Laura's Mum dies of cancer & she is having difficulty grieving because she didn't like her very much. Follow the road of Laura getting to know her sister better & dealing with what life is throwing at her. I read this book in two sittings, I was grabbed by the honesty of Laura & how she was dealing with it all. Enjoyed the way the book has been written & I'm sure many people could relate to the problems that are happening. Recommeded read.

Laura and Jess are not the closest of sisters, they’ve grown up to be very different people with different lives and very different relationships with their mother. When their mother dies and with no other family close by they’re forced to come together to not only arrange her funeral but to sort through her flat; obviously this is a really difficult time for both of them but its made more difficult by the fact that they just can’t seem to get along. Jess is a lifestyle blogger and in younger sister Laura’s eyes is always looking down at Laura’s not spotless home and slightly more overall laid-back attitude to life.

I was drawn to this on Netgalley because it sounded a little like me and my own sister, we’re very different people and don’t always get on perfectly but like Laura and Jess, we’re still family. Fleabag was mentioned in the Goodreads summary and I was hoping this would include some of the same difficult but ultimately heartwarming sibling relationships.

Unfortunately, I struggled with this a bit mainly because I found I couldn’t get behind with Laura’s character, I spent the first part of the book furious at her partner Jon and the rest slightly annoyed with her and personally I find books like this to be difficult to enjoy if I don’t feel like a cheerleader for our main protagonist. I also found that some plot points I was enjoying fell a little flat and then a lot happened in the last 10% of the book which felt a little rushed which was a shame because there were some interesting little twists I wasn’t expecting.

What a great book this is. I absolutely adored Laura instantly but did take a little bit of time to warm to Jess due to how her character is portrayed but she really comes through as a great character as the story goes on. Great character development for Jess I thought.
This book has wit, drama and also really pulled at my heart strings in certain areas, especially a certain letter towards the end that is addressed to Laura.
It has left me wondering though if there will be a follow on

I was sent an advanced readers copy by Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an honest impartial review.

Rating 2/5

Plot Summary

We are Family by Nicola Gill follows the lives of two sisters Laura and Jess, who are estranged, and following the death of their mother have been forced into reconciliation by the circumstances which involve joint decisions like planning the funeral and sorting out their mum’s apartment.

What Didn’t work for me:

While this was intended to be a story about two sisters’ journey towards reconnecting and reconciling, Laura became the central character and unfortunately also the centre point of the plot, which took away the focus from the actual plot itself.

I found the character of Laura deeply problematic, because it seemed to me that Laura was miserable and disliked her sister, not only because she got the short end of the stick when it came to life in general, but also because she had some deep rooted behavioural issues that made her enjoy being miserable.

She was at times, unfairly jealous and insecure of Jess and unfortunately the author has spent far too much time going over these issues rather than focus on the plot.

More or less the plot was predictable, and also tended to waffle – for example – when Laura decides to come clean to Jess about trolling her on the blog, the author has dedicated 2 entire chapters to Laura’s inner musings, introspections and bouts of self-pity.

This theme is recurring throughout the book, to the point where I skimmed through and kept reading just because I wanted to finish the book.

What I’d have liked to see:

The story, as it talks about 2 sisters, would have been better told from the POV of both Laura and Jess – there’s always two sides to the coin.

The mother Evie, is also depicted in unfairly just from Laura’s POV – I would have liked to see why Evie was how she was, as narrated or shown from a neutral or third person POV.

Central characters that are better etched out – As mentioned earlier, Laura ends up becoming the central character in this book, and every character – Jess, Evie, Billy, Amy – are shown as Laura would view them – and given Laura’s ‘got-a-chip-on-my-shoulder’ nature, the depictions are one dimensional and frankly unfair. Well rounded characters – at least the main characters would have added much more depth to the overall plot.

Conclusion:

I’d give it a miss, or put it really low on my read list.

For me this book felt a little bit flat if I’m honest. I don’t know if this was due to the time when I was reading it as there was stuff going on in my family life and so certain bits were very relatable. I liked the characters of both Jess and Laura and felt that the relationship between them was very honest and realistic.

