If you loved watching The Split (TV Series based on the equation shared between a family of female lawyers and their wider community) you will enjoy this book. I couldn't help making the comparison whilst reading. The characters are well written and bring a variety of flavours to the narrative which kept the plot moving along nicely. I also have two sisters but I couldn't connect to the equation Rachel, Imogen and Sasha shared (they are there for one another but there is a slight isolation/lack of empathy for each other maybe because there is so much going on in their own individual lives and they live independently) but as the pages turned and the story developed they came into their own towards the end. In my imagination the relationship and the bond they share strengthens over time afterwards. This isn't a negative, just my personal opinion, and I would still recommend the book wholeheartedly. Each character has a complicated love life which is focused upon and because they're all at different stages of their life, be it marriage, singledom, whether exploring their sexuality or having multiple partners, none of this is in a negative life and is without judgement which I loved - I feel  it will feel resonate with each reader in some way. The book teaches the power and healing that forgiveness can bring, and how necessary it can be for yourself more than the recipient. I didn't even realise when the book came to it's conclusion but it left me feeling warm inside. Thank you @netgalley and @hqstories for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this beautiful touching story about a mother and her 3 daughters. I loved the setting felt like I could have being there by the sea with all the characters. Great choice for the summer days.

The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore. Three sisters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha and the more mum Margo, the Garnett Girls. Four formidable women, four woman with their own story and their own struggles and all running from the past and from Richard, Margo’s Husband and Rachel, Imogen’s and Sasha’s Father. This is a story of finding the answers from the past to help the present and to understand the present. I had heard a lot of good things about this books and had seen it everywhere, to be honest it wasn’t as good as perhaps my expectations were expecting but it was very enjoyable. Immediately from page one the story flowed, the story made sense and the characters popped, making the book feel like it had heart and motion. The story in its easiness in reading made it make sense and added to its enjoyment. I loved the dynamics of this family, each Garnett girl had there own personality and had reacted to there situation in a different way through their life, again making the characters feel very real. The Garnett family as a whole are in no way perfect, they are stubborn, opinionated, reckless, buried underneath what they think people want of them and not necessarily living how they want to live, yet they are strong and they love each other, even though at times it’s hard. I at times really didn’t like Margo’s character, in parts she comes across as very controlling, it’s her way or no way and she doesn’t always come across as very understanding. However at the heart of this books is a family that have had to deal with addiction, mental health problems and mental abuse and this book is about how this family deals with it, so of it taking place when as a society we were so open to taking about things such as addiction. This family may not be perfect but this family is there perfect and isn’t that true for all families. This is a great debut without a doubt from this author and I can’t wait to see what comes next. I would like to hear more from the Garnett girls and will be recommending this book to friends and family. Definitely an author to watch in the future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Garnett Girls are Margot and her daughters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha. Rachel is a successful solicitor living on the Isle of Wight. Imogen is a playwright and Sasha is in an abusive relationship. Margot, aged 60, has a younger lover. These characters provide this well-written début with plentiful events and happenings. The family dynamic between the mum and siblings is fascinating. Damaged and influenced aversely as they are by the desertion of their father at an early stage, they career from one crisis situation to the next. A compelling read with a wonderful sense of location. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is such a fantastic atmospheric story with great, complex characters! I was hooked from the first few pages learning about this family, their differences and their secrets.

When Richard walked out, his wife Margo locks herself away leaving her three young daughters to mostly fend for themselves. Years later, no one speaks of Richard but Margo is back to herself the life and soul of the party, but she must repair her relationships with her children whilst they find their own way.

This was the perfect novel for family drama for me, it was full of warmth, I loved every character even with all of their ‘flaws’. The dialogue was excellently written. The setting was descriptive, I could picture Sandcove so clearly, and even though some chapters are set at Christmas I felt this would be a great holiday read.

I loved the ending, it was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. I would definitely recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Garnett Girls is Georgina Moore's debut novel, and what a debut it is!

On the beautiful Isle of Wight, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha are the grown up daughters of the popular, charismatic Margo. Collectively known as 'the Garnett Girls', each of them are facing their own struggles. Casualties of the fallout when their alcoholic Father walked out on them, and their Mother had a breakdown.

