This book really was just wonderful – and I must say that I think the blurb is perfect. It is indeed, at its heart, the story of two women – but it’s also a story of love and friendship, of finding yourself, and of discovering what really matters.

Claire’s not a particularly sympathetic character at the book’s start – work-focused and driven, within touching distance of a partnership, hard-shelled, self-contained and rather cold. A perfect match for Ash really – equally work orientated, supremely confident, a bit on the superior side… but also distinctly gorgeous, and definitely a challenge to pique Claire’s interest. But then life throws its slings and arrows, as it often does… and the book takes an entirely different direction for them both.

The other woman is Hilda, who I loved from the moment she appeared in her fluorescent shell suit, giving advice and support, embracing life in her own magnificent way and adding colour to the lives of others. I adored the wonderful nuggets of her back story, casually dropped into conversation – every bit of which I believed absolutely (well, except maybe the bit about the corgis…).

I unfailingly love stories with a strong sense of community, and it’s something the author does so wonderfully in this book. The clue is in the title, and the setting up of a new park run becomes the focus everyone needs when their lives require a bit of major redirection. The author’s certainly done her homework – I had no idea of the degree of organisation involved, and it’s quite fascinating learning about funnels, tokens and the need for a tarpaulin. But there’s an immense feeling of joy about it all too, as you will them on, the cast of characters widens, individuals find a sense of purpose, and new friendships are formed. And every single character is quite wonderfully drawn – even the really peripheral ones like the lonely next-door neighbour and the man from the council, all adding real richness to the story.

And then there’s the focus on family, and what it means – and it’s so perfectly handled. You’ll know I’m not always the world’s biggest fan of younger characters, but the pair you’ll get to know in this book could come and live with me any time they want. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of ten year old Poppy – and there were times that my heartstrings were tugged so hard that it hurt (it’s not that often I get emotional about a trip to Ikea…). I very much enjoyed Hilda’s family relationship too – unpromising at first, and very real.

And that relationship between Claire and Ash – sizzling at the book’s start, badly faltering at times, and so very heartwarming as it progresses in a way neither of them could ever have expected.

I so love Jules Wake’s writing – I was enthralled by this book, and thoroughly enjoyed every single moment. She balances humour and tears quite perfectly, her touch with dialogue is second to none, and she makes you care really deeply about her characters – and as well as that, she also tells a wonderful story. I really loved this book – and I think you just might love it too.

(Copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

The Saturday Morning Park Run starts unexpectedly with Claire, a hot-shot business woman who's on the pinnacle of being made a partner at her firm - she neglects other aspects of her life as she's an obsessive workaholic. On the day of an important meeting, she crosses paths (literally, there's coffee spills on their shirts to prove it) with Ashwin Legari, a suave businessman. The pair - despite the initial squabble - decide to go on a date, and plan to never see each other again. Add in a job loss, stress leave and a hilarious old lady with embellished stories called Hilda, and the pair finds their (running) paths cross again.  The pair balance an unlikely friendship with one another and Hilda, a stray dog and Claire's nieces with the difficulties of life using running as a form of escapism.

The plot is very slow-developing, and there is lashings (and overuse) of character descriptions and elements that don't really add to the premise of setting up the park run itself. This is very much a story about choosing what to prioritise in life and the importance of family and friends, and involving yourself with your community. Hilda is by far the best character - her anecdotes were hilarious, not to mention her less-than-subtle matchmaking skills and tracksuit collection.  It is an enjoyable story but one I didn't find any particular aspects to warm to, and I finished feeling as thought it was a little lacklustre.

Where do I start with this book... I don't think words will do justice to describe exactly how much I adored this. If I could sum up this book in one word, it would be 'gorgeous'.

We meet our protagonist, Claire Harrison as she is starting her daily commute to her high-powered job. On walking to the train station she has a run in with another commuter on his way to his high falutin career. Panic ensues as coffee goes everywhere and they spend the next how ever long on the train having a staring competition. One thing leads to another and they end up going on a date... and then Claire never hears from Ash again... 

I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there. This book involves two adorable children (Ava is so cute, I couldn't stop smiling when she talked about her stuffed toys!), a hairy carpet dog called Bill and an endearing elderly woman called Hilda. Plus our two main characters, Claire and Ash..

This book will absolutely warm your heart and give you cause for a few tears. It is glorious in every sense of the word and is a remedy for today's news. I cannot tell you how much I envy someone picking up this book for the first time. It is truly heartwarming and is really a hug in a book! 

Please read this yesterday!!!! Now run...