Even though things did happen, and quite a few things, it still didn’t feel very eventful to me. There didn’t really seem to be a purpose of the book and it’s just flowed along nicely.

I liked the book and it was a nice calming read, with really good character development but I think it just lacked that something.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

When I read The Neighbours by Nicola Gill I was hooked! But it is possible for Nicola Gill to get EVEN better so if you loved The Neighbours then you will adore We Are Family.

It was a slow start for me – but only for the first 10% and then I was hooked just like before. I was getting strong Fleabag vibes throughout with a hint of Bridget Jones but at the same time Nicola Gill has a writing style all of her own.

So much is crammed into one book that it’s almost impossible to believe that contemporary issues can be explored in such depth. However they are, and Nicola Gill does it with great talent and sensitivity. Blended families, romance, grief, illness, work, home, children…and so much more is covered in this book whilst at the same time being highly entertaining, heart-breaking and hilarious in equal measures.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
We Are Family is an excellent story to show the interactions of two polar opposite sisters. Jess and Laura may be related, but Laura is more laid back and Jess is the overachiever. As they each have different types of personalities, the writing gives you a glimpse into life on the other side as many people have a sibling that is their opposite and sometimes it can be hard to understand why they do things or think about things a certain way and can't always see the other side. For me, I'm more similar to Jess while my sister is similar to the laid back style of Laura. Although the ending felt a little rushed to me, it was a heart-warming story of family. This was the first novel I've read by Nicola Gill and after reading her book (and other reviews highly recommending her other one), I now have her on my list of books to read. I recommend this novel for anyone who wants a feel-good book with a good mix of happy and emotional moments!

I have to separate my feelings for the characters in the book and the actual writing of this book.
The characters in the book are pretty annoying and not very likable, but I think the author did a good job on character development, since I really disliked the people quite a bit. I do not think that I would have strong feelings about them otherwise.

The actual writing of the book, in my opinion, was very dragged out. When I reached half of the book, I was really getting tired of reading, what I felt was the same thing over and over. I was reading to finish the book, more than caring about what happened. I think the book could be shorter, which perhaps would have held my interest better.

I received the advanced reader copy from NetGalley. My review is my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Interesting plot about family dynamics.
Loved how Nicola Gill narrate it in a such lighthearted sense of humour.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley.

DNF'ed at 60%.

This book has room to be really good, but 500 pages is way to long. There is a lot in here that I don't think needs to be. It causes the story to drag. I think the storyline is good and the characters are interesting, but I just couldn't continue to drag though the story to see how the ending was.

I wanted to like this book, the plot sounded intriguing and I could wait to read it. However as I started reading, I found the characters to be immature and it was hard for me to get through this book. It took me four day’s to get to 25 percent completed and I had to put it down. I did not finish this book, maybe I will come back to it at some point. But unfortunately I could not finish this story.

We Are Family was indeed an endearing read. I was compelled to read it because I related to the dynamic between the sisters specifically and because it seemed like a wholesome story. The characters were fairly easy to connect with. It was the plot, however, that left more to be desired. The story felt a little stretched out for me, revolving on one mere issue that could have wrapped up quite quickly. In other words, there just was not enough conflict, surprise, or interest as the story carried on. If someone was looking for a casual sisterly tale with limited drama, this is what I would recommend. Ultimately, this is a story that will likely fade into the background of my psyche with others, rarely to be summoned to my memory again. The author has talent without a doubt and I do look forward to her future works.

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a deep dive into a sisterly relationship, told from the POV of the younger sister. Lots to unpack here, and much heartache through the early death of the sister's father, and a mother who is self-involved at best and a passive-agressive narcissist at worst. When the story starts, both sisters are struggling to come to terms with the recent death of their mother. The two of them have never really gotten along, and the narrator's voice reveals a lot of hurt and envy - some justified, some on an endless loop that she's trapped herself in. Although I could empathize with the narrator in parts, I did find her negative personality hard to take. I think I would have liked this book better if the POV of the older sister was given an airing. The ending was satisfying, albeit formulaic, and I was glad to be able to put the finished book aside - it was just a bit too long for what it was..

