When Ruth Henderson loses her husband she’s forced to move back home and despite her grief her dad let it be known he hasn’t forgotten why he was holding a grudge but Ruth does her best to get on with things when she returned home she brought her daughter Maggie and Maggie has her own issues she’s starting A new school on top of mourning the loss of her dad. I love Beth Moran‘s books and this is a great example of why. I found Ruth to be so lovable and resilient I highly recommend this book if you love feel good fiction then We Are Family by Beth Moran that’s a great choice. I want to thank boldWoodBooks and NetGalley for my Arc copy, Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I must admit to being fond of the author's works. I state this upfront because I am not exactly sure how much of my previous experiences have coloured my reading of this. That said, I have rated one or two other books lower, so I might be being fair.
Ruth was born into a family of dancers with two left feet and no interest in the performing aspect. She further alienated her father when she decided not to get married when she got pregnant. Now, thanks to her late partner's shenanigans, she has run home to find a semblance of steadiness.
I may not have revealed much more than the synopsis/blurb does, and that is on purpose. The book is all about the people and their interactions. People act out and surprise the people around them at other times. Ruth harbours feelings for her neighbour and childhood best friend in secret while making a mistake on the actual dating front.
She is also trying to fix whatever is going wrong with her parent's marriage while simultaneously trying to find common ground with her sisters.
There are also people from school days who have grown up since then, and change is the one thing that is constant in this story.
I really enjoy multi-cast narratives where everyone has a distinct personality, and everyone contributes to the plot very effectively.
This book comes back strong among the author's recent works. I liked some a lot more than others, and I already have another waiting on my virtual shelf that I am looking forward to.
This story is all about belonging and how much work individuals have to put in to maintain relationships.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I have only discovered this author in the last year and am so pleased I have. Her books just keep getting better and better and she gets to the core of human emotion and writes from the heart about real people and real issues that affect them.

This story covered the topics of depression debt and grief and of also finding yourself again after life has thrown challenges at you and coming out the other side.


Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down as became invested in the characters lives and wanted to find out what happened next.

I hate to say it but I found this book rather boring and I just couldn't get into it.

It dragged on for me and so I figured life is too short to continue so I started reading something else instead. I didn't connect with the characters and found it quite a tedious book to read. I really thought I might enjoy it but alas it was not to be.

It took me a few tries to get into this, but once I pushed past the first few pages, I quite enjoyed it.
I love Ruth's mother. She's so much fun to read.
Her dad made me sad. Both her parents seemed to fall into stereotypical depictions of literary parents which is a shame because I felt a genuine heart-to-heart between Ruth and her father was needed for their relationship.
Ruth's sisters were very hard to like and I wished someone had called them out and put them in their place.
Ruth gave me pangs every time I read her name because my much beloved, late grandmother was named Ruth.
Maggie is annoying even for a grieving teenager. As a parent, I understand the misplaced anger lumped on the person one feels most safe with, but it grated after a while.
I loved Lois and the friends Ruth reluctantly made. The small group was lovely.
The entire Carl situation didn't need to be in the book. Especially toward the end. It added one more obstacle for Ruth to get her bearings after she and Maggie lost Maggie's father.
I felt the same way about the internal misunderstanding Ruth had with herself over Ana's love interest. It was so glaringly obvious to me as a reader and it really made Ruth seem clueless.
All in all, I did really like this. Once I got into it I didn't put it down until I finished it.
I liked the self-acceptance journey Ruth goes on and her small town. I liked her connections with the people in her life and the way she found strength when she didn't know she had any.
But it felt kind of like I was reading this through a window, It was good but didn't quite connect.

I received a copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book I read it in 2 days! The characters are believable yet complicated. Difficult life situations explored and dealt with in intriguing circumstances. I love the Mother and Daughter relationships between the generations. How some life events affect our futures without close family or friends even realising the consequences. I really enjoyed this book and recommend you try it. I know you won’t be disappointed.

