Favorite Quotes:

I’m in my seventies now and I’ll admit it– I’m lonely. But I’d rather have no company at all than a man who didn’t put me first and treat me like I was special.

She offered him a small smile back, but something at the back of her mind was niggling her, like a damp toad squatting on her shoulder.

Thank you for coming to help us at the roulette table. We were like three fishes on a hook, twisting and gaping with no idea where to wriggle.

My Review:

This was an absolute joy to read and an inspiration to those of us on the other side of 60 to not let the grass grow under our feet. I adored these characters and enjoyed getting to know them. Ms. Leigh’s writing style is always well-honed, easy to follow, perfectly paced, and highly amusing,

A really fun read full of memorable characters. Judy's books are such comfort reads. I can never get enough of her characters. highly recommended.

Super cute story that will lift your spirits. It’s a holiday kind of read. Definitely light and easy to love.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying The Old Girl's Network, I realized that Judy Leigh's books are right up my alley. I was quite entertained by Five French Hens. Being over sixty myself, and a widow, I really identified with Jen. She was missing her husband and felt that she did not want to be alone. She accepted Eddie's proposal, with a plan that he would move into her home and rent his out. She was happy with this and wanted to celebrate with her friends from aquafit class. When they drink a bit more than they usually do, they decided she should have her Hen Party in France, being as Eddie was going to Las Vegas with his son. Even though there were some second thoughts, the ladies headed off to Paris and some life changing events.

I loved this group of ladies. They were all from different situations: one married and in love, a widow, one married but unhappy, one single by choice. They were amazing together. For a group of women who had not known each other for long, they certainly supported one another and encouraged each other to follow their heart and their dreams. Living life on the wildside (well wild for older ladies) they learned some things about themselves that they had not recognized before. They had some adventures, tried some things and met some people that had them changing their mind about what they really wanted out of life. There were some laughs, some ah ha moments and some bittersweet times, but overall, this is an uplifting story. Yes, there is life after 70 and these ladies have me believing that many things are possible. I definitely recommend this one.

I enjoy Boldwood Books, they publish the best. This one is wonderful. A 73 year old woman is getting married, and this one is all about her pre wedding "hen" party. Absolute hilarious, fun and lighthearted. Cannot go wrong with this one, Highly recommend.

This was side splitting funny so full of spunk cute moments and inspiration that age is just a number your only as old as you allow yourself to feel!

Five French Hens by Judy Leigh is about a 73 year old named Jen who says she will marry a man she just met named Eddie. Her friends are shocked but when the groom goes to Las Vegas for a stag party, the women go to Paris! Things can change after a week of champagne, casino’s, museums and dashing millionaires. I recommend this story which is a funny romp about the 5 women in their 70’s who still want to feel alive, and adventurous. They all return from Paris with a different perspective on life. Very friendly characters and you’ll love this book if you like Paris!!

Great book. Easy to read and likeable characters.

It was woven together nicely, too, and very credible

Entertaining charming a group of older women off on an adventure.I enjoyed each of the women their personalities issues friendships.A fun warm read.#netgalley#boldwoodbooks

Five French Hens is a sweet light-hearted novel of a group of mature women who decide to celebrate an upcoming marriage with a trip to Paris. I loved this book. The characters are well developed and the story was well thought out. I recommend it

n, bestselling author of The Woman Who Upped and Left

When Jen says ‘yes!’, that is the catalyst for five golden girl friends to go on a tour of discovery about themselves and each other in the city of lights. I loved the idea of gals in their seventies finding adventure with their friends, healing, understanding, and even love so I gladly picked this one up and settled in for a coze with the Five French Hens.

Jen is a widow in her seventies who already found love and the good life, but now she is lonely so when proper gentleman Eddie courts her and proposes, she says yes. But, Eddie is headed to Vegas for his bachelor festivities and that decides her that she and her best buds should do something just as spectacular for her hen party. So off they go to Paris.

Jen is accompanied by four friends with their own life struggles and need for this friendship and this trip. Pam, Rose, Tess, and Della. Della is happily married to Sylvester the love of her life, but she worries about him working in that drafty food truck on the coast and looking more worn out each day. Pam is happily single except for Elvis her dog companion, but she is holding in a secret that eats at her and holds her back from life. Rose is a widower and accomplished musician. She was content in her marriage, but not fulfilled when she gave up her career for home and family to a husband who never respected her own talents. And, then there is lively and colorful Tess who is marginalized in her own home behind golf and the golf game on TV. She is determined to live a little and maybe rethink how she has been holding onto something that just isn’t there and never was.

This standalone women’s fiction started out slow as it passed the narration around rapidly between the five women. At first, I got confused as to who was who and it was a struggle to get interested. They all seemed like real people with real life problems, but I wasn’t feeling a spark of connection.

