This book was a lot of fun to read even if darker than I expected.
I loved the humor and the well written characters, the plot that flows, and how the author deals with issues like violence and abuse.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Boomerville At Ballymegille by Caroline James is the sequel to Boomerville, which I haven't read as yet but this book works really good as a standalone as well.It is a uplifting and very entertaining tale of love, friendship and loss.Iteven tackles some deep and sensitive subjects that are handled so well.
Jo already has one Boomerville Hotel and a very successful one at that, she caters to mature people who wish to find their creativity within a different subject than they normally would and they love it!
She decides to set her sights on a site in Southern Ireland, we join her in preparing to open the new 'Boomerville Hotel'.Jo is joined by Hattie, her best friend who has been there since day dot. Hattie is so full of life and energy that she literally bounces around and everyone around her realises when she is in the building there is a possibility for anything to happen! This woman is fantastic! I warmed to her immediately, one of them women who brightens your day as soon as she steps through the door! We meet The Boomerville Babes, a mature synchronised swimming team and other fantastic characters to aid in the opening of this marvellous home from home.Then the guests begin to appear. We meet Bill, a lonely man attempting to extracate himself from his late mums dominating and destructive influence that still hangs over him to this day,
a woman escaping her abusive husband, an abusive man trying to find his wife! What an eclectic mix of people if this doesn't set the story up for anything, nothing will! Being in Ireland, this book has what the Irish call 'craic' loads of laughs along the way.There are the serious subjects and the humour as well, this book is overflowing with everything you need to brighten your week.Jam packed with characters that we get to know quite well as it swops from one to another quite regularly.
I love the richness of the full story, the characters are so vivid and I was immersed in Boomerville until the last page! Then I needed more!
Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources,Caroline James and netgalley for the copy of the book to write this review today.

I have a little confession to make. Yes yet another one. I hadn’t actually realised that ‘Boomerville At Ballymegille’ was the second book to feature ‘Boomerville’. I must pay more attention. Not that I am complaining because it means that I have the first book to catch up with. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Boomerville At Ballymegille’ but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into this story. I loved learning about Boomerville, the plans for expansion and I especially loved the cast of characters in this story. I started reading this book only to get my foot in the door as it were and to fill in half an hour. However, I became that wrapped up in the story that I read for a lot longer than half an hour and I read far more than a couple of chapters. To say that reading ‘Boomerville At Ballymegille’ became addictive is a huge understatement. If I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it. I began to view reading this book as a kind of therapy. Yes there were serious parts to the story but there were also some funny bits and I found myself chuckling away at some of the things I read. This was certainly a book that put a smile on my face. I found this book to be unputdownable. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I became so caught up in the different characters and their lives that I didn’t want to miss a single second of the story.
‘Boomervulle At Ballymegille’ is superbly written. I was drawn to the book by the eye catching cover, I was intrigued by the synopsis and the story within the covers of the book sealed the deal as it were. I loved the way in which Caroline writes about her characters. She describes them so realistically and vividly that they spring to life and jump off the page as it were. They seemed just as real as you and I. I felt as though I was part of the story, which is all thanks to Caroline’s very vivid and realistic storytelling. I was gripped by this story from start to finish and I was disappointed to reach the end. I had been enjoying the author’s writing style, the storylines and the characters so much that I just wished the book had been longer. I soon cheered up when I realised that I had the first book to catch up on.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Boomerville At Ballymegille’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Caroline’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This was a light-hearted story but with a dark undertone. The book is filled with enjoyable characters, some of whom were introduced in The Best Boomerville Hotel. I had not read that book but felt that the author filled in enough information that this worked very well as a standalone novel. The main characters, Jo and Hattie and apparently a minor character, Lucinda, were part of the first book. From what I can tell, the rest of the colorful characters are new to this one. Among these are: Melissa, who is trying to escape from an abusive husband; Bill, who is trying to escape from his mother’s ghost (he keeps hearing her criticism in his head); Harry, a local police officer in Cumbria; and Finbar, who used to be an entertainer on cruise ships but now drives taxis in the Cork area of Ireland and entertains as well. There are also a trio of lovable dogs that feature in the tale.

I loved the depiction of middle-aged and older adults having a very full life, including a love life. It was a refreshing change of pace from so many books that are focused on people in their 20s and 30s.

The first half of the book takes place in the north of England, in the Cumbria area. Jo has purchased an estate near Cork in Ireland to expand her Boomerville hotel/resort concept and the second half of the book takes place there, in the Ballymegille of the title.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this delightful book. I just may check out the first book and I look forward to reading the third book in this series, Hattie Goes To Hollywood.

Warning: references to domestic abuse, drug use

Another excellent read from Caroline. A lovely story that is well written and not too deep about starting again, with some serious topics of bullying and domestic violence. A five star read for me.

