There had been a time when all Missy yearned for were peace and quiet and nowadays that is what she hates the most. Missy had lived a full life, married with two children to keep her busy but her son had moved to Australia, with her only grandson and her daughter was estranged with her. Her husband was no longer there either so the huge family house, where she had felt she couldn't get a minute to herself now filled her day with emptiness hour after hour.
At 79 she rarely ventured out and when she did she kept herself to herself. That was until that day came that she just had to get out, so off she went to the park. This was the day that changed her life.
What a super story of friendships, bonds and living life no matter how old you are. The chance meeting, along with an unexpected event and a terrifying ordeal for Missy leads to a very faithful relationship with something new in her life. The grumpy old lady that had been stewing in old age was given a new lease of life. She was helped to see life through new eyes, other peoples views and the reasons why they did something was not to hurt her. The years seemed to drop away from her as she found reasons to get up in the morning.
A beautifully told story about being part of a big world, not the world just being you. Super ending. Brilliant debut.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

When I requested this title all I knew was there was talk on Twitter about how good this book was so why not give it a go. All the talk was 100% right what a beautiful, moving book about loneliness, friendship and not missing a minute. Missy is stubborn, set in her ways and desperately lonely but won’t let herself make friends until she meets Sylvie, Angela and Otis who turn her life around and introduce her to Bob who changes everything about her life. Such a heartwarming, life affirming book about how easy your life can get small if you let it.

A gem of a book. This is a book you just have to finish and real life is put on hold till you do !
Missy is a lonely old lady, rattling around in a big house, missing her family and friends . She is a very intelligent lady who had a life in academia, and now in old age is very isolated.
A chance walk in a park, to see some fish who were being moved, leads to an incident and new people in her life
She is asked by a friend if she would look after a dog (Bobby) temporarily and after much persuasion she agrees , life is on the change!
There are many twists and turns in this book. It is beautifully written, well paced and a fantastic story. The characters are all strong and the reader becomes drawn into Missy’s world. There is laughter, tears, all making for a compelling read. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. Well done Beth!
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Beth Morrey for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I have struggled with this book and did not take to the main character Missy at all. Therefore because I was not invested in Missy I found it hard to keep going. I eventually got to the end and yep did not enjoy the ending either! Overall I found the story quite dreary and slightly depressing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful read! Missy tells the story of an elderly woman who lives alone who doesn't realise how lonely life has become until her scatty neighbour asks her to look after her friend's dog.
Reluctantly she takes on the dog which leads her to meet lots of people whilst walking in the park.
We learn all about her life as the wife of an author in alternating chapters.
I laughed and cried reading this book and would highly recommend it to lovers of stories of hope and friendship without being at all maudlin.

What a lovely book. Missy is lonely after the death of her husband and with two grown up children living away. But she doesn't know where to start making friends, she doesn't even really acknowledge that she is lonely.
This is just a lively, heart warming read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book reminded me a lot of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, although the reveal didn't hit me with the same emotional punch at the end. I think the isolation of elderly people (particularly women) is a topic that's definitely worth exploring, and with this book Morrey emphasises the need for communities to step up and solve this together.

I understand that Morrey didn't want to give away too many details early on so as not to break the dramatic tension, but I wish we'd got to hear more about Melanie particularly. I don't think we even got to know her research area, whereas Leo and Alistair's jobs were fully explored. It seemed the only significant character point about her was that she was gay. I would have liked her to be more fully developed.

Apart from this it's a charming story, and other characters like Angela, Sylvie and Otis are very well drawn.

Missy is a very lonely and isolated 79 year-old, who is also carrying a lot of pain from the past. As she gradually connects with her community she finds friendship and healing in unlikely places. This is a hopeful and heart-warming read pointing to the transforming power of community and that it's never too late for a second chance. Some wonderful, flawed but realistic characters. An enjoyable read.

This is a story about growing older, loneliness and grief. It was a difficult read and I could not engage with the characters. It is a promising debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this delightful coming-of-old-age novel.
Missy Carmichael is 79 and lives alone in a house she once shared with her professor husband Leo and her children who have now grown up and moved on. Missy is proud, prickly, lonely and depressed. She has her memories and the obituary column to fill her days until one January morning she collapses in the local park. This starts a chain that brings her friends and friendship, custody of a mad dog and also helps her to mend family relationships. Along the way we learn of Missy's memories of her grandparents, her parents and of her time at university in Cambridge. These were all well researched and like the rest of the book very well written. The author introduced well rounded everyday characters, gave us sympathy, empathy and also some laugh out loud moments. It is a feel good read with a few added shocks and surprises. Although the topic of old age and loneliness may well sound depressing this book certainly wasn't- it was uplifting but never sugary sweet.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will recommend it to friends. I look forward to reading more from Beth Morrey.

