I loved The Cancer Ladies Running Club, so I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to read Lifesaving for Beginners. I found this to be a really easy, heart warming read. A reminder that your life exists outside of social media and, spending too much time on posting the right image, means you end up missing out on the important stuff right in front of you. We are always being reinforced with the idea that you meet your best friends at school/University, but Josie demonstrates that you can make good friends at any stage of your life and, that it's normal to out grow your friends as well. What I take away from Lifesaving for Beginners is the importance to challenge yourself, don't be afraid to try something new or to leave a job you don't like. You'll regret it more if you don't take the risk.

Thanks to @netgalley for arc of this fabulous novel
It’s a must read for all women of any age but certainly those of us of a certain age going through the menopause as I have been, as in this book it’s openly talked about and all the ramifications of it which is so wonderful and actually so enlightening as not many books talk about it in the way this book does
It’s a novel based on a group of women who all find joy in swimming in the sea and all support each other through their private troubles even though it take’s awhile for them to open up to each other, once they do it becomes quickly apparent that they will soon be best friends and have each other’s backs
Mandy is an insta Queen with her perfect life and home, Claire is married with two boys but going through horrendous menopausal symptoms her husband is always on computer with boys and she just cooks, cleans, and tidy the house. Then there’s Tor who’s been at home during lockdown and doesn’t want to go back to the office she loves being with Lotte who is her flatmate but also more importantly her girlfriend and Tor hasn’t told them yet. Dominica is still grieving for her husband and then there’s Helga who rounds them all up like a seagull would keeping them safe from harm. But is she fit enough to do that ?

Lifesaving For Beginners by Josie Lloyd is a marvellous contemporary novel that enchanted me from the start.
The novel is about female friendship as a group of women bond over open water swimming in the sea at Brighton. They are various ages with differing life experiences. As they meet over swimming, they soon become a support network, championing each other and offering love and friendship.
Life impacts us all differently but we all need female friendship to offer advice – ladies who have more experience of travelling down the road of life. The ladies range from mid thirties to seventies and have a wealth of experience – from a lost love to a widow to a mother of two.
We see how women’s roles have changed over the years and how it is important to share how we are feeling with those around us. Our sons need educating in women’s life cycles so they can sympathise with what we go through.
As family relationships have broken down, we witness the desperate love of a mother searching for her son.
Life is not what we see on social media. Real life happens after the perfect picture has been posted.
The novel highlights those who are unseen by many – the plight of the homeless and the tireless work of the Samaritan volunteers who really do save lives. Sometimes CPR is needed and sometimes we just need someone to listen.
Lifesaving For Beginners was a powerful novel that I just could not put down. I ‘lived’ the action and applauded the ladies for their love and friendship.
I received a free copy from Harper Collins via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

'Lifesaving for Beginners' is a feel good story about female friendship. The main characters are drawn from different age groups and circumstances and come together through their love of wild swimming. I enjoyed the journey with them and would recommend this well researched, well written novel to any fans of up to date fiction. I might even try sea swimming too!
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
#Sea-Gals

This book is so uplifting and real at the same time! Even though I don't like reading about the pandemoc (we have enough living through it) I enjoyed reading about how these characters got along and changed as time went. All ao different but so relatable at the same time. There are a few triggers so do your research before reading!

The only downside of this book for me, as with many books, is that it seems there has to be love interests at some point of the story when someone is single or newly single (it was quite predictable). Other than that, it was a great read!

Josie has a unique manner with words and I am glad I found her writing with her previous book, which I loved! Not going into the cold see anytime soon, though.

I absolutely loved this wonderful tale of friendship found in the cold sea!
Each character has a great backstory, teased out through the interactions of the swimming group and their friendship blossoms in a very natural way throughout the book.
Based mainly around Maddy and her search for her son the other women all bring something to the group of their own that needs a huddle of wise souls to resolve.
I was so inspired by the expounded wonders of sea swimming I even looked to see if there is a group that meet near my upcoming summer seaside holiday!

This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and the 2nd that I have loved

The book gives an open insight to how we were all feeling during the strange times of the pandemic. The characters brought to life the struggles that we all felt and are still feeling now. But it also gives you ways of getting out of the slump, no matter what background of life you came from

Josie Lloyd brings a refreshing way of storytelling which we can all relate to and by sticking to her roots, she is being true to herself as well. The Salty Sea-Gals have made me want to try to sea swimming, to experience the buzz and the thrill of the cold water against your skin, and to visit Brighton to see the sights that her writing brings to life

I NEED to look out for all her other books as well now.

A huge thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A beautiful story about second chances and the power of female friendships.
It was refreshing to read characters from different backgrounds and ages with a strong bond and individual personalities. The pull of the sea and simplicity of sea swimming was a joy to read

Josie Lloyd has written a book which I think a lot of people will be able to relate to. When Maddy runs away from her life to Brighton to find her son she meets a group of women who despite all being different have one thing in common , sea swimming. All with different reasons these women form a firm friendship and help each other overcome their problems from straight talking Helga to Claire who feels invisible in her life they are all remarkable women who with each other’s support and friendship they discover their strengths. How female friends can build you up like no others. Josie Lloyd is very lucky to have her own group of sea swimmers

This was such a feel good, heart warming novel and it was a joy to get to know all the girls. You felt like you were a part of the ‘Sea-Gals’ and reading them all come together in their times of hardships was lovely. Each one of them had difficulties they were facing, and their time out in the water was truly a balm for them all.

