This was a good read, an easy read, but I found it frustrating. The book looks at the relationship between Cait and Matt after 30 years of marriage, facing retirement and adjustment now that they have both lost their jobs. Although the book had valid points and showed good observations of that time of life, I found it too frustrating to find full empathy with the characters. They worry about money to the point of valuing the house and renting out rooms, yet Matt signs up for piano lessons, tai chi and gym membership while Cait is shopping and going for regular lunches, coffees and drinks. Their main problem is lack of communication but in the final happy ever after, Matt has been told about Cait's meetings with a male friend, but she never finds out about Matt's close relationship with her friend. Left me frustrated.

A feel good book that has you smiling throughout with Cathy Hopkins 'oh so true' observations on life. It glimpses a time of life approaching retirement when the children have grown up and empty nest syndrome hits home.

The journey of a marriage in later years and of a couple trying to find themselves as they head towards retirement. There are so many events that one can relate to and it certainly made me laugh out loud in places. I found it difficult to put down. A really good read.

Anyone who is of the age to have watched 405 line TV will be able to empathise with Matt and Cait’s position in life. Cait’s narrative is really funny and very apt. Their marriage having endured the nurturing of two children to adulthood has lost its sparkle. They are friends who occupy the same house but don’t truly share their lives. Cait is aware of this far more than Matt but after Matt’s redundancy, matters are brought to a head. Cait’s dalliance with a former lover from her youth brings home all those feelings sadly lacking in her marriage. Pragmatically they seek the help of a marriage guidance councillor, three to be precise. I don’t wish to spoil the plot but wish the ending hadn’t been as clichéd as the purchase of a dog. Overall, a very funny and true to life book. Whatever stage your marriage is at, Dancing Over the Hill is a must read.

It's with regret that I confess that I didn't love this book. Having read Kicking The Bucket List, I was looking forward to this one.
It was ok, pleasant enough. Some great lines, including my personal favourite;
"I want you to ride me like a horse!" - I laughed far too hard at this! However nothing really happened, perhaps too light-hearted for me. Lots of repetition and lists, but not a lot else.

What happens in a marriage when when partners retire or stop working? When they are forced to spend more time together and to face up to their differences? Do they adapt, argue or just start a new chapter of their lives together or apart?
These are the choices faced by Cait and Matt and we can follow their sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking efforts to learn how to enjoy spending more time together.

Lovely read, I think a lot of couples can relate to the subject matter no matter how old they are! Loved it, recommend it, go on read it!

I really enjoyed this book. Cait is in her sixties and has started to feel that her marriage could be over. She loves Matt, but feels they are just co-existing. Then, out of the blue, an old flame from her university days gets in touch and wants to rekindle their relationship. I found the characters very endearing and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. A real feel good story. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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Matt and Cait are both in their sixties and have been married forever, the kids have left home and so when Matt is made redundant and they find they are together 24/7 they suddenly realise how far apart they have grown.... and have they actually got anything in common any more! Throw Tom, Cait's ex, into the mix and there will definitely be fun and fireworks ahead

A great story with great comedy and characters....I loved it!

Lovely book that will make you laugh and cry . Fabulous characters

Cait and Matt have been married for over 30 years and familiarity has certainly bred contempt in their relationship. Cait is working part time and fills the rest of the week with various activities. Matt works in TV, or he did until he's made redundant. The book follows the couple as they venture into retirement together.
As a woman of a certain age, married for over 30 years and with a husband facing redundancy I thought that this would be an ideal read. In the main it was but I have to say that I wasn't totally gripped by the narrative. It seemed a bit slow and ponderous to start with, Cait's will she won't she with an old flame went on a bit too long for me and I didn't feel totally engaged until I got to the last third of the book.
I would have enjoyed the story more if the first two - thirds had been as readable as the last third.

My thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for introducing me to this book an author. It was a breath of fresh air. Good to read a book set round people of ‘a certain age’. The characters are well drawn and the author looks at how a marriage has settled into a rut with each partner ploughing 5eir own furrow until enforced retirement crashes in on them. Cait has over the years filled up her life to the exclusion of her husband who was always busy at work. This book is about readjustments and re evaluation. Can they go on together or have they grown too far apart. A novel of the times as the retiree age group is now one where marriage break ups or problems are on the increase.
This book has poignancy, humour, despair and I just wanted to keep reading it.

I loved this book. It's really made me think about lots of things in my life, currently and for the future. Humorous and serious in equal measure.
Many thanks for the review copy.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book. The pleasure was all mine!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, full of humour but also thought provoking. The relationship of Matt and Cait was very plausible and I would definitely recommend.

