Just an ordinary family- fiona lowe

Just an Ordinary Family
Fiona Lowe 2020
HQ Fiction
 
Fiona Lowe? I’d been told about her but I honestly hadn’t given her a go. How could this be when she was a RITA winner in 2012, a RUBY finalist in 2007 and 2008 and then winner in 2012? I searched her up and she’s prolific! She has a slew of romance and medical romance books under her belt (hence the RUBY and RITA award) and four significant Women’s fiction books published. Just an Ordinary Family comes under the latter banner.

Just an ordinary family is set in the Kurnai Bay, a fictional Australian beach town. It follows the point of view of 3 women, Alice, Jess and Libby. Alice and Libby are twins but Libby and Jess are best friends and this is the first tension of the story. Lowe weaves the relationships’ highs and lows expertly between the three women, their lovers and parents. Themes of romance, betrayal, death and grief all feature and she skilfully persuades readers to feel compassion for each woman’s plight.
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There is a stage in this book where you know that a good old fashioned cry is coming up. You need to find your quiet space, a box of tissues and a glass of wine for this. I couldn’t coordinate it unfortunately. My reading time is before bed and there was a moment when I had to close the book for fear of exploding into snotty sobs and scaring the wits out of my husband. I wanted to continue reading the book in privacy so that I could indulge in my melancholy but that would mean waiting to finish the book. And I couldn’t wait.
Safe to say I’ll be rectifying my lack of Fiona Lowe reading in the future. Stay tuned for more reviews about this author!