FIVE SIBLINGS AT 23

by Paul Ilett

In every family, there is one secret that could change everything, and one person who knows the whole story.

On his 23rd birthday, Charlie Fletcher tells his dying mother that he’s gay. In return, she reveals a long-hidden truth, one so powerful it will cast a shadow over the lives of Charlie and his brothers and sisters for decades to come.

The Fletchers are a family with more than their fair share of skeletons in the closet, and as one of their most closely guarded secrets is finally revealed, what other revelations could be waiting? A forgotten photograph of a young boy at Christmas, a letter sealed for more than twenty years, and a dark truth that threatens to tear the family apart.

From the windswept coast of Southend-on-Sea to the golden light of Gran Canaria, each of the five Fletcher children must face their own challenges, when they reach the fateful age of 23.

“Paul Ilett writes so beautifully, his words woven in such a way that they will draw you into the book, and keep you captivated to the last page.”
Victor Nwabuisi, The Online Bookclub

‘Five Siblings at 23’ is an epic family saga spanning more than 20 years. Readers around the world have fallen in love with the Fletcher family and praised the novel’s deeply emotional story and characters who are so real, you will believe you actually know them. An absolute page-turner, it will keep you reading into the middle of the night.

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2025

About the author

Hi, I'm Paul and I've been writing my whole life. I spent more than a decade working as a journalist, which gave me plenty of material for my first two novels (Exposé and Exposed), but it's my experience of growing up in a large, multi-generational family that gave me the inspiration for my new novel, Five Siblings at 23. It's the story of a family with many, many secrets!

Reviews

[Michele Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This honestly isn't a book I would have picked up myself if it hadn't been chosen as one of our book club reads, and I'm so glad it was. It completely surprised me and ended up being a book I'll be recommending to others.
This story took me on such an emotional rollercoaster.

One minute I was smiling, the next my heart was breaking, then I was feeling the grief right alongside the characters, and there were definitely moments that had me so angry! I love it when a book can make me feel that invested, and Five Siblings at 23 did exactly that.
I became so attached to the siblings and loved following each of their journeys. Their relationships felt real—the love, the arguments, the heartbreak, and the way they always found their way back to each other. It all felt so believable.

An easy 5 stars from me. This is exactly why I love being part of a book club—it pushes me to read books I might otherwise have overlooked, and sometimes those end up being the ones that leave the biggest impression.

[Dorinda Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book, I read it on my Kindle and I literally just had to keep reading it. So good, although towards the end I was thinking how much can one family endure but then a letter from decades ago pulled it altogether and kept me in tears but wanting more from this author.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book that will stay with me for a long time it was so well written and I cared about the siblings instantly a beautiful story and it was so heart breaking but so joyful as well.

I really felt a connection to Charlie and liked that we kept coming back to his story and the rest of the siblings too.

Really worth a read but it will take you on an emotional journey.

[Sally Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow absolutely loved this book, couldn’t put it down, best book I have read for a very long time, loved every single chapter, if only I could give more than 5 stars 👌

[Kim Greatrex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Could not put it down.

[Helene Hymans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Couldn't put it down as you didn't know what was going to happen next with the characters. Just a nice book to read

[Diedra Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

Such a beautiful and heartfelt story. Charlie at 23 holding his Mom's as she passed. Then Lizzy at 23 having heard the words her Mom wrote in a letter as she was dying. Describing each child perfectly. Charlie was so strong keeping the family together while dealing with the lost of his 1st true love Jason. But to find love again is what he deserved. Such a beautiful and complex family who all had personal issues but found a way to survive them all.

[Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! I bought it on a whim as it was only 99p although the title and cover didn't grab me I looked at reviews and bought it.

It's true what they say never judge a book by it's cover!

It was a 'one more chapter' book late into the night wanting to know what was ahead for the Fletcher family. Great believeable characters and I'd love a sequel!

[Karen Kallinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disfunction at its finest.!!!

Different type of family, but loved them. Could feel the love,protecting, everyone. A long time since I've read a book with families so loyal !

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing

[Sarah Fishburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this down, I ended up reading it across a 24hr period. Really enjoyed.

