After a couple of pages I really got into this book, I am glad that I read it. Four elder ladies meet up again after many years apart, one who runs them ................ I am not going to tell you and spoil the story, read it for yourself. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

This book was definitely different to all my previous reads from Osborne. It seemed more of a drama, exploring an old friendship, with some entertaining scenes and a bit of crime thrown in there too. To be honest, I did not know how to respond to all of these genres within the book and did wonder whether the writer wanted this to be taken as seriously as I interpreted it to be.

The four female characters are all vastly different. However, I did miss not having Zara’s perspective: each chapter switches character focus but I thought Zara’s absence took something away from the plot. At the same time, it reinforced the character that Zara wanted the world to see: a dramatic, slightly mysterious actress who always wants the world to be wanting more. In that sense, I guess Osborne got this spot on, even I did yearn for more insight into her as a person.

On the other hand, Val, Pauline and Jackie all have their own demons to acknowledge as they move in with Zara. I responded differently to these women and was not sure whether I truly liked them. Val is presented as so staid and reasonable, that I found her sensible nature to be off-