Pivot

''A heart-warming, joyous and assured debut novel about friendship that put me in mind of Kay Mellor at her funnies'' RICHARD HERRING''Takes you inside the minds of a brilliant group of characters at very different stages of life. A gripping, witty, very human read'' MARK WATSONSometimes life throws you a curveball . . . 58-year-old Jackie Douglas thinks she has everything she wants - kids, grandchildren, and a comfortable retirement with her husband, Steve. Until one afternoon she comes home to find Steve packing a bag and her comfortable life suddenly moves out of bounds.Her best friend Ros, a law firm boss with an appetite for life, laughter and (just the right amount of) wine, immediately leaps in to help Jackie back to her feet but soon finds herself feeling second best to Jackie''s other priorities.Their barmaid/friend/wine protégé Jay is back home with her mum at nearly 30. Brilliant. After losing her job in London she''s returned, working in the pub job she thought she''d left behind at 18.In tipsy search of something - anything - new, they wind up the leaders of a ramshackle, barely functional netball team: The Skids. Facing confusing exes, divorce, betrayals, financial woes and more, Jackie, Ros and Jay are about to discover that finding your team might just be the key to turning things around...''Refreshing, hilarious and really uplifting - I fell in love with Jackie, Ros and the rest of the squad - and everyone else will too'' HELLY ACTON, author of The Shelf''The book we need at the moment - a joyous celebration of female friendship and midlife. And as a netball player, I really did enjoy the attention to comic detail . . . Hilarious'' CAROLINE CORCORAN, author of Five Days Missing''Hugely uplifting, enjoyable fun, I fell in love with the Skids!'' DAISY BUCHANAN, author of Careering