[Molly Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not 5 stars as it annoyed me that secrets were only revealed when someone was dying. If they were that close as a family no secrets should be kept
But being one of 4 siblings I loved all the bonds they had

[elaine blandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best read of the year

Don't usually read books of this nature but I'm glad I did it was so moving,I cried with it and laughed with it so moving,if you don't read another book this year make this your last read you won't regret it,brilliant

[Sue Bartell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely family drama

I really liked the way all the characters got introduced more fully in their own chapters. You really get the feeling of a very close knit family, with wonderful character developments. A great story and well worth a read

[Leah Bielby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
Loved the story and characters.
Not sure about the body under the patio at the end, seemed pretty unnecessary as I’d pretty much forgotten/didn’t care about Nate.

[Neil Inker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for Book Club, otherwise would not have bothered. Poor 2D characters, poor soap opera plot, poor twists. Overall, just poor.

[Michelle Darlington · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

[Valerie Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more than 5stars I would, its the best book I've read so far this year, very sad in places and also some funny parts, it makes you think of your own siblings(if you have any) i definitely recommend this book to friends and family.

[Heather Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

AI Narrated book. Had I known that before I checked it out, I would not have listened to the book. Personally I don’t want to support that, but additionally it was not done well. Timing was off. Inflection/tone was also not appropriate at many points. Some of it flowed well, but at points there were weird pauses. I did not enjoy the narration and it detracted from the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, or what I could separate from the “narrator.”

[Julia Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book!

What an incredible book. A tale of life, love , loss and every other emotion in between!
I laughed, I gasped, I screamed and cried. Paul’s words paint a wonderful portrait of the complex relationships within families, but he reminds us that, although blood is thicker than water, we can welcome and embrace others into our lives and hearts and that, they too can become family.

[Kelly Goulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an epic family journey spanning generations - the kind of book that could be made into a film and keep you entirely captivated. Loved the movement of time and the focus on each of the children at different points in their lives. Beautifully written, and highly recommended.

[Wesley Brookshear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a beautiful story

I have not found a book like this in a long while, it is amazing to me how much I care about this family. Bravo to some excellent writing and the wonderful book.

[Sue Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely family orientated story

I absolutely loved this book. It made me both laugh and then cry in places. The characters were really believable, the story was well written and I was hooked from the first few pages. I'm just sorry the story had to end.

[Celia Gwynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's not very often i write a review, but this story had me gripped from the start all the way to the end, thought-provoking and emotional and beautifully written.

[cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, however, I did figure a lot of the secrets.. I like that it jumped over years, instead of reading unrelated stuff.

[Lynne Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book and the way is was told, it did dip slightly but picked up again. Definitely worth a read!

[SJ Fox · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Five lives, one family, and a lifetime of emotions

Over the course of twenty-three years, Paul Ilett tells the emotional story of the Fletcher family through the eyes of five siblings. At times heartbreaking, at others laugh-out-loud funny, we watch secrets emerge and see the ways they shape the lives of these remarkable people. I don't want to say too much about the plot because much of the pleasure comes from discovery and from watching the story gradually unfold. What I will say is that this is a book that explores the lives of five siblings with unwavering honesty, never shying away from either their flaws or their strengths, and always remaining true to who they are.

It's rare to find a book capable of weaving together so many lives, spanning so many years, whilst maintaining such emotional depth throughout. Yet Paul Ilett manages it with what appears to be effortless grace. Moving from one point of view to another, he picks up and sets down storylines with the confidence of an author completely in control of his craft. He knows when to immerse us in a particular character's struggles and when to step back and let events speak for themselves. Much like a caring parent, he knows when to take us by the hand and when it's best to let us find our own way.

But Paul Ilett is not simply an author who understands emotions. His descriptive prose has an almost cinematic quality, painting scenes that spring effortlessly from the page. Whether it's the simmering tension beneath the celebrations of Charlie and Jason's wedding or the frustration of an A&E waiting room seen through Vicki's eyes, every setting feels vividly realised. One moment you're standing in the rain outside a hospice on a bleak morning, and the next you're basking beneath the warm sun of the Canary Islands. He achieves this with such economy that you barely notice it happening. Within a few sentences you are there, fully immersed in the world and completely invested in the people inhabiting it.

