Ruth is still recovering from the death of her husband when she gets fed up at work and tells off her terrible boss and quits. She returns to her parents house and her teenage daughter comes home from school. It is quite an adjustment. As the story progresses Ruth has to learn to find herself.
This is a great read. It is a family drama mixed with a little bit of thriller. Watching Ruth and her family fight through their many troubles kept me reading page after page. I’ve read many of Beth Moran’s books and always enjoy them. I like how this one had a little thriller genre thrown in.

I absolutely adore every Beth Moran book that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and she is easily one of my favourite authors.

In We Are Family, (as is her trademark style) there is a smattering of romance but there’s so much more. Moran writes beautiful characters and brings them to life with such passion. I’m a sucker for a book with community, family and friendship at the heart and We Are Family hit the spot smack bang in the centre!

Ruth is such an adorable character with a little bit of sass and a whole heap of trauma to deal with after losing her husband and being left in severe debt. Not to mention wild teenage daughter who is grieving herself. Returning home after becoming estranged from her family was so difficult for her and I could feel the tension and it broke my heart. Being through so much, she deserved to have her family around her. Ruth’s mum is a tour de force and at times I was a bit frustrated but I think she meant well and knew what was needed to help Ruth when Ruth herself couldn;t see it.

The whole community really welcomed her (mostly) and it warmed my heart to see women caring for each other so much. Ruth and her girls were my favourite part of the book and I adored every one of them!

We Are Family is about grief, living, moving forwards and finding your feet. It’s about friendship, trusting again, rebuilding relationships and finding somewhere to belong. It’s a joy to read, emotional and wonderful and I loved every minute of it!!

We Are Family by Beth Moran is a well written novel about loss, relationships, and starting over.

This novel supports the adage that you are never too old to go home 🏡

📚🤓♥️

When Ruth and her daughter Maggie have to make a move back home to live with her parents. This was not what she wanted to do but after a car accident killed her partner and that is when she found out a huge amount of unpaid bills. Ruth is not in the best frame of mind with this move because her relationship with her dad is so unsteady. And to make things even more confusing is a stalker.
Ruth wants to have a relationship with her family that will make things better for not only her but also her daughter. The twists and turns and everything in between make this a book that really sets this story apart from other books.
This is a book that will touch a lot of different emotions as you are reading it.
Thank you NetGalley, Beth Moran and Boldwood Books. This is my personal review.

Ruth never thought she would return home again after a falling out with her father.

But when her daughter, Maggie's father suddenly dies and leaves them with a mountain of unknown debt they have little choice but to return home.

After a life of feeling less than in her family, can Ruth repair the rift between her parents and sisters?

I loved this story. I loved Maggie in particular. She is a spunky teen who uses hair color to express her feelings.

A story of coming home and learning where home truly is.

If you want a feel good story then this is the one for you.

Thanks to netgalley and Boldwood Books for the arc.

What a great book, loved every minute of reading this. Inspiring, thoughtful and entertaining. Seeing the characters mature and turn themselves around by helping each other.
From rags to riches metaphorically speaking, a must read.

This is a cozy, family oriented read and I enjoyed it a lot. Ruth suffers a loss both physical and monetary and throughout the novel she will learn to pick herself up again with the help of her mother and strong individuals she finds in her path. This was such a nice, feel good book that touches on grief, the process of moving forward after losing a spouse and the sometimes huge burden of being monetarily unstable. You will love this book and will root for Ruth, her mother, her daughter and the importance of love, patience and friends.

We Are Family by Beth Moran

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Thirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the tragic death of Maggie’s father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can’t see any option other than for the two of them to move back in with her parents. Going home means many things – finally confronting her estranged father, navigating her mother’s desperate need to make everything ok despite the wobbles in her own marriage, not to mention helping a still-grieving Maggie to settle into a new school, find new friends, and stop expressing her emotions through her ever-changing hair colour. What Ruth needs are friends, but she abandoned her childhood ones when she left all those years ago. Luckily for Ruth, they haven’t abandoned her. Slowly she lets herself be embraced by a group of women who have always had her back – even when she didn’t know it. And as the grief and shock recede, Ruth can even begin to imagine sharing her life with someone other than just Maggie – if Maggie will let her. 

My Opinion

If you have seen my previous reviews you will know that I enjoy Beth Moran's writing so there was no hesitation when I saw her latest book. Ruth has always felt out of place in her own family, so it takes a lot for her to move back in with her parents. I read over 60% of this book in one sitting and it was nice to see Ruth find her feet again after the set back of moving back home.

This was a wonderful treat to read. Beth Moran adds grief, debt, stalking and foster care to this book which just helps to show how important family and friends are. Another great read by Beth Moran!

Rating: 4/5

Ruth and her daughter Maggie are going through a tough time. When Maggie's father unexpected dies and leaves them with a crazy amount of debt, Ruth and Maggie must kiss the good life bye and head to Ruth's childhood home.

