Stevie and Amber have married and moved into their first home together. Both are looking forward to starting marital bliss in Grimaldi Square. But there is a problem. They arrive at the house and octogenerian Dorothy is in situ; aware that she shouldn’t be there when the new owners take residence but she isn’t going to talk about it. She makes tea and gets to know Stevie and Amber who are becoming more and more agitated by her presence.

‘Friends of Dorothy’ is a quirky and lovely little story of friendship and compassion where we have an eclectic cast of characters - from the eponymous Dorothy herself and the other residents of Grimaldi Square. Yes, the plot is far-fetched but I love the fact that we have such a feisty character who is not going to back down and leave the house until she gets her revenge.


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I’ve read some poor reviews about this book so read it with some trepidation. Basically, I’d been grateful for an ARC so felt obliged.

Having finished it in one day, I’m wondering if those criticisms were from people who expected a different genre from Toksvig? I felt it was the perfect read for a lazy, autumnal Sunday. The characters were fun, the plot was silly, the setting was cute. It didn’t tax my brain but that’s the exact kind of book I wanted today.

Queer, witty and cozy, with all the threads wrapped up by the end. (3.8 rounded up to 4).

I give this a somewhat reluctant 3 stars, as I was split between its pros and cons, but 2.5 isn't an option.

Pros: I liked the various themes handled in this book - found/'logical' families, queer lives, homophobia and transphobia, living with trauma, ageing, and more. I liked the characters, particularly Amber, Dorothy and Bobby the Builder.

Cons: I looked forward to reading this because I'm a keen fan of QI and enjoy Sandi Toksvig's dry humour in that show. Unfortunately, I feel this humour falls quite flat on the page, and it rather descends into farce in places, The writing is - it pains me to say this - not particularly skillful.

I do think Friends of Dorothy would work brilliantly as a TV series, so long as it focused less on the farce and more on the deeper issues, with the dark humour preserved.

Thanks to the author @sanditoksvig, publisher @LittleBrownUK and Netgalley for the ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

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Whilst reading this – I heard Sandi Toksvig interviewed on the Dish podcast (hard recommend – one of my must listen to podcasts with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, sponsored by Waitrose) and she was talking about writing this book. Basically she was writing a different factual book that required LOADS of research and ballooned into something much bigger than expected – and decided she wanted to write something that required no research at all – hence ‘Friends of Dorothy’ was born.

The book is most definitely a play on the ‘Friends of Dorothy’ colloquialism which is defined on the Fluent Slang website as follows:

“The term friend of Dorothy is a slang phrase that refers to someone who identifies as LGBTQ. It originated in the mid-1900s as a discreet way for LGBTQ individuals to identify themselves and connect with others during a time when the queer community faced persecution. The exact origin of the term is uncertain, with some suggesting it may be a reference to Dorothy Parker, a writer who had many gay friends in the 1920s and 1930s, while others believe it comes from the character Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” who befriends outcasts. The term is often used within LGBTQ circles as a way to discreetly identify oneself or to arrange meetings that would go unnoticed by the heterosexual majority. Although the term is not as commonly used today, it may still be heard among LGBTQ communities and can also be abbreviated as “FOD.” It’s important to emphasize that the term is not sexually explicit and is not intended to be offensive.”

But also one of the central characters is called Dorothy – and the supporting cast either are or become her friends over the course of the book.

Whilst the book is primarily about Amber and Stevie and their new home – it is so much more than that. It’s about ‘family’ from friends, it touches on homophobia and transphobia, it looks at the use of recreational drugs for pain relief, the support of a community, end of life care and so much more.

Overall it is a total delight of a book. I loved the whole cast of characters and the journey they went on and the power of a group of family built from friendship and support. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone.

A huge thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC. It came out in September 2024 so you can but it IMMEDIATELY and I think you probably should!

I absolutely loved this book! Sandi's books are generally a delight anyway and this one didn't disappoint me at all. Five stars.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a real laugh as it highlights major social issues. It is full of vivid characters and shows kindness in a myriad of different ways.
I enjoyed reading this book immensely.

Friends of Dorothy was not entirely what I was expecting. It tackled serous subjects such as cancer, homophobia, transphobia, and PTSD, but still managed to be funny in parts,
I absolutely adored Dorothy, she was my favourite character because of her quirkiness - her antics were the best part of the book.
Friends of Dorothy left me feeling good; it wasn’t a book I wasn’t able to put down, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a fun read! While some pretty serious topics are covered this book managed to remain a delight throughout and a real LGBTQ+ romcom.
In the best of ways it reminded me of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (before Toksvig even used his phrase 'logical family' and I really became invested in all of the characters and their lives - however far fetched some of the plot became.

Cop Stevie & Paramedic Amber have found their perfect home. OK Grimaldi Square looks a bit desolate, the old pub is run down but their house can be made perfect. Stevie is organised, she is a list maker & planned their moved exactly. What she wasn't prepared for finding an old woman sitting in the attic room showing no signs of going anywhere! She was the previous owner but she is not going anywhere. She is waiting for something- or someone! That is our introduction to Dorothy.

This was our introduction to a crazy tale that at times had me laughing out loud & at others moved to tears. The characters are marvellous- I felt I knew them, or I wanted to meet them. If analysed it isn't the most believable story but who cares when presented with this delightful tale? Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- I loved it!

This book did not grab me at all. I didn't find it interesting which I am quite sad about as I really like the author and I thought I would love the book but it's not for me,

Sadly this book wasn't for me. I wasn’t invested in the characters - although others obviously enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely book about community and family and how that isn't always made up of people you are related to.
Stevie and Amber move into their new house only to find Dorothy the previous owner still living there. Dorothy inserts herself into their lives and doesn't want to leave.
I really enjoyed reading this one, the interactions between characters, the colourful personalities and all the side stories too.
It's a brilliant uplifting read and one I would recommend you pick up.

I never normally read comedy but I am a big fan of Sandi Toksvig so I was drawn to this book. I really enjoyed the characters of Stevie and Amber although I did think Jack was a little too good to be true. Unlike a lot of books which are promoted as 'laugh out loud' I did find this book very funny in parts and touching in others.

I really liked the idea of this book and I thought the title was very cleverly chosen! I like the author and have always found her amusing so hoped her writing would be the same. I loved the beginning of the book. Amber and Stevie have bought a house together, but find that it comes with the former resident - Dorothy. I enjoyed being introduced to the different characters, and I found the dialogue witty and funny. However, for me, as the story moved on, it became a bit complicated with the characters and I began to lose track of who was who. The storyline was so far fetched (I know it's a story so it can be!) and it wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be. I also found it quite gloomy throughout, which was surprising as there were so many laugh out loud parts!

Whilst I didn't enjoy the plot as much as I'd hoped, I did enjoy the humour that the author injected into it. I've watched her on TV for so many years, and always laughed along with her. Her talent to make people laugh comes through the pages is amazing, and it's a shame that this book all became a bit too serious. It was a bit of a mixed bag for me, and I so wanted to like it more.

Let's be honest, it's a rather unlikely scenario. When Amber and Stevie buy their dream home they find it comes complete with the previous owner and no matter what they try, they don't seem able to get octogenraian Dorothy to leave! However, it you are willing to overlook this - and I was - then what you will find is a rather charming story about love, family and friendship in many guises.

As you might expect from a book written by Sandi Toksvig, there is a lot of humour in this book as the couple try to negotiate with Dorothy and make their house their own. However there are lot of deeper issues covered too such as care of the elderly and the challenges faced by gay people as they seek to create a family and how they can still, sadly, face prejudice just for who they are.

As well as Amber, Stevie and Dorothy, there are several other entertaining characters. I particularly liked Jack and his granny Birdie. Many of these characters were quite quirky which was balanced out nicely by sensible Amber and Stevie.

I'd call this a cosy kind of read, full of fun but also rather poignant at times. Recommended if you are looking for an easy to read, heartwarming book.

A lively and effervescent tale, as you might expect from comedian Sandi Toksvig, full of laughter, little dramas and ultimately, a satisfying ending. It's quite a light, fast-paced book with plenty of action, frustrations and solutions, based around Dorothy, the key character of the title, who remains in her house after it has been sold to married couple, Stevie and Amber. She appears to be a force of nature despite ailing health, and manages to involve herself in the lives of everyone in Grimaldi Square where they live. There are plenty of joyful, disastrous and touching moments, at which Dorothy is the centre if not always the cause. A jolly, uplifting read perfect for the holidays.

I enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, twisty and entertaining. I liked the good storytelling and the fleshed out characters. Good humour
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Amber and Stevie buy a house, but it has a sitting tenant, that they weren't expecting to have. She's 80 years old and doesn't care what anyone thinks and she certainly speaks her mind.

I really wanted to read this book as I loved Sandi's memoir book and her style of writing. Unfortunately for me from the first page I just didn't really gel with the whole premise of the book. Each time I picked the book up I thought the story wasn't progressing very much and I was beginning to get bored.

I stuck with it, and eventually there was a little bit more of a development to the story. Unfortunately whilst I had thought the book would be light-hearted it then went from almost slap stick to covering some darker themes. It felt like a bit of a slap in the face. Maybe the author thought that it was a truer representation of life, but it wasn't consistent with the rest of the book.

I did really like the character of Dorothy and she had some classic lines.

I loved this book. I loved the absurdity of the situation. Can you imagine buying your perfect house and on the day you move in, find the previous owner, 80 year old Dorothy, parked on the sofa and refusing to move.

The first couple of pages had me laughing. Sandi Toksvig writes in such a vivid way. There's a brief but comprehensive description of Grimaldi Square; a description of Stevie, a police officer, waiting outside number 4 for her wife Amber to arrive (Amber's very late); Stevie's encounter with a grumpy, complaining woman living next door. When she finally enters the house she finds 80 year old Dorothy upstairs, sitting on a red sofa, claiming she lives there. Stevie also finds herself inadvertently trapped in the room with Dorothy. Stevie's day isn't quite going as she carefully planned it. It's an unusual situation to say the least. How can Dorothy be encouraged to leave? Surely she has somewhere to go.

I was hooked.

The characters are wonderful. There are quite a few of them but they all have an important part in the story. Amber and Stevie's friend Jack works in the pub on the square. It turns out he recognises Dorothy from when he was a boy. Dorothy knows everyone and is a bit of a character. There are quite a few surprises. She's not a typical 80 year old lady. The dialogue between the characters is so natural and humorous.

It's not all laugh out loud. As you learn about the characters you realise there's some sadness. Dorothy's story is heartbreaking. And there are serious encounters with homophobic thugs who cause trouble in the local pub and problems for the landlady Agnes.

Overall however the book is a joy to read. I'm still smiling thinking about it. (I have no doubt I'll read it again some day).

I've loved Sandi since I was a child watching No 73 but this is the first book of hers I've read.

I don't really know what to say, except I loved it. So well written, such amazing characters, I loved everything about it!