Just what I needed to read, a funny book, light-hearted, feel-good but with a serious message about human behaviour running throughout the book. Maxine is an elderly lady, with a past, who has decided to take her destiny into her own hands, Alex a young man, despondant after rejection. Both set off for Brussels in an elderly car and gain something from the interaction with each other. The humour was Ok, the underlying messages about the assumptions about age, ones parents etc were brilliant. Amazing that so much can happen within a couple of days and that such close relationships can be established , but the book does not seem at all far fetched .
I am still rooting for both Alex and Maxine now I have finished the book. I read that it was originally published in French . Some of the translation in English reads as if it is written by a non-native speaker. For me, this added to the charm
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Good. Interesting characters and concept. Shows how sometimes the most opposite of people can get along and share something beautiful.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My first book by Zoe and I really enjoyed it.

When depressed Alex puts an advert on the internet for a car share for a trip to Brussels he matches up with Max. Little does he know that Max is actually Maxine and is a ninety something year old lady wanting to travel to Brussels to attend a clinic to end her life. When he picks he up from outside a residential home he doesn’t realise she has left the home without telling anyone and a police search is on to find her, thinking she has been kidnapped. Will Alex convince Max not to go through with her plans and will Max rescue Alex from his depression. A beautiful story about friendship with lots of laughs.

I DNF this book. I stopped at 37% because I just couldn’t go on any more. I didn’t find any of it funny or enjoyable. I didn’t like the way the author included the race of the ( imaginary ) limousine driver when they hadn’t even mentioned the race of the 2 MC’s. I knew this was translated from French to English ( and therefore set in France ) but there was no mention of WHERE in France or how long it would take to drive to Brussels and just found the whole thing all over the place. I was so looking forward to this, too! 1/5.

What a fantastically joyful book! I laughed throughout, had the occasional lump in my throat, had a few late nights as I couldn't bare to put it down!
It was MUCH better than I anticipated.
This will go on my highly recommended for an uplifting book list!

Well, that was a delightful read!
The Car Share is a funny, poignant tale about a young man who suffers from depression, and his journey to find a travel buddy, for a long road trip to Brussels. He accepts a request from a Max and only finds out, upon picking her up, that Max is a nonagenarian, actually called Maxine, hoping to go on her own last journey, before signing into a Euthanasia clinic, ending her life with dignity, before Alzheimer's takes her life away.
Through the story that mainly unfolds over a couple of days, the unlikely couple ends up in several pickles, as well as getting themselves caught up in a kidnapping case, so find themselves as fugitives.
So much madcap fun, as well as some wonderfully touching moments within the story.
The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is that there was a lot of POV hopping within chapters which confused me a little.
Many Thanks to NetGalley and Hoder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly believe this book should be on everyone's shelf as it tackles issues that we all should talk about it! It tackles the beauty of resilience, new friendships, and belief. I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of a good boo. The plot is awesome, character development is awesome and I look forward to more books by Zoe. Huge thanks to the publisher for my ARC

This was the most entertaining book I have read in years! It is hilarious! I laughed out loud so much. More laughter came out of me reading this book than I have laughed in a year!

My heart was (and still is) so full of love for the characters that Zoe Brisby created in this book. I am drawn to stories with a character of the older population, so I was attracted to this book from the summary. Little did I know how much it would lift my spirits.

Along with the many humorous scenes, there is a lot of wisdom. Cherish every day. Support those you love and strive to help them in any way you can. Focus on the positive.

Definitely do yourself a favor and check out this book!

I want to thank NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the immense pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC. I also purchased the ebook since I loved this story so much!

This is supposed to be hysterical. It's not. It's just ridiculous and trite.
I could not even finish it. Ugh

This book reads a bit like a slapstick comedy which is funny in places and a bit over the top silly in others. If you want an escape from the world for a few hours and don't want to read anything too taxing then this book will be perfect for you.

Lighthearted fun in a book!