This is a good book about Jo who decides to open another hotel in Ireland. We meet the characters first of all in the hotel in England where we begin to meet all the characters. I found some of the situations funny.

Hattie who helps her friend Jo out she seems to read people a lot and if they have problems she will try and help them.

There is abuse and a other things that happen in the book but don't want to give spoilers away.

It was an easy reading book. Think it would be nice to make a TV series out of the book.

Sheer Escapism.....
The sequel to The Best Boomerville Hotel and Hettie and Jo are heading to Southern Ireland to open Boomerville Manor.....and so the fun begins. Entertaining, sheer escapism with likeable protagonists and a colourful cast of supporting characters. A fun read and a worthy sequel.

A delightful, heartwarming read. Quickly drawn in. I haven't read the first in the series but the first few chapters filled in the blanks beautifully. I loved the characters, they felt like old friends. The hotel and people weaved its magic, a wonderful escape. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t expecting this book to be dark, but I loved it so much, a little creepy, dark as mentioned but so so funny and a lot of fun to read, maybe even the odd tear. Full of great characters, a strong story and great writing, I really recommend this as an enjoyable book


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was a very dark but funny book i was lucky to be auto approved to read this book early. Will definitely read more by this author

This was a fun read with a little bit of creepy at the same time by an abusive husband. The opening gave a great feel to what it's like running a retreat center, along with trying to herd everyone along on a road trip. The characters were a varied lot with their own baggage and needs. Well-written story that I could easily see turned into a movie or TV series.

Boomerville at Ballymegille made me smile and made me cry. This was my first read from this author, and I don't think I will be the last.
This was such a good, fun read. Exactly, what I need to read... Really uplifting.

3.5 stars.

Really fun enjoyable read kept me turning the pages and likeable characters i look forward to more books by this author.

Boomerville at Ballymegille by Caroline James is a must read. I laughed, I cried, and I was totally enthralled the whole time. It felt like I was having as much fun as the characters in the story. In the beginning we meet Hattie who is burying her husband Hugo. As time goes on after his death Hattie’s best friend Jo and her decide to do something that will change their lives. They decide to open Boomerville Manor. A place for people who are of a certain age can come to relax. Or so they think. The characters are eccentric, whimsical, and sometimes flat off their rocker. There are definitely some issues like bullying by family members that enrage characters as well as readers but the writer’s ability to hold your attention comes in at this point. But.... hold your horses because someone is also a killer. The authors writing is very fluid and the characters are extremely realistic. I recommend this book to anyone who likes some mystery and Some comedy mixed together.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Boomerville at Ballymegille by Caroline James
Publication Date: October 6, 2020 - Out soon!
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Description from NetGalley...
“Join Hattie and Jo as they head to Southern Ireland to open Boomerville Manor, a holiday retreat for guests of ‘a certain age’. There’s Irish craic and shenanigans aplenty for the colourful cast of characters as everyone gathers for the grand opening. 

Meet Melissa, an ex-cabaret singer running from her abusive husband, and Bill, a bachelor bullied from beyond the grave by the ghostly voice of his mother. Along with local bobby Harry the Helmet, ageing aquatic team the Boomerville Babes, eccentric artist Lucinda Gray, and heartthrob Finbar Murphy, they gather in Ireland and the fun begins. But murder is in the air and there’s mischief afoot. Will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?”
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Thank you to @NetGalley and Books Go Social for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
This was a good read. From the title, the main characters were “Boomers.” And they were fun, witty, “still doing it,” and lovable. As much as the story was light and funny, there was quite a serious tone on the themes of domestic violence and familial bullying. The book was so well written that I was quite angry at the abuser and the bully. This was the second book in the series. And before I finished it, I got the first book. It can be a stand-alone. It reminded me a bit of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (I really liked the movie). Overall, a quick read and it was a heart-warming story about finding inner strength and starting anew.

This is the first of Caroline James’ books that I have read, and I doubt it will be the last. Boomerville at Ballymegille is an easy read with likeable characters. With a predictable and happy ever after storyline, this book made me smile and wish that I could visit the manor. As a woman approaching “a certain age”, I can only hope that I can enjoy life as much as this lot.

Boomerville Manor is being opened in Ireland by best friends Hattie and Jo.
The manor rents out rooms for people on holiday. They offer entertainment, classes of different types to help people find new hobbies or just try something new. Boomerville Manor offers much more than this. It is a place where you can make friends. Maybe even meet the love of your life. Perhaps you may even find a new old love. It is a place oh happiness and contentment. It can also be a place of murder and mayhem. Join Hattie and Jo on their adventure of helping people discover themselves.
Great read!.

I devoured this book! It was darker than anticipated, but I really enjoyed the level of whimsy and the premise very much. I really enjoyed the eccentric cast of characters and the charming Boomerville locations in England and Ireland. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a heartwarming story sprinkled with a little bit of intrigue.