The House in York Road: A Story of Longing and Love by Kathy English.
Babies are not always born to the people who want them. 19 year-old Jessica loves her daughter, but longs for the life her fellow students lead.
Newly-divorced Anna wants to be a mother so much that she avoids other people’s children. So when she moves into 124 York Road, she is disconcerted to find Jessica living in the other downstairs flat. Jessica, however, sees a potential babysitter.
Meanwhile, the identical twins living upstairs find their love-life hampered by their concern for each other; how can one of them go on dates when the other will be left alone?
Set in Ilford in the 1980s, this is a light-hearted look at longing and love.