping each other in all kind of situation, uplifting other from depression, giving an honest opinions, and developing over the time.

This was character driven story and relationships between characters and their life was most important part of the story. When I read synopsis, I knew I’m going to have wonderful female friendship and I wasn’t disappointed there. I expected this book to be fun and light-hearted but it was much more than just friendship and fun moments, there was darkness, sadness and depression.

Ginny was timid, squeamish, and a pushover but at the same time she was nice at heart, helped her family and friends. She definitely deserved better than non-committing, competitive, and self-centered Jack. I really felt for her in the beginning but then she was wallowing and whining too much. I had really difficult time to warm with her but when she actually started helping Cassie when she was going through depression, I liked her a little more. But then she had to make that stupidest decision. I wasn’t happy with it. Then again she became such wonderful neighbor, I started liking her back. You see my like and dislike for her was really bumpy ride.

I can see why she was taking one after another disastrous decisions but how could she not see the relationship she was giving a chance won’t last long and what that guy was doing to her. Can a person really be blind in obsession of family and child? I know the answer and we have read thrillers who have given us horrible layout on that. Another point was she never voiced her thoughts and took decision based on what she assumed. I mean you are already hurting somebody what harm would come if you can just say what you’re thinking! It was just so hard to warm to her.

Anyway, I loved her development (that definitely could come earlier) and what she did for Cassie. I admired when she worked to achieve her dream and her amazing decision (one and only) when she got over her fears in climax.

Now even though Ginny was near my age and Cassie much older (55), I connected with her and I liked her from the very beginning. I could see she was bitchy, temperamental and difficult woman but she was honest, brave, bold, and spoke her mind. Yep, total badass. The way people treating her making her national hate figure, it was really horrible. Oh hell, some even said she should have died! I don’t understand why and she was taking it all with such brave face, rode the hate wave like diva. But of course she was human and it affected her. I loved the way she fought her depression, gave her loved ones a chance, and developed by the end of the book. No doubt she was my favorite character.

Some side characters were good while some were shockingly horrible. My second favorite character was Nick. He was such a gentleman and lovely guy.

What I liked most was the message conveyed here through Cassie and Ginny’s story. Depression can come to any one at any time, some face it during their downtime while some can face their worst time and see depression coming much later. There are so many ways to treat depression but it’s different for every person. What works for one person might not work for another. Depressed person should not be left alone they need love, care and companionship no matter how much they denies. Another message was never stop chasing your dream. It’s always hard but there’s always a way or an alternative. You cannot just depend on others to get what you want. And the most common one- talk about your problem with concerning person, don’t just assume things and take decision that you might regret later.

There were few twists and turning points in the book that kept me hooked to story. I really dreaded a heartbreak or even worst but thank fully the end wasn’t bittersweet. It was chocolicious sweet.

Why 4 stars-

Ginny was really frustrating most of the time. I wanted to shake her so hard. As I said it was just so hard to warm to her.

The thing is I loved Cassie I wanted few chapters from her perspective. We are told she was bitchy and did things on reality show that had turned her into hate figure. It was not in detail what exactly happened or what she said, how she felt/so suddenly felt depressed. I wanted to give that middle portion which was so focused on Ginny’s stupid decision to Cassie.

Overall, it was great read with strong message and friendship that all women’s fiction readers would love to read.