The Car Share by Zoe Brisby is the most delightful contemporary novel about living life to the full no matter how old you are.
The novel is charming and absolutely hilarious. I was literally laughing out loud at the outrageous antics of a young ninety year old lady as she definitely leads a twenty five year old man astray, whilst simultaneously opening up his life to new possibilities.
Both characters have burdens that weigh them down. As each tries to lift the other up, so their burdens become lighter. They both have hearts of gold.
The misquotes from ninety year old Maxine are gems of pure gold that make the reader smile. I love the fact that in all her years, her true wisdom is from Kung Fu Panda! “The secret to happiness is being content with what you have.”
There is pathos within the novel as Maxine believes she has Alzheimer’s. “I’m getting lost inside myself and soon I will disappear.” Having Alzheimer’s is a great fear as she has already nursed her husband through it.
Maxine is hiding a secret. It is a weighty burden that she has not only carried down the years but has also punished herself daily. She cannot forgive herself. “I didn’t learn to forgive myself… but I did learn to live with it.” The reader’s heart breaks for the young Maxine who is frozen in time. She deserves to let go, forgive herself and live free in the time she has left.
There is a wonderful rapport between the two lead characters. Their verbal volleys were a pure delight.
I absolutely adored The Car Share. It was warm, witty and fun and I cannot wait to read more from Zoe Brisby.
I will leave you with my favourite quote:
“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Zoe Brisby's laugh a minute novel deserves to be a rip-roaring success, the perfect antidote to the misery of our pandemic times. Although it took me a while to immerse myself in this zany comic caper, after that I was all in, as the outrageously unforgettable purple haired 90 year old, Max (Maxine) and the depressed and lonely 25 year old, Alex, embark on a gloriously vivid technicolor car share, a mad cap road trip to Brussels. Alex is fleeing an unrequited love affair that has laid him low and parents that are unsupportive and indifferent, a young man with an old person's heart. Max is escaping a controlling retirement home that treats its resident as if they are children, she has more life force in her little finger than Alex, bursting with a young person's vibrancy and heart, certain she has Alzheimer's and wanting to end things before it destroys who she is.

When they first meet, neither finds the other what they expected, with Max mistaking Alex for a druggie due to his unhealthy appearance. Despite being opposites, they start to let the other into their inner spaces, confessing and unburdening more of who they are and their lives than they ever had to another person. Max takes Alex to her heart, wanting to impart the wisdom she has picked up, relating her action packed adventurous years, her first love, Leonard, who she had lost in the war, and her joyful marriage to her late husband, Charles, a well known psychiatrist. Alex begins to respond to the juggernaut that is Max, finding himself beginning to smile and see his life through a different lens, perhaps life is worth living after all, all culminating in him singing to Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive on the car radio. Enduring a makeover which has him wearing a Prada suit, Alex and Max come across a service station robbery, stay in a yurt, attend a funfair, have a psychic reading and are rescued by the incredible contents of Max's bag of magic and so much more.

Brisby demonstrates her sure comic touches and wit in this lighthearted and breezy novel that captivates, the highlight of which is a pensioner, Max, who can dance and sing, whilst swinging her hips like a rock star to stunned audiences, with her scream of an alter ego character in Rebecca, and her endearing malapropisms. Despite her charismatic and extrovert nature, there is an inner vulnerability, and fear and here, Alex comes into his own, able to be there for Max when she most needs him, even if she didn't know it. The two protagonists are inspired creations, each locking onto the other, finding a surprise friendship and love, on a hilarious road trip. I cannot see many readers being able to resist either Max or Alex! Highly recommended. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

Unlikely Friendships....
A journey by car to Brussels changes some lives forever and creates unlikely friendship bonds that won’t be broken. A heartwarming, oft emotional, and engaging read with some deftly created characters and some gently amusing situations.

