I have loved both of Clare Pooley’s previous books and it’s nice to be able to confirm that this one is just as good with her mixture of quirky characters and humour in familiar settings.
Daphne is a very prickly 70 year old who has realised that she is completely alone in the world and decides to do something about it. She decides that she needs to make friends and decides to go along to the inaugural meeting of a senior citizens club. There she meets other, very disparate pensioners as well as who is dipping her toe back in the employment market by running this club.
The main focus of the book is the plan to save the community centre but it’s really about the interactions between the characters. I loved the teenage father, Ziggy and his story of having to give up his dreams in order to care for his baby daughter was really touching. There is also a lot of humour too including one or two laugh out loud moments which is really rare for me.
I wasn’t sure about the effectiveness of starting with the ending and found it a bit jarring at first. However, once I got into the swing of the book, I was carried away by the brilliant storytelling.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a gentle, warm-hearted story with brilliant characters and a good smattering of humour.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Random House UK, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for opportunity to review.. Easy reading and good fun. It was refreshing to have pensioners as the main characters. Who have a bit of character. Good holiday read.

Received via netgalley as an ARC copy

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book, I thought I was going to love it, but I found it draining to read and ended up a DNF at 22%

Not a bad book, concept is good, It just didn't keep my attention

As always Clare Pooley did not disappoint. Lots of quirky characters and finding out each of their stories. I did not want to put this book down - a heart warming story of a group of people coming together to support their community and each other. I got drawn in to each character wanting to know more about them and how things will end. Definitely worth a read.

I loved this book. It was so refreshing to read a book where the characters are older and, to my mind, more interesting. Highly recommended

A fun and funny gentle read around a group of septuagenarians meeting in a local community hall in Hammersmith doomed by the council who refuse to spend money on it. Some really quirky characters who are utterly delightful as well as eccentric mostly with dodgy pasts with the star of the show Daphne who has spent 15 years as a relative recluse. Thrown in the mix is young Ziggy, an intelligent 18 year old taking on the looking after and welfare of his baby daughter, Kylie whilst being targeted by local gangs. Wonderfully heartwarming and just joyful to read with plenty of good heartedness and community spirit. Restores ones faith in humanity.

This is a real gem of a book with had me laughing out loud and tearing up the next. Filled with colourful wonderful characters that I loved spending time with. I really enjoy feel good books that involve a group of people finding a common purpose and the benefit of community. The group of seniors campaigning to save their 'senior' group at the community centre are overlooked and underestimated but none so much as the groups leader Lydia. The larger than life character of forthright and often downright rude septuagenarian Daphne is a gift of a character. She turns everyone life upside down that she meets but often for the better. I think we all need a Daphne in our life. A fantastic read!

This is the first book I’ve read by Clare Pooley but if her other books deliver a warm hug as good as this one, I’ll definitely be reading more.
The entertaining cast of characters, the warmth, humour and great story telling make this an uplifting and laugh out loud book to read.
It’s true there’s no real sense of jeopardy, you always know everything will work out ok, and that everyone but the ‘baddies’ will be fine, but sometime it’s nice to read a book that doesn’t have you on edge and where the nice folk have a happy ending.
The book tells the story of a diverse, chaotic group of people each with their own sorrows, fears and problems coming together and finding a community of unlikely ‘comrades’. Together they can take on not just the local council threatening their community centre, but the criminal underworld and more than one love rat.
I recommend settling down with a cup of tea and a slice of cake to devour this warm hearted, funny, clever and fresh book as soon as possible.
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC.

Forget the stereotypical picture of retirement filled with bingo nights and shuffleboard. Daphne, a woman with a mysterious past best left undisturbed, is about to turn 70 and itching to break free from her self-imposed isolation. But can she shed her cloak of secrecy and rejoin the world without jeopardising her safety?

Daphne dips her toes back into the social pool with a surprising mix of ventures – a local senior centre and a dash of online dating. While her prickly personality might not win her instant friends, her interactions, particularly with the equally feisty Art, create laugh-out-loud moments. This heartwarming story proves that life, with all its humour and challenges, is for living at any age. The diverse cast of characters at the community centre, all facing their own battles alongside the threat of closure, adds another layer of depth to this delightful and surprisingly emotional read.

5 stars all the way....

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley is the funniest book I've read in a long time - I mean actual laughing out loud, drawing attention to myself! I was hooked from the opening prologue and devoured the whole book in two days. The cast of characters are all so well developed that you are rooting for each of them as their stories unfold and entwine. Stereotype the elderly at your peril! Five stars - a very entertaining read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the review copy.

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Laugh out loud fiction
- Challenging stereotypes
- Leading ladies
- Fun and entertaining reads

With thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Books and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this fabulous book. It was a fabulous romp, a little dark at times, but you are buoyed up by everyone rallying around. Would love to read some more from this author.

Five septuagenarians who aren’t done with life yet, not by a long chalk.

