A pleasant read, a bit slow at times. A nice story. Could not work out how it would end but i liked the ending

I’m not going to lie it was the cover that first attracted me to this book. I have read a couple of books by this author before and enjoyed them.
I enjoyed the storyline for both Unity and Ellen but found the characters of both a little bit jarring at times. Overall though the 2 intertwining stories were great to read and the supporting men were really well written.
It was a great story and being a Mum in a similar point in life to Ellen made it a great read for me. There seemed to be a rogue chapter from another book in there which threw me?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy.

Great read.
Love the cover, initially attracted my attention. Love the characters and really enjoyed reading this one. Didn’t want to put it down.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

I've not read anything by this author before. She writes well - her prose flows and the characters are brought to life in a few well-chosen phrases.

However, I am clearly in a minority here as I can't give it 5 stars.

The story of two 34-year-old friends who challenge each other to get out of a rut after Ellen overhears her son say he can't go to college and leave her because she has no life - is a great way of starting the action.

However, I found Ellen and Unity utterly both unbelievable and largely unsympathetic characters.
Pregnant at 17 - Ellen hasn't dated or had sex since, dresses in clothes that are 2 sizes too big - has a platonic friendship with her son's coach Keith and apparently has no idea her life is lacking. 17 years - she's done nothing. When she finally decides to change - her behaviour is beyond naive. No 34-year-old woman in this day and age could be as stupid as Ellen was. The way she treated Keith initially and then once they had embarked on a sexual liaison was simply unbelievable. She goes from having had sex once, never having seen a penis - to being some hot, up for everything siren in a matter of hours!! . Her fashion makeover - after 17 years - also seemed ridiculously easy.

Her friend Unity is a widow and is still living as if her husband was alive. She literally does not want to move on - sleeps in her husband's old bed, wears his old T-shirt and spends her time with over 60s. She abslutely rejects advice from friends and only at the very end of the book after she has treated Thaddeus abysmally - does she realise her need to change. As her friend (and Thaddeus' great Aunt) Dagmar says - she behaves as if noone else in the world knew what loss was. I totally get loss and grief - but this was o utterly over the top as to be ridiculous. Quite frankly the ease with which she and Ellen got over their row after Ellen overheard Coop talking to Luca - stretched the bounds of credibility too far for me.

I loved Keith and Thaddeus, Lissa and Luca, Coop, Dagmar - they were fabulous characters. But Ellen and Unity - not so much. Not for me, I'm afraid.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Ellen and Unity, two close friends who are more like sister. They come to realise that they may be stuck in the past with their dead and failed relationships.

They decide to make a pact to bring changes into their lives and try and let go of that past.

I found this story well written/plotted and with lots of laughter, tears and a big dose of reality, something which we can relate to.

You will be thinking about your own life and where you are headed.

The relationships/characters share a very strong, so much so that you will find yourself bonding with them as well.

Ellen, a single Mum, overhears her son say he can’t got his college of choice as his Mum needs him. This forces Ellen, together with her best friend Unity to create something like a bucket list to show her son that she is living her best life.
This list starts off purely as a way to prove to Ellen’s son she is fine but it ends up being a way to help both ladies move on and have time time of their life finally realising that life is for living.
What follows is a book filled with friendship, humour, love and finding out there is fun after 30.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book about friendship and the importance of it, nice story, nice characters and basically a nice read.