I loved this book right from the start. It was refreshing, funny and easy to relate to. Angela is a lovable character. Her life is so simple and yet so complex with her struggles in her marriage, as a mother, as a business woman. She's the "typical" super-woman you find in every family as she tries to keep her family together and help everyone find their way. But when a tragedy happens everyone is forced to realise that their mother isn't a super-woman, she is just a woman who wants to be loved, cherished and also looked after just as much as she has done throughout everyone else's lives.

I loved the different story lines throughout the book. You got to know each of the Gillespie family members and fall equally in love with each of them. At the beginning I thought that Genevieve would have been a stuck up snob because of her career and how she presented herself at the beginning. But by the end I found her to be one of the strongest members, the most level-headed, the most reliable. It's strange to think that this also applies in real life, where people are always judged by their appearances or careers instead of by their history and personality. But sadly, that is the way for many.

The incorporation of Australian farming life was wonderful. The place the three girls go to to watch the sunrise and had done so since they were little was wonderfully described. It reminded me of the little town I grew up in and loved.

The simplicity of this novel is what grabs you, the stories in it are what make it a fantastic read, and the underlying struggles and outcomes this family goes through to survive is what makes you love it. It's the best kind of heart-warming novel to curl up with on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (or coffee if you prefer) because it's one of those stories that will stay with you and make you feel like you're not alone in your everyday struggles!!

Hello from the Gillespies is a wonderful book that shows that families aren’t perfect but they are filled with love. Life isn’t going so well for the Gillespies and the older children have returned home, jobless and penniless. The story looks at the issues families come across and the tensions that can arise in life, particularly, when living on the land. While it does examine sensitive issues, there are comic reliefs that break up these intense moments.

The different characters are fantastic! So much chaos and havoc that it makes you laugh and love the different members of the family. Each of them are very different which is why tensions arise and tempers flare, particularly, between the siblings. The twist is interesting and I love how the family is able to rally together and rise above when things look like they could fall apart. The family becomes stronger and closer because of the twist. I love the Australian setting and the spirit found in the outback that pours out from the pages.

It’s a breathtaking story about discovering what’s important in life, re-discovering what was once lost and remembering that no matter what, the people you love will always be there to lend a hand.

Hello from the Gillespies chronicles a families life in the Australian outback, in a time which feels contemporary and raw. The issues facing the family drought, money concerns, empty nesters and boomerang children will ring true with many readers.

The book balances comedy with serious issues perfectly the story never strays too far away from a light hearted chuckle, but still manages to be sensitive to topics such as family tension and relationship woes.

There is a definite split in the book where the story takes a different turn than you might have been expecting, and almost feels like two books rolled into one with the continuing theme of the family life keeping it together.

I would mention that whilst easy to read, I did miss the resolution of some of the characters, where plot points felt like they hadnt been adequately killed off for me. Most of this surrounded the childrens problems and their capacity to move forward and beyond them. A little more in depth into each of them would have been beneficial, as chapters were dedicated to their crumbling lives at the beginning, rather than a few pages of four months later that covered the whole family would have been a slightly more satisfying ending.

A wonderful read that will touch the hearts of many Australians, but accessible to our overseas friends as well.