One of the best books in this genre that I've ever read.

73 year old Jen accepted a marriage proposal and Paris was the destination for her hen party with 4 of her best friends. And along with sightseeing and fine dining, each one of them had the opportunity to look into their lives and make some changes. Some more dramatic than the rest.

My first book by author Judy Leigh, and I was blown away by the sheer grace of these women. They all had things happening in their lives. To see them coming out of their shells was amazing. I cheered them on from the sidelines. Change is not easy, especially change after 50 years of living the same way was certainly difficult. But these women showed me how it is done; their transformation was absolutely awe-inspiring.

The initial few chapters showed me their lives, and the rest of the book was completely in the favor of Paris. The author's style of storytelling was interspersed with food and wine.. Lots of wine and champagne.

These hens brought a special joie de vivre into the story. They showed me how life was meant to be lived. But make no mistake, it was all done realistically. Their lives were not all rosy and nice. Loneliness, good and bad marriages, lost partner, single life all were shown. A week in Paris was all that was needed for them to be filled with renewed determination. True friendships made over aqua acrobatics helped the process.

The Five French Hens rocked!! How can anyone resist such a book? Ah, c'est la vie!!

If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, Five French Hens is the book for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Five ladies in their 70s are friends and, when one of them accepts a proposal, they go on a hen party trip to Paris.

The story was great fun, covered each of the ladies in depth, and was very well-written. I loved it and would highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

This is the story of five elderly ladies who become friends and travel to France for a hen party. During the book, you find out about their lives back at home and also what happens on the hen party.
The characters are very likeable and are full of depth. They will make you smile and laugh but you will also feel sad at times.
The writing is so down to earth that it makes you feel like you are a part of the story.
I hope that there will be a sequel to this book as I would love to know what the future holds for them.
A great book that shows the value of friendship.

Loved this book! The five main characters are all in their seventies, but I had to keep reminding myself of that fact., especially once they traveled to Paris for a hen weekend. We would all do well to remind ourselves that age is not a barrier to living a full and happy life, and there is often no barrier to living life to the full.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Five French Hens’ by Judy Leigh in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Jen tells her four aqua-aerobic friends that she’s getting married to Eddie they’re a bit dubious as they’ve only known each other for a few weeks. Eddie books the wedding and reception then tells Jen he’s off to Las Vegas for his stag do with his son, so Jen and her friends get on a plane to Paris for a hen party. But the women who return home after a week have changed in their outlooks and are very different to how they were before they left.

‘Five French Hens’ is a delightful and beautifully written story of five women who are out to prove that seventy-year-olds can still have fun and enjoy themselves. I warmed to every single one of them, Jen, Rose, Della, Tess and Pam, who’ve all had different lives and experiences, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading of their adventures in Paris. I like Judy Leigh’s style of writing which is easy to read, highly amusing and gives her characters depth and feeling. This is a light-hearted and very enjoyable novel which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the chance to preview this outstanding slice of life novel.

Five women, all in the 70s, take aqua aerobics together and have become fast friends. Then Jen announces she’s going to marry Eddie, a guy she’s only known for a short time. Then Eddie decided to go to Las Vegas with his son to reconnect, before the big wedding day. Jen feels like she needs hen do so the five of them all set off for Paris.

I love how the Brits talk. Hen do is so much more descriptive than girlfriends getaway. The time they spend in Paris is transforming for all of them. I had a very similar experience when I turned 50 and went to New Orleans with three other women. So, I loved the book.

It made perfect sense to me. The writing is down to earth filled with wonderful descriptions and each character is three-dimensional. I highly recommend this title to everyone.

Unable to give feedback as issues with this and several other titles and unable to download another copy

This book isn't for everyone. It is about a group of older woman over 65 who go on a trip together and find out about themselves and each other. Being a senior citizen myself , I could relate to some of the issues these characters were now facing as they age.

