A Friend of the Family: The addictive and emotionally satisfying page-turner that will have you hooked

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You know I adore Lisa Jewell books but in her old books I don't get why she had to put really dumb guys in her books. The only reason I didn’t give it one star is because I did finish it so either I am a fool or it deserves two stars for tricking me into hanging in there. The title is misleading; the friend of the family was like a pathetic Mary Poppins for adult children.

Someone will get pregnant, someone will be in love with his brother's girlfriend, and a "friend of the family" like a wandering angel, will be there to pick up the pieces, reflect their problems back at them, and teach them to grow up. Lisa Jewell transcends the British chick lit genre by creating complex characters with problems many readers can relate to.With barely ten pages to go everything is going perfectly and gets tied up witb a neat bow just as Gervase decide's to disappear from the London family home. The previous Lisa Jewell books I've read were suspense thrillers, this was more a love triangle and it wasn't thrilling in any way. It's just a nice, comforting (even with the slight every-day-drama included) story that you like to have there even if it's not mind blowing. I still gave it 3 stars because in the end I kind of understood the story and thought it was kind of okay.

The common thread and main topic is love, under all its forms : parental, brotherly, friendship, romantic love, love of life. This one reminded me of a cross between Ralph's Party, the Making of Us and The House We Grew Up In so if you liked any of those I am sure you will like this one too!It is a great anytime read, but if anything a "great busy person read," because the chapters are short. The book knits all these stories together and it leaves you with a warm feeling about being part of a family. Whilst we have a mysterious incomer to the family in the form of an unexpected lodger, the title of this one could mean any member of this family, are they actually looking out for one another or just playing it that way on the surface. Its unlike the other books of hers that I’ve read and is a go to author for me, as it’s listed as contemporary fiction and romance. Admittedly, I do prefer her newer material as it’s a lot more grittier, however her older books are lovely and have a real feel-good element to them.