We All Live Here: A Novel

The majority of time, I am a big fan of Moyes. I found these characters very relatable as well as their emotions and reactions. My biggest take away here is perception and forgiveness. How often we hold others so accountable for their mistakes but overlook our own. We also will overlook a close friend but not a family member. How unfortunate. The main character’s view of her lost marriage at the end was quite enlightening. I hope forgiveness is a takeaway for many readers.

“Yes, maybe this is a family. With all its mad history and chaos, heartbreaks, stupid jokes, ridiculous triumphs, and distinct lack of Noguchi coffee-tables, maybe this is my family.”

We All Live Here is a warm and lighthearted novel about the bonds of family from bestselling author JoJo Moyes.

It’s barely been eighteen months since Lila’s husband moved in with his much younger mistress (just weeks after the publication of her debut nonfiction book offering advice on how to build a strong marriage), followed by her beloved mother’s tragic death in a traffic accident, leaving Lila trying to keep it all together for the sake of her two daughters. But with writers block, recalcitrant plumbing, a grieving stepfather, dwindling finances, a dog that wont stop barking, and the unexpected appearance of her estranged biological father, Lila is barely hanging on.

A character driven novel, I was quickly invested in Lila’s struggle to reclaim her equilibrium in the wake of betrayal and loss. She easily earned my sympathy while navigating the needs of her family and herself, despite her mistakes. I enjoyed Lila’s conversations with her best friend, and the romantic subplot that has Lila torn between affable landscape gardener Jensen, and suave single dad, Gabriel.

With warring elderly fathers, a rebellious teen, and a guileless eight year old under one roof, Lila’s family dynamic is complicated. Plus there is her ex and his newly pregnant partner, whom Lila regularly has to face at the school gate to factor in. Moyes effortlessly communicates the daily chaos, compromises, and caring, familiar to every family. I liked the various strong-willed personalities of the main characters, and their interactions with one another.

I found We All Live Here to be well paced for a novel with close to 500 pages. Exploring the themes of heartbreak, longing, regret, forgiveness, and redemption, the serious moments are well balanced with humour. There aren’t really any surprises in the story but the author’s observations about what it means to be a family are witty and thoughtful.

An engaging read, We All Live Here is an amusing and satisfying domestic drama.

Lila is trying to manage much too much: a house that needs too much, a stepfather who has moved in, a larger-than-life estranged father who has moved in, a complicated love life, and two recalcitrant daughters. And of course, not enough money. At times this novel was annoying, and I wanted to shake Lila up to smarten up. However, the good humor and comedy kept me reading, and I was rewarded by a most satisfying resolution.

I always, always love JoJo Moyes books although I was very worried at the beginning of this lengthy novel because I was having trouble liking ANY of the characters. However, Moyes knows how to pull you in and page-by-page you get completely involved with this confusing family situation and how it develops, so much so that I was very sorry to reach the end of the book!

The kind of book we expect from Jojo, well written, amusing, and up to her high standard.

A romance and family issues play a part in this novel. Lila Kennedy's marriage has failed, her house is in disrepair, and her children are a handful. Then her biological father shows up needing a place to stay. Her life is upended, she finds out details about her family that surprise her, and they are all living in the same house.
Entertaining, but I had a hard time getting into it.

It didn't matter to me that I knew where this story was going! The chaos of being a single mother with two daughters, an ex-husband with a pregnant girlfriend, a grieving stepfather who's gradually moving in, and her missing father finally showing up just makes for a lot of angst and laughs! So enjoyable!

Lila Kennedy and her extended family - ex-husband (and his pregnant girlfriend), two daughters, her deadbeat dad, her grieving stepfather, possible new boyfriend, and neurotic dog Truant - combine to create constant chaos and stress. It was a nice story but not as compelling as some of her previous work and definitely not as funny.

Easy to read on a plane. Nothing really happens in the book but it is easy to fall in love with all the characters. None of the characters are perfect. It is a sweet love story as well.

One of Jojo Moyes better ones. This chaotic, complicated family is delightful in so many ways, and their story is definitely a feel good one, complete with ups, downs, and lots of drama. Characters are good.