I have read a few books about seniors lately and having just become one myself I am enjoying them. And this one was yet another fun and easy to read book about seniors on a bus trip holiday in Europe.

But it is not just about the seniors and/or just about Lil but about the whole of the bus trip and all the people on it. It was about their adventures and the bonds made, the fun and the life lessons learned.

This is a fun book, so entertaining and it made me feel like I was actually on the ride with them. it is fun, full of cheek and I think a book anyone could easily read and enjoy.

I highly recommend this light-hearted yet heart-warming book.

This was a fantastic book - I loved reading about the adventures of Lil, Maggie, Cassie and the rest of the crew. As with all books of this type, it has fuelled my desire to travel something I fear will be put on hold for some time yet until we get back to some sort of normality.

Lil is a sprightly 80+ year old woman who lives in a sheltered housing complex, flirts outrageously with the cafe owner across the road and does random acts of kindness for the warden of the complex.

Lil has never married. She has a daughter, Cassie, the product of a short but loving relationship with an American soldier when she was still a teenager. Cassie has also never married but they have both lived a full and interesting life.

When one of the boys from the pub football team organised a bus trip to Europe, Lil signs herself and Cassie up along with her friend Maggie whose husband takes her for granted these days.

What ensues is a fantastic story of friendship, love and laughter.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is a refreshing and uplifting read with a whole cast of lively characters, none more so than Lil, herself. You are taken on a tour of Northern Europe and as the journey develops, so does the friendships which are formed between the group. They all have their own preoccupations and reasons for going on the coach tour. Some are quite elderly and it is great to see them featured so positively in the story.

I enjoyed the journey all the way and loved revisiting some of the stops on the tour. Anyone who has visited Bruges will immediately recognise it. There is plenty of humour to be found in these antics, especially when they venture into Amsterdam. There are also some poignant moments and Lil proves that you are never too old to re-evaluate your life and make some new friends. Her relationship with her daughter, Cassie is touching and at the same time feels authentic. Cassie has an independent streak and so many facets to her creativity but she too takes the time to look again at her friendships and work out where, or with who, she wants to spend her life. Full of warmth and witty observations, this is just the romcom to cheer up a long weekend.

In short: Friends and family, laughter all the way.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book

The book was a great bridge between generations, the author has done really well writing it. Loved the light heartedness of the story.

This was a brilliant book amazing characters and brilliant chemistry I wanted to stay in this world it teachers you that you never to old to enjoy life and have friends no matter how old you are loved it. I loved the trip they went on and how strong the characters were to each other brilliant friendship and mother and daughter love they had for each other. Plenty of energy in this book. I loved these adventures they went on I didn’t want to put the book down I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you Netgally for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

Wonderful book, great story.

The Blurb :
When 82-year-old Lil decides to book herself, her 65-year-old daughter, Cassie, and her friend Maggie on a bus trip across Europe, she hopes for a little adventure to counteract the monotony of life.
Along with three members of the Salterley Tennis Club and the Jolly Weaver football team, whose ideas of a good time are rather different to Lil’s and strikingly at odds with each other’s, the merry band of travellers set out on their great adventure.
From moving moments on the beaches of Normandy, outrageous adventures in Amsterdam, to the beauty of Bruges and gastronomic delights of France, the holiday is just the tonic Lil, Maggie and Cassie needed.
And as the time approaches for them to head home, Lil makes an unexpected discovery - even in her advancing years, men are like buses – there isn’t one for ages then two come along at once. Is Lil ready to share her golden years, and can the ladies embrace the fresh starts that the trip has given them. Or is it just too late to change…

My Thoughts :
Having loved Judy Leigh’s previous books, I knew I was going to love this one aswell.
We meet Lil, 82 years of age and just booked a bus trip around Europe with her daughter, Cassie and friend, Maggie.
Lil lives in the Clover Hill Retirement Home and decides a bus trip organised by the local pub is just what they all need.
As we pop along for the journey, Lil is also joined by the pubs five-a-side football team, members of the local tennis club and the pubs landlord and his dad.
We are taken to France, The Netherlands and Belgium, where we take on the beautiful sights and locations. Spending time with the characters and learning more about their lives.
This story was a laugh a minute, full of love, fun, entertainment and friendships, its one I couldnt put down.
I love that Judy Leigh always writes her books around the older generation. She gives such vivid descriptions in her stories that make you feel you are there with the characters.
Looking forward to the next one.