I was really looking forwqrd to reading this but have decided to DNF at 10%. I might come back to it but I'm up to chapter 10 and Laura still is an adult who is acting like a child and putting up with a partner who acts like a child.

I just can't muster the energy to force myself to keep reading about a character I dislike so much. I have no issues with her complex feelings about her mothers death -- it's the "woe is me, no one understands me because I'm different and unique" attitude that frustrates me.

We Are Family By Nicola Gill // 4⭐️
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We Are Family tells the story of Laura and Jess, two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Jess is a social media influencer with a seemingly perfect house, perfect children, perfect husband, perfect life. Laura works an unsatisfying job as a writer for an advice column, is in an unhappy relationship with her partner, and works hard to raise her son as best as she can. All her life, Laura has compared herself to Jess and often felt as if she came up short, and most of the criticism came from their mother, Evie. The death of their mother from cancer, however, draws the sisters together, and they realize that family is much more than blood.
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This book with such a joy to read! While it was a light and fun story, it touched on some pretty heavy topics such as grief and complicated family relationships. The sibling dynamics between Laura and Jess were so interesting, especially as told from Laura’s perspective. She reminds readers how easy it is to see things from your point of view without taking the time to understand how the same set of circumstances can affect others in different ways. Seeing the two sisters grow together after years of living with jealousy and heartbreak wedged between them was so satisfying, and I enjoyed every step of the journey.

A bit dramatic and heavy issues were talked about. They are important topics to discuss however I thought this was would be a light read about sister relationships, which I always love reading about. I ended up still liking this one even though it wasn't exactly what I expected. I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy!

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my review.

This is another book where I felt that the description didn't really match the story. Also, I feel that there should have been a bit of a warning of some of the family issues that are dealt with in this book. This was listed as a contemporary fiction story and compared to some fairly light reads, but this book, for me, felt a lot more dramatic. The story of the sisters being compared to each other, the way the mother leaves the one sister to feel all the time - it's some heavy stuff, at least for me. I did finish reading the book, but it took me longer than expected because I needed to take breaks. The subject matter just really got to me.

With a notification of trigger warnings for family issues, bullying, death of a parent from cancer, I think that others may enjoy this story. But for me, without the warning, I did not enjoy the book.

We Are Family is a story following one of two sisters who are trying to cope with their lives after their mother passes away from cancer. Laura who is the protagonist is truly struggling with the relationship she had with her mother, and how it has affected many of her other relationships, especially with her sister Jess. Compared to Laura, Jess has it all with her perfect husband, two little perfect daughters, and perfect job being a fashion blogger. Laura on the other hand is shacking up with her lazy boyfriend who cannot keep a job, and their five year old son Billy who is kind of a brat, and hates her job as a journalist for a failing magazine company.

The story follows Laura on her journey to self love after an emotionally abusive childhood. She has to come to terms with the choices she makes, mend her relationship with her sister, and some other situations that get dropped on her without losing herself completely.

I thought it was a good story, it felt a little rushed towards the end. I would have loved a more rounded ending, but it was a nice story.

This is the story of Laura. A magazine features writer for 'Natter', mother to 5 year old Billy, girlfriend of lazy Jon and put upon friend of Amy. Laura's sister is Jess, a social media influencer with two perfect children, a perfect husband and a perfect life. According to Laura, Jess does everything 'perfectly' - including grieving for their recently deceased mother who openly favoured Jess. As Laura and Jess lost their father 25 years ago, the loss of their mother leaves them as orphans - an idea that both traumatises and amuses Laura. Now Laura and Jess are forced together to sort out their mothers things and Laura isn't quite sure if she can deal with the jealousy she feels for her sister - can they forge a new relationship or will their mothers favouritism drive a wedge between them?

This book is a nice gentle read. It is sad and funny in equal measure. Laura is very relatable and likable and promotes sympathy though there were occasions when I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop letting people take advantage of her. A perfect summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.