Having been in a bit of a reading slump I decided I needed a book that would make me chuckle and based on the blurb this was a book that could do that. And it didn’t disappoint.
Cait and Matt have been married for a long time and on the surface have the perfect marriage. It’s only when Matt loses his job that the cracks begin to show. They should have been enjoying retirement however Cait was working temp jobs to pay the bills and Matt was wallowing in self-pity as he felt like he had been put on the scrap heap.
Cait loves her lists… they help her combat her more “senior moments” and had established a routine over the years and now that she had her husband under her feet all the time this was being questioned and she started to resent it and in turn resent him too. She didn’t seem to understand how her once active husband suddenly changed into a permanently dressing gown wearing depressed person. Her reaction to this was to continually push him to do things. Let’s face it if we are honest that sort of reaction never ends well and tends to have the opposite effect, yet we all do it despite this… its human nature. She has a close set of friends that come with their own baggage but are happy to offer advice and support at every opportunity. And when her old college boyfriend gets in touch via Facebook, Cait really starts to question everything. Her reactions to bumping into someone she knew while meeting up with him had me chuckling as they were slightly over the top and not something you would expect someone in their 60’s to do. She is also constantly worrying about her widowed father, trying to convince him to move in with her and Matt, although am not sure the timing was right.
Matt drove me nuts. Losing his job at his age was a big blow to him and he suddenly felt useless. And the pyjama wearing, pity party for one began. He also drove Cait nuts eating everything in sight, making a mess, questioning what she was doing and where she was going but not doing anything to help around the house. Some of this made me smile, not necessarily because it was funny but more because I have lived through some of it. Egged on by his brother there are times that he got himself into situations that would drive the most understanding of wives to a complete meltdown.
The funniest part of the book for me was when Matt hurt his back. Trust me that statement is not as warped as it sounds. The scene that occurs could be straight out of a Carry on film
What is evident throughout is that over the years Cait and Matt have been so busy with their careers and raising kids that they have forgotten how to communicate and essentially they have been living separate lives in the same house. And when all that changes they don’t know how to deal with it. Now I may not be as old as them (although some family and friends may say I look as old as they are) but I have been married nearly as long as them so some of what they were going through did ring true. And for me that was the appeal of the book. Mixed with humour and a refreshing honesty, Dancing Over the Hill is a book that will have you smiling and possibly agreeing with its sentiments throughout.

I did feel that the author captured a great deal of the complexities of a long marriage and on several occasions I found myself nodding in agreement. There were several laugh out loud moments but I did feel it was drawn out a little too much and could have been snappier.. An easy read.,

I fancied reading something light and humorous after finishing quite a serious book and I thought this was an excellent choice. It made me laugh in places but it was also very interesting in that it was looking at a time of life that is rarely written about.
Cait and Matt have been married for 30 years with two grown up sons who have left home. Matt produces documentary films for a Tv company and Cait works part time in a doctors but fills her days and evenings with friends, hobbies, writing a children,s book in fact anything that gets her out the house! Cait and Matt are like ships that pass in the night. They rarely discuss anything and Cait feels their marriage is stale. Both have turned 60 and Cait yearns for a more exciting way go spend her latter years.
Suddenly Matt is made redundant and is forced into retirement and Cait loses her temporary job. They have to spend more time together at home and neither one of them finds it easy; Matt feels lost and doesn’t get dressed till late in the morning and Kate is sick of seeing him in his dressing gown! Kate misses having time to herself and retreats to her study and the bathroom in order to avoid being bothered by Matt. Things deteriorate rapidly and then Cait hears from an old flame via Facebook. She has not seen him for 40 years and this is the catalyst for her to reassess her situation. What does she really want?
This is a great read and there is something in it for everyone. It is told from Cait’s point of view but we also get first person chapters from Matt which highlights their lack of communication. I felt empathy for both characters who are so well drawn. Cait’s friends Debs and Lorna are also brilliant and Debs in particular injects some real humour into the book.
I raced through this novel eager to find out what the future held for Matt and Cait.
Issues about retirement which are raised in this book resonated with me as I approach that age. I also loved Matt’s lists at the back of the novel which are of things to do in retirement and of people who achieved greatness after the age of 50. Very inspiring.
I shall certainly recommend this book to all my friends and will be looking out for Cathy Hopkin’s other novels. A five star read and perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Jojo Moyes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Second book by this author I've read, again another great read with heart warming characters you come to love, really related to this story and the subjects it covered, highly recommend if you want a story about every day relationships told in a touching way

A light hearted look at what happens to a couple who unexpectedly find themselves retired. This is bang up to date with Cait’s old lover returning to her life by a Facebook friend request. Most folk will have taken a Facebook quiz or watched funny animal clips rather than work and will relate to Cait. There were a couple of surprising moments and I like that the story wasn’t always predictable.