**I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Claire is signed off with stress from her high powered accountancy job she is devastated.... how will she get to be a partner now?  Then her sister decides to go to India and leave her two children with Claire.. life is certainly about to change for her and will Alice ever come back?  Ash loses his job and all his self respect with it and just after he had met the wonderful high flyer Claire.   Hilda, an old lady, meets them both in the park and encourages them to start running and even to start a regular Saturday park run will she be the catalyst that completely changes their lives?

Another lovely book by one of my favourite authors.   With the exception of Alice they were all such great characters, especially Hilda and all of her stories of the past, and you were rooting for them all to sort out their lives.

Chick lit meets parkrun. Claire, a high powered business woman, meets Ash, a high powered business man, when they bump into each other and both end up covered in coffee. They embark on a highly charged sexual relationship, which ends abruptly and seemingly without reason. Both bump into each other on a run, when there has been a significant change in their lives, which brings in Hilda, an elderly lady who likes drinking other people’s coffee in the park and her idea to set up a parkrun. There are lots of added complications along the way. Overall this was an enjoyable read if you like chick lit and parkruns.

The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules Wake
Publication Date: August 29, 2020 - Available Now!
.
Description from NetGalley...
“This is the story of two women. 

One old, one young. One looking for new adventures. One looking for a purpose. Both needing a friend. And this is how, along with two little girls in need of a family, a gorgeous stranger, and a scruffy dog, they bring the whole community together every Saturday morning for love, laughter and a little bit of running…(well, power walking). Some people come into your life when you need them the most.”

‘I love getting lost in a Jules Wake book!’ Debbie Johnson, bestselling author of the Comfort Food Cafe series 
.
Thank you to @NetGalley @onemorechapterhc @harpercollinsuk for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
.
My thoughts...
I was looking for an easy-read and I’m glad I found this. It’s my first Jules Wake, but it won’t be my last. This book started as most rom-com would end, sort of, but I don’t want to give away anymore. This was funny, witty, and full of energy (physical too 😉). Claire’s work situation was similar to mine: a reminder that I shouldn’t be a workaholic and that I need to loosen up a bit (I’m a perfectionist). When I become a septuagenarian, I want to be like Hilda! She’s so cool. Overall, a fun read and of course it’s great because there’s a dog in it! I also enjoy reading British romcom.

Simply amazing. Not only did it make me think I could tackle a 5k run it also filled my heart with so much love I cried at the end.

I loved Claire and Ash, add in Hilda, Poppy and Ava and you have the perfect family. My heart broke for Poppy as she struggled to understand what was happening with her mum and what it meant for her. I loved her bond with Bill ‘the hairy carpet’ dog and her bond with Ash, that until the end you don’t realise how close their friendship has grown. It was a moving moment on that park bench with him hugging her and Claire declaring his love for the new family.
The sense of community and family was brilliant, and the range of emotion and subject matter or stress, depression and feeling overwhelmed by life are very real and relatable. I’ve not read this author before but I will be looking for more to read.

Great book!  Loved the characters and seeing them grow.  A valuable lesson in what is really important in life.  As an advocate for parkrun I loved that the author is bringing it to a wider audience.

Claire has been signed off with stress, just after meeting a fabulous guy on her commute to work.  Whilst off, she meets Hilda, an ‘older lady’ who knows what she wants and bullies (in a nice way) others into doing it!  And Hilda wants a to organise a park run in the local park.  So far, so stressy.  And then Claire’s sister disappears off to India, leaving her two young girls with Claire.

So, as someone who has been made ill through stress at work, I completely empathised with Claire - her desire to succeed and prove herself to be the best being put ahead of her need to look after herself - yep, been there, done that “It had never been just a job. I was a career woman”.

I also completely understood Claire’s need to create the park run, she is a woman who is used to deadlines, to having things to organise, problems to solve, fires to put out.  The problem with sickness through stress is you go from 100mph fight or flight, to nothing.  And so you need to fill that gap (I did housework.  My skirting boards have never been that clean)!

But it was Claire’s developing relationship with her nieces that was the lovely story.  These two girls, struggling with being abandoned by their mum and living with their aunt. This is what really made the story for me.

Throughout the whole novel, is the love story between Claire and Ash.  It’s nice because this isn’t the main focus, it is a by-line which is how it would be, realistically, for anyone trying to deal with so many upsets to their life.

This is a really enjoyable book and I would strongly recommend it for anyone who likes this type of novel.