I really enjoyed this! If you are looking for a fun, quirky, charming read, look no further! Alex is a young man struggling with depression and Maxine is a very young woman stuck in a 90 year old’s body and dealing with Alzheimer's. Alex and Maxine both want to go to Brussels for their own personal reasons and this story follows them on their way there. Will one carpool be enough for them to change each other's lives for the better?

This book has really fun characters and even though it deals with some difficult issues, it stays light and inspirational and really shows you that being kind can really make a big difference to someone in a dark place.

This was a fun read! The dynamic between Alex and Maxine was so unexpectedly funny and I really enjoyed how they bonded throughout the story. My one complaint is the ending seemed to happen quite quickly, and I would've really liked an extra epilogue or something to give us a bit more insight into what happened to Alex!

Two disparate people take a road trip. When depressed twenty-five year old Alex advertises for a passenger to travel with him to Brussels, he thinks he's getting a man called Max. He certainly does not expect a lively ninety year old lady called Maxine who is going to a euthanasia clinic. As they both get to know each other on the journey, each of them resolves to help the other appreciate the good things in life. With Maxine's mixed up idioms and Alex's new zest for life, this makes for a read that is sometimes touching, sometimes hilarious, especially when they make the news headlines!

This has got to be one of the most charming books with the most charming characters I will have read this year!

Alex is a young 20-something man who is going through a deep depression. He decides to take a trip to Brussels and try to find a way towards happiness and fulfillment. He makes a profile on a Car Share website to see if anyone else is heading to Brussels. Alex will drive, and wouldn’t mind the company...or the gas money.

Maxine is a (maybe 30,40,50, 60 years old) 90-year old woman with Alzheimer’s. She is living in a retirement home that she rather despises. It feels like a prison, and that doesn’t work for this old lady who acts way younger than her wise years. She decides to go to Brussels, where it is legal to get assistance to end one’s life. She wants the final curtain to fall on her terms, and checks the Car Share website for anyone making the trip to Brussels.

And THAT is how Alex and Maxine end up on the trip of a lifetime. Despite the sad themes that weave their way throughout the plot, this book is a full dose of FUN! Alex and Maxine are opposites in every possible way, but end up bonding while getting themselves into a whole lotta trouble. One humorous shenanigan after another keeps the pace brisk as we learn more about the two characters and their backgrounds.

I had a big smile on my face the whole time I read this, and felt deeply for the Alex and Maxine. Alex is an old soul, and Maxine is way more youthful than he could ever be...but also very wise. It was such a joy to see Maxine bring Alex out of his shell, and for Alex to be a shining light in Maxine’s eyes. Their friendship was hilarious, heartfelt, and legitimate.

One funny thing that runs throughout the book is Maxine’s purse...and how much stuff she has in there. Some of the items include: wet wipes, a corkscrew, feather duster, socks, a huge medicine box, an old brick Nokia phone, an emergency car beacon light, an alarm clock, hundreds of business cards, and some other surprises I don’t want to spoil. What’s even more amusing is how many of the items come in handy on their adventure.

The Car Share is everything The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary should have and could have been. In fact, this fits perfectly in the world of O’Leary’s books when I think about charming and lovable characters who will stay with me for a long time. This was written by French writer Zoe Brisby, and translated to English with ZERO clunk! I absolute loved the brilliant writing, and will be eager for more. Balancing a wild, fun, and uplifting ride with depth has got to be difficult, but Brisby handles it with aplomb.

One last thing: It will be very advantageous for you to read the author’s note at the end. You’re welcome in advance.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

This book gave me Anxious People vibes. I was smiling from beginning to end! It was a feel-good story that had both laugher and pain. Alex and Maxine are such an unlikely pair but turn out to be really good for each other. I loved watching both characters develop throughout the story. The Car Share was a touching story about finding light in the dark times.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was in a bit of a book slump. I had just finished reading a very depressing book and needed a lift. My good friend Jayme thought this would be just the cure, IT WAS. I haven’t laughed this hard in a while and it felt good.

