I receivedan ARC of this book vianetgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read one other book by this author, although it was non-fiction there are some similarities in that writing and reading and literary quotes feature in both.

This is a nice book in the way thay nice can mean ordinary or uneventful. It has a cast of married couples all living in the same slightly upmarket suburban area outside London. They bond over children and the everyday lifestyle issues. As the title suggests the plot really has little influence on theit normality and everyone is still alive at the end.

For me it is too tame, arguments between husbands and wives about who does the lion's share of the work; suspiscions about affairs and affairs themselves; worries about children and whether theirs are fulfilling all expectations. The crux of the novel centres around an accident which doesnt occur until 75% through and is all but over and done with in the space of a few pages although it does make everyone reassess what they want.

A quote from the book seems to me to perfectly describe the book " I started writing about Sarah's dishwasher and Lucy's au pair and then I got a bit fond of them all. I didnt want to make bad things happen to them." I think this author spent so long describing the lives of her characters that she couldn't put any jeopardy into their lives.

It did not hold my attention and has taken 3 days to get through what is essentially chick lit. I decent enough distraction for on the beach but lacking depth and narrative drive. I find it difficult to rate these sort of books would probably not rate as high as 2 or as low as 1 star but will err on generosity on this occasion

This is a tender, insightful look at family life, parenting, marriage and loss. An entertaining read.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Everyone Is Still Alive - Cathy Rentzenbrink

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Grieving Juliet moves into her late mother’s house with her husband Liam and their son Charlie. Whilst she heads into work she leaves Liam the novelist to become friends with the neighbours of Magnolia Road. Liam is hoping the neighbours will provide the material he needs for his second novel. But before they know it, one marriage ends, suspicions are rife in others and one incident at a children’s birthday party means life will never be the same for Juliet and her family.

This is a quickly and easy read but unfortunately for me it wasn’t a satisfying one. The characters are really unlikeable and I understand that this is in part a device for redemption arcs but by the end of the book it becomes a bit twee. Everything is wrapped up in a neat package by the end. It’s not a book I would recommend but thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.