Each daughter feels differently about that time, and each has a slightly different relationship with their Mother as a result. Margo could be viewed as controlling by some. But everything she does comes from a place of love.

Rachel, the eldest daughter is a successful lawyer and wants to move to London, away from the family home Sandcove, but her husband wants to stay, he prefers the quieter life on the Isle.

Imogen, the dreamy middle sister is the most sensitive, an up and coming playwright she is swept along on a wave of success, and gets engaged to a man she knows isn't really right for her. But she has no idea what is waiting around the corner.

Sasha, the youngest sister is married to a controlling man and doesn't know how to escape. Hers is perhaps the most damaged relationship with Margo, and she is harbouring a huge secret. One that could tear the family apart for ever.

Margo is a woman forever damaged by the broken relationship with her ex. Richard was the only man that she ever truly loved. She is the charismatic life and soul of the party, but she is vulnerable and tortured. She is a brilliantly flawed, complex character, and really is the heart of the story.

I finished this novel quicker than I expected. I really wanted to savour it, but it is just so brilliantly and beautifully written that I couldn't put it down.

I really can't recommend the Garnett Girls enough and I look forward to hearing more from this author (hopefully!!)

The Garnet Girls - I am in love - it has it all - the secrets, the friendships, the siblings, the glamour, great old house and of course the location - I lost myself in it - lovely to see a great big emotional read hitting all the notes, looking forward to the next one.

The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore contains everything I love in a book. A big old house, some secrets, family, siblings, relationships and just blooming good writing. Set on the Isle of Wight, in and around their home, Sandcove, The Garnett Girls is about matriarch Margo, and her three grown up daughters; Rachel, Imogen and Sasha. Sandcove is a crumbling mansion right on the coast and is a place filled with memories of long lazy summer days, barbecues on the beach at Christmas and of the huge fights between Margo and the girls’ alcoholic father, Richard and her subsequent breakdown when he walked out on them.

Set in the present, but occasionally jumping back to the past to show us how Margo and Richard met, their relationship and the fallout after he left, this is as a real page turner a book. Moore has created a wonderful cast of very believable characters and a delicate plot which weaves together cleverly and in, at times, unexpected ways.

Moore explores a myriad of themes in this book, but does so with a deft touch, even when tackling the big issues. There are a number of secrets which are alluded to and then revealed in an elegant way. This isn’t a book with big ‘OMG’ moments, it is far quieter than that, approaching marriage, love, coercion and loss sensitively and gently.

At its core, is the relationship between the three sisters and their mother. Moore doesn’t write a saccharine sweet relationship, it is messy and complicated, and at times vicious, but there is a lot of love. She really gets to the heart of female siblings and how complex that relationship can be, particularly when the three siblings have dealt with trauma at a young age and now live in the shadow of their fabulous, evervescent and at times overbearing mother.

Margo is one of the most multi-layered women I have read in a very long time. She is flawed, and she makes mistakes but everything she does comes from a place of love and, most importantly, she isn’t afraid to grow. It is so refreshing to read a book featuring a woman like Margo, somebody who is slightly older, has grown up children and is enjoying her life and freedom to the maximum, having fun, having sex and throwing parties whenever possible. I’d love to read more books featuring women like her, she is a breath of fresh air.

I felt huge Marian Keyes vibes when reading this, due to the way Moore’s female characters interact, and the complexities between them. The writing is just as good too; really engaging, compelling and heartfelt. I particularly loved the depiction of the Isle of Wight, a place I have never been to, but feel like I know intimately due to the way it is portrayed. The sense of place is so wonderful that it has really made me want to visit and I’d be so upset to find that Sandcove isn’t real!

I really recommend The Garnett Girls, it is a huge page turner and a brilliant read. This was one of those books which when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it, and really, there is no higher accolade than that.

Set mainly on the Isle of Wight, where I grew up and still live, this is a story about a mother and three adult daughters.

Margo, the mother, has never really recovered from being left by her husband, Richard. She left home aged 16 to be with him but he was an alcoholic and walked out when their youngest daughter, Sasha, was just 4.