THE CAR SHARE – ZOE BRISBY
PUB BY – HODDER & STOUGHTON
PLOT - Maxine, a 90 year old woman with Alzheimer’s and Alex a 25nyear old heartbroken and depressed young man share a car ride to Brussels from France. Both are initially wary of the other but gradually a friendship is formed and their travel plans take and unexpected and an adventurous turn which changes both their lives forever.
MY THOUGHTS –
• It’s an endearing story which will transform both the protagonist s lives and lead to self discovery and even healing!
• The best part is the hilarious and comical scenes and encounters. Maxine and her tote bag is a world in itself and more than once helps them get out of difficult situations. ( Maxine for her age has more fun than me)
• Both the characterization is SUPERB!! Polar ends of each other!
• A beautiful uplifting story of finding unexpected love and support when one looses all hope!
So if you are looking for a good, funny, feel good, life affirming books then look no further this book is for you!!

Thank you Netgalley, author and the publishers for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fanciful, farcical, fun, and feel-good. The Car Share by Zoe Brisby is the whimsical, endearing story of the Max and Alex, two strangers at difficult times in their respective lives, who meet by chance thanks to a car share website. From wary first encounters to comical misunderstandings, Alex and Max manage to take a simple ride share encounter and make it a life changing and life affirming road trip that not only irrevocably bonds them but also teaches them both truths about themselves and each other. Maxine’s positivity and zest for new experiences is contagious. Alex not only finds the right roads along this trip—he finds himself. With deft humor and comedic situations the two lead characters take us on a journey of understanding and emotion. Of memory and experience, of empathy, of taking chances and making choices. Max’s malapropisms will make you smile and Alex’s slow emergence from his shell will too. A mismatched pair that find understanding and support in the most unexpected of places—each other.
This is a delightful read—warm, funny, endearing. Highly recommended!
4.5 stars

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of this book.

Love, love, love this book - pure joy! What an epic adventure with a 25 year old depressed young man and a 90 year old escapee from a retirement home! I didn't want the book to end. Besides the pure hilarity of the situations that these two find themselves in, there is a more serious undertone about depression and how we treat the elderly in this society.

A brilliantly funny read with great characters and a madcap journey to Brussels. I loved Maxine and Alex and felt they had a wonderful chemistry between them. This is a story of unexpected friendship. As we join Alex and Maxine on the car share journey we learn more about their lives and the reasons for the trip. We learn of their hopes and flaws and see the two them open up to each other in a way neither has before. A feisty 90+year old woman and a lacking in confidence young man seem unlikely friends but end up taking you with them on a journey full of laughter and tears.

A delightful book which I found totally engaging. A good amount of humour developing slowly to be an absolute winner. Quirky characters conjured up and even bizarre situations but at the heart is a wonderful story of a developing friendship over the generations and totally heartwarming. Easy read that gathers momentum drawing the reader in as the two main characters get to know each other. I understand the book was originally written in French so I shall be looking out for more from Zoe in French or English.

What a lovely life affirming story .It is funny ,sometimes sad but oh so uplifting !.Maxine and Alex are car sharing as they both want to go to Brussels but for very different reasons ! Alex is young ,depressed an old soul and Maxine is 90 going on 50 very wise and full of energy and life .The pair of them form a very unlikely friendship and change each others lives for ever .There are escapades and fun along the way this is such a lovely sweet book .Many thanks to the Piublisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

“The Car Share” by new to me author Zoe Brisby was a wonderful, delightful and entertaining read. On a recommendation from a friend, I was glad to be extended an opportunity to read this story.

Alex and Max both want to drive to Brussels for their underlying causes. When Alex, a 25-year-old student riddled with depression arrives in front of retirement home, little did he expect that his passenger would be 70-, 80- , oh well 90-something Max and thus the journey begins. On the carpool to Brussels to complete their self-serving missions, they become therapists for one another’s problems and wind up opening and putting all on the table…he going to find a friend and she is ending everything before Alzheimer makes her whole world at a loss. Unaware of Max’s intent, Alex finds himself on a whirlwind adventure when they are wanted by the police. He is presumed to be a druggie kidnapper who has deep depression problems out to end everything and taking with him a well to do member of society. Although this story was translated from French, it did not lose its intent or savor although I did find it quite a bit longer to read than I usually do with other books. Oh, how I loved Max and the handbag that had everything but the kitchen sink and the way she puts her own spin on quotes or phrases.