Five French Hens
Judy Leigh
December 10, 2019

Jen and her besties are all in their seventies. They live in London and its suburbs, visiting often with each other. Jen began dating Eddie a few months back. They enjoyed their time together and each felt a wedding would be in their future. Rose taught piano lessons to help with her funds although she herself had a beautiful voice and loved playing the piano. Her husband, Bernard had since past and their son. Paul kept in touch with his mother but via phone more than visits. In her early years Rose could have been a sensation on stage somewhere but being Bernard’s wife and Paul’s mother was always more important. Now her life was less than perfect, she looked forward to time with friends. Della, married to Sylvester, spent her days cooking and cleaning to keep herself occupied. He loved her dearly but life for her was a bit dull.
Tess was a joy. She loved to socialize with friends, enjoyed going out all spritzed and beautiful. Unfortunately she spent her days alone, not bothering to cook for herself or for her husband, Alan. He was always at the golf course with friends doing what he enjoyed. When he came home he would eat without comment except perhaps to criticize the menu or food prep. Last of the group was Pam. Never married, no children, only her loving dog, Elvis. Her world revolves around him.
When the group met to discuss Jen’s wedding and the plans for the hen party, it was decided that they should take the train to Paris for a few days before the wedding to celebrate with Jen. They made plans for the adventure right down to putting all of the timing onto a spreadsheet so nothing would be forgotten. Despite the men’s opinions that five elderly women should not be heading off to a large city without male accompaniment, the women held true to themselves and took off as planned.The adventure that followed was humorous yet sad at times.
Five French Hens was a delight to read. A lovely story of true friendship among women.
Judy Leigh painted quite the picture of each of the ladies and their varying histories. It was a great narrative to visualize. The women all so different yet such close companions.
If you are looking for a comfort woman’s read I heartily suggest Five French Hens by Judy Leigh. It will be published by Boldwood Books on December 10, 2019.

Five, over 70 year old females, newly formed friends take a trip to Paris to have a hen party for one of them. The reader gets to know these lovely ladies as they get to know each other and themselves better. All the ladies are different and probably would not have become friends other than they met in the water aerobics class.

The story was written so well and I felt a part of this fun hen party. I love stories with older characters and most of the story revolves around these wonderful ladies. I enjoyed every bit of the story!

I was hoping for certain outcomes for these characters and I was happy that all I wanted for them, was what the author laid out for them as well. Outstanding job, Judy Leigh!

What a delightful book this is!

I absolutely adored this group of women, as they celebrate Jen's recent and rather rapid engagement to Eddie. They have all only known each other for a few months, but its still a couple of months longer than Jen has known Eddie.

I also think this may be one of the more tasteful hen party trips I've read about, mostt likely as all five of the hens are in their 70s.

So we have Jen, the bride to be, Rose who was widowed years ago and is only starting to find herself, Della who is married to Sylvester and still utterly devoted to him, Tessa who's husband Alan seems to spend more time at the golf course and pretty much neglects her, and Pam who's love of her life is her dog Eddie!

From the opening chapter, the view point would swap around within the chapter, so after a few pages of say Jen, we would then see what Rose is up to at the same time. After a chapter or two, once you have picked up the basics of each woman, it is not confusing and you just go with the flow.

I loved seeing how the friendship between the ladies developed over the story, and also each of their own personal growths and realisations. And from the moment they decide to go to Paris, the book steps up another gear.

What week in Paris would be complete without meeting an exotic man, spending time in a drag club, rediscovering your joie de vivre, some meals in a fabulous Moroccan restaurant, a friendly taxi driver, a trip to the casino, a couple of hours in a cemetery - oh and some far more regular sight seeing too!! A fair amount of the more typical Parisian tourist activities were also enjoyed too.

From quite early on I had a feeling about the upcoming marriage, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but by the story's conclusion I was a lot happier with everything.

Rose and Tessa's stories are fabulous and I loved seeing how they changed over the week, and the others are just as great to read.

It was a joy to spend time with these wonderful women, and I can't help but hope for a sequel as I'd love to see how they are all getting on with life now. A fantastic book that proves that life definitely isn't over at 70, no matter what you may think when you are younger!!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

Five women, all in their seventies, have become friends while taking an aqua aerobics class. Two of the women are married, while the others are single. Jen who has been alone for a few years has recently met Eddie and after only two months they become engaged. Each woman with their own personality, their uniqueness and feelings at this stage in their lives gives us an interesting story and perspective on what it is like to be a senior citizen in a modern world. It also gives us insight into relationships between men and women. In celebration of Jen's upcoming wedding, the five friends decide to go to Paris for a hen's/bachelorette party. Six days in Paris, five women becoming very much alive, what could possibly go wrong?

This novel gives us characters with depth, a story that could at times make you feel a bit sad, but ultimately as much as it awakens their spirit it will also awaken yours. As s 70 something myself, these could be my peers, my contemporaries. As a younger person reading this, it will give you pause to think, do not take us older women for granted! We are not the grandmothers of old, not by a long shot.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly gorgeous cover!! I always judge a book by its cover.
Light,fun read.The book is about five good friends and their little hen party in Paris.
Follow these 70 something year olds and they way this trip changes them.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

A cutesy romp with the oldet crowd. Not literary reading, of course, but good fun on a chilly Fall day with a cup of tea at your side.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review