Alex is a young man who has always been shy, a bit of an odd guy who never quite fit in at school. He’s an only child, his parents never even went to the few activities that he was involved in. He’s a law student but doesn’t really know what he wants to do with his life. Recently his doctor diagnosed him with depression and told him to take some time off and try to enjoy life. He decides to go to Brussels because he knows that is where a woman he once loved lives.

Here’s where the story takes off. Alex posts a notice on a car share board looking for someone to share his ride to Brussels, to help pay for gas, etc. He gets a notice from someone named Max and arranges to pick this person up on his way out of town.

Max aka Maxine is a 90 some year old woman who has decided to go to Brussels to end her life. She is tired of the stagnant life in the retirement home after having led a wonderful life. She also thinks she has Alzheimer’s even though she hasn’t seen a doctor.

What follows is a car ride, well a car escapade, that will have you laughing out loud, because Maxine is not a typical 90 year old, in her mind and heart she is young. Along the way they manage to stop a robbery in a petrol station, actually Maxine foiled the robbery. They are being pursued by the police because they think that Maxine was kidnapped and the nursing home has exaggerated the situation. Of course social media is all over this making matters crazy and over the top!!

They run out of petrol while being pursued by the police, spend a night in an authentic Mongolian “yurt”, eating some Mongolian food and dressing in some pretty amazing costumes. Alex finds that he hasn’t slept this well in months. Maxine is amazing at bolstering Alex’s view of himself and Alex has grown so fond of her that he is determined to stop her “plan” in Brussels.

As they are getting closer to Brussels Maxine spots a Fun Fair. Of course they have to stop and Maxine encourages Alex to try all sorts of food and relax and enjoy the ferris wheel. The last ride at the Fun Fair are the bumper cars which Alex is terrified of, Maxine of course wins him over.

I will leave you with some of her words of wisdom “Bumper cars are like life. To keep moving, you have to dodge the other cars. You can choose to play it safe and stay at the edge, but that’s terribly boring! To have fun, to live, you have to take risks. You have to get in the thick of it and be ready to take a blow or give one when necessary. Plus, life and bumper cars are both rides that don’t last long, so you have to enjoy them while you can.”

The ending is satisfying and I can’t wait to see what this author will come up with next. If you are tired of the pandemic, the weather or just day to day life, pick up this book and you will feel a whole lot better!!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Car Share by Zoe Brisby

I mostly read heavy themed books so The Car Share was a wonderful change of pace for me. Ninety year old Maxine needs a ride from her retirement facility to Brussels, where she has an appointment to be euthanized. Twenty five year old depressed Alex is fleeing the humiliation of attempting to let his crush know his feelings. Both Maxine and Alex fill out their Car Share forms in such a way that neither of them are expecting the companion that they actually get. 

Maxine is a hoot. She identifies as a twenty, thirty, maybe forty year old. She is a very young spirit in a mature body and she is overflowing with self confidence despite several heart aches in her life. She is one very smart woman even if she does spout malapropisms as if she invented the English language. And my favorite thing of all is that she carries a purse that has an inner capacity the size of the Grand Canyon. If she doesn't have what she needs in that purse, she has something that can pass for what she needs. 

Alex's parents, still very present in his life, offer him no emotional support. They are cold, demeaning, and probably a big reason he's been an old, depressed soul for most of his life. Alex is horrified when he's been matched with Maxine as a car share partner but she is just what he needs and she knows it. She knows she can fix Alex, she knows everything will be okay, and she has me believing her. As their trip of misadventures progresses, Alex starts feeling glimmers of happiness that he can't remember feeling for a very long time. 

The story is simple and silly and I smiled and laughed. I will admit I might be more like Alex than Maxine except that I covet Maxine's purse. A person will never be left in the cold if they have Maxine's purse to save the day. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC.

I received a copy of this e-arc thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.

This is a lighthearted, humorous read. I adored Maxine. I loved it when she ordered a pizza to be delivered whilst stuck in a traffic jam on a motorway. I mean, who would think to do that?! I enjoyed it. It was a nice easy read, just what I needed.

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.