We are Family by Beth Moran #Review

 

I am happy to be on the tour for Beth Moran's latest uplifting novel, We are Family, which was published on 15th June by Boldwood Books.

 
Thirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the tragic death of Maggie’s father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can’t see any option other than for the two of them to move back in with her parents.

Going home means many things – finally confronting her estranged father, navigating her mother’s desperate need to make everything ok despite the wobbles in her own marriage, not to mention helping a still-grieving Maggie to settle into a new school, find new friends, and stop expressing her emotions through her ever-changing hair colour.

What Ruth needs are friends, but she abandoned her childhood ones when she left all those years ago. Luckily for Ruth, they haven’t abandoned her. Slowly she lets herself be embraced by a group of women who have always had her back – even when she didn’t know it. And as the grief and shock recede, Ruth can even begin to imagine sharing her life with someone other than just Maggie – if Maggie will let her.

 My Thoughts

This is an uplifting, warm and witty novel which has some great characters and a few underlying serious themes. Family dynamics are key and Ruth has got some issues from her childhood to work through. However, she is not on her own. Her daughter, Maggie, is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her father and even Ruth's parents have some difficulties to work through. Ruth has spent most of her adult life trying to keep her life on an even keel and has sacrificed her dreams and her talents in order to give her daughter a secure childhood. 

    Wrapped around the characters is a warm and welcoming community. Ruth has to discover for herself the benefits of friendship and of helping others. There are so many that seem lost, even the old lady who Maggie is forced to 'befriend' . Fostering is one way in which people are given a second chance but it never feels sentimental. The romance behind the story is touching. It is not confined to one generation but crosses the ages. Young and old are shown to be looking for love. There is humour within the story, stemming from the characters and the dialogue. Ruth's Mum and Maggie are particularly entertaining. This is an entertaining read and one packed to the top with observations about the human state.

 

In short: It takes a village to raise a child

About the Author

 

Beth Moran is the award winning author of ten contemporary fiction novels, including the top ten bestseller Just the Way You Are and #1 bestseller Let It Snow. Her books are set in and around Sherwood Forest, where she can be found most mornings walking with her spaniel Murphy. She has the privilege of also being a foster carer to teenagers, and enjoys nothing better than curling up with a pot of tea and a good story.

You can read my review of Christmas Every Day here

 and How not to be a Loser here and Take a Chance on Me here and We Belong Together here.

You can follow Beth here: Website   |  Boldwood Books Profile Page   |  Facebook   |  Twitter  |  Bookbub  |  Newsletter Sign Up Link 

 

  Book links 

Thanks to Beth Moran, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

                                                       Check out the rest of the tour!