First of all, I would like to thank the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC. This was my first Clare Pooley novel, and, oh boy, was I in for a treat!

Five septuagenarians who aren’t done with life yet team up with a teenage dad, an orphaned dog and a fifty-something, empty nest mum.
A mysterious past may or may not catch up with main character Daphne, when there is a community centre to be saved and lives to be put back on the rails. This heartwarming novel does very effectively away with macramé-ing, tottering granny preconceptions.

How To Age Disgracefully is well worth five stars.
It will be out 20 June 2024, but readers beware: be prepared for laugh-out-loud humour, a brilliant plot, and lovable, well-rounded characters.

Daphne is a prickly character, initially difficult to empathise with but as the other members of the community centre draw her out of herself she becomes more understandable, more feisty and much more leading lady!
The story is one of gentle triumph for each of the main characters with their own personal demons and ambles along at a good pace.
Humorous, full of great characters and plenty of joy!

This book was an absolute joy to read! I knew I was in for a treat as soon as I read the prologue and spluttered with laughter at Lucky’’s unexpected outburst! It’s one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time, but as with all great comedies, the laughs come from the natural quirks and foibles of a brilliantly realised set of characters. I loved them all, and particularly the way the author challenged stereotypes across the age and social spectrum; single dad Ziggy really tugged at my heartstrings. The comedy was effortless, but was equally matched by the emotional depth of the story, and I loved how all the characters developed as the story progressed. I have to give a special mention to Daphne: one of my new favourite fictional characters. I want to be Daphne when I grow up! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an uplifting, escapist read. It deserves to be a huge success.

I'll start out by saying this is not my typical genre, but I wanted to try and see if this kind of adult contemporary was for me. In reality, not really. The story is a bit too twee, a bit too fluffy for me as we see a community band together to save a local rec centre. The plot is also overly drawn out, in my opinion, and a bit boring. I like stories that have either a lot of action, or a lot on angst. Or both. This had neither,and the characters just didn't engage me enough to carry the slow pacing.

I've no doubt that individuals who typically like this genre will love this, but unfortunately it's really not my cup of tea.

Daphne’s 70th birthday prompts her to reflect on her past and the fact that she’s kept a very low profile for many years, venturing out only when necessary. The thing is, Daphne has a very shady past, but could now be the right time to get out there again, act like normal people do? Most importantly would she be safe?

After much thought Daphne decides to join a Senior Citizens Social Club at the local community centre, and while she’s at it, how about a spot of Internet dating?

Let’s just say that Daphne is not the easiest of characters to get along with, but her interactions with others (especially fellow senior citizen Art) makes for some very amusing dialogue. Easy to get along with she is NOT, but she has real hidden depth and this lady definitely steals the show!

The author skilfully presents a diverse cast of characters, from the funny to the malevolent, each bringing their own unique story, and all of them with one thing in common, their determination to stop the local council from closing their community centre. There’s laughs galore, sitting alongside some really emotional moments, so if you’re looking for a fun and entertaining read, then look no further.

What a wonderful read this book was. I loved the flow of the writing, the loveable characters and enjoyed every single page. It was a real “feel good” story and the main character Daphne certainly brought things to life. It was refreshing to have a mix of young and old, a real treat. I shall certainly be recommending this book to others and can’t wait to read more by this author. Completely adorable.

Thanks to Random House UK / Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

This is the first Clare Pooley book I’ve read and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Lydia has just started a new job running a senior citizens’ social club but the people who turn up don’t quite fit her stereotype of genteel older people. Ziggy never expected to be a single father at eighteen. He relies on the nursery in the community centre so he can finish at school. When the community centre is threatened with closure, the seniors are determined to fight the decision and join forces with the local nursery with hilarious results. I loved this book and found it really funny. I enjoyed how it challenged the stereotypes of older people and introduced some feisty characters with dubious pasts. I also liked the relationship that developed between Ziggy and the group.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC,

📚 Book Review 📚

This book made me smile, giggle and laugh which is just what I needed. Not only are the characters realistic, fallible and lots of fun to read about; as a reader you grow to love them.

Daphne has just hit her seventieth birthday and for the first time in a long time, she wants companionship and friendship. After trawling the socials, she decides to pop along to her local senior citizens social hub at the community centre and the shenanigans begin. There she meets a small group of likeminded not-so-senior pensioners, a belittled but lovely woman returning to work and dealing with empty nest syndrome, a number of youngsters from the childminding group based there along with teenage dad Ziggy and his daughter Kylie, a group of antenatal mums to be and members from the local AA group.

Together we learn about the lives of these characters and fall in love with each one as the story progresses.

I loved this book, it genuinely made me laugh and I was rooting for each character along the way. Seriously, Netflix or the BBC need to take a look because this will make a great series.

Me? I’m rooting for Daphne every step of the way and have now found my role model for my future self.

This is a brilliant read, please.. go treat yourself.

#bemoredaphne

I’d like to thank Random House UK, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