Lil's Bus Trip is a light-hearted and yet poignant read showing that you're never too old to find love and companionship.

A fun read, with a satisfying end.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Book Review “Lil’s Bus Trip” by Judy Leigh
SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 ~ NIKIPRESTON ~

Lil’s Bus Trip

THE BLURB

It’s always a good time for a road trip…
When 82-year-old Lil decides to book herself, her 65-year-old daughter, Cassie, and her friend Maggie on a bus trip across Europe, she hopes for a little adventure to counteract the monotony of life in sheltered accommodation.

Along with three members of the Salterley Tennis Club and the Jolly Weaver five-a side football team, whose ideas of a good time are rather different to Lil’s and strikingly at odds with each other’s, the merry band of travelers set out on their great adventure.

From moving moments on the beaches of Normandy, outrageous adventures in Amsterdam, to the beauty of Bruges and gastronomic delights of France, the holiday is just the tonic Lil, Maggie and Cassie needed.

And as the time approaches for them to head home, Lil makes an unexpected discovery – even in her advancing years, men are like buses – there isn’t one for ages then two come along at once. Is Lil ready to share her golden years, and can the ladies embrace the fresh starts that the trip has given them. Or is it just too late to change…

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3wV7Kr4

REVIEW BY NIKI PRESTON

5 STARS *****

The first thing to say in this review is, oh my goodness what an absolute gem of a book. I was left thinking, I hope, when I reach my 80’s that I am just like Lil. What a woman! She proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that life is for living, age simply does not matter. Judy Leigh writes her characters with a forthright strength that immediately makes you sit up and pay attention. I adored the fact that this marvellous book puts an older woman at its very heart and what a feisty, fun loving woman she is too.

I am not going to whittle on about the themes in the book, like I usually do, this book does not need any bolstering from me. The “Blurb” gives you all the information you need to make you say ” I need to read this”. Suffice it to say its a masterpiece in friendships that are out of the ordinary, a strong bond between mother and daughter, both independent fabulous ladies and there is a potential for love on the horizon, no matter where you are in the world. There are many laugh out loud moments, one that sticks in my mind is a game of strip poker with 3 OAPs who are unwittingly a bit high, well they were in Amsterdam. Its so funny that I’m still chuckling about it. What more could you want in a great read, a bit out of the ordinary, proving that age is just a number and its never to late to take on a new adventure. I loved this book, I would highly highly recommend to anyone and everyone.

Author Bio –




Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

Social Media Links –

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/judyleighuk

Twitter https://twitter.com/JudyLeighWriter

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/judyrleigh/

Newsletter Sign Up Link http://bit.ly/JudyLeighNewsletter

Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judy-leigh

When you are feeling low (like I have recently) this is the perfect book to lift your spirits, the characters featured in this book are brilliant and funny to read about , I wish I could be there with them !

This is the first book I have read by this author , she has a brilliant way with words and a way of keeping you laughing without you getting bored during the book. Through the journey of the book you learn so much about each character and see them grow and learn about themselves , with the groups of people on the bus trips having such diverse age gaps and from different walks of life it is like a breath of fresh air.

Ive never read a book by this author before but i will definitely read another! This book is a feel good book with the main character being a spritely 80 something year old lady called Lil who still has plenty of life left in her and wants to cause a bit of mischief!

This was a great feel good read centred around 80 year old Lil and her daughter Cassie. They join a bus load of friends on a trip around Europe and get up to all sorts of mischief. Lil is young at heart and realises that she still wants to feel loved and is lucky enough to have three men in her life during the novel. A great feel good story.

5☆ A Thoroughly Entertaining and Loveable Adventure. A Must Read!