Paul Ilett also possesses an impressive understanding of dramatic pacing. He knows exactly how to construct a scene for maximum emotional impact. Your heart races as a taxi hurtles towards the hospital. Your chest tightens as a nervous witness takes the stand. You can practically hear the triumphant cheer as Tyler finally throws Angel out of the house. At times, some of the storylines lean towards the melodrama of a particularly dramatic episode of EastEnders, and I felt the final over-the-top thread slightly diminished an otherwise outstanding book. Even so, there is no denying Paul Ilett's ability to provoke an emotional reaction from his readers.

Ultimately, though, this book belongs to its characters. They are so distinct, so authentic and so exquisitely drawn that they become fixed in both your mind and your heart. Spending time with them feels less like reading about fictional people and more like following the lives of friends and family over many years. By the time I reached the final pages, I realised I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye. It felt as though I had lived alongside these characters for a lifetime.

Paul Ilett has described this as his most personal book to date, and that perhaps explains why these characters feel so wonderfully real. As I closed the final page, I found myself hoping that the real Charlies, Vickis and Billys who inspired this story are out there somewhere. Because if they are, I like to think that one day I might bump into them while strolling through Westcliff-on-Sea.

[Emin Gul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was easy to read and one of those stories that you simply don’t want to put down. I finished it in just two days , helped, of course, by being stuck in bed with the weather conditions here in the UK but it was such a fast-paced and engaging read that the pages seemed to fly by.

What I loved most was how easily I connected with the characters. Even the characters who only appeared briefly felt real and memorable. While parts of the story may not have been entirely unpredictable, that didn’t take away from the enjoyment. It was still a beautifully told, heartfelt story that kept me turning the pages.

The book is not only heartwarming but also surprisingly informative. There were several topics and pieces of information that I personally hadn’t come across before, and the author explained them clearly and naturally within the story. That added another layer of depth and made the book even more enjoyable.

One aspect I particularly appreciated was the LGBTQ+ representation in the story. It was handled thoughtfully and felt like a natural and important part of the narrative. Seeing that inclusion added richness to the characters and the overall story, and it was something I was genuinely impressed by.

This is truly a book for everyone. It’s the kind of story you could easily take on holiday—something you can enjoy at your own pace without needing to keep track of complex plotlines or constantly refer back to earlier chapters.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and after such an enjoyable experience, I’m really looking forward to reading more of their work in the future. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartfelt, engaging, and meaningful read. 

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spanning more than two decades, we follow the Fletcher family as a long-buried secret unravels, shaping the lives of five siblings as they each reach the age of 23. Through heartbreak, hidden truths, and personal challenges, their individual journeys reveal the complex bonds that hold a family together.

I read this for book club and overall it was an enjoyable read. One of the book's greatest strengths is the way each sibling is given their own opportunity to shine. Their individual storylines are well developed and come together naturally to move the wider story forward. This structure worked really well and helped me become invested in the Fletcher family's lives.

As with any family saga, I connected with some characters more than others. Charlie was by far my favourite, and I really warmed to him throughout the story. On the other hand, I struggled to connect with Vicki and Lizzie. However, the variety of personalities made the family feel realistic, and I enjoyed seeing how differently each sibling responded to life's challenges.

This is an emotional story filled with relatable sibling dynamics, family tensions, and personal struggles that kept me invested throughout. At times, it did feel as though there was an awful lot of heartache packed into one family, although thankfully my own family life contains far less drama!

There are several major revelations throughout the novel and, to be honest, very few of them surprised me. I found it fairly easy to predict where the story was heading. However, that didn't take away from my enjoyment, as the real strength of the book lies in following the characters and seeing how they deal with the consequences.

While it wasn't a book that completely wowed me, it was a warm and engaging family saga with plenty of emotion and heart. A solid 3 star read with relatable family drama, memorable characters, and an enjoyable journey through the lives of the Fletcher siblings.

[Lyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The author has written so openly about the lives of each sibling at 23, you feel that you know them and other family members, and want them to do well. But life has the inevitable curve ball to toss around. I loved the gentle, loving way the author wrote about each sibling, giving us a true sense of who they were, how well they coped with their lives and how they were there for each other throughout. The storylines worked for me, keeping me engaged and interested throughout the book. Thank you Paul for providing a neat and acceptable ending.