This was such a lovely book. Warm hearted, humorous, honest, relatable and beautiful. I’d happily read this again or gift to a friend.

Dip into this brilliant book and join the Sea-gals as they share their secrets, their hopes and dreams while swimming in the cold, cold sea.
Helga, missing her years sailing around the world solo, but at over 70 sea swimming is now the nearest she can get. Tor has rheumatoid arthritis, and the cold sea water helps her with the pain. It also helps her forget that she is living with more than 1 secret that she is yet to share with her parents and twin sister. Dominica is grieving for her beloved husband Chris who died of Covid at the start of the pandemic. Swimming helps her share her heartache with her friends and remember her husband with love and laughter.
These 3 are the "original" Sea-gals but they are quickly joined by Claire and Maddy. Both have their own problems but meeting and joining the Sea-gals will give them a new perspective and help them cope with the present and face the future. With ups and downs, you'll feel like you're on a rollercoaster of emotions, but you will ultimately be left with a very warm glow.
If you enjoyed The Cancer Ladies Running Club this is a must read. The characters are relatable and very human. None of us are perfect and these ladies show that that is okay. With good friends around you, you can cope with anything. It will take you on a real rollercoaster of emotions and make you want to join the Sea-gals.

When Maddy's marriage falls apart, she ends up in Brighton searching for her estranged son. Chance involves her in a sea swimming group. Everyone in the group needs support right now and this is the group to help. An incredible group who value friendship. This is just what Maddy needs to give her her life back. So heartwarming.

I’m not a fan of cold water or swimming but this book has inspired me to take cold showers not for long but I’ve started, I’m not close enough to take up sea swimming but it’s certainly something I’ll try on my next seaside visit. I want to experience the feeling of sea on my skin invigorating my body and mind just as described. I want to feel this myself!
Friendship is the heart of this book with five very different stories and backgrounds.
Set during covid times this story also touches on the subjects of loneliness, grief, body image, homelessness, environment and menopause. Difficult subjects to get a real feel from in pages of a story but Josie Lloyd manages it perfectly you feel there, you experience the sadness the despair the joy.. Wonderful uplifting read that did bring me to tears a few times. A book that you relate to one or more of the characters because of their story, their experience.

The Sea-Gals - Dominica, Tor and Helga, who meet regularly to swim in the sea whatever the weather. This band of women who support and guide each other. They are joined by Claire and Maggy who soon join the gang. This tale of friendship and love is heartwarming and beautiful.

This book had me researching cold water swimming groups near me, and I've found where they go! Been on my list of things I want to do for such a long time. I loved this book for the relationships that built up between women of all ages and backgrounds. The mutual support was lovely to see - there was no thought of tearing anyone down, or criticising them for being different. They all appreciated each other as they are. I most identified with Claire, although I am Dominica's age. But menopausal, struggling with purpose, confidence and body image - yes!! These were real people with real lives. I loved this and devoured it in a day. #netgalley #lifesavingforbeginners

This is a really great book. I was a bit worried about any novel written in the ‘covid era’ as it’s not a time in my life that brings much happiness. I should not have been concerned as this book is a life affirming read about a group of women and their indomitable spirit.
They all have interesting back stories, and similar to many of us with marriage breakdowns, family upsets and lost lives and loves.
The one thing they have in common is the desire to swim in the sea. Through ice, wind and blazing sunshine, they bond and grow together.
There is plenty of drama as the story develops and you want them to overcome their issues and be happy.
I really enjoyed this book. I had read some of her earlier books, written with her husband which I remembered being really entertaining. I would highly recommend this as a good summer read, engaging and full of hope.

Lifesaving for beginners by Josie LLoyd is an easy to read summer book, which has that feel good factor.
Recommended

I loved reading about the Sea Gals, a group of women who have life’s usual problems and ups and downs but take any opportunity to swim in the sea, in all conditions! In forming such a group, they are able to support each other through their difficulties and life problems. It makes you wish you were part of the group too.
A book about friendships and why they matter and how they can be formed - very enjoyable.

