Family Friends

An intelligent, evocative, elegant novel simmering with tension and drama. Family Friends is a forensic examination of friendship and desire, and the perils of mixing the two

Lisa Owens, author of Natural Disaster

Delicious! So good on the way that time ties knots in relationships that trip us up further down the line. Chloë is so patient with her characters, even when they’re making terrible mistakes, whilst also keeping us hooked on her tangled plot

Lizzy Stewart, author of Alison

Sultry and very evocative ... Contains the sort of characters you'd die to have as neighbours: chaotic, and always on the verge of their next mistake — perfect, in other words, to gossip with friends over

Jo Hamya, author of The Hypocrite

With Family Friends Ashby has created a piercing portrait of marriage, friendship and parenthood. It is a propulsive story with intrigue, secrecy and drama – I had a wonderful time reading it

Jenny Mustard, author of What a Time to Be Alive

Ashby writes with an eye for detail … The deft plotting makes this a novel that preoccupies you even when you’re not reading it

The Irish Times

One of the smartest offerings in fiction this summer ... Poised and gripping, it uses a sweltering Mediterranean setting to amp up tensions to dramatic effect

Guardian

Grief and temptation gather under the August heat in Ashby's psychologically acute novel about loyalty

The i paper, The best new books out in July

An involving and psychologically acute portrait of marriage, friendship and loyalty tested to the limit. A sophisticated summer page-turner for Tessa Hadley fans

The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

Ashby's background in art comes to full force in her physical descriptions ... Family Friends is at its best when it evokes the singular sensory pleasures of a summer holiday

The Sunday Times