This book is an absolute delight. Optimism and encouraging, without straying into mawkishness at all.
“And the water holds them all afloat” - my favourite line.
And so topical!
Well done, Ms Page…you’ve done it again!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

I read and adored The Lido when it came out so I was very excited to read this book which follows Kate from that book - I'm so happy to say that I loved it! Kate has moved away and is now coping with being a new mum but she's struggling and doesn't feel like she can admit it to anyone. The novel also follows Phoebe - a mental health nurse whose relationship is on the rocks. The novel explores both of their lives and sees how finding a new swimming spot - this time wild swimming in a river that begins to have a positive impact on many people. This book does explore some difficult themes but ultimately it's such a soothing and healing book, I found it was a balm to me as I'm struggling with my own mental health. This is a beautiful book and I highly recommend it!

A well-written and entertaining follow up to Libby Page's debut novel 'The Lido.' Once again, the story focusses on the themes of friendship and community whilst also dealing with the joys and fears of new motherhood. This is an enjoyable read.

After reading and loving The Lido by Libby Page I couldn't wait to read the follow up, The Lifeline, where we pick up on Kate's life since her move to Somerset and becoming a mother.

Feeling isolated and struggling to cope Kate finds solace in a local river swimming group where she finds a host of new friends.

It is a heartwarming, feel-good book about friendship and community and I totally recommend you read both books.

It has taken me too long to get round to reading this lovely book. I also didn’t realise it was the second after The Lido, not that it made a difference I loved this book and I will definitely be looking out for Libby Page books in the future. Kate a new mother and Phoebe a mental health nurse are struggling with their lives yet their meeting is a new beginning for both of them and takes them on a journey of change. A book that is obviously close to Libby Page’s heart she writes so well about motherhood and losing yourself and I hope it gives hope that “this too shall pass”.

I have had this one on here for some time and I wished I had picked it up sooner as I absolutely loved the lido. This one takes us back to life with Kate and her life with a newborn. It is written very well with the mental health element and loneliness of parenting. I didn’t connect to this book quite as much as the first but it was lovely to be back with such beautiful writing once again and it really was uplifting to read.

Although this book features the same main character (Kate) as The Lido, it can easily be read as a standalone without having read The Lido first.

I thought this book gave a good insight into learning to speak up when things aren't going so great in life and not continuously muddling on pretending everything is okay.

I liked both the novel's narrators, new mum Kate and mental health nurse Phoebe.

A short story about the attendees of the mental health swimming group would be nice.

The Lifeline is a return to the beginning of Libby Page author journey, where we started with The Lido. A community comes together to save something important to them. Now having moved to Somerset, Kate the main character in the book is new to motherhood and struggling to cope with a whole new human to look after as well as herself and her relationship with husband Jay.

Life is very different.

Kate needs to find a new community to be part of, and drawn to the water, she finds herself at a river bathing spot. Here she meets a number of different women all with different stories, at different stages in their lives. All drawn to the water to find peace, solace, friendship and much more.

The perfect uplifting novel, that Libby Page excels at.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. The book follows the story of Kate who we met in The Lido you really do need to have read this book to fully immerse yourself in events that follow her move from the city to the Countryside. The characters are great, flawed but ultimately believable and it is easy to feel for them in the hills and troughs of their journies through life.

However it more than a story about a small but expanding group of people. It examines many events that precipitate changes in mental health such as health, pregnancy, grief, loss and stress in a way that really touches the reader. It also shows how every person can have an impact on changing these things both for themselves and others.

It is the ultimate feel good read

Kate has moved from London to Somerset with her husband Jay and three-month old daughter Rosie.
Kate misses her friends, Emma and Leonie but most of all she misses swimming in her local lido. She goes down to the river when she can't sleep but only to dabble her feet
Phoebe is a community mental health nurse who is missing out on life because she gives so much of her time and herself to her patients. Maude the ex-nun who loves bees; Ben who is mad keen on football and Tara who misses the voices in her head.
Both of these women find new friends and support systems through cold water swimming. They also reconnect with family and old friends but most importantly with themselves.
This book is a must read for new mums particularly ones who are struggling and feel they are not good enough.
It tells us all that if we want to be strong for others we need to start taking care of ourselves.