You got to love this book as it will make you laugh and make you cry. It is a story that brings two people to life and each learning to enjoy life for what its worth. So funny but heartfelt. This was a page turner for me and unfortunately, had to put down to sleep. Highly recommend the read.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of this book.

4.25 super cute stars

This book has some fun characters (and a beautiful cover!) that will be sure to bring some sunshine to your life. You never quite know how things will go when you share a car for a road trip with a stranger. In this case, Alex is headed to Brussels and wants to save a bit on the expense, so he agrees to bring Max(ine) along for the ride, picking her up outside her retirement home.

You need to know that Alex is a young man struggling with depression, anxiety, and heartbreak and Max is a 90-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer’s. Together they are quite the pair! They get into a load of trouble along the way, and I loved how Max seemed to have an amazing collection of things they would need in her handbag! This one made me laugh with how ridiculous a few situations turned out.

The two develop an offbeat friendship and turn out to be really good for each other. Max has some trouble with expressions, she says “it’s running like dock work” for example and takes pains to explain to Alex that this is so much more correct than “running like clockwork” as dockworkers need to work as a team. The two have a great banter throughout the book.

This one was a quick enjoyable read that left me uplifted at the end!

Alex and Max both want to drive to Brussels, so they use an online carshare App to meet up, neither is what the other expects, there's much confusion from the beginning.
So starts an extraordinary couple of days on the road, during which they have adventures aplenty, whilst discovering who they really are.
Quirky, hilarious and very French!
Translated well although some of the humour is more French than English.
An enjoyable read, and a good laugh.
Thank you for the early read NetGalley and Hodder.

Fanciful and Farcical....in all the best ways!!

Alex is an “old soul” trapped in the body of a depressed 25 year old.

When asked for three interests on the carshare.com website, he thinks of Herbal tea, camels and American soul music. But, he can’t say that! So, he goes with Museums, traveling and literature-hoping to attract a young lady to accompany him on his trek to Brussels.

Max is age “none of your business” and enjoys mechanics, whisky and the Tour de France.

In reality, Maxine is a spry nonagenarian, who claps like a little girl when she gets excited, and who loves to make an entrance! She thinks that she has Alzheimer’s and needs to get to Brussels. Alex sounds dull, but since SHE seems to be the only one offering a Carshare to Brussels, Max accepts the offer and pays the fee.

She soon realizes that Alex isn’t a young lady, nor the “drug addict” she feared he might be, when she buckled into her seatbelt, but rather a shy lad lacking in confidence who needed to be coaxed out of his bell. (Or is it, out of his shell?) Maxine is always getting the words in common phrases confused!

You never know what might come out of her mouth, or her enormous handbag!

If you enjoyed last year’s “Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman, about a bank robbery gone wrong, you will definitely want to hitch a ride on this road trip, gone awry!!

It is just as humorous and uplifting! 🎈

Also, if you read the AUTHOR’s NOTE, at the end of the book-you will discover one more surprise! 🚗

This book was translated from the French by Kelly Ramke Lardin and will be available on March 25, 2021!

Thank You to Hodder and Stoughton, for my gifted copy, provided through NetGalley!
It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!

It is a heartwarming story about two very different people having a great adventure together. With carshare you never know who you end up with as a travellling companion. Both Alex and Max had expected someone different from the person who turned up so they nearly missed each other. But soon the awkward situation begins to change and in the end they get really fond of each other.
They both are very likeable people and they have hilarious adventures on the road. Older people are often invisible in a our society. However, although Maxine is an old lady, she proves that the elderly can be just as interesting as the young and they can teach a couple of tricks to the younger generation.
I wasexcited to read in the author's note that there is an extra chapter that shows the characters five years later. I wrote to the e-mail address given and got Chapter 64 from the author -thanks again, Zoe Brisby. I loved it just like the whole story.
I can recommend this book to everyone who likes reading about the oldaer generation and quirky characters.

When Alex pulls up to meet ''Max,'' he expects everythng but a ninety year old lady who has her heart set on getting to Brussels by carpool. Max (Maxine) could not be more ill at ease when settling into the seat next to the young man with bloodshot eyes. God help her if he turns out to be a drug addiict. Max is suffering from Alzheimers and wants to take matters into her own hands while she still can. Alex battles severe deresssion. A wonderful fiendship starts to form between the unlikely pair.