A chance meeting sets off a chain of friendships, community and romance, with plenty of bumps in the road. A great cast of likeable characters, all supporting each other, not just in setting up a weekly run in the park but in all other aspects of their lives too. I liked the transformation of Claire from stressed career obsessive to caring substitute parent as she realises there is more to life. The children are very realistically portrayed in all their vulnerable and stroppy glory. This is certainly not just a book about running. It has real warmth and heart. We never do find out how old Hilda is though.  I wish I knew!

As a regular parkrunner, I was instantly interested when I heard about this book. 

It tells a story of how Claire and Ash meet over spilled coffee. 

Claire begins to struggle with work and is signed off work by the GP! 
She is asked to look after her nieces while her sister goes away. Overnight, her daily routine has changed. She uses her spare time to go running in the local park. Events spiral, and her and Ash end up working together on setting up a new parkrun in their local park. 

Having been involved with helping to set up my local parkrun, it was interesting to read this part of the story. The challenges of getting permission and funding, as well as rounding up volunteers were all included. 

The story had a mix of a love story, meeting new friends, dealing with difficult situations and embracing change. A definite must read that I will be recommending to fellow book loving parkrunners. 

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jules Wake, and One More Chapter for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great story of love, loss, perseverance, starting fresh, and RUNNING!! Jules Wake has a way of weaving together a wonderful story and a great cast of characters. I had a really hard time putting this one down because not only was I curious about where the path would take some of the characters, but there are also funny and very heartfelt moments. It has been a while since I have been TRULY angry at a character, but boy did it happen with one here!!!

For someone who is a homebody, I really loved the sense of community in this book. The small town feel is amazing and I wish places like this existed more in real life (or maybe that do and I just don’t know it lol.)

If you are looking for a story of heart, and guts, and making change, do pick it up. It is well worth the read.

This is the story of two women.
One old, one young.
One looking for new adventures. One looking for a purpose. 
Both needing a friend.

And this is how, along with two little girls in need of a family, a gorgeous stranger, and a scruffy dog, the bring the whole community together every Saturday morning for love, laughter and a little bit of running….(well, power walking).

Some people come into your life when you need them the most. 

This book was a delight to read. It is a feel-good, uplifting and inspiring book that is full of warmth. It teaches of the importance of striking the right work life balance, of looking after yourself but also of family, friends and community. Sometimes those things are right under our noses and we don’t even realise.

I did struggle at the start to connect with Claire and therefore it took me a little while to get into it, but once I had I was hooked and loved it. Claire is a workaholic but is forced to take time off work for her health. This time allows her evaluate her lifestyle, whilst there are other obstacles to overcome. 

This is the first of Jules Wake’s books that I have read and I wasn’t disappointed. The writing captivates you into the book and is easy to read. 

The characters in here were brilliant, especially Hilda. The lines that Hilda comes out with are priceless and had me laughing out loud.  The relationship that Claire develops with her nieces, Poppy and Ava, Hilda and Ash are all warming and believable. Sometimes people come into your life when you need them most.

We all need a Hilda in our lives….and an Ash, swoon. 

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for an early copy.

Gosh I loved this beautiful book! It has so many relevant themes, including how taking care of your physical and mental health is so important and how becoming more mindful and exercising more can help you to feel better on more than one level. I adored Claire – and could completely relate to her situation, and am sure many people in this day and age will too. Loneliness is a human condition that affects us all at some point regardless of age or gender but there is always hope to be found, even in the most unexpected places. 
Hilda is the wise and caring older woman I'd love to have around, Claire's nieces are sweet and challenging, as children can be, and as for Ash, I loved how the connection between him and Claire grew, the gentle sway of will they / won't they? Then, of course, there's the sweet, scruffy dog in need of a loving home, something that's guaranteed to make my heart squeeze.
When I find myself thinking about the characters of a story even after I've closed the book, I know that It will stay with me for a long time. A fabulous five stars from me!

“A house was to be lived in. Shared with other people.”

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book for review. 