I got so invested in each one of the characters story arcs and the writing was truly compelling. Even though I couldn’t help but think a few of the things that happened were a bit coincidental and not very likely to happen, it still added to the story and added an element of drama. Like things were meant to be!

I also love that it was set during the pandemic, when there was lockdowns, restrictions and covid to contend with. Right through to the end, I was hooked and really enjoyed every page.

Brighton, post-lockdowns. Normality (or what passes for it) is starting to return. And the Sea-Gals are swimming in the sea.

A lovely tale of frienship

I was intrigued by the premise of Lifesaving for Beginners by Josie Lloyd and it started out well. I was a little daunted by the number of different stories I was presented with in the opening few chapters. I found it difficult to become involved with characters as each set-up section was fairly short. But, in the end, what really put me off the book was the fact that it was written in the present tense. Perhaps I had just read one too many such novel (and I really don't understand why this is such a popular trend), but I felt as though I were back in primary school reading a Janet and John book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an early review copy in return for a honest review.

Oh I loved the Sea-gals! I loved their various stories and how they intertwined - this is a book that made me laugh and shed a tear - a definite recommendation from me!

I loved this book and will be recommending it!

I fell for the Sea-Gals - a group of feisty women who swim in the sea. Maddy in search of her son; Dominica recovering from the loss of her husband from Covid; Claire finding herself apart from her roles as wife and mother; Tor confronting her family’s prejudices and Helga coming to terms with growing old. All find a release through swimming and help each other face their issues.

All find a way forward leaving you feeling satisfied that all is right with the world!

This was a very enjoyable read about a group of five women, each with their own issues, all living in Brighton and coming together to form a friendly cold water swimming group.

They were a variety of ages with 70 year Helga being the oldest. The main backbone of the story though is about Maddy, who lived a life of indulgence, with everything Instagrammed, until it all fell apart and she ended up in an AirBNB room in Brighton, looking for her missing son.

All the characters were great though, and each of their stories interesting, they were all there to back each other up and help when it was needed, once they'd let their guards down a bit and started chatting to one another about their problems.

Just a really engaging story, with a little bit of drama, lots of female bonding, and a satisfying ending.

A really enjoyable story about a group of women from different walks of life and how they come together in an unlikely friendship.

The story is full of the mini stories of each of the women but works so well together to give you a book that is hard to put down.

Joyful and uplifting- this was a fabulous read with well written, relatable characters that all brought a different dynamic to the story. Some quite heavy themes were covered in the book around homelessness, drug addiction, grief and loss, aging but all were sensitively written and the theme of the power of female friendship and the power of the sea made the story lighter without taking anything away. Highly recommended.

The Cancer Ladies’ Running Club was one of my favourite books of 2021; serious but uplifting and entertaining and I definitely expected the same with this book - and I got it.

I often struggle when there’s multiple character POVs and as expected, I did struggle to begin with here, figuring out who was who and who they related to, but that’s a personal thing. But within a few chapters my head was able to ease into it and it wasn’t much of a problem. I think what helped was they were all such different personalities with different stories and motivations so I could keep them separate, but then you had the sea swimming as the glue to hold them all together.

Personally I am not a fan of having covid and lockdowns in fiction books as I’m fed up enough with it in real life, but Josie hit a nice balance, she didn’t make it in your face or an overarching plot point, it was just in the background which I definitely preferred.

There are five main characters and a cast list of many secondary characters. Our main story revolves around Helga, Claire, Dominica, Maddy and Tor.

Helga: is an elderly lady living by herself, with health problems but a strong will, doesn’t take to fools.
Claire: a wife and mother who feels she is becoming invisible, only good for cleaning and cooking.
Dominica: newly bereaved after losing her husband, trying to figure out her place in the world and what her future means now.
Maddy: splits from her husband and travels to Brighton trying to find her son who walked out of the family home.
Tor: a young woman who is dedicated to charity and helping others, struggling with admitting her sexuality to her family.

There’s a lot to swallow there. Lots of sensitive subjects, but somehow, Josie has managed to balance them all. She’s given them all time to shine, time to grow, come to terms with them, and she’s made sure that everything is realistically dealt with by the end. Then you have the secondary characters of Jamie, Alice, Pim, Linus amongst many others. They make a community out of the story and it’s a really friendly community, one I’d be happy to be a part of.

What made me laugh is when I told my mum the basic premise and themes (adultery, divorce, homelessness etc) she sarcastically said, “oh, uplifting stuff then?” And at first glance, you’d be inclined to agree with her. But that’s the thing about Josie’s books (or at least the ones I’ve read) it’s tough on the surface but amongst it all is joy and it is definitely uplifting.

I admit, I do not like Brighton and so I couldn’t identify with all the praise the location was getting in the book. And I’m also frightened of the sea and open water, but the joy of open water swimming, especially in the dark depths of winter, just leaps off the page in such a sparkling way.

I really enjoyed this. Although it dealt with some heavy themes the women's friendship and support shone throughout. A lovely story and the common thread of swimming brought them all together beautifully.

This is a character driven read featuring a group of sea swimmers in Brighton. The five 'Sea-Gals' range in age from seventy something Helga to Tor who's in her twenties but all are struggling with different life challenges including grief, coming out, infidelity, aging, illness and the menopause. I liked the different story lines and positivity of friendship and sea-swimming in helping the characters deal with any challenges. The sensitive topics were also sympathetically and authentically done. But, I found the "earthy, happy energy" of the women a bit much at times. So, a great feel good story that I liked but didn't love as much as the author's other books.