This is a gentle and compelling story of people - neighbours - living in London today.
The main protagonists are Ben and Jess - two people destined to be together, but with a lot of baggage that threatens to keep them apart.
The characters including Jess’s old but hip dad, and her teenagers are nicely observed.
The novel addresses themes such as exploitation by a family member, bullying and homelessness, but it never plays it for shock appeal. It’s well measured and realistic.
Recommended: a thoughtful portrait of people keeping their heads above water in today’s London.,

They say bad luck runs in threes. This book certainly obliges - jobless, homeless and partnerless - as we get to know Jess and her family. A gentle, thought provoking novel with a touch of humour, that’s an easy and enjoyable read. Ms Goldie gives the reader an insight into the homeless issue married to being unemployed and struggling to survive and get life back on track in Stratford, London. The little mixed bunch of characters were charming , with interesting and comical interactions.Finally with the help of her children, Jess’ long term happiness is on the cards.

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ the publishers for this advance copy.

This book was such a good read, really enjoyed it, a good story that held my interest the whole way through and very well written x

I loved this novel by the author of Nightingale Point. Again, this is a novel about ordinary people ( Jess and Ben) struggling to make their way against extraordinary odds. It's about homelessness and unemployment and family and how tricky it is to juggle everything as a single parent. No one in this novel is out of the ordinary and that's what makes it so real. I'm familiar with the area in which the novel is based and the issues around prices being driven up so that local people are priced out of the market both to rent and to buy.

It really is an excellent novel about living in London today, right now ( or any city in England) and how we deal with what is thrown at us. Keeping your head above water doesn't give much time to plan for emergencies like redundancy and losing your tenancy or looking after elderly parents and children all at the same time. This sounds bleak but it's told with humour and compassion although I do wonder if a sense of positivity really is enough to win in the end.

Recommended

I’ve been waiting for this book ever since I found out Luan Goldie had a new book coming out. When I read the blurb I knew I would love it. I read Nightingale Point a while after it was published and enjoyed that very much too. It’s similar to Nightingale Point in that these are ordinary people in a typical family setting which reflects the struggles of today. Each of the characters could so easily be you or me.

It highlights the housing crisis in this country and how easy it is to suddenly find yourself homeless through no fault of your own. With sky high rents on private lettings and waiting lists longer than your life expectancy for social housing, it’s a situation all too familiar for so many families now. The effects this has on family life, not to mention mental health are spelled out in this book with clarity.

But, the story is far from doom and gloom. Jess is quite a positive character who does her best not to let her circumstances dent her optimism. All the other supporting characters in the book are brilliant. It’s certainly not without its lighter, funny moments.

Running parallel with Jess’s story is the story of Ben. He’s just moved into a flat across the road from Jess’s dad Wolf. Wolf, almost 80 lives in the family home alone now. He’s a bit of an eccentric and fond of a drink or two down at the local pub. Ben, divorced from his wife and desperately missing his young daughter who has moved to Spain with her mum, decided to move back to London to be near his mum. However he soon begins to realise his mother has made a life for herself and doesn’t really need him around, but he has his faithful dog Harold to keep him company.

It’s a brilliant story of 21st century life and all the tribulation’s life throws at us. I enjoyed all the characters in this book and their stories. I loved the way the author depicts what are quite depressing circumstances with humour and an overriding sense of hope – that things can only get better. Is it like that for people in real life? Probably not, but I thought what the book does prove is that with enough positivity and a willingness to adapt to change nothing is impossible, even in the most dire of circumstances.

A fabulous book, and I look forward to the next story from this brilliant author.

**To be posted to blog close to publication date.

A beautiful book about a normal family - I absolutely loved it! I realised, while reading it that I’ve read virtually no books recently about ordinary people struggling through ordinary lives. This book resonates with hope and truth and gives a powerful insight into people on the breadline trying to survive in an interesting and unpatronising way… I loved all of the characters because they felt so real.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and Luan Goldie for my ARC of These Streets in return for my honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it was brilliant.

Jess is a single mum of two teenagers and has to move when the landlord decides to sell the property she has been renting. Both of her children are struggling for different reasons and everything appears to be falling apart.

Cleverly plotted and ingeniously written. Highly recommended

Set on the streets of East London, These Streets is a searing and powerful novel that explores how we are meant to find our place in a world that is designed for only the privileged to succeed. Beautiful and honest, it is an essential story about living in Britain today. I loved how this book captured my attention in the first chapter, the author went right in and did not slow down til the last sentence. I loved the characters and really enjoyed how it was written!

Nightingale point was one of my favourite books of 2019, I absolutely loved it and this book didn't disappoint either.

These streets tells the story of Jess who is a single mum of two teenagers. Life is tough but Jess is tougher. But then their landlord tells them that they have to move out because he needs to sell the house. Jess suddenly has even more to worry about, where are they going to live? What are they going to do? How are they going to get through this? As if this wasn't stressful enough cracks begin to appear everywhere else, her daughter hazel has secrets and is becoming distant, Jacob her son is struggling to find the place where he fits in, into the world, and the brother that Jess tried to cut out of their lives has decided to make his presence known again. Everything is falling apart and Jess is desperately trying to hold everything together.

This is a really well written book. It has so many different interwoven stories in it, so many depths and struggles. It is set in the streets of London an area that people might feel like they know well but this story shows a different side of everything and flips your views of life on its head.

Luan Goldie is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Amazing work.

Well written with a powerful storyline and well developed characters that were relatable and i took to my heart - Jess im looking at you girl. I really liked this book and I found it more emotive than I thought it would be. A great read.

3.5 stars


This is a warm, amusing look at one family, and how they cope with a run of bad luck.
The characters feel like they could be people I know, living in a place I know.
Each of the main characters were extremely likeable, so I was wishing the best for them.

I won't be the only one to reference Nightingale Point in their review , and I feel its worth mentioning, that this is a completely different style of book.

I was late to the party on Nightingale, so pleased I got to this one early so I can recommend it left, right and middle.

East London. Jess has lived in her house for the last twelve years, with her two teenage children.

But not for much longer. Her landlord's selling up.

And that's when everything starts falling apart....

So powerful, so brilliant. You'll ache for Jess.