Excuse me whilst I start my review with a babble, but this book has a strange premise to explain loving... 
In the same week as a high-flyer is given a month off work, she’s also given her two nieces to look after. To give herself something to do, in the hours she’d usually spend at work, she starts going for runs. Well, walks. On these run-walks, she meets an old lady - who may be an ex MI6 agent, the Queen’s friend and Mary Berry’s mentor, and who has had countless husbands - and is forced to recross paths with a hot, sexy, fellow high-flyer - who ghosted her after one date, who is now mysteriously also not at work, and who somehow ends up with the stray dog they find in the park. And then they decide to organise a park run. 
I just. Really loved it. It made me happy and smile when I was reading it. 
Each character was a force of nature and their own person. Claire: high-flyer turned domestic goddess/mother, she was driven, enthusiastic and thoughtful. Poppy and Ava, her two nieces, were easy to tell apart, with Poppy being the level-headed, sometimes emotional older sister, whilst Ava was the bubbly, slightly highly-strung younger sister. Hilda. Oh, I love Hilda. Hilda’s past (and kind of her present) are a mystery and that’s part of her charm. She’s positive, enthusiastic and full of so much go (or intimidation), but she’s also the perfect grandmother figure. And Ash was just as driven as Claire, could easily have been an asshole and standoffish because he was so beautiful and perfect, but was happy and kind and loving in his own way. 
All characters had their own challenges and each brought their own strengths to the table, but you needed all of them to make a family. 
Alice, on the other hand, was an immensely frustrating character. Poppy and Ava’s mum and Claire’s sister, yet she completely disappears off the planet. All I wanted was to give her a good talking to but, of course, she wouldn’t listen to that. Everything was all about her and I wanted to throttle her at times for Poppy and Ava’s sake - and so she was effectively written. 
The story itself was really fun. It allowed the characters to grow and develop and fall into their own little habits. I loved that they loved each other as a family and as friends, so then the romance made me happy and just made sense when it did happen. 
It’s also not the first time I’ve read about women working so hard they need time off; it’s almost as if women have to work harder to be appreciated at the same level. 
And then the park run was a fun concept to base a book around. It’s made me want to go on a run again...I’m just waiting for the drive to get out of bed in the morning. 

This is one of those books I will be looking to buy when it comes out. I’ve already told my nan she’d enjoy it.

I just love book reviewing sooo much! This book is exactly why! I love that it means I get to read so many different types of books, and that it takes you to so many different places! They make you feel so many different emotions… and well this one gave me something new… MOTIVATION! While reading this at like 5.30am one morning, one of the main characters was saying to another main character about running every day! Well I’m currently on a weight loss journey myself and what did this book motivate and inspire me to do? Go out for a run at my local, beautiful park at 5.45am that very morning and it was just AMAZING! How can a fictional story do that? Honestly how cool is that!

So let’s get down to the storyline! Claire is a work driven woman, she works all the hours under the sun and is pushing to become partner in her company! One day while commuting to work she has a little accident with a guy called Ash, who is also a high flying businessman in very expensive suits! Well their train journey had me in stitches, so unusual, but their chemistry was undeniable and they just had something special!

Claire thought it was going somewhere, but was so disappointed when she didn’t hear from Ash like she expected! Then suddenly a trip to the doctors for one thing turned her life upside down when her doctor signs her off for a full month with stress! Claire can’t think of anything worse and is so worried about her promotion now!

Things quickly change for Claire after this when her sister suddenly jets off abroad and leaves her to care for her 2 Neices Poppy (11) and Ava (5)!

Then one day she decides to take a walk/run around her local park after the school run and this is when she meets the very extravagent, outgoing Hilda, an old lady who’s escaping her old people’s home and has a real zest for life!

From this day on Ash makes a shocking reappearance in to her life, Hilda has some big ideas, Alice (Claire’s sister) makes some shocking decisions, and somehow a dog becomes a main part of all their lives!

Claire’s world changes and a new version of a family is created through bringing a local community together!

Honestly I was going to give this book 4 stars until I reached the ending which just completely melted me and I just HAVE to give it 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️! This was such a delightful read, with a good steady pace, mostly amazing characters that I loved the whole idea and storyline! It was so original based around a park run, and it brought so many people together!

The characters! Claire is SUCH an amazing woman! And I think she is so relatable! We may not all be quite in her position but we’ve all been in that stage of our lives where we consider what we want, a career, a family and how to manage a healthy work/life balance! She really struggled with the stigma of stress and what that meant for her career but it was so lovely to watch her flourish and find herself, and realise what makes her happy and what she wants! It was amazing to see how much difference running made to her, the community she found and built, the new friends and family she made and gained through the story and how she managed to evaluate her life and let go! I LOVED her!

Ash I felt so so sorry for! He definitely had a hard time! Dealing with events that changed his life, through to getting a hard time from Claire! He did make mistakes at times and sometimes chose the wrong thing to prioritise but again it was lovely to watch him also find himself, to take control of his life, to make changes and accept new roles and members to his family !

