The literary must-read of the summer: a deeply atmospheric novel about friendship, marriage, and long-suppressed secrets. Perfect for readers of Miranda Cowley Heller's The Paper Palace, A Family Matter by Claire Lynch, and Tessa Hadley.

'Riveting ... I was gripped from the start' Claire Powell, author of All In

'A perfect literary holiday read ... You won’t want to put it down' Roxy Dunn, author of Wants and Needs

Since they first met at university twenty years ago, Maggie and Will have spent the last two weeks of every summer in France with their close friends, Lydia and Roland. Both families have been looking forward to this cherished annual ritual. But this year things are different.

Will has been hiding something from his wife, and is struggling to keep his deceit from seeping into the cracks in their marriage.

Maggie is worried about their withdrawn teenage son.

Roland is grappling with grief over the death of his first wife.

Lydia is trying to ignore past chemistry with an old friend while learning to play second fiddle to a ghost.

And then, into this conflicted fray steps Issy, Roland’s beguiling, irrepressible daughter from his first marriage.

As the August heat beats down, and the children find new ways to entertain themselves, it starts to feel as if the fault lines in these relationships might widen; that it might be harder to hide secrets here, under the bright sun.


Praise for Family Friends:

'An intelligent, evocative, elegant novel simmering with tension and drama' Lisa Owens, author of Natural Disaster

'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

'Sultry and very evocative' Jo Hamya, author of The Hypocrite

'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

"A beautifully poised and riveting novel about the intricacies and entanglements of a group of friends holidaying in the south of France. I was gripped from the start" - Claire Powell, author of All In

"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

"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

"Poised and elegant. Skewers the intimacies and dynamics of friendship, desire, trust and betrayal on a summer holiday in the sultry French heat" - The Good Stuff, substack