Rachel, the eldest, was left to pick up the pieces and help care for her two younger siblings.

Now a lawyer, Rachel longs to move permanently to London, but her husband Gabe prefers life on the Island at Sandcove, the ageing but characterful family home.

Sasha, the youngest, resents her mother and has married Phil, a controlling and unpleasant man. She draws close to Jonny, a family friend, but cannot find the courage to leave her husband.

Imogen is the most sensitive of the sisters, a playwright who becomes engaged to a man she doesn't really love. She is swept into a passionate affair with a needy and spoilt woman, the lead actress in her latest play.

The story revolves around secrets and the damage that keeping those secrets can do to relationships. The girls have never known the real reason their father left them, but this comes to light when Sasha spills a secret of her own.

I found this an extremely realistic story, well-written and with strong characterisation. Margo is a force of nature but flawed, still yearning for the one real love of her life. The three daughters have spent their lives in their mother's spotlight, keeping up family traditions despite wanting to lead their own independent lives.

Georgina Moore gets the balance just right between the hedonistic pleasure of the house parties at Sandcove and the internal struggle all four women face, not least in their relationships with each other.

The idyllic setting of the Isle of Wight makes the perfect backdrop and it definitely helps when you recognise many of the places mentioned.

A great first novel and I would be very happy to read more from Georgina Moore.

I received a digital ARC of this book from HQ, in return for an honest appraisal.

Margo ran away to marry the love of her life when she was only 16 years old…years later he left her and their three young daughters. The 3 Garnett Girls, as they are familiarly known, have been kept apart from their Father’s story. Margo now in her 50s, living in her childhood home, is embracing life, surrounding herself with friends and family; men and wine…meanwhile her daughters’ lives are not all they seem to be..The story switches between the narratives of the four women, between past and present..

This book took me completely by surprise. I expected it to be an enjoyable read - it has received so many positive reviews -and I really did enjoy the story, and found myself becoming totally engaged with these women..What I hadn’t expected was to find so much of myself in this book and so many emotions and situations which really resonated with me.

Georgina Moore writes such fabulous female characters - Margo is glorious; at once the life and soul; passionate and sexual; yet controlling and needy where her daughters are concerned, moody and vulnerable to darker emotions. There is such an overwhelming sense of her love for the husband she has loved and lost which permeates every part of the story. This lost love makes her emotionally vulnerable, unpredictable and has influenced how she brought up her daughters. I particularly loved the character of Rachel. She is the oldest of three girls; the only daughter who really saw their parents together; the one who has had to keep things going.. The ebb and flow and nuances of the interrelationships between these women is so beautifully observed. As one of three sisters I really recognised these dynamics. The way these women were everything to each other as girls and now have to renegotiate their terms - their rights to information, understanding and affection when lifestyles, partners, families and geographies take them elsewhere .. what will pull them together in future?

I rarely comment about sex in books but I think the author should be commended for her depiction of sex in this book - it felt so natural, so integral and so beautifully evolved out of the story..

The story is set on the Isle of Wight and the setting is an integral part of the story with its unique island geography. Sandcove, the family home has been in the family for years. For some it is heaven..for others it is not.

I grew up across the water from the Island with my two younger sisters in a big old bungalow which had been my grandparents…this book took me right back.. I loved it!

I was really looking forward to this book as a light read although it's actually a bit weightier thematically than I anticipated from the blurb and unfortunately didn't quite live up to my expectations. The novel moves around the stories of the three Garnett sisters and their mother, covering the time from their childhood to the present day, although not in a linear order. Some of the characters seemed signifcantly better drawn and therefore more sympathetic than others and there were some tics I found really distracting (I am also one of a group of sisters and have never had the experience of this being my entire personality in the eyes of many important people in my life, as happens frequently here). I didn't much buy the ending either but on the whole it was a decent read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Set in the present day, with flashbacks to the past, The Garnett Girls follows 3 sisters and their mother through their ups and and downs in life. Not having sisters myself, or a close family, at times I found it hard to relate to this intimately close set up. This would be a great beach read, especially for someone class to their sisters!