BUT most of all HILDA! How could Hilda not be my favourite character of ALL! Her craziness in shell suits, her honesty and outright opinions, her whole view on life! She saves so many of the characters in this book, she brings people together, motivates and inspires people and she definitely did that to me to! I loved her love and passion for life, her need for independence and I SOOO want to know how old she is ! I found her sooo inspiring that when all this COVID craziness is over I want to join a park run, and even get hubby involved as it will give me and him something to do for ourselves where our children can come and support us!

There was one questionable character in the book and that is Alice! Alice is Claire’s sister who quickly ups and flies abroad and leaves her 2 daughters in the care of Claire while Claire is supposed to be on sick leave and finding time for herself! Luckily the girls help Claire, but I just can’t help but find Alice so incredibly selfish and heartless! I do get it, parenting is SO hard, testing, tiring, full time and so so tough at times, but when you make that decision to be a parent you take on all the lows with the highs! I can’t forgive Alice for the decisions she made and I just found myself hoping that she would change … but you’ll have to read to find out what happens!

I could talk about this book all day but I suppose I should bring my review to a close! A completely insipring, motivational, feel good, uplifting novel full of coming together, community spirit, new friendships, family, love and adventure! A truely beautifully written book and I’d LOVE to read more from this author!

Oh my! This was my first Jules Wake book and it was such a refreshing change from all those thrillers. I adored this book and all the characters in it. It seemed so real and true to life. The book put a smile on my face and it is such a lovely story without being too saccharin. These characters have flaws and problems. BUT they also have each other and lots of love. 

I felt so bad for the little girls in this book. (Poppy 10 and Ava 6) Their mother has abandoned them to their single, childless aunt so she can go on a yoga retreat with the new boyfriend. Sheesh! Selfish much!? But Auntie Claire rises to the occasion with the help of the lovely, spry yet elderly Hilda and the hunka hunka burning love, Ash.

Over the course of putting a park run together they each learn that being happy together is what makes a family and that community matters. I will be checking out the author's other books, the 350+ pages of this one just flew by!

I am a fan of running and have heard great things about park runs so I was instantly intrigued by this story.... and it  didn't disappoint. It is such a clever concept for a story and is very well written. Jules Wake has a way of making you feel when you're reading it, I felt just as frustrated with Alice than Claire did! 
It has reminders throughout that it is okay to burn out, and how important exercise is! 
A really enjoyable read that takes you on Claire's journey....I loved it!
Hilda has to be one of my favourite characters ever! ...... would love to see a movie of this story!!

I love the whole concept of Park Runs and did a few myself before mobility issues kicked in. It instantly grabbed my attention when I saw that this was a book based around this popular and enjoyable activity. Filled with the most wonderful characters, i.e. Claire who lived for her high powered job but suffered stress as a result, Ash the high flying and extremely handsome  young man who she meets on her journey to work and the most amazing elderly lady,  Hilda, whose colourful track suits and effervescent personality are an absolute joy. With unexpected time on their hands due to work issues and sick leave, Claire and Ash, together with the loveable Hilda, set about organising a regular weekly Park Run in their local area. Although I’ve done park runs myself, I never fully understood the amount of work and commitment that goes into setting up and running these weekly events and after reading this book my respect for the people who do this has rocketed. Claire’s two young nieces, Poppy and Ava, play a large part in the story and their less than perfect relationship with their Mum, (Claire’ sister), is heartbreakingly sad but the joy they bring to, (and receive from), Claire, Ash and Hilda is very special. I love books that have multi-generational characters and this is such a book. From the very elderly Hilda, (who I absolutely adored),  through the 30 something Claire and Ash right down to the children aged ten and six, this features a whole range of personalities and traits and makes for a very enjoyable read for people of all ages. As the main characters steadily adapted to their different lifestyles and began to appreciate things that they had neglected to take notice of in their previous crazy world of work, deadlines and desire for promotion, they become much more likeable individuals and the warmth of feeling for them grew with each chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Absolutely loved this gem of a book!A great read detailing the benefits of family life, work life balance , friendship, love and intergenerational benefits!
Such brilliant characters, I particularly loved the elderly Hilda and all her eccentric traits, cunning plans and grandmotherly ways! Poppy and Ava sounded so realistic, loveable and vulnerable you  just want to hug them Ali g with Bill the dog!
Ash and Clare met in unfortunate circumstances but an unbridled passion simmered away despite their changed circumstances! Stress and mental health are discussed, described and referred to in a sensitive manner and highlight how common these problems are today in society as well as loneliness in the elderly, but through a bit of meddling on Hildas behalf, friendship,a joint challenge and ups and downs all their lives improve and are benefited by their unusual family group!
A real heartwarming read with a lovely ending.
Thank you net galley for this early read.