Ruth left home and swore she would never come back. She became a young mother and started a life with Maggie's father. Now, she must swallow her pride and come home. While her mother is thrilled to have her daughter back, her father doesn't seem to have forgiven her.

As Ruth starts to rebuild her life she finds more than she expected - including her neighbor David. She was in love with him the first time she lived there and still is. But Maggie is not ready for her mom to date. Ruth feels that Maggie has been through too much to upset her daughter, so she agrees.

I loved the chemistry between Ruth and David and their back story. The cast of characters were colorful and real people. This was such a good book! The situations are very relatable and the book is hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely read from Beth. She doesn’t disappoint. This is the story of Ruth and her daughter Maggie who have to move back to her parents home after her partner died and left her with a mountain of debt. Ruth eventually settles into working and living in the community and dealing with various troubles that get in her way.

Ruth is currently not living her best life. She's forced to move back in with parents, along with her teenage daughter, after her partner is killed in a car crash, leaving behind a trail of massive debts. Things don't get a lot better in her home town either when you throw in reconciling with her dad, her first love living next door, oh and a crazy stalker.

Ruth is faced with so many struggles, not just paying off the debt but balancing the relationships with her daughter and her family. There are some bright sides though, in the shape of a great group of friends who rally around Ruth and help her move forwards.

It's not all sunshine and roses though, and there are some real heart wrenching moments for a lot of the characters. This is what sets We Are Family apart from other books in the genre. There are no guaranteed happy endings, even though you are desperately rooting for them! You become so invested in the lives of Ruth, Maggie and all those around them that you just can't stop reading!

We Are Family is definitely one of my favourite reads of this year, highly recommended.

I absolutely loved Ruth and Maggie. Their seemingly dysfunctional relationship was familiar having raised an emotional teenager myself. I could easily conjure up the emotions that Ruth had to deal with as a result of each of Maggie’s outbursts.
Still reeling from the financial fall-out of her husband’s death, Ruth and Maggie see no other option than to flee to the security of Ruth’s childhood home. Back in the bosom of her family, life should have felt safer, but the spectre of her father’s potential infidelity leaves a cloud over the reunion.
Her first discovery is that her childhood best friend is now married to the local church leader who happens to be Ruth’s tormentor from school. He’s now seemingly evolved from the Neanderthal that she remembers.
Accepting two part-time jobs, Ruth re-joins the workforce, and has to deal with the caustic personality of a former love rival, now running an exclusive boutique. Thankfully, her second job brings her into a community based on helping others deal with life’s problems, including debt. Initially, I thought that this may be how Ruth tackles her own financial worries, but that would have been too simple for a Beth Moran story.
Of course, Ruth’s childhood crush, now a famous TV celebrity, still lives next door when he’s not on location. Discovering that she has a rival for his attention along with the emphatic refusal of acceptance from her daughter, Ruth realises that she cannot explore her feelings for him.
Despite the darker elements in this story, I couldn’t help but feel hopeful for the mother and daughter. Ruth re-discovered a friendship group that she thought was far in her past. One of my favourite lines from a song refers to seeking out the company of those who knew us when we were younger, as we get older. Profound and relevant to this beautiful book.
I would love to tell you who my favourite characters were, but I honestly can’t choose, and I would hate to stray too far from the synopsis and include spoilers. What I can tell you is that this may be my favourite ensemble piece and I cannot recommend it enough.
There’s a lot going on with this story, but each element blends seamlessly with the next and helps to craft another gorgeous book.

Another lovely read from Beth Moran.
Ruth is at her lowest. Her long term partner dies, leaving her with a mountain of undisclosed debt, her sad and beligerant 14 year old daughter and no way out but to move back in with her parents in a small town in England.

Back home isn't all rosy either. Her Dad hasn't spoken to her in years and her mother is over compensanting, while her sisters are overbearing. Worst, the love of her life, her childhood sweetheart lives in the house next door.

But there is much to be said for building fences and new relationships. Ruth is slowly enveloped into small town life, making friends she never knew she had.

The first half of this book was just like a warm hug. It was so lovely to see the friendships being built and there is a firm root in Christianity. But the type I love, which is a community of people, and just a place to 'be' rather then preaching.
The second half almost felt like a different book. With a stalker and a violent climax. I think I could have done without that entire story line and focused soley on the lovely elements that were built in the beginning.

Still - a 4 stars from me. I will be reading the next one.