Aalex and Maxine are sharing a car ride from France to Brussels. He is twenty five and she is ninety. You'd think they wouldn't get on, but it soon becomes apparent that they actually ave a lot in common. We join them on thir hunorous journey. Max always manages to get her quotes mixed up. This is one of those books that make you feel good even though it deals with health issues. Alex and Max are great characters. Loved this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HodderStoughton and the author #ZoeBrisby for my ARC of #TheCarShare in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley Zoe Brisby and Hodder & Staughton for the ARC copy of this book. This is my personal review.
Alex and Maxine are to people unlikely to ever meet in life until they share a ride to Brussels.
Alex is 25 and Maxine is in her 90’s. Nothing in common to share while on this trip and yet they have a ride that will forever change their lives.
This book has everything a person could want to read in a book. It is heartwarming, heart tugging, hilarious, and one that will stay with me forever. It sees a true friendship between Alex and Maxine grow that is wonderful.

There is nothing more an adventure/mission needs than a Prada shop, an armed robbery, kareoke, Mongolian head wear and dodgem cars!! I adored Maxine and her expressions. This may be a work of fiction but Maxine gave me inspiration for my own life. I simply adored this book!!!! Thanks you to the publisher, Netgalley and of course Zoe for taking me on this car share road trip!!!

Alex advertises for a car share from Paris to Brussels and Maxine is to be his companion. He’s young, very depressed, she’s 90 something but young in her head. He’s going to Brussels to find a friend from a while ago and she’s going to end things before Alzheimer’s renders all lost. So fasten your seatbelts folks as this is like no other journey, possibly ever!

I absolutely love this book - what a mad caper as the pair cause utter mayhem which leads to a huge amount of laughter. I don’t think I have ever laughed as much during the course of a book as I have with this one, it’s joyful genius. The intrepid pair are polar opposites. Maxine is adorable, she’s incredibly creative, her wit is razor sharp and she sure thinks very calmly on her feet. She’s like no other 90, 80, 70, 60 year old .... whatever age she feels in her head, I mean she knows who David Guetta is!!!! Alex starts out so depressed, he looks shocking, in fact Maxine thinks he looks like a ‘druggie’. Their dialogue is witty, clever, and hilarious. Alex feels old in Paris whereas Maxine feels young, he sees the world in black and white while she sees it in Ultra HD despite the sadness and tragedy in her life. She’s wise and knowledgeable although she could be making stuff up, it’s entirely possible!! I love her malapropisms and somehow her expressions fit better such as Fascist- Sisters (Fashionistas. See? Way better). The car becomes a kind of confessional for both of them as she brings him back to life and he learns joy and zest for life through their mad escapades. How big is Maxine’s handbag? It must be humongous with all the amazing objects she produces for it. Especially useful is the rotating beacon which they put to excellent use in a traffic jam.

Overall, just read it! It’s fantastic and life affirming, it’s funny, a little bit sad and emotional in places but some tears are happy tears especially at the end. Maxine is a gift not just to Alex but also to us though he gives her the greatest gift of all. I love it - can you tell??!!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I had requested this book because the blurb seemed very promising and a few days later the publisher reached out to me to ask if I would read and review it. I was meant to read it, obviously!
The characters are definitely an odd couple: Maxime a 90something year old lady with Alzheimer who flees from a retirement home to go to Brussels in order to kill herself, and Alex a 25 year old student suffering from depression.
They carpool together and during the journey they get to know each other and decide to save each other's life.
The story is funny and heartwarming, a very nice, quick, light read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex and Maxine are both suffering from loneliness and depression and now they sharing the ride to Brussels from France. Here's the thing- he's 25 and she's in her 90s. Talk about a odd couple! They do, however, as it turns out, have more in common with one another than you, or they, might think. Maxine is coping with Alzheimer's and while Brisby doesn't make light of it, she does go for the lighter side. The same is true for Alex. This is one of those reads where there are small surprises. It's obviously character driven but the fact that the chapters are short makes it feel lighter somehow. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.