I absolutely love swimming in the Sea and I wish that I lived nearer so that I could go more often. In the meantime I can escape by reading about swimming instead.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is set during Lockdown and I have found myself shunning books set during this time. This was well written though and I found that the time period didn't affect my enjoyment of this book.
There was a varied range of characters in this book which was good. I liked all of the main characters. This is a heartwarming read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I really took my time over it. It is basically about a group of women who all have things, good and bad, going on in their lives. They end up as a group called “Sea Gals” who take any opportunity they can to dip into the sea, regardless of the season for the weather. They all help each other through illness, broken marriages, estrangements, unhappiness when they can and become the group who always have each other’s back and always encourage each other when that little bit of fear and self doubt creeps into their lives. Definitely a book worth reading which champions the friendships that can grow from nothing to being one of the most important things in your life.

Another very good novel from Josie. It definitely uplifted me. Brave ladies get together to swim in the sea in all seasons, whilst supporting each other with their various situations in life. It highlights an important and positive outcome of Covid restrictions and all the implications it made on everyone- the support provided by friends, family and community is vital to us all.

I loved this book. It's one I will definitely re-read at some point. Although it featured lockdown, it wasn't downbeat. I loved all the female characters. There were some great lines, which gave me food for thought. I love it when a book does that. The book is very well-written. It covers a lot of issues, and I loved the inclusion of the sea. It was almost a character in itself. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Brighton, this is a heartwarming tale about five women who bond whilst swimming in the sea. The diverse characters add to the story's charm, and each woman's story is interesting. I like the coastal setting and the believably flawed characters. It is a motivational story, perfect escapist reading.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A disparate group of females who gather to swim in the sea. All reeling from the effects of lockdown. Relationships difficulties and breakdown. Outward appearances are not the truth or even a glimmer of it. They band together and support each other through difficult times.
You will relate to a number of the characters as people in your life. Enjoy I did

After reading the brilliant Cancer Ladies’ Running Club, I knew I had to read this book. Here, we meet the Sea Gals, a mixed group of ladies who go swimming in the sea at Brighton come rain or snow. With two new women joining the group, we learn about their lives and worries as well as see their friendships grow. The first half of this book is spent establishing the different characters and finding out about their backgrounds. I much preferred the second half where their lives became more entwined and the new friendships became stronger. An enjoyable read.

Wow. Just wow. You can't not feel emotion when reading this book. Featuring the main character Maddy and whole host of women from different backgrounds who bond over a love of sea swimming, you'll get drawn into their world and feel all the better for it. Even if you have no intention of even dipping a toe into the sea, the shared experiences of the lovely ladies will inspire and give you that warm feeling inside that we all need,

Lifesaving for Beginners is a different type of novel to Josie Lloyd's romantic ones of old, but it still contains the engaging writing style that we all know and love. It's written from the heart and that comes through the book in bucketfuls of love.

The Sea-gals a cold water swimming group that live in Brighton. Helga, Maddy, Claire, Dominica and Tor. All have different problems in life. This is an uplifting story of how a shared passion brings people together and gives them the ability to work through issues.

There was nothing I didn’t love about this book. How often do you read that in a review, but it isn’t a phrase I use often and I really mean it.

The stories of the five women who meet on Brighton beach to swim during the pandemic are wound seamlessly together to make a cohesive whole. Maddy, whose marriage and Instagram-perfect lifestyle have fallen apart; Helga the elder stateswoman who refuses to accept the limitations of her advancing years; Claire, the wife and mother who feels she has become invisible; Dominica struggling with grief; and Tor who is afraid to tell her family about the woman she loves.

This is a book about the power of friendship and the ability to move on. There is no one central shared ‘quest’ and really no central character. Their stories blend and twist together in such a powerful way I found it impossible to put down.

This is primarily a book about friendships, but each character has her own story and I loved the way they all were interwoven.
One way or another Helga, Dominica, Claire, Tor and Maddy found their way to the Sea-Gals, a small group of women that swim in the sea at Brighton, all year around.
Helga, the oldest of the group lives on her own and fills her time with nature and art. She keeps her past close to her chest., and doesn't talk about regrets she holds from her past.
Dominica lost her beloved husband to Covid at the height of the pandemic and is getting used to being on her own.
Tor lives with her girlfriend Lotte and loves the sea. She finds it a tonic for her arthritis, She wishes it would give her courage to tell her family that she is gay and loves Lotte.
Claire found the group after finding out that her neighbour isn't as nice as she thought she was and Maddy fled to Brighton after finding a phone message from her estranged son that originated in Brighton on the same day as she found out her husband was having an affair.
As the book progresses the reader sees each character develop and you just want everything to work out for them. Another gem!