REVIEW (potential spoilers below)
⚠️cw: Grief, depression, bereavement, coercive behaviour, child abuse, addiction. bullying, miscarriage, debt ⚠️
When Ruth Henderson's partner dies suddenly, she's left with a mountain of debt. Forced to return home with Maggie, her teenage daughter, Ruth battles to overcome her anger and grief while creating a new life for them both. There, she reconnects with David, BAFTA-award-winning filmmaker, and Ruth's childhood best friend.
Beth Moran is very good at writing complex and exceedingly awkward family dynamics, and they are in full effect here. Ruth is the black sheep, youngest of four sisters, and steeped in disappointment as the clumsy, bookish child born without the family's dancing genes. Ruth was such a mass of contradictions. She was equal parts whiny and scatty, and then would have moments of incredible insightfulness. But I really loved the friendships she made. Ana Luisa, Lois, and Martine, in particular, were adorable and hilarious. There are also a lot of poignant moments, and in fact, at times, I felt like there was a bit TOO much going on, with so many chaotic vignettes, particularly early on. While I really enjoyed the self-love aspects, I did feel that the romance was shoehorned in, especially as David was talked about so much, but didn't appear on the page until almost halfway through the book, and both of their feelings felt heightened and rushed (even in a second chance romance). Throw in a disturbing stalker, a grieving teen and a cantankerous countess, a church and it's entire community's issues, foster parenting, debts, a marriage in crisis, another love story, a premature birth, and it all gets a little frenetic at times.
But, at some point, I stopped caring and just went with it. At the heart of the book is community, and it worked best when telling their stories. Ultimately, it is a heartwarming tale of second chances.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5
Heat Rating:
Emotional Rating: 💓🙈😂🙈💔👏🏻💓😢😂😬💓🤬💓😢💔💓🙄🤬😉💓😍😒🤷🏻‍♀️🤬😱💔💓👏🏻🥰👏🏻👏🏻💓🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review. We Are Family is published on 15th June in the UK*

Coming out the other side from despair: great mix of characters🏘💃

4.5🌟 stars
What a great story of transition and community spirit!

Early on, I wasn't sure I could like lead Ruth Henderson, the single mother who's stuck in a morass of financial woes and depression after her partner dies in a car crash. But Ruth and the mood of her story quickly morphed and struck me as heartwarming, life-affirming and positive despite all Ruth has to face to get to the other side of her initial inertia and efforts to cocoon herself from all the changes. She's actually quite strong in character and I loved her steadfast devotion to her daughter.

Ruth's laid pretty low at the beginning and having difficulty adjusting to her drastically changed circumstances after relocating from Liverpool to her hometown, long ago left behind. Her move back into her parents' house also revives some hurtful family dynamics from the past that were never resolved. It's all very relatable: just a bit of a downer. But her effervescent, never still, baking fiend mother drags Ruth out of her funk and gets her reinvested in the community and moving on. From then on, Ruth's story was a delight, full of memorable characters, a thread of danger, new and revived tight friendship, some sweet romance, but most importantly mending family bonds and rediscovering her own strengths and pleasures. Ruth's not by a long shot the only character with problems but she eventually not only tackles her own but also starts helping others.

Maggie, Ruth's fourteen year-old daughter, was a major player and I loved her attitude, her quirky hair experiments and her developing connection with Harriet, a cantankerous senior. And I will not easily forget "Meat" Matt Harris the pastor and his wife Lois, with their chaotic brood of foster kids, or Ana Luisa, the beautiful and kind housekeeper who lives down the street and secretly causes Ruth some heartache. The sizable ensemble of secondary characters were as interesting to read about as Ruth and Maggie.

TW: stalking situation, brief mention of past child abuse.

Author Beth Moran gave me a great, solid two days of reading pleasure. Definite recommend.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Loved the story, loved the characters and just loved this feelgood book! The only reason this doesn't get 5 stars is because it took me quite long to get through it. Not sure if it was just me or the writing though! All in all, I would definitely recommend checking this book out when it comes out! 💕

I loved this book. It was a really lovely book to escape to and I knew that right from the start I was desperate for everything to turn out alright for Ruth and Maggie. As a result, I found myself sneaking in a few pages here and there whenever I could and as a result I finished the book in a few days.

Even though Ruth, her family, and circumstances differ tremendously from my own, I completely understood her and found her really relatable. I loved the sub-story of Hannah, the laugh out loud moments, the weaving through of sub stories which lead to Ruth's, and our, understanding of other characters past motives and circumstances.
I'd love a sequel to either follow Ruth, or follow some of the other characters, perhaps Lois, I'm sure there could be several books following Lois' family!

Thank you netgalley and Beth Moran's publishers for allowing me to read this book and review it. Having read several other books by Beth Moran, .I was already a huge fan of her books, and would not fail to recommend any. They've all had lovely characters, funny moments and been unputdownable.

A great book that had me neglecting my chores and reading past my bedtime. After a tragedy Ruth is forced back home to live with her parents. A story of family, tragedy, love, friendship, fear, and forgiveness this is a must read book.

Brilliant book dealing with grief, family and friendship. Great characters you can really enjoy.. I enjoyed this book. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

A glorious feel good book from one of my go to authors. The title says it all, a family book, a troubled teen and all the ups and downs that life can bring. Wonderful!