Review: A Home Like Ours

Title: A Home Like Ours

Author: Fiona Lowe

Publisher: 3rd March 2021 byHarlequin Australia & MIRA

Pages: 576 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

A picturesque small town, a cosy community garden, a facade of tolerance and acceptance - but when three women with wildly different loyalties come together, what secrets and lies will be revealed? A timely novel exploring prejudice and privilege, from bestselling Australian author Fiona Lowe.

Tara Hooper is at breaking point. With two young children, a business in a town struggling under an unexpected crime wave, and her husband more interested in his cricket team than their marriage, life is a juggling act. Then, when new neighbours arrive and they are exactly the sort of people the town doesn't want or need, things get worse.

Life has taught Helen Demetriou two things: being homeless is terrifying and survival means keeping your cards close to your chest. Having clawed back some stability through her involvement in the community garden, she dares to relax. But as she uncovers some shady goings-on in the council, that stability turns to quicksand.

For teenage mother Jade Innes, life can be lonely among the judgement of the town and the frequent absences of her boyfriend. A chance encounter draws her into the endangered community garden where she makes friends for the first time. Glimpsing a different way of life is enticing but its demands are terrifying. Does she even deserve to try?

My Thoughts

‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression.’

I am a fan of Fiona’s work as she often tackles important contemporary issues, inviting her readers to contemplate what their own attitude or response might be. On this occasion, in a rural setting, Fiona offers a range of social situations for consideration.

Once more Fiona has created a cast of characters with real depth and range. Whether it be the teenage single Mum, the married middle aged wife, or the older retiree. These women, with their individual problems, band together and create a community that is willing to support and provide for each other. It is rather a long tale, slow in some places, but Fiona obviously wished to bring her reader into each character’s plight and story.

The problem I have is that I feel Fiona took on way too many topical issues in this one book. You will read everything from displacement, racism, volunteering, chronic illness, homelessness, poverty, ageism, single mothers, refugees being the main ones. Is it possible to do justice to each even with the book pushing six hundred pages? Fiona certainly gives it a fair attempt, yet to my mind, I would have appreciated fewer issues with more concentrated detail.

I did enjoy the underlying dilemma that served to bring the community together and reached a good climax by the end to provide an all up engaging tale. Ultimately this is a book about hope, learning to break down social and cultural barriers to create a community worth living in. Would you be strong enough to take steps and make things right?

‘Your blind spot was underestimating a young single mother and an older homeless woman. We don’t shy away from battles. We live them every day.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Just an Ordinary Family

Title: Just an Ordinary Family

Author: Fiona Lowe

Publisher: 24th February 2020 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 507 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: womens fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Every family has its secrets...

Alice Hunter is smarting from the raw deal life has thrown her way: suddenly single, jobless and forced to move home to her parents' tiny seaside town. And now she faces an uncomfortable truth. She wants her twin sister Libby's enviable life.

Libby's closest friend Jess Dekic has been around the Hunter family for so long she might as well be blood. She's always considered herself a sister closer to Libby than Alice ever could be...

Libby Hunter has all of life's boxes ticked: prominent small-town doctor, gorgeous husband and two young daughters. But when she is betrayed by those she loves most, it reveals how tenuous her world is...

For Karen Hunter, her children are a double-edged sword of pain and pride. She's always tried to guide her girls through life's pitfalls, but how do you protect your children when they're adults?

As the family implodes, the fallout for these four women will be inescapable...

My Thoughts

I have read a few Fiona Lowe books, Home Fires, from last year totally flawed me (review HERE). This book, whilst similarly dealing with small town life, is a different story but still one of great character analysis. Just An Ordinary Family investigates themes such as love, trust, betrayal and regret. Fiona herself stated that she wished to highlight ..”how often we delude ourselves that our actions will only result in one specific outcome and that when we explain ourselves, others will understand and forgive.” But do they?

The characters here are both real and relatable, they make mistakes as we all often do and this tale investigates the regrets that often come from not facing those errors. Relationships that go to the brink because of misunderstandings and words expressed in anger. The question is, can these issues be overcome? Will secrets, once revealed, leave wounds that cannot heal? Fiona will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions with each of her  main characters as they face the consequences of their actions. They are flawed and thus don’t make the best decisions but they are human, that being, their intentions are often pure or well meant. Readers will have to decide for themselves who they support and why, with opinions more than likely to differ - but isn’t that true to life? 

The only drawback is the length of this book - it is a long one. At times the dialogue goes round and round in circles and could in some parts have been condensed. There are multiple storylines with a lot going on. Yet once I passed halfway I became fully engaged in each of the women's quests. 

Overall this is an epic family saga focusing on love and forgiveness. It’s intense and real with a walkaway message to treasure each and every day. 

‘We owe it to the children to honour our mistakes, learn from them and live the best version of ourselves.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Home Fires

Title:  Home Fires

Author: Fiona Lowe

Publisher: 18th February 2019 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: fiction, contemporary

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

When a lethal bushfire tore through Myrtle, nestled in Victoria's breathtaking Otway Ranges, the town's buildings - and the lives of its residents - were left as smouldering ash. For three women in particular, the fire fractured their lives and their relationships.

Eighteen months later, with the flurry of national attention long past, Myrtle stands restored, shiny and new. But is the outside polish just a veneer? Community stalwart Julie thinks tourism could bring back some financial stability to their little corner of the world and soon prods Claire, Bec and Sophie into joining her group. But the scar tissue of trauma runs deep, and as each woman exposes her secrets and faces the damage that day wrought, a shocking truth will emerge that will shake the town to its newly rebuilt foundations... 

My Thoughts

‘...it wasn’t the sight of the buckled and twisted remains of their home that undid her. It was seeing two tiny rompers, Liam’s shorts and T-shirts and Josh’s workwear—clothes she’d pegged on the line the morning of the fire before leaving to visit her mother. She’d doubled over at the everyday sight and sobbed at nature’s taunting. How dare she have taken normality for granted.’

If you live anywhere in the world where bushfires are hazard, you will be enthralled by this book. Each summer, here in Australia, we are faced with this deadly disaster annually. What Fiona does is bring it right into the spotlight in a most confronting way. From both an individual and community perspective the devastating effects are presented and admirably not just for a moment but for many months afterwards as well.

Following the lives of three women deeply affected, the story jumps back and forth from prior to, during and many months later. At times this can be a challenge to track, however, Fiona does it well enough, climaxing with the fire itself on the day. This is not just a story about bushfires, it’s an investigation into the many issues of life in a small town community and the everyday challenges they face. What the fire does, is bring these conflicts to a head with how people cope when faced with adversity.

‘Now everything was measured in BF and AF, from the big picture things right down to the little things like reaching for your favourite cooking knife or spanner, only to realise it had been destroyed.’

Beginning with their frustrations at the slow rebuild after the fire and having to live in temporary housing, to the social and emotional impact on families and individuals. Fiona does a wonderful job at presenting how such a traumatic situation impacts on people differently. It really makes you stop and pause as to how you would respond to such a confronting situation. There are many personal stories here that cover a cross section of issues - marriage, jobs, domestic violence. I have to be honest and say that I did struggle with the three male partners - I didn’t like any of them and found their actions - scripted or not - rather hard to accept.

Overall, this was a fabulous read, so real and emotional - the frustration and heartbreak very relatable. There are many facets and components to this story of a small town in the face of devastating fires. I highly recommend you taking the time to become part of the lives of these people and feel the fear with what they faced.

‘Claire thought about the men and women of Myrtle and how many were barely coping. All their energy was sucked out of them just trying not to sink under the weight of trauma, red tape and rebuilding. It didn’t leave much in reserve...’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Review: Birthright

Title: Birthright

Author: Fiona Lowe

Publisher: 19 February 2018 by Harlequin (Australia), TEEN / MIRA

Pages: 445 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women's fiction, contemporary

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Australian author Fiona Lowe returns with a juicy family saga, set against the backdrop of Victoria's high country, about unforgettable characters tangled together by a wealthy inheritance, secrets and betrayal.

Is an inheritance a privilege or a right?

Does it show love? Margaret, the matriarch of the wealthy Jamieson family, has always been as tight-fisted with the family money as she is with her affection. Her eldest daughter, Sarah, is successful in her own right as a wife, mother and part owner of a gourmet food empire. But it’s not enough to impress her mother. Always in the shadow cast by the golden glow of her younger brother, Sarah feels compelled to meet Margaret’s every demand to earn her love.

Does it give security? After a poverty-stricken childhood, Anita has claimed the social status she’s worked so hard to achieve by marrying Cameron Jamieson. Although they have a comfortable life, she’s never able to fully relax, fearing everything could change in a heartbeat.

Or does it mean freedom? Ellie, the youngest, has lived a nomadic and — according to her siblings — a selfish life, leaving them to care for their ageing mother. For her, freedom means staying far away from the strings attached to her inheritance, but she needs to consider her young son’s future as well.

As their mother’s health deteriorates, will long-held secrets and childhood rivalries smash this family into pieces?

An addictive and page-turning story of the relationships between siblings and of deceit, betrayal and revenge.

My Thoughts

The premise of this book, as stated in the synopsis, ‘Is an inheritance a privilege or a right?’, is an interesting thought to ponder, especially for the Jamieson family in this particular situation. You put yourself in their shoes - are you simply entitled to the family inheritance? Should it be distributed evenly? Fairly based on recognition? What if you disagreed with the will? How far would you go to contest what you rightly thought was your entitlement?

“That it doesn’t change the fact that you made a life-altering decision without discussing it with me?”

With so much to consider from varying viewpoints, this became a long story. Perhaps a tad too long for my liking, as I felt some sections could have been shortened. Undoubtedly it is well written with a strong cast of characters who provide a most thought provoking family saga - the key word there would be provoking and I will get to that in a moment. Of course, families do not get along all the time, at the best of times, and many will relish this confronting and at times, difficult drama filled situations. In many ways it held potential as some situations or characters had recognisable dilemmas.

‘After all, who in their mid-forties, sandwiched between teenage children and ageing parents and with so many people making demands on them, didn’t crave time on their own?’

Apart from the hefty size of the tale, I struggled with a couple of other things. Firstly, these people were at times downright brutal to each other. Early on it did not sit comfortably with me but towards the end I did not enjoy how rude and confrontational they were to each other. There are some really unlikable characters here. The second thing I found difficult was the array of issues - everything from spousal affairs and vasectomies, to homosexuality and sexual abuse - just to name the main ones.  It was just too many and too much and became overwhelming and ridiculously drama filled.

Overall I enjoyed some of the story and some of the characters - I had a lot of respect for Ellie and how her part played out and would have loved to learn more about the father, Kevin. But on the whole, there was just too much bitterness for me to swallow and many characters were too difficult to connect with as their infighting went to a whole new level.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.