A charming read featuring some great characters, humour, drama, a loving community and the re-kindling of a past romance. Ruth and daughter Maggie are forced to return to Ruth’s childhood home after the death of her partner and finding herself drowning in debt. It takes time for Ruth to face the fears that are holding her back, but with the help of her friends and family she thinks she may finally get her happy ending.

A heartwrenching book that has you routing for Maggie and her daughter, Beth Moran is a reliable author when it comes to books that make you want the heroine to succeed

This is an uplifting, warm and witty novel which has some great characters and a few underlying serious themes. Family dynamics are key and Ruth has got some issues from her childhood to work through. However, she is not on her own. Her daughter, Maggie, is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her father and even Ruth's parents have some difficulties to work through. Ruth has spent most of her adult life trying to keep her life on an even keel and has sacrificed her dreams and her talents in order to give her daughter a secure childhood.

Wrapped around the characters is a warm and welcoming community. Ruth has to discover for herself the benefits of friendship and of helping others. There are so many that seem lost, even the old lady who Maggie is forced to 'befriend' . Fostering is one way in which people are given a second chance but it never feels sentimental. The romance behind the story is touching. It is not confined to one generation but crosses the ages. Young and old are shown to be looking for love. There is humour within the story, stemming from the characters and the dialogue. Ruth's Mum and Maggie are particularly entertaining. This is an entertaining read and one packed to the top with observations about the human state.



In short: It takes a village to raise a child

A very nice read. Some dark bits but overall a mostly light read. It was nice to read about so many different kinds of relationships both romantic and familial. Everything felt natural and not awkward.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I loved this book and the story of Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie who have to return to Ruth's old family home.

Think this is probably my favourite book that I read on holiday this year.

I couldn't even begin to contemplate moving back to my parents, however stuck I was. I think there comes a certain point in life where they need to have no parental responsibility and enjoy their child free existence.

I've loved every single one of Moran's books and they've always been five star worthy reads for me.

We Are Family is a wonderfully written story of family, relationships, love and starting over. The characters and their family dynamic is real and I found I related with Ruth on so many levels.

It's heartwarming, uplifting and an absolute joy to read as always.

Wow! This book took me by surprise. I have read several of Beth's books and enjoyed all, but some definitely had me more invested than others. I was 100% invested in Ruth's story! It might just be me, but I felt like it had a bit of a Gilmore Girls vibe about it. I was kind of picturing Ruth's parents a bit like the Gilmore grandparents, overbearing mother, but definitely nicer and also the grandfather that spends a lot of time in his study. Perhaps it was also the fact that Ruth is a young single mother with a teenage daughter trying to figure things out when she is forced to start over. The mother-daughter bond is really strong even if it is not always smooth sailing. I loved the friends Ruth made after returning home and there was so much more going on in this story that I cannot mention as it was not in the synopsis, but seriously this book packs a bit of everything and you will not regret reading it!

Well I wasn’t expecting that !
From the death of her partner who left her with a mountain of debt, Maggie is having to deal with becoming homeless and moving back to her parents, looking after her daughter, finding a new job and finding out her first love is back. Just in case that wasn’t enough throw in annex doctor who turns out to be a dangerous stalker ! What else could happen to her ?
Absolutely loved it

We Are Family by Beth Moran is a charming feel good summer read that is pure escapism at its very best.

Following the tragic death of her partner, Ruth and her teenage daughter Maggie find themselves left with a mountain of debt and no way to pay it off. So, despite the circumstances in which she left, Ruth can’t see any option other than to move back in with her parents.

But moving back home brings with it other problems, such as trying to make amends with her estranged father and navigating her way through her mother’s desperate need to make everything okay. With Maggie still grief stricken over the death of her father and Ruth struggling to come to terms with the blows life has dealt her, will it be possible for both Ruth and her daughter to finally make peace with the past and begin to move forward with their lives?

