Cuckoo in the Nest

A Daily Mail Book of the Year

'A warm and wonderful story' Adele Parks

It’s the heatwave summer of 1976 and 14-year-old would be poet Jackie Chadwick is newly fostered by the Walls. She desperately needs stability, but their insecure, jealous teenage daughter isn't happy about the cuckoo in the nest and sets about ousting her.

When her attempts to do so lead to near-tragedy – and the Walls’ veneer of middle-class respectability begins to crumble – everyone in the household is forced to reassess what really matters.

Funny and poignant, Cuckoo in the Nest is inspired by Fran Hill’s own experience of being fostered. A glorious coming of age story set in the summer of 1976.

'Fresh, authentic and darkly funny. I absolutely loved it' Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things

'Vivid, funny, nostalgic and utterly charming' Veronica Henry