I went back in forth on liking this novel and disliking it. The characters are complex and maybe that's the point. The story is about a family that on the surface looks perfect, but as we dig deeper into their stories we realize that it's not as perfect as they are trying to make it seem. I enjoyed the alternating points of view and felt like I connected with Cleo the best but desipite having 9 narrators it was easy to follow and it was realistic and relatable. This is my first read from the author and I will want to start digging into her backlist!

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

This book is about two families, The Kelleway’s and The Harrop’s, both families live next door to each other.

Winnie and Bernie Kelloway are celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary and as they love showing off, they’ve booked a family dinner at their favourite Italian restaurant. Daisy, the daughter of The Harrow family, wishes that things were the same for her family, since her mother has lived in her room, and not ventured outside at all, things haven’t been the same.

But, everything changes following the events that occur that night, affecting each member of both families.

Each chapter of the book is narrated through the viewpoints of the characters, with so many, it was interesting to read about their thoughts and how they felt about what was happening.

Throughout the story, there was some difficult issues covered, such as divorce, bankruptcy, mental health as well as others. All issues were sensitively.

I highly recommend this book

It’s going to be a challenge to review this book without risking any spoilers, but I will do my best. This is a mighty book that covers the scale of a large family and their neighbours. Winnie Kelleway, the family’s matriarch has ruled the family home with a persona that reminded me of Hyacinth Bucket (Bouquet if you’re old enough to remember the series). Focused totally on keeping up appearances and praising her children and grandchildren, she believes that she’s somewhat better than everyone else. Her son, Lawrence, and his wife and children have returned from Australia and started over in a beautiful home in a prestigious part of town. His children, Cassian and Domino are both gorgeous, but they also have secrets that would possibly throw the family’s life into turmoil. Lawrence’s wife, Julie intuitively knows that there are secrets waiting to come to light.
Lawrence’s sister, Cleo, has married an ordinary but reliable man, George. She dreams of getting away from the suffocating effect of her close-knit family. She’s not interested in keeping up with anyone and wishes that her family would see George for the wonderful man that he is. Now pregnant, Cleo is determined to avoid her child being dragged into the family drama.
Next door to Winnie, we meet Daisy and her family. Daisy is harbouring a massive crush on Cassian. Daisy doesn’t live the charmed life of her neighbours, in fact, her mother is fighting with mental health issues that have left her completely housebound. Waiting tables at the local Italian restaurant leads to a massive tip from Lawrence, that acts as a catalyst for a tear in the very fabric of her neighbour’s lives.
Once again, I knew that I was in for a treat, and Amanda Prowse delivered a story that had many trails that all looped back to the central characters. I was pulled right into their worlds and felt joy and pain for each of the characters. Well, not for each of them as a few were almost impossible to like.
I did have favourites and found myself absolutely in Julie’s camp. Her character was perfectly developed to the degree that I would love to read another book that picked up her story. I guess, that’s one of the joys of reading; I was able to imagine her future and can confirm that she goes on to great things.
Another favourite was Cassian, his gentle nature was an absolute joy to Winnie, but she never actually saw the real man under the fairytale that she had spun around his life. I certainly said a very loud YES! As his true self came to the fore.
I absolutely loved this thought-provoking book and can highly recommend it, but buckle up, it’s not a smooth ride.

All Good Things, a story of two families, dysfunctional as they are.
One well to do family and one not as nice anymore.
Children, teenagers on both side, here is where some of the attraction abides.
Good story and some great characters and some amusing banter.
I really like this book.
Thank you @NetGalley@LakeUnionPublising@AllGoodThings

This book was a little "more" than I was expecting. It's basically about two families who have been neighbors for a long time. One family seems to not be as well off as the other. Their house is a little rundown and they don't have the flashy things that the elderly couple next door and their son and his family have. But...you don't always know what's going on behind closed doors.