As she slowly allows herself to be embraced by the community she left behind, Ruth starts to believe that this new beginning is exactly what she and Maggie both need. And maybe, just maybe, with the help of her family and friends, she can allow herself to put the past behind her and grab hold of some much needed happiness at long last…

There is a warmth to Beth Moran’s writing that made me fall in love with this story and its larger than life cast of characters from the outset. A beautifully written, heartwarming story that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end, We Are Family is a book about love, friendship and family that left me with a warm glow as I turned the final page.

Beth Moran has written an at times laugh out loud funny, feel good story that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. And I loved it!

I love Beth Moran and this book was no exception. Fantastically written with real, likeable and humanly flawed characters, you really feel immersed in the life of the protagonist. A perfect read to get lost in, dealing with real-life, relatable ups and downs, sprinkled with amazing characters and a wonderful flow to the writing. Highly recommend!

When Ruth Henderson's life hits an all-time low, she has little choice but to return to her parents' home, a place she'd left under a dark cloud 15 years before. Hoping for help out of her dire financial situation, it comes in ways she'd never dreamed.

This well-written contemporary story, told from Ruth's perspective, runs the reader through a gamut of emotions. I laughed, cried, cringed and gasped as the main character dealt with the results of her life choices--some poor and some unavoidable--hoping she'd finally get a break and have a good resolution to her financial and emotional dilemmas, as well as spiritual. It was easy to understand her feelings of not fitting in, or believing she didn't really deserve happiness or true love because of her past. Dealing with a troubled teen, wanting to be a good mom, scraping by on whatever jobs came her way, making decisions based on emotions and paying for it later, were things I could easily relate to also. The author does a really good job of drawing the reader in, and building up the tension towards the end. All of the colorful characters added so much to the story, especially her circle of friends from church. Loved all of the dance scenes and metaphors, leading up to the beautiful conclusion!

Recommend to readers who enjoy a character driven redemptive story laced with romance, some suspenseful moments, and inspiration. If you liked Making Marion as I did, you'll enjoy this fun book too!

Thank you to Boldwood Books & Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Ruth Henderson finds herself back in her hometown with her teenage daughter Maggie after her husband tragically dies. Ruth is just holding on and really has no support but she soon finds herself a group of friends who are encouraging and feel more like family. The words of this story flow so beautifully like a river and I didn't want to get out. The sense of community made me feel safe and the friendships developed make me want friends like that. Beth Moran is a talented writer and her books are always welcome and tackle tough issues with empathy and understanding. I very quickly came to genuinely like the characters and I particularly liked that the women already were a close group but they had no issue letting Ruth in and made her feel included. I also loved the family dynamics and as someone who did the same thing as a teenager I understood Maggie expressing her feelings through hair colour. A story that has stayed with me long after the last page.

An engaging story about friends, family, and love. Relationships are at odds, a life is in ruins, and a grieving mother and teen are seeking their footing. In amongst all of this second chance love has a chance to live again.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Beth Moran so much, her books never fail to touch me, I don’t think I have ever picked up one of her novels and not cried, laughed and melted at least once, usually several times. This book is no different, it gripped me from the start and I didn’t want to put it down, even with some of those more series issues in the story, I finished this in one sitting and almost immediately regretted it as I do, because I’ve got to wait for the next one now !

I just find Beth’s wonderful writing to be so immersive, I feel like she’s a friend telling me a story and I’m hooked on every word. The wonderful characters she writes, their personalities and development is so good and always feels authentic, I love the relationships between them, they are not perfect, there are plenty of flaws and that’s what makes them so relatable.

My one criticism would be we waited too long to meet her former teen love, but that’s just the only thing I can think of to criticise, there’s so much laughter, joy and it’s full of warmth, I loved the relationship between Ruth and Maggie and watching it grow over the story. The former love interest of her teens and how that works out (no spoilers) was really interesting and I really loved that. The healing of family relationships after so much hurt in the past. Just everything basically, it’s a story packed full of love, family, heartbreak and forgiveness. One I wholeheartedly recommend, or what’s left of my heart after I read a Beth Moran book, it’s usually not the same as I started 🥰

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.