The Garnett Girls are strong, independant women - brought close after their father walked out and disappeared on them when they were children. As adults they are still close but with issues and each of them carries their own secrets, their lives are somewhat dominated by Margo, the charismatic matriarch. I loved the relatively slow pace of the story, even as it switches beteween timelines and characters the story is easy to follow and you get to really know the characters.

A great debut and I look forward to reading more from Georgina Moore.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Garnett Girls.

An engaging story about a fractured yet still somewhat close family - their independent struggles and their shared struggle to stay close.

At first, I found it a bit of a challenging read, with several quick jumps between characters and plenty of names to keep track of, but as the story progressed, things became easier to follow.

Character development and surprises were strong throughout, though I won’t say much more for fear of spoiling things!

A highly recommended read, especially for those who want to feel some nostalgia!

This fantastic family saga had me hooked from the very beginning. The writing style as we were introduced to the sisters and Margo was simply captivating. Full of hidden family secrets; wonderfully portrayed young women who encompass sibling rivalry in all its honesty; a somewhat bohemian mother and the relationship with her own sister; and the rose-tinted memories of a glamorous love affair that crumbled when the sisters were young. What’s not to love about this story. It’s one of those books I’ll be recommending to all my friends and my own daughters, and is going to be one of those books that everyone is talking about. A brilliant debut novel and I look forward to more from Georgina Moore.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.

Impressive debut that ticks all the boxes for a typical family saga set in a stunning location. Here it's the Isle of Wight which is gloriously described in its seaside wonder with pretty villages, sandy coves and dazzling summer light. In fact I found the location the most interesting part of the novel which kept me reading as scenes were being set across the island.
But although the characters were well described I couldn't warm to them.
Margo is the mother - with absent husband Richard casting a shadow over the family. Margo calls the dominant shots especially in child care of her daughters (now grown women) "She would never be able to leave him in charge" was said of their father but Sasha returns to the family fold with secrets about her dad that threaten to destroy this perfect image. Margo leaves a lot to be desired with her 'ways' shall we call them and I expected more hostility from her daughters instead of often passive acceptance - but maybe she'd worn them down,
It's a great holiday read (and especially on the Isle of Wight should do wonders!) but I need a bit more literal depth to the family saga scenario and didn't quite find it here.

I liked the different setting for this book and thought the writing evoked this beautifully, but ultimately I felt that for me there was too much description, and the pacing was too slow, so that when the crisis and resolution occurred I wasn't that bothered.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was totally engrossed within the first few pages.
The Garnett Girls is a family saga about how three sisters Rachel, Imogen and Sasha and how their life’s were affected when their Da Richard leaves their mum Margo.
All four of them have secrets to keep and eventually share.
A fabulously well written debut. Looking forward to reading more.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this fantastic book.

A lovely family saga set around three sisters and set on the Isle of Wight. Family secrets and more to be told. Enjoy this as I have done 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Utterly captivating!! I found this to be one of those books that I became so quickly absorbed in, totally wrapped up in the lives of these characters as their dramas played out in front of our eyes!!

It's the story of a family and how the lies and mistakes of the past can take a toll of those you may be trying to protect. And at the heart of the drama is Margo, mother to 3 daughters, and holder of all the secrets! It's a story that goes back over time so that you can see in to the life of Margo, her passions, her affairs and how that scars her to the point where she shuts down to her daughters every time they try and find out some answers to their own pasts.

The 3 sisters are all fascinating characters - so different in personalities, but united in their love of family and how the mystery of what happened to their father hangs over them all as they try and move forward with their own lives. It was so interesting to see how they all dealt with the secrecy of their mother and I was so intrigued as to her motivation as to keeping everything so close to her chest.

And as we look back over the past, the truth becomes a lot clearer and you begin to understand why it wasn't so easy for her to open up. And that's what made the characters so relatable to me - they all have their own flaws, as we all do, and it's how they think they are doing the right thing, even if that may hurt others so close to them.

I absolutely raced through this book as the story of the past and present flowed so beautifully. Each family member gets their moment in the spotlight and you really get the sense that they are all just looking for clarity - there is so much unknown that it leaves the sisters feeling a little lost and unsure of themselves.

An absolute belter of a debut and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us all next!!