The story is told through the point of almost everyone in the two families. At first, I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it and even contemplated not finishing it. I'm really glad I stuck with it. Prowse had several surprises up her sleeve and gave the story some interesting twists. After a bit, you wonder if anyone in the story is telling the truth. I did get caught up in the story and enjoyed it quite a bit.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Such an interesting read of how appearances can be deceptive, and what we can all envy each other’s lives. Is the grass greener or have we got what everyone else wants? Expectations, pride, outward images and true acceptance can all be part of our family dynamics which are beautifully portrayed here in layers, depth and insightful perception.
Winnie is very proud of her beautiful family and is preparing for her big wedding anniversary with her husband Bernie. Daisy lives next door, and admires this picture perfect family, wanting to be a part of them, rather than the life she has, studying and working part-time on her way to university.
As she prepares for a shift at the local Italian restaurant where the anniversary party is to take place, she wonders how the evening will play out.
The affluent layers unravel to lay the secrets bare. Full of shocks and surprises, took me a while but then I was gripped.
Although I didn’t actually like any of the characters, the layers unravelling were so interesting I was hooked in. Great book, enthralling and fascinating!
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union books for the early read.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This secret filled drama follows Daisy Harrop, who lives next door to the Kelleway family, who she believes to be perfect. She has always felt she wants to be like them when she settles down and even has a crush on one of the family.

The Kelleway family celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary of their mum and dad at the restaurant where Daisy works, and after a lovely speech from the head of the family, it leaves everyone believing everything is perfect.

Meanwhile, during the evening and throughout the next day secrets come to light which may disrupt the high image Daisy has of this wonderful family.

What secrets are they all hiding? Will all be revealed?

There was certainly a lot of drama throughout this story, with each chapter going through different members of the family seeing the views and secrets of each of them in turn.

I would like to have heard a little more from Daisy, but how the book was written allowed the mystery and secrets to be revealed one at a time. I felt sorry for what she had to deal with in her life, and it was great to see her still strong and believing things will get better.

I did like the message that even if a family looks perfect, you don’t know what is going on behind closed doors. Even if people don’t all have secrets like these families, there are still imperfections in every family as no one is perfect.

Overall, a secret filled drama, where Daisy finds not everything is as perfect as she believes with the family next door.

I wanted to love this, but it fell a bit flat for me. The writing feels a bit older, and therefore, almost not in the present.

The story itself isn’t bad, but I wasn’t fully invested. It took me far longer than it should have to finish.

I will pick up any book by Amanda Prowse and know that I will enjoy it - guaranteed ! This is a complex family story with so many twists and one that I highly recommend. I loved it.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

While I appreciate that there are many readers who will love and cherish this book, I found that it just wasn't for me. I felt it moved too slowly, the family drama and dysfunction didn't capture my attention and keep it there. I found myself setting the book aside in favor of others and struggled to finish it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This story is told by several different characters. Daisy is the main character who seems fascinated with her next door neighbors. Always comparing that family to hers.
I felt kinda sad for Daisy at times.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

This book is about two families who live next door to each other. The Kelleway's have money, secrets and lies. The Harrop's have not so much. The Mom is depressed and can't get out of bed. the Dad works a lot and drinks a lot. The girl, Daisy, is a hard worker who misses her mom and the brother is a bit of a loner and in love. The Harrop's harbor secrets but they are a loving family trying to make ends meet. The Kelleway's are a loud bunch and are braggers and show off's. They tend to hurt people they come in contact with and don't really seem to care that they do. The story centers around the lives of these two families told in different perspectives of the family members. I found it a very interesting read with all the drama. It was well written and you got engrossed in all the characters. I would definitely recommend.
Thanks to #netgalley, #lakeunionpublishing and @mrsamandaprowse for an ARC of this book.

This book started off slowly and it took me awhile to become engaged. Once I did though I was hooked. The story was told through the various characters, each taking a chapter to tell their story within the larger story. The characters were interesting with some being extremely likable and some being irritating. Various topics were touched on such as family relationships, homosexuality, infidelity, and honesty. I definitely enjoyed reading the story which left several unanswered questions which I hope will be answered in a subsequent book.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

What a fabulous family drama; well two family drama to be accurate. I sat down to start reading it one morning and barely moved until I finished it that same afternoon. It was just such an enthralling read. The wealthy Kellaway family live next door to the Harrop’s who live in the shabbiest house in the street but both families have hidden secrets. Amanda Prowse is a master of writing about families and this one has so many different thread and multiple POV’s you wonder just how it will all come together. But it does and seamlessly.

Briefly, Daisy Harrop has always desired what she see’s next door. Her own mother has been in bed for 3 years with depression and her father works long hours for the postal service. Daisy also dreams of being with Cassian her brothers best friend and the Kellaways grandson. Winnie and Bernie Kellaway have been married for 40 years and are self-made, they have two married children and two grandchildren and Winnie is very proud and boastful of their family and their achievements.

There are so many great characters,some nice and some not so nice. Self obsessed matriarch Winnie only cares about what others think as she shows off her wealth and her ‘perfect’ family - I really wanted her to be taken down a peg or two! And her son is no better! Whilst both families seemed completely dysfunctional it soon became clear that the Harrop’s still had the basis for a happy family but not so much the Kellaways. There was so much going on with affairs, financial problems, sexuality, mental health issues and more, all of which are dealt with knowledgeably and sympathetically. I could say so much more but at the risk of spoilers I won’t. Now this may just be me but this felt like it could have a sequel? Author? A wonderful story with subliminal messages about pride coming before a fall, grass not always greener on the other side; envy and boastfulness are not attractive traits. Great read.

3.5 stars
This is a good read with family very much at it’s centre.
We learn about the lives of two families who are neighbours but live very differently.
Daisy is concerned about her Mum who has not left the house for years due to depression.
The Kelleways seem to have everything but there’s some dark secrets hiding under the surface.
With an anniversary dinner being the catalyst for things starting to go wrong we see how each family deals with it.
This is a good read but didn’t quite have the emotional kick that I’m used to with Amanda Prowse.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I had never read anything by Amanda Prowse, but I really enjoyed this book. I am firmly of the mind that we only know the person who we want the world to see. There is so much more going on under the surface. This book is the perfect example of that idea. You have the perfect family, the Kellleway’s. On the outside they look like THE family to be. Yet every family has its secrets. It is just when or if they will be exposed. This book has so many twist and turns. It will keep you engaged and wanting to dive further into the story from page one. I truly enjoyed getting lost in this book, and I can’t wait to recommend it to patrons soon.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I adore this author! She writes honestly and her characters are so colorful. This was basically a story of a family and all their ups and downs and especially their secrets. It takes place over one night and the secrets explode. Many lives could change and not always for the better.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Kelleway's are well off and Winnie loves nothing more than showing off to anyone that will listen, so when it's their fortieth wedding anniversary she and husband Bernie pull out all the stops with a family meal at their favourite Italian restaurant. The Harrop's live next door to Winnie and Bernie and Daisy Harrop wishes her parents house was more like theirs and not the shabbiest on the street, things have not been the same since Lisa stopped leaving her room and Daisy would love to have her mum back, but over the course of the next twenty fours hours events will show that, however much you dress it up, nobody has the perfect life.

All Good Things is the latest story brought to us by the Queen of family drama and she wears that crown with pride yet again with this one although, if you've read any of this author's work previously, you will see that this one is a little bit different. The story is told from the perspectives of various members of the Kelleway and Harrop families with many of them having secrets they don't wish to disclose, whilst others are itching to spill but can't find the right moment. There are many bombshells dropped during this tale, highlighting what is important in a family and it's not always about how much money you have because wealth doesn't buy you happiness and that is abundantly clear for some here. The characters, as in all Amanda's books, are solid and authentic, some of them not very likeable, but my favourites were Cleo and Georgie, who were so good together and of course Daisy, so young and sweet, learning along the way that the grass isn't always greener in the neighbours garden and actually everything she really needed in life was right there in front of her, she just had to open her eyes and see it. This is a gripping and emotional account of dysfunctional families which you do not want to miss.

I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

3 stars! I was thrilled with the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Amanda Prowse’s newest novel, and I enjoyed it.

From Daisy Harrops’ viewpoint, her rich and gorgeous neighbors the Kelleways, are living their best bright and shiny lives. Mr. & Mrs. Kelleway have a beautiful home decked out with the latest gadgets. Their adult son and daughter are just about perfect in every way and grandkids, Domino and Cassian – Cassian, in particular are very pleasing to the eyes.

Daisy has been lusting after Cassian for as long as she can remember. Daisy is an intelligent albeit awkward wallflower and she knows that it would take something earth shattering for him to ever notice someone like her.

Daisy’s family leaves a lot to be desired. Her mother has been depressed and hasn’t really gotten out of bed in about 3 years. Her dad works a lot, drinks often and sleeps more than not. Her brother, Jake, is great but has his own life. He’s either sequestered in his bedroom or out of the house. Their dilapidated home is the neighborhood eye sore and everybody in Four Oaks knows it. It’s hard to be a part of this family when the perfect one is only steps away.

Not everything in either family is as it would seem. The essence of perfection is a façade and all good things could come crashing down. I won’t spoil the fun, but I will say that I was very satisfied with the ending. Though it wasn’t one of my favorite novels, it was still an enjoyable read.

I really liked this book and was very intrigued how it would end. That being said, it ended SO abruptly! The ends were in no way tied up and it leaves a whole lot left unsaid. I did enjoy it and couldn’t wait to pick it back up, but I really needed more form the ending!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.