But, I hung in there because I wanted to get to Paris with them and that’s when the book started to come to life. Each woman was distinct now and I grew vested in a few of their stories and then more and more as the book progressed through their lively and fun time in Paris. It was Paris through the eyes of tourists like visiting the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, jazz club, casino, and more. I was loving it.

What I really loved, though, was when the layers were peeled back on these women’s lives and I could get to know their pain and their dreams. It took a while, but the book got there so that when it ended, I wasn’t ready to leave the gals behind. They each had something to face whether from their past, their present, or a decision about their future. I was totally rooting for them just like they were rooting for each other.

I had never heard of this author before, but now I’m interested in reading more of her niche stories about folks with silver hair and most of their life behind them, but still have some adventures left to live. There is a little romance in this, but the focus is definitely on their personal growth and friendship so it’s very much women’s fiction and I’d recommend it as such.

I rec’d this book through Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect Escapism....
Fun, frolics, adventures and misadventures with a group of feisty ladies determined to enjoy life. A witty, well written and endearing romp - just perfect escapism. Recommended.

I really liked each of the characters. Slightly predictable but a sweet read nonetheless. I felt like Pam had more of a story to share (potential for a second book) and I'd love to see what happens to Jen and Tess. A well thought out and funny story.

enjoyed this fun filled novel, about five friends in their seventies going to Paris for a “hen“ party (a bachelorette party here in the States). Jen, a widow, has met a man she hopes will take away her loneliness. Della is married to Sylvester, the love of her life, while Rose is widowed, bored with life and disillusioned. Tess has a horrible marriage with her golf obsessed husband, yet is the party girl of the bunch. Add in Pam, a single woman, and the five English friends paint the town red in Paris. Highly recommended, especially for women my age, to see all the life still ahead of us. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was light and fun. It follows a group of women in their seventies who became friends through an auqa aerobics class. The women for the most part have been letting life pass them by. Jen then has a rather fast engagement to Eddie, and they decide to take a wild hen trip to Paris. While in Paris you find more about their lives back home. It even has some surprises and twists. A great read too cozy up with during the winter.

This cover is quite mis-leading, as it makes it look like it's a Christmas book, and there isn't a single scene that is set at Christmas time. It starts in February, and ends a few months later.

Five French Hens is about five ladies in their 70s discovering that life isn't over.

Jen is 73, and just engaged to Eddie, who has decided to go on a stag do with his son to Las Vegas. Jen, and her friends decide they want to go to Paris, and so off the go!

Rose, a widow who teaches piano, Pam, who loves her dog and isn't interested in a relationship with anyone, Tess who is boisterous but has a husband who loves golf, and finds her embarrassing, and Della, whose only problem is money, and who is very much in love with her husband even after all these years.

I really enjoyed this book, even if in the back of my mind I was wondering about when Christmas would fit in!

Five French Hens was published on 5th December 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Judy Leigh on Twitter, or through her website.

If you're interested in other books where age is just a number books, then have a read of:

Mr Double Begins Again by Seni Glaister 🌟🌟🌟🌟

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Boldwood Books (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

I enjoyed this story about five older ladies and their friendship with each other and relationships with their partners.

The five of them head off on a hen weekend to Paris. I really enjoyed reading about the women (two of their partners drove me nuts but then that's the sign of good writing if you can achieve such emotion).

I'd love to read more books about women in mid and older life. Well done to Judy Leigh.

A well written and engrossing read that mixes fun and some reflection on one own life.
I love the well written cast of character, they're relatable and interesting. I hope to have such a zest for life when I'm their age.
The plot is well crafted and entertaining, the setting vivid and well described.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Five French Hens by Judy Leigh is a highly entertaining book, that is much different than I expected. When 73 year old Jen announces to her best friends, she is getting married, they are surprised. Her Groom to be is going on a stag trip to Las Vegas, so the women take the hen party to Paris, city of love. This book has a little bit of everything, romance, humor, and suspense. I recommend this book as a great escape. I look forward to reading more books by this author

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about taking a transformative trip with a handful of your gal pals? (See: me, almost always.) When 73 year old Jen hops on the fast-track to re-marriage with another widower named Eddie, the gals from her aqua aerobics class step in to treat her like the bride of the century. With each woman giving us a different lifestyle (Pam, forever single, Tess, slightly miserable marriage, Della, deeply in love with her hardworking husband, Rose, sheltered widow, and Jen, our bride-to-be) - this book is rife with opportunity to find yourself in one of the women.

With just enough hijinks to keep you on your toes, this book is a delightful, poignant read - one that reminds readers that life doesn't end when you reach a certain age - in fact, it just gets better.