I'm a huge fan of books that feature the older generation characters and Judy Leigh's books are always guaranteed to warm your heart with loveable characters, Fun and Entertaining Adventure and plenty of Laughs along the way... and Lil's Bus Trip ticked every single box!

I'm not going to delve into the story as I feel that's best left for you to discover for your self.
But what I will say is Lil stole my heart she was cheeky, Fun, loveable and i can only hope that I'm as adventurous with a zest for life as she is at 82 years young.

This book is Uplifting, Thoroughly Entertaining, Witty, with an abundance of loveable characters, Plenty of Humour, a lil bit of mischief and a sprinkle of romance (after all your never too old to fall in love or have a cheeky flirt), and some beautiful countries to explore along the way, what more could you possibly ask for!
So what are you waiting for... grab a copy of Lil's Bus Trip and jump on board!

Lil’s Bus Trip by Judy Leigh
Published by Boldwood Books
Published date: 26th August 2021
What happens?
Lil, her daughter Cassie and friend Maggie set off with their fellow passengers for a European tour. Little do they know how this trip will change their lives. Will Lil finally be able to move on from her past and find love?

My thoughts
Well, Lil is someone I certainly won’t be forgetting in a hurry. I loved her wickedly good sense of humour, and her adventurous spirit. There was never a dull moment with her. She was like a ray of sunshine. Yet there were some very poignant moments in the novel when she thought of her past.
From the first few pages I was quickly drawn into Lil’s story and I really felt for what she’d been through. The close relationship she had with her daughter Cassie really came through. They were more like sisters!
When the adventures of the bus trip began and we learnt more about the other characters, I could clearly picture them in my head. I loved how the trip changed all of their lives. I found myself smiling and chuckling out loud, especially as Lil and her fellow travellers were getting up to all kinds of antics. This was one holiday I would have liked to go on. So many places were brought to life in vivid colour and who could forget Cassie’s poems – so beautifully written.
It had exactly the ending I was hoping for and the novel could have gone on longer for me.
A fab read and an adventure you won’t be able to forget! With thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this ARC that I received in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Judy Leigh’s books never fail to brighten up my day and she is back with a fun, hilarious, hopeful and fabulous new novel it is impossible not to be bowled over by: Lil’s Bus Trip.

Eighty-two year old Lil is fed up of the day to day monotony of her daily life. Desperate to inject some excitement into her dull and insipid life, Lil books herself, her daughter Cassie and her friend Maggie on a European-bound bus trip. With three members from the Salterley Tennis Club and Jolly Weaver Football Team also coming along, Lil is sure to have an adventure she will not forget in a hurry – especially as everyone’s idea of fun seems to be wildly different. Still, with the tickets bought and paid for there is certainly no turning back now! Will this be Lil’s trip of a lifetime? Or one of her biggest regrets?

As Lil, Cassie and Maggie take in the sights and experience things far from the realms of their day to day lives, nobody is more surprised than octogenarian Lil when romance comes calling. Lil is stunned when she realizes that men are like buses – you wait for ages for one to come along and before you know it, you find yourself the object of two suitors’ affections! But is Lil ready to share her golden years with somebody else? Is she happy being footloose and fancy free? Or will there be further surprises on her bus trip?

One thing is for certain – age is no barrier to fulfillment and happiness!

Judy Leigh cannot write fast enough for me. Her books are pure gold from beginning to end and Lil’s Bus Trip is her best one yet! Full of all the warmth, humour and hilarity for which her books are known for, Lil’s Bus Trip is a book that celebrates family, friendship and female empowerment at any age.

A zesty-paced charmer about taking charge of your life, letting your hair down, throwing all caution to the wind and valuing every single thing about yourself regardless of how many candles there are on your birthday cake, Lil’s Bus Trip is another first class page-turner by Judy Leigh guaranteed to knock everyone’s socks off!

May we all have friends like Lil. This story made me laugh out loud and I woke my husband up. Read this book.