A poignant and heartwarming read that made smile and almost moved me to tears at times.
It's a well written, gripping and enjoyable story that kept me hooked till the end.
I loved the well thought cast of characters, the engaging plot and the empathy of the writer toward her characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was an utterly charming and uplifting book that I couldn’t wait to return to every evening. It’s a story of how we can restart our lives at any time, no matter the obstacles, just as long as we reach out to others and connect with the outside world. This would be a great book club read as people will identity with so many of the characters. Highly recommended.

Missy a lonely old lady with a bad temper is beginning to regret the things she has said and done. She has driven everyone away. A door opens with an opportunity for a new start. Is she brave enough? Is it too late? Read the book to find out

I loved this book. It started deceptively simple and I was soon hooked. Missy is great and just when you think you know her, she is delightfully unpredictable.
I wish I loved there too

Missy is lonely until she meets two new friends and a dog. A heartwarming read, with a bit of a twist I was not expecting at the end of the book.

79 year old Missy Carmichael is, as the book's cover tells us, "prickly. Stubborn. Terribly lonely". But she also thinks it's mostly her own fault and, stuck in her ways, she struggles to muster any enthusiasm to change anything. When a stroll in the park results in a chance meeting with the warm and vivacious Angela and Sylvie, Missy has the chance to turn her life around. But will she have the courage to take it?


It's difficult to say too much about this book without giving away spoilers, and you really need to dive into this one without knowing a lot about it to get the most out of it. Missy's story unfolds gradually, and though at first appearances she may not be the most endearing of characters, I did find that I warmed to her almost immediately through the wry humour of her internal monologue. It is plotted and written in such a clever and beautiful way so that even though the subject matter can be very serious and sad, the funny and heartwarming moments (for the most part) kept the biggest grin on my face.


The book deals sensitively with a variety of issues facing elderly people today. Missy's son and young grandson have emigrated to Australia and she feels their absence keenly. She is partially estranged from her daughter, though we don't learn why until the latter half of the book. And with her husband no longer around she spends much of her life alone. Bobbie the dog plays a key role in Missy's bid to turn her life around, and though I'm not a dog lover myself, I would imagine that those who are might enjoy this book even more than I did.


If you loved The Lido, then you have to read this book. It is tender and warm, full of love and hope and has just the right amount of humour thrown in. I absolutely loved it.

Heartwarming story. How acquiring a dog and two new female friends (however unlikely that may be) changes an elderly widow's perspective on her life.

I requested this book because of its comparisons to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry. It didn't hook me in right away and infact it took me a couple of attempts to actually get anywhere with it but as soon as Bob moved in- I was obsessed. Missy is a lonely 79 year old woman who doesn't keep in great contact with her grown up children. Somebody suggests that she help look after a dog named Bob as her owner is having some difficulties and while reluctant at first, she comes around to the idea. This is such a sweet, gentle story and I'm not ashamed to say I absolutely cried my eyes out. It's well written with fantastic characters that you really care about. I loved it!

Missy is one of those characters with a side that makes them hard to like, she’s not an outwardly affectionate person and she lives a very small life with little interaction however a chance encounter with Sylvie and her friend Angela gives her a glimpse at a different version of herself. The book tells you glimpses of Missy’s background and her relationship with her husband Leo and their children so it gives you a snapshot of how she became the closed off lonely woman she now is but is well balanced with time spent with spiky Angela and her young son and warm hearted Sylvie along with other dog owner friends. There’s a good balance of personalities and whilst not the easiest book to read due to Missy’s personality it is nevertheless very heartwarming.

So, ostensibly this is an older, lonely person being rescued by a cast of misfits and eccentrics; many times has this theme been ploughed.... However, there is a mastery to this which is often missing in this genre. Very touching, sad, beautiful and heart aching portrait of the 'stiff upper lip' generation. Beautifully written with characters that resound. A fabulous read.