This year one of my reading resolutions was to pick up some books with higher page counts as I've been avoiding them like crazy for the last couple of years. This one comes in at 507 pages and, as such, I imagined lots of padding. However, I was pleasantly surprised as I never skimmed or got bored once.

Just an Ordinary Family is told from the POV of Libby, her twin sister Alice, and her best friend Jess. Alice easily stole the show with her romantic entanglements which caused me to sit up late at night to find out if she chose the right man for her HEA.

Lowe included lots of modern themes including ghosting, sexting, found family and toxic friendships. There's quite a bit of tragedy and I will admit to crying towards the end of the book, so get your tissues ready.

Obviously I loved Lowe's style and am looking forward to reading her other titles.

5 out of 5

I am extremely late with this review as the title was removed from Netgalley before I had the chance to download it. However, I recently picked up the paperback and was able to read it.

Told from 4 perspectives, this book is an emotional rollercoaster. It focuses on secrets that have the power to tear families apart.

I really enjoyed reading this one and definitely recommend it.

An intriguing story about family dynamics and family ties, more specifically the relationships between the women of this particular family and how they relate to each other and their external family members.

Karen is the mother of twin daughters Libby and Alice who grew up as close as their mother could monitor and orchestrate.
Coming from a difficult upbringing herself, Karen wanted to make sure her daughters never knew such hardship and always felt loved and connected to a tight knit family.
She wanted them to have that inseparable twin relationship that you always hear about.
But from an early age it was clear that there were big differences in the personalities of the twins, really they were like yin and yang, and although close...they had many different interests, and were growing apart as they reached their teens and Libby felt her sister was cramping her style somewhat.
Libby was a teenager now and wanted to spread her wings and experience life and all it's evolving mysteries with her newfound close friend Jess, and her sister didn't share the same interests at all. Nevermind that Jess herself had no time for Alice, who she regarded as a bit of a third wheel in their friendship.
It got to look more like Libby and Jess were the twins as they did everything together and shared everything.
Karen didn't discourage Jess as she knew that Jess came from a difficult background also, as an only child to a single mother.

But Alice was more reserved and lacked the confidence and social desires that her twin took for granted and they began to grow further apart and live independent lives.

Now they are grown, Libby became a doctor and remained in her hometown whilst Alice moved interstate to Melbourne, to pursue her interests in Art. Jess became a single mother to a baby boy named Leo.

The story really begins when, through a course of life events, they all find themselves back together, living in the town they all grew up in.
The pace picks up as we follow the interactions of this extended family through many emotional upheavals and how they deal with the repercussions of their lifestyle choices.

This was a really good read, with highs and lows and everything in between keeping the story building all the time and gaining momentum as you would expect with any real life family saga.
And, as with any real life family saga, there is never just one climax that brings everything to a head, but many mini climaxes to keep the reader turning the pages into the wee small hours, hoping for answers.
This is a quite long book for such a story but I found myself so invested in the characters that I wanted it to keep going. The sort of story that I could imagine being made into a mini series.
A really good choice of book to read during this recent lockdown period, it would be a great holiday read.