This is a lovely follow up to The Lido - in this book we are reunited with Kate who has moved away from London and her friends and has a newborn but she is struggling and finding it all a bit overwhelming. Phoebe is a mental health nurse whose boyfriend has just left her and she is trying to navigate life on her own and feels that she has lost touch with friends. These are the 2 main characters and there are a few others who all meet at the local river for wild swimming.. I really enjoyed reading this story its a lot about motherhood and mental health. A good read .

We follow two women, Kate and Phoebe, alternately as they navigate life in a small Somerset town. Kate has a newborn baby and feels like she's the only one who's ever struggled with that, especially when she meets up with the local mums' group and finds they're all fine (apparently). Phoebe pours so much of herself into her job as a mental health nurse that her boyfriend says she has no time for him and she heads towards burnout.

Kate misses swimming in the London lido she campaigned to save, as well as her friends who are continuing without her; she sees an advert for a wild swimming group and wonders if she dares join. Phoebe comes across them at the same time and the group of disparate women bonds as life expands for both women, as does their honesty about what their lives are actually like.

Some of the material in this novel is really quite dark, although honest and authentic (and there's a great list of helpful resources in the back of the book which is a lovely touch), but there are moments of lightness and humour, too, and the ending, with a modern twist coming part-way through, is really nicely done.

Review to be published 5 May: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/05/05/book-review-libby-page-the-lifeline/

The Lifeline is the follow up to the popular book The Lido. I found it difficult to get through this book. I didn’t really connect with any character and found the plot very slow.

Kate moved from London to start her family in the countryside but now, after a few months she's struggling. Phoebe is a mental health nurse who puts her patients above herself and now she's struggling. Both have a love of swimming and stumble across the local wild swimming club. Just as they find themselves and a new set of friendships everything is under threat, can they pull together and save what they have?
I love a new Libby Page book! There's a real sense of comfort in reading these novels, a new one is a warm treat for when the reader is low and this is no exception. The underlying theme here is loneliness and the impacts on mental health. This is not an easy topic to handle sensitively and Page does it wonderfully.

I read the Lido back when it first came out and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to go back and revisit that world - even if my memory was a bit fuzzy on the details of it all at a six-ish year distance. I found it really touching, although its themes were a bit heavier than I was expecting. Both of the main characters are suffering in different ways and I wanted them both to get some more help and sooner. But it does all work out in the end and in a really hopeful and uplifting way. I read this in less than 24 hours and that tells you a lot.

I enjoyed The Lido, the author’s debut novel so was looking forward to reading the follow up, The Lifeline.
Kate and her partner Jay have recently moved from London to Somerset and with a new baby, Kate is struggling and feeling increasingly isolated. Phoebe is a community mental health nurse, dedicated to her work but in danger of burning herself out. Wild swimming at the local river brings Phoebe,Kate and their community together and ultimately has a healing effect on both women.
The Lifeline is a gentle and easy read that tackles serious subjects such as mental health, post partum depression and the impact of sewage in our rivers. It’s an enjoyable follow up to The Lido with likeable characters and I easily became immersed in Phoebe and Kate’s world.
3.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Firstly, it's only fair to disclose, I am a HUGE Libby Page fan. I love her work, her books have always scooped me up and sent me out the other side feeling a little bit changed in a way I can never describe.
I adored The Lido so obviously was overjoyed to receive an ARC of it's sequel and it definitely did not dissapoint. It's honest storytelling and compelling characters instantly had me hooked. Another corker of a book.

I really enjoyed The Lido so was looking forward to reading it’s sequel, The Lifeline. This is an enjoyable book, much more of a light read and a bit more sentimental than the stuff I usually read. But I enjoyed this book nevertheless. We can all do with being a bit warm and snuggly at times. The characters are well-written and really come to life. The book is a bit twee at times but there’s something very endearing about it. I’d recommend it.

Yet another great book by Libby. Beautifully written book with lovely, friendly characters and setting. This one ticks all the boxes for me and didn't disappoint.

After rereading The Lido this week I dived into my ARC of The Lifeline.

Great characters, more thought provoking and believable stories, and a much needed honesty about how difficult those early months of motherhood can be.

Loved the book.