The Sunday Lunch Club

By: Juliet Ashton

Narrated by: Karen Cass

The first rule of Sunday Lunch Club is … don't make any afternoon plans.

Every few Sundays, Anna and her extended family and friends get together for lunch. They talk, they laugh, they bicker, they eat too much. Sometimes the important stuff is left unsaid, other times it's said in the wrong way.

Sitting between her ex-husband and her new lover, Anna is coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy at the age of forty. Also at the table are her ageing grandmother, her promiscuous sister, her flamboyantly gay brother and a memory too terrible to contemplate.

Until, that is, a letter arrives from the person Anna scarred all those years ago. Can Anna reconcile her painful past with her uncertain future?

Juliet Ashton weaves a story of love, friendship and community that will move you to laughter and to tears. Think Cold Feet meets David Nicholls, with a dash of the joy of Jill Mansell added for good measure.©2018 Juliet Ashton (P)2018 Simon & Schuster UK

Critic reviews

‘A warming testament to the elasticity and enduring love of true family bonds. I adored this book' (Penny Parkes, author of Best Practice)

What a story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful tale of the Piper family. As the story went on, I felt a part of each Sunday lunch, each triumph and each tiff. I loved they way they protected one another from pain or the onset of, but were still able to be truth tellers. Each character held their own, carrying a strong presence throughout the entire read. It was a relief to see a happy ending at every angle of Anna's life. The love that Neil and Santi had for each other, although it took a minute for Neil to find the love within himself, for himself. The free spirited Mayve brought laughter and sometimes warm sentiment towards the results of her life's choices, then Finally, peace for Josh/Thea and Dinky being the matriarch that she was.
I'm so glad I chose this read, as I listened constantly for an entire day. A good day it was.

Sweet and shallow

A light read without much plot. The main character somewhat immature and less interesting than the others.

Yaya sisterhood meets modern family British style

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I liked Anna a lot. I really enjoyed the narrator. and I felt like all the family characters were well-developed. I wanted to be invited to one of their Sunday brunches.

Ending Dragged On

Good story but the ending seemed to drag on. Got bored towards the end. The author got too preachy.

Painfully Predictable

The twists in the story were painfully obvious. How could anyone not know who Thea really was lol!! It’s like the author gave readers no credit for having any intellect at all. You just have to be alive in 2022 to figure out who Thea is. She also has a terrible habit of committing the writing faux pas of telling rather than showing. She was always spelling out the inner thoughts of each character instead of fleshing them out and giving them depth. She doesn’t give the reader clues as to the mindset of a character via actions or expressions etc. Something, anything to make them real, make them complex, make them interesting. It was like a high school paper. It got so boring!!!

Glad I took a chance on this one!

Great character development, especially for a book with so many different and diverse characters. I felt the story line was relevant for the times and while I saw some of what was coming there were still many surprises! I thought the narrator did a great job as well.

Great story!

A really fun read! Lovable and quirky characters in an even more lovable and quirky family!

Rich family dynamics

The characters in this book are developed well. The story has just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting all the way to the end. I loved it!

Funny and heartfelt

I would agree there are parts of this book that were predictable, but the more I listened the more I came to enjoy each character. It was heartwarming, sometimes laugh out loud funny, and sometimes made me teary. The performance of the reader was excellent.

Mixed up world of family and binding traditions

Enjoyed the book as the author navigated the complexity of relationships and acceptance within the family. Traditions can be the silver thread to help navigate the life years as families grow into their futures