4.5⭐️'s

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

Fiona Lowe’s latest novel Just an Ordinary Family is about a family that is anything but ordinary. This is a captivating story that encompasses all of the aspects of family life with it’s triumphs and it’s tribulations. It is filled with moments of joy and laughter but this is a family with more than it’s share of heartbreak and seemingly insurmountable hurdles to tackle.
Just an Ordinary Family is a book that I downloaded from Netgalley but then knew I needed to have in print, so I preordered it months ago and it’s been sitting on my desk calling my name ever since. I finally picked it up yesterday and have been loathe to put it down. In a serendipitous turn of events I actually had a lot of unaccounted for downtime in the last couple of days so found myself with hours to curl up and open a book – I am so glad it was this one.
This is the story of an extended family, bonded by blood, marriage and friendship. Some bonds are stronger than others and some members have more in common than others. It’s also a family that has relatively recently all moved back to the small coastal town of Kurnai Bay.
Alice Hunter was raised in Kurnai Bay with her slightly older twin sister and loving parents. She has been living and working in Melbourne but when her long term relationship crumbles and her job follows soon after Alice finds herself back in her family home in Kurnai Bay.
Life in Kurnai Bay doesn’t offer the fine art opportunities of Melbourne and Alice finds herself juggling 4 casual jobs, that have nothing to do with art, and her mother is beginning to worry that she’s wasting her potential. Alice is more concerned that her biological clock is ticking and without a significant other on the scene she’s not sure she will ever fulfil her dreams of having a family of her own.
Libby is Alice’s twin and she seems to have it all. A prosperous and rewarding career she’s passionate about, two darling young daughters, a gorgeous hands-on husband and father and a beautiful home. She is ticking all the boxes and loves having her sister and also her best friend back in their hometown.
Jess has been Libby’s best friend since they were in school; so close that they consider themselves sisters, closer to Libby than even Alice could ever be. Libby has finally convinced the single mother to return to Kurnai Bay where she will have a support network and Leo can grow up with an extended family that adore him. The time Jess spent with the Hunters growing up was so far removed from her own upbringing that it showed her a completely different way of life, one the Hunters welcomed her into.
Karen Hunter has always wanted nothing but the best for her girls, trying to protect and nurture them. She welcomed Jess into that circle when she came to understand how much she needed that. She has fostered a kindness and thoughtfulness into the twins that sees them always thinking of others and you know from the outset there are things about Karen that we just don’t know.
The dynamics in these relationships make the family far from ordinary but they are a joy to get to know. From early on there are things that hint at long hidden secrets and Lowe weaves these through the story with insight and skill so that there are unexpected elements even in the things that you could see coming.
Alice had a rough start but with love and persistence she has managed to overcome the obstacles her low birth weight placed in her path. Art was the one aspect of her life she always surpassed the skills of her twin and it was the career path she chose but being back in her hometown mending her broken heart sees her realise that career path wasn’t bringing her joy. The new opportunities she has discovered in Kurnai Bay to utilise her artistic skills and connect with people on a more personal level has made her heart sing in ways her previous career never had. I loved watching this part of the story develop, especially with the work it took to convince Karen that this was what would make her happy,
Libby and Jess have an intense friendship that has always seen them share everything. Jess gained an insight into the workings of a close, loving family and Libby got a taste of life on the wilder side. They shared a lot of experiences through their younger years and Jess worked extremely hard to work her way out from the shadow of her mother’s legacy. This was a friendship that seems enviable, is everything that every woman wants but there comes a point you start to wonder if there’s an imbalance in the giving and where it will lead.
These four women are all fascinating characters that you want to get to know better but it was Alice that I really connected with. She always had to work so hard for everything that comes easy for so many of us and she always felt she was living in Libby’s shadow. Alice decides that what she really wants from life is a family of her own and she can hear her biological clock ticking, but she’s single and in a small town with limited options. Alice works out a plan and sets her sights on finding The One. The process offers readers a long list of reasons to avoid online dating.
Just an Ordinary Family is an intricate look at relationships of all types that will keep you involved and make it difficult to leave these pages for the calls of real life. I had to know what was coming next and it never failed to engage an emotional response. There were definitely elements of predictability but there was a lot of amazing character development and real soul-searching. There were times I couldn’t help but put myself in a characters position and ask myself what I would do. I also found that there were things I just didn’t see coming but Lowe manages to flesh out the characters and their motivations well enough that no-one is irredeemable.
I loved this book, I loved these characters and Lowe has managed to paint a captivating picture of small town life with love, lies, family and friendship that can all be found in the unlikeliest of places.
Lowe has penned a family saga of legacies best broken and working hard to provide a better future for the next generation. Absolutely adored the emotional rollercoaster ride.

I have read a few Fiona Lowe books, Home Fires, from last year totally flawed me. This book, whilst similarly dealing with small town life, is a different story but still one of great character analysis. Just An Ordinary Family investigates themes such as love, trust, betrayal and regret. Fiona herself stated that she wished to highlight ..”how often we delude ourselves that our actions will only result in one specific outcome and that when we explain ourselves, others will understand and forgive.” But do they?

The characters here are both real and relatable, they make mistakes as we all often do and this tale investigates the regrets that often come from not facing those errors. Relationships that go to the brink because of misunderstandings and words expressed in anger. The question is, can these issues be overcome? Will secrets, once revealed, leave wounds that cannot heal? Fiona will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions with each of her main characters as they face the consequences of their actions. They are flawed and thus don’t make the best decisions but they are human, that being, their intentions are often pure or well meant. Readers will have to decide for themselves who they support and why, with opinions more than likely to differ - but isn’t that true to life?

The only drawback is the length of this book - it is a long one. At times the dialogue goes round and round in circles and could in some parts have been condensed. There are multiple storylines with a lot going on. Yet once I passed halfway I became fully engaged in each of the women's quests.

Overall this is an epic family saga focusing on love and forgiveness. It’s intense and real with a walkaway message to treasure each and every day.

