Definitely a worthwhile read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

A beautifully written and compelling story about what it is like to live in London and how much of a struggle it can be at times. I found myself relating a lot to this book

A bit of a sad tale making us all feel rightly uncomfortable about the ever widening gap between the haves and the have nots. Then add a couple of fairly unlikeable kids and it all makes for not the most interesting story

3.5 stars. The more I have thought about this book, the more I realise how much I enjoyed it. At the time of reading, it felt a little fleeting - like I may forget about the characters and the storyline quite quickly, but that hasn't happened. In fact, they have both stayed with me over the weeks.
It's a story we can all relate to in some way - the fear of losing a rented home, difficult family relationships, the strain of juggling parenthood with work, not having any time to nurture your own relationships outside of family. These are universal things that make up life for all of us.
Jess is an honest portrayal of a woman trying to do her best by everyone and to deal with the hardships that she's encountering whilst shielding her children from the worst of it...with little thanks because hey, kids are narcissists by nature. That isn't to say that Hazel and Jacob (the kids) are one-dimensional horrible characters, the book shows those moments that keep all parents going, where you get a glimpse of the person your kids are becoming and take strength from that as a marker that you are doing ok in the parenting game.
There are some deep and uncomfortably realistic depictions of the ever-widening gap between the privileged and everyone else. The descriptions of different parts of East London, close geographically but worlds apart in terms of standards of living hit particularly hard. Also, the main part of the story in that Jess and her family were doing ok and then it all unravels in a short space of time, really highlights how close most people are to finding themselves in real trouble financially and how 'the system' seems set up to stop any recovery.
My favourite character was Ben, the neighbour of Jess's dad. He shows us that having good people around you makes all the difference in how you are able absorb what life throws at you. He is having a hard time himself, dealing with lots of emotional stress but he's a great reminder that we shouldn't harden our hearts and close ourselves off.

This is a gentle and tender story of people living and struggling 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.,

A thought provoking story about ordinary people and how their life is being changed by gentrification and the housing problem.
The author did a good job in delivering an interesting and well written story that deals with everyday problems of average people.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job of creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A solid, engaging read shedding light on the gentrification of our towns and cities and the housing issues people are facing. Fleshed out and believable characters that you can’t help but root for- a great story.

I’m a huge fan of Luan Goldie’s writing and Nightingale Point is still one of my favourite books! These Streets follows along with Luan’s style of writing honestly about contemporary life in London, east London to be exact. We encounter two families, a single mum and a single dad, and the story is told from their lives.

I love that Luan creates these wonderful characters, who you become completely immersed in! We experience firsthand the ups and downs, all the emotions and the pure love the parents have for their children.

These Streets really highlights the diversity in London and the different ways families can be made up, and I loved that. It feels like such an inclusive book, whilst showing real honesty about the places she writes about. We see real deprivation and reality in her writing, but she does this so well and uses it in a powerful, resilient way.

This book is about real people and real life and another brilliant piece of contemporary literature by Luan Goldie!

It was upon finishing These Streets that I found out why I liked it so much. Luan Goldie writes that the novel takes place entirely in one postcode because it was written during lockdown when all of our worlds shrank to our local shops and parks, and indeed our homes. This novel is a frank and unvarnished look at the housing crisis facing our country and how quickly we can become jobless and then homeless and possibly even rough sleeping.
I instantly liked both Jess and Ben but fell hopelessly in love with Wolf the 70 something raconteur who makes German cakes and insists you take them and some books home with you. I think his birthday party was probably the best party I’ve encountered in a novel!
Goldie’s immense skill though is reserved for her child characters. Hazel and Jacob (and even the brief glimpse we have of his friend Cameron) burst off the page as fully formed three dimensional people with the same problems faced by many youngsters while not looking like literary devices used only to signpost social issues facing young people.
This is a great novel and I look forward to reading anything else by Luan Goldie.

Through the eyes of main character Jess and her teenage children Hazel and Joseph, this novel shines a bright light on one of the greatest current societal challenges: precarious housing. Jess is juggling several curveballs all at once: she is single-handedly trying to stretch her meagre community worker salary, fighting eviction from her East London flat, championing her deaf son Joseph’s rights, placating her Oxford University-bound daughter Hazel’s moods and looking after her eccentric elderly father Wolf. When her path crosses that of Ben, who returns to East London in poor health in the aftermath of a painful separation, Jess’s life becomes more complicated still. Jess’s trajectory is sketched out in pragmatic, sparse prose that makes the events depicted in this novel even more poignant and realistic than they already appear. A novel that everyone should read! I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC that allowed me to read this wonderful book and to produce this honest and unbiased review.