This book was very good, it had me hooked from the very first page until the very last page. Would definitely recommend to all my friends. Can’t wait to read more by this fabulous author

Yet again Judy Leigh has written an uplifting tale that will whisk you away. And Lils Bus Trip does genuinely whisk you away on an European Tour courtesy of Toby Juggs.

The cast of characters in Lil’s Bus Trip are truly heartwarming and like a close knit family. At the centre of them is Lil our main character. At 82 you'd think she would be ready to just relax and knit. But that ain't Lil she isn't the stereotypical old woman.

At 65 we have Cassie, Lil’s daughter. I absolutely loved their relationship, Lil had Cassie at a young age so in a way their relationship is more of sisters than the maternal one. And half the time given their va va voom for life I kept forgetting that both of them were ladies of a certain age 🙈🤣 the beauty in Leighs writing that I get whisked away on their adventures and age is blinded by me. Brilliant.

Lil’s Bus Trip is a wonderful tale of grabbing life with both hands and embracing what's in front of you. No matter what your age.

Many thanks to Boldwood and Netgalley for my gifted digital copy. And to Rachel for my spot on the blog tour.

Lil’s Bus Trip is actually my first novel by Judy Leigh, even though her novels have been on my radar for a while. After reading this novel, I cannot wait to read her other works! The cover added to my anticipation to read the novel as there is just a sense of fun with the vibrant colors and the holiday back-drop. The novel even opens with the trip description, which I saved to add to my future travels. I have been lucky enough to travel to many of the destinations, but I still have many more to go. Although 82 year old Lil is in the title and one of the “official” main characters, the novel is full of a wonderful ensemble cast of all ages and personalities. While there is an overall light-hearted feel to the novel, it is balanced with a lot of heart and exploration into different obstacles that each character faces.

Lil is looking for a little excitement in her life after seeing the closed off life her friend Maggie leads where her life became about serving her husband. She hears about The Jolly Weaver’s bus tour while at the local pub and decides to sign up herself, Maggie, and her 65-years-old daughter, Cassie. They are joined by others from the pub, such as the owner and his father, along with members of the community. Together the tour takes the reader and characters through countries, such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The pacing of the story, for me, was a little slow at first, but that was mostly due to an impatience of wanting to start the trip rather than the writing itself. In a time where I am anxious to travel, I wanted to skip ahead to the trip portion of the novel; however, when I actually took the time to read through the initial set-up it gave an excellent context for some of the characters. It was written well and was enjoyable, so the outline of the story worked well.

The characters along for the ride on the tour are all likeable in their own way. Some readers may love them all right away and others, like me, take some time to warm up to a few of them. The author created an excellent group as it felt very relatable to tours that a person would take in reality. While I have not done large scale tours, like Lil’s, I have done a few mini ones in places like Vietnam. My friend and I went on 5-day tour while there and our group was full of older and younger people, some couples, some traveling alone, and others with friends. It is the joys of being on a tour together as it brings together who may not have met in other circumstances. The novel does an excellent job of portraying this as the characters on the tour getting to know each other more as time moves forward. I also love that the characters were younger and older, but they all had a good time together as travel can be enjoyed by people of any age.

Overall, this is an excellent story about living life to the fullest. Each character, young and old, is on an amazing trip where there is unexpected moments of fun at every turn. I enjoyed that the writing did not limit the character growth just to the main characters and even the secondary ones went through their own journeys. Along with individual journeys, there is a lot of development in the friendships, both old and new, that form as well as some romantic subplots. All the different characters’ stories weave together well with Lil’s and Cassie’s at the center. The writing balances them well, so the reader does not become overwhelmed by the multiple plots and subplots. The story was an entertaining ride that brings together a wonderful cast of characters in some lovely travel destinations that makes me want to hurry up and travel again!

**I give a special thank you to Rachel @rararesources,, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to participate with this enjoyable novel via Netgalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Lil is such a character that you cannot wait to go on the adventure with her. All the characters have there own little ways, which just adds to the enjoyment of this story. There is lots of laughter, finding love again, a love triangle, some brownies with an added extra, strip poker and friendships made for life. A throughly enjoyable story, we definitely need more Lil!s in the world