‘We owe it to the children to honour our mistakes, learn from them and live the best version of ourselves.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Just an Ordinary Family is an amazing book that gripped me so much that I finished most of the book in an afternoon. The story is told through the eyes of 4 of the main female characters. Libby looks like she has the perfect family with her two beautiful daughters, her dream career and a doting husband. Her twin sister Alice has just returned to her hometown after a failed relationship and is trying to find her way again. She is jealous of the relationship between her sister and her sister's best friend Jess. Jess is a single mum trying to raise her toddler son with the support of her best friend.
Alice's and Libby's mum, Karen loves her girls dearly and wants the world for them but she is hiding her own secrets.
We follow the women through one crazy year of their life as their families implode with secrets, drama and sadness. It was a story that had me in tears that I just couldn't put down.
I can't wait to read more of Fiona Lowe's books.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Harlequin for allowing me the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to read this book by Fiona Lowe her previous book ‘Home Fires’ stayed with me long after I read it and I knew I was in for a treat with this story.
This story it about the Hunter Family and is set in the small coastal town of Kurnai Bay. Libby is the local doctor and is happily married with two daughters, her sister Alice has return to the bay after living in Melbourne. Then there is Jess, Libby’s best friend and single mother to Leo. There are many secrets that will be revealed. But you are going to have to read it to find out.
Fiona takes you on a roller coaster of a ride with twist and turns that you will not expect. The characters are written fantastically and you will relate to them and feel everyone of their emotions. You will be drawn into their dramas and betrayals and you will struggle to put this one down until the end.
Just an Ordinary Family is a tremendous story that I highly recommend.

I have heard so many good things about this book I was worried that I would not like it. How wrong could I be, I absolutely loved it!
This book has great characters and a totally believable and incredible story line. The setting is a small coastal town near the Victorian town of Bairnsdale.
Alice and Libby are twins. Alice is the one who always falls short, no steady job, broken relationship and living at home with her parents. Libby is the town GP, married to a wonderful man with two beautiful daughters and a close, doting best friend Jess. Jess is always there for Libby and Alice feels constantly left out.
Alice juggles menial part time jobs trying to find a way forward and discovers dating apps. Is this the way for her to find the perfect family life that her twin appears to have?
What follows is romance, drama, heartbreak and for all of them a tragedy. I could not put this down and cannot wait to read more by Fiona Lowe. This is family drama and chick-lit at its best.
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just An Ordinary Family is a fantastic contemporary drama from Fiona Lowe.

Life in Kurnai Bay may not be perfect for sisters, Alice - who is nursing a broken heart, and Libby = mourning a recent loss, but neither are prepared for the shocking secrets that are about to tear their worlds apart.

Exploring several sensitive issues including, stillbirth, infertility, adultery and child abuse, as well as broader themes including friendship, loss, love, betrayal, and forgiveness, this a compelling family drama.

I found myself totally caught up in this character driven story that focuses on the relationships of four women, twins Alice and Libby, their mother Karen, and Libby’s best friend, Jess. Portrayed with complexity and authenticity, even after I turned the last page, I found myself thinking about the characters, the decisions they were faced with, and the choices they made.

For me, Just An Ordinary Family was an excellent read, stirring and thought-provoking.

The family in this novel is ordinary in that every one of them is someone you might meet in your home town and strike up a casual conversation in the supermarket or local cafe. But even ordinary families have their tragedies and deep buried secrets and this family is no exception.

At the heart of the Hunter family are four very different women. Mother Karen, who overcame a difficult childhood to marry a good man and raise twin daughters, Libby and Alice. Libby is the strong confident twin who excelled at school, became a doctor and is married with two adorable children. Alice on the other hand was always the more fragile twin, less confident and needing more support, not one of the popular girls at school, but very artistic and has become a talented artist. She was living and working in Melbourne but after her long term relationship fell apart, Alice has returned to her parents house in Kurnai Bay, the small coastal town where she grew up. The fourth woman is single mum Jess Dekic, Libby's best friend since they were thirteen, closer to her even than her own twin. Welcomed into Libby's family, they shared everything, living together during Uni and eventually both settling back in Kurnai Bay. But now Libby has discovered that Jess has done something so unthinkable that her family has been blown apart and will never be the same.

Fiona Lowe is so good at forming her characters that at some stage of the book it is impossible not to understand their point of view and feel sympathy for each of them. Over the course of a year this family will face great difficulties that will rupture relationships, uncover long kept secrets and change all their lives. A thoughtful and emotional rollercoaster of a novel.

Just an Ordinary Family has been an emotional and engaging read. Author Fiona Lowe is a master at digging deep into the human condition, the secrets we keep and the shattering impact they can have on people’s lives when they are revealed.
I loved the way she drew mental images of her characters without actually spelling it out. The glimpse she gives us of Libby and Nick is a perfect example, “His eyes twinkled at her the way they always had until their lucky lives had smashed headlong into the harsh reality of human existence.”
This is a story of love, betrayal, friendship and bitter resentment but more than that this is a story of hope and new beginnings. It truly has been a book I will remember for some time to come.

Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen because this story is one wild ride!
If you love a good family drama then this book is for you.

Just An Ordinary Family focuses on four women. There’s the Twins Alice and Libby; Libby is happily married with two children and is also a successful doctor while Alice has always felt like she’s lived in Libby’s shadow. Alice has recently moved back home after a relationship breakdown, she’s juggling four jobs and tackling the world of online dating. Then there’s Jess who came into their lives when all the girls were 13 and never left in fact she quickly became fast friends with Libby and Alice was pushed aside. Libby and Jess are still best friends after all these years with Libby convincing Jess to move back to the bay so they can raise their children together.
Lastly there’s Karen the twins mother and confidante to Jess who’s watching the lives of her children unfold and struggling with how to help them and how to let go now that they are all adults.
Although there is a main story line in the book (No spoilers from me as to what it is) There are also so many side stories in this book it kinda blew my mind but it was representative of family life; it’s wonderful messy and at times chaotic. Each person is in a different stage of their life and dealing with their own relationships and issues.

There’s romance, infidelity, friendship, betrayal, triumph and loss and it’s all so juicy! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the chance to review this book.

What a fantastic book this is. Full of twists and turns that you don’t see coming!
Libby & Alice are twin sisters and while Libby has a successful life as a local doctor with a happy marriage and two children, she craves that third child, a boy for her husband Nick.
Alice has always been in the shadow of her sister to a certain extent and has returned to her hometown after her partner of 3 years decides that the relationship has ended. As well as losing her partner, she loses any confidence that she built up as well.
Jess is Libby’s best friend and is almost like a sister as well. They have so much in common and enjoy each other’s company perhaps a little too much whilst sharing their lives with their combined children.
Karen is Libby & Alice’s mother and while supporting her daughters, she lives with doubts and secrets in her own life that go way back.
They all appear like an ordinary family that could be anyone’s family, but when events come to life that threatens their perfect world, what is the fallout on each of them?
Fiona has done a lot of research for this book and I loved the descriptions of the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria where I holidayed as a child. The small town feel of the book covered a lot of things, the gossips, the seasonal activities, the boat hire and the close-knit community. She writes about a lot of situations including the online dating world, friends with benefits, art therapy, illness, friendship and many other things all wrapped up in this wonderful bundle! This will appeal to readers of books about families, friendships and women’s fiction readers. I believe its her best book yet!
Many thanks to @harlequinaus and @netgalley for the review copy for an honest opinion.

Twin sisters Libby and Alice Hunter had always been close – as twins usually are – but when Libby met Jess Dekic at thirteen and they became fast friends, Alice felt pushed to the background. Jess was a part of the Hunter family, but Alice felt like a third wheel. After a disastrous break up with her boyfriend of three years, Alice moved home to Kurnai Bay from Melbourne. Her grief and heartbreak took away her fragile confidence and she found herself once again living with her parents, feeling like a child.

Libby was married to Nick and they had two beautiful daughters. Their marriage was rock solid; but after a tragedy rocked Libby and Nick’s world, it felt to Libby that they were on shaky ground. She saw more of Jess as she had moved home to Kurnai Bay with her small son Leo and while tensions continued, Libby found she wasn’t coping. Libby and Alice’s parents, Karen and Peter, were loving, caring people and a great role model for their two girls. But secrets long held were set to be exposed, and heartbreak would follow…

Just an Ordinary Family by Aussie author Fiona Lowe was a fabulous read. Four strong women as the main characters living their lives, everyday normal lives, showing how easily things change. How sudden heartache can rock the core of your life; how the strength of holding a secret for almost forty years can have shattering repercussions when that secret comes to light. And how so much can make you stronger in the end. Highly recommended.

With thanks to HarperCollins AU and NetGalley for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Fiona Lowe’s books so was very excited to receive this title to read and review.
Just an Ordinary Family is another enjoyable read; this time the story is about the Hunter family who live in a small town on the coast called Kurnai Bay. Mum, Karen is the typical mother who wants the best for her twin daughters Libby, the town Dr and Alice, who has come home from Melbourne after a failed relationship.
Jess, a single mum also returns to Kurnai Bay and Libby is so excited. Jess was Libby’s best friend at High School and she is now back part of the family but not everyone is happy at her return.
How do the four women cope with life events that are thrown at them?
A story of family, love, secrets, trust and betrayal make for a great read.

Highly recommend this title

Just an Ordinary Family by Aussie author Fiona Lowe was a brilliant read which I couldn’t put down. A really great story about families, friends and secrets with characters that I came to love very quickly. I must admit I’ve only read one other book by this author (Home Fires) which I thoroughly enjoyed and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This was a very enjoyable book which I LOVED and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who enjoys a great read. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

‘No one tells you that being a mother’s both exhilarating and terrifying.’

Four women, four very different stories. Karen Hunter is the mother of twins Libby and Alice. Even now they are both grown up, she wants to protect them. And there’s Jess Dekic, Libby’s closest friend. Closer to Libby than Alice, Jess has been around the Hunter family for so long that she’s considered family.

Alice returns to the tiny seaside town of Kurnai Bay after her relationship fails. She’s unemployed, and envies Libby her life as a doctor, a happily married woman with two children. Karen worries about Alice: she wants her to succeed. Jess, a single mother with a young son, is also in Kurnai Bay. Libby’s daughters and Jess’s son get on well together. But things are about to go wrong, for each of the four women, in very different ways.

‘Luck was such an arbitrary event—one person’s luck was too often another person’s misfortune, but she couldn’t think about that.’

Secrets, medical issues, betrayal. They are all part of the story that unfolds in Ms Lowe’s novel. Just when I thought I’d figured it out, there was another twist, another issue to be faced. Karen will need to revisit the past, while Jess and Alice will need to come to terms with quite different futures. And Libby will have some issues of her own to confront.

‘Sometimes the means justifies the end.’

There were times when I found the number of issues in this novel to be quite overwhelming. Yet Ms Lowe makes it work drawing our attention (along the way) to several significant and confronting life issues. Be warned: both happiness and sadness make several appearances, and some readers may find some aspects unbearably sad. Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride.

I finished this novel with mixed feelings: a number of the characters had become part of my life.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Fiona Lowe has become a must read author for me.
This story is set in the small coastal town of Kurnai Bay. Centred around the Hunter Family, eldest daughter Libby is the local Doctor, happily married with two young daughters. Her twin sister Alice has recently returned home after a failed relationship in Melbourne. Their mother Karen despairs that Alice will never find her feet and get a ‘good’ job. But vague, dreamy Alice is learning to love herself and take control of her life. Also back into the fold of the family is single mother Jess, with her young son Leo. Jess is Libby’s BFF from way back in their teenage years and they have always been there for each other.
But what happens when boundaries are crossed? Exploring many themes, I loved these characters. I felt many emotions from disbelief, anger to sadness, understanding and happiness.
An extremely satisfying story that I highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read

WOW this is a brilliant story, a story of family and friends, of love and hurts, secrets and truths, one that had me up very late last night finishing it, MS Lowe has gone deep into the characters feelings and emotions and showed us what can happen when things collapse, this is one that I highly recommend I do hope that you will come along for the journey with Karen, Alice, Libby and Jess, you are going to need tissues handy.

Karen Hunter is the mother of twins Libby and Alice they live in the small fishing town of Kurnai Bay happily but Karen always worries over her daughters especially Alice the last twin born, Karen is protective and is always trying to steer them in the right direction even when they are adults, she has secrets that she keeps.

Alice has moved back home to Kurnai Bay after a failed relationship, she is now thirty three and single again, she grew up in her twin’s shadow always feeling left behind and wanting a family herself she is feeling her biological clock ticking away.

Libby is married to Nick, she is a doctor and has two beautiful little girls but life has been tough lately and there has been a little strain on her marriage, but she has always had her best friend Jess to support her as well as Alice and her mother.

Jess moved to Kurnai Bay when she was thirteen, Jess is very confident, she has her secrets and soon finds Libby her best friend, and finally she has found what she has always wanted family.

My feelings about people in this book changed a few times while reading this one, my emotions went from anger, frustration to joy, happiness and such sadness, I was pulled into their lives as a terrible betrayal pulls them all apart, it sees secrets revealed that rock the family, and then forgiveness and openness that will bring a lot of tears, this book was an emotional roller coaster that is so beautifully told it really is amazing and fabulous, it is one that will stay with me for some time to come, I loved this one.

If you have never read a Fiona Lowe book them pick this one up, I am sure that you will want to read all that she has written, her stories truly are a must reads she knows how to bring her characters alive on the pages.

Just an Ordinary Family by author Fiona Lowe was a fabulous read! So much drama that makes the head spin. The story had so many stand out characters and some comical lines that have one chuckling. Melting moments, and tear jerking scenes kept this reader glued to the pages. Another great story with characters that grab your focus by author Fiona Lowe.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley