We Are Family

by Emlyn Rees

In affairs of the heart, how far can family loyalties be stretched before they snap?

When Laurie Vale receives a phone call out of the blue from an aunt she never knew existed, she soon discovers that everything she ever believed about her family is a lie. Fifty years earlier, in the idyllic coastal village of Stepmouth, a forbidden love affair and a devastating flood drove the Vale family apart, but now her aunt is determined that Laurie should know the truth.

Laurie escapes to the balmy warmth of Majorca only to find the hopes and passions buried in the past resurfacing in the present. But the more she seeks to heal old wounds, the more she becomes ensnared in a complex love affair of her own. One that could destroy her family for good.

A wonderfully entertaining novel about love, family and the secrets that lie just beneath the surface...

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Family, Audiobook

498 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

EMLYN REES is a fiction and non-fiction author, editor and director of the Dark & Stormy Crime Film, TV & Book Festival, and an associate copywriter at We Are Adult.

He spent his early twenties traveling around Asia and pouring drinks in London for the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Princess Anne, before joining the Curtis Brown literary agency and having his first crime novel published aged twenty-five, his second a year later, and then co-writing seven comedies with Josie Lloyd, including the Number One Sunday Times bestseller Come Together.

Emlyn’s race-against-the-clock thriller, Hunted, was published in 2012 by Constable & Robinson in the UK and HarperCollins in the US. Hunted is optioned and in in development with Biting Point films, scripted and being directed by Eric Styles. The sequel, Wanted, was published in 2014 in the UK by Little, Brown and in the US by HarperCollins.

Emlyn lives in Brighton with his wife Joanna Rees, who also writes under the name Josie Lloyd. We’re Going on a Bar Hunt and The Very Hungover Caterpillar, both parodies, written by Emlyn and Josie, and illustrated by the brilliant Gillian Johnson, are out now, published by Little, Brown.

Reviews

[Shrilaxmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the style of writing. It felt light-hearted and fun which probably should not have happened because there was some amount of tragedy and natural disaster involved. The plot seemed quite contrived and was only sustained by a vast amount of miscommunication. But oh well, I liked it. There is romance and drama - a pleasant summer read.

[Tanya (Girl Plus Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I have read every book by the husband/wife team of Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees and this one is a real stand-out. The alternating chapters, switching between present day and 1953, was brilliantly done. This allowed for the story to unfold perfectly, details being revealed like layers being peeled away. How Lloyd and Rees managed to intertwine the two time periods and the cast of characters is so impressive. As I neared the end, with the climax of two separate plots coming to fruition, and parallels being drawn between the two, I could hardly put the book down.

My only issue (which has nothing to do with the writing) is the book cover. It is in no way representative of the novel. I realize that the authors probably have little to no say over book covers but I found this one to be a bit cheesy and had Lloyd/Rees not already been favorite authors I might have passed this one right by (yes, I do sometimes judge a book by its cover LOL).

Aesthetics aside, We Are Family was a fantastic read and a perfect example of why Lloyd/Rees are favorites.

[Невена Pascaleva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too slow-going and maudlin for my taste, otherwise, a good love story. Part of the book's charm for me was that I got it from a small vintage bookshop in London for the price of one pound and the paper was a bit yellowish. Romantic :)

[Mahgol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned valuable things about family, relationships, and life from this enjoyable reading. so simple at the same time good enough to keep you intrigued. my favorite character was Rachel she was inspiring for never giving up, for being hopeful and building her future instead of giving up everything due to the bitterness of the past like her brother and mother.

[Helen Chester · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into it. Love Lloyd and Rees style of writing but this story jumps from present day to 1950s and with so many characters that I had to write them down but still got in a muddle. So gave up which I very rarely do. I gave it 4 attempts. Oh well. X

[Louise EF · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. I liked that way it moved between present day and the 1950s.

[Malavika Venugopal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy weekend read, storyline was good but too stretched out.

[lifeinbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Passing this on. I didn’t remember anything about this book when I started this reread. I thought the beginning was quite entertaining and was pleasantly surprised, but after fifty pages or so the characters started to annoy me and skipped some of the story to get to the end.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to other books by this couple, this book is much more serious. It tells about fifty years in the lives if a grief-stricken family who got separated and reunited in very complicated ways.

[Ilonita50 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some twists and turns, highly drama novel.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

love the books by this duo and this doesn't disappoint. Thought it was clever how they interlinked past with present throughout the book

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and liked all the characters, except maybe Bill. I thought he was a bit hard headed over his sister but it was good in the end.

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't even say why I took this book from the library. And I can see that will appeal to a lot of people. I'm am just not one of them. I just want more from books than this.