Nicola Gill

Loretta is the kind of person who is always organised. She makes lists, she is very direct and she is a germaphobe. Hot desking is a nightmare for her but she can whip out her antibacterial wipes and her hand gel and it becomes bearable again. She works in advertising and is very ambitious. On her way to a pitch in New York she encounters six year old Phoebe and her mum, Kate. They are complete opposites to Loretta and they talk nineteen to the dozen and are generally chaotic. When Kate goes to the toilet and doesn't come back Loretta finds herself with a kind of responsibility for Phoebe and it is truly life-changing.

Swimming for Beginners is a real joy of a story. I couldn't help but love Loretta whilst also knowing that she's the sort of person others often find difficult to gel with. There's so much more to her than initially meets the eye, both in terms of her behaviour and what she's capable of, the latter surprising Loretta herself. Phoebe is a delightful character. Like all children, she has zero filter and she comes out with some funny things, but she's also heartbroken and that's hard for Loretta to deal with.

It turns out that Loretta and Phoebe are good for each other and it was so rewarding and uplifting to follow their story. I loved that it ended with hope for the future. This is a beautiful read from Nicola Gill, a story of a healing friendship between an adult and a child which gave me all the feels.… (más)

The Neighbours by Nicola Gill is relationship fiction with a sense of humour. This is the story of two women with absolutely nothing in common, who form an unlikely bond that changes their lives. Ginny, 34, has lost her job and her boyfriend at the same time. Cassie, 55, is an actress of a certain age who has ruined her own reputation when she humiliated herself on television. The two women live in the same apartment building and, when their paths cross, their relationship permanently changes them, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the not-so-good. The Neighbours will make you laugh and it will bring you to tears, sometimes at the same time. This is a delightful and entertaining read and we can all use a little fun. Thank you to Avon Book UK and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.… (más)

I wanted to read The Neighbours because I thought it would be a lovely read but I have to say it far exceeded even my high expectations for it. I absolutely loved it!

This is the story of two women: Ginny and Cassie. They're neighbours in that Ginny lives in the flat above Cassie. On paper they have little in common. Ginny is in her 30s, works in PR and has a boyfriend who constantly lets her down. Cassie is in her 50s, a former actress now at the stage where the highlight of her career is eating kangaroo bum on I'm A Celebrity and even that doesn't endear her to the general public.

These two women become unlikely friends. Ginny is drawn to Cassie who wonders if Ginny can turn her career around, being in PR as she is. It's a lovely story of their growing friendship but it is ultimately Ginny's story and I so enjoyed following her for this period of her life when she's about to turn 35 and her biological clock is ticking very loudly. She's going through a difficult time and not even her beloved Twirl Bites can help.

Nicola Gill has such an engaging writing style. I laughed out loud many times as I found the humour just to my taste. But I also sympathised with Ginny and Cassie and really wanted things to work out for them in the end. It's the ultimate feel-good story, light-hearted in many ways but still addressing those eternal issues of love, relationships, careers, and the way women sometimes start to feel invisible as they get older. Whenever I picked The Neighbours up I just didn't want to put it down. I'd love to know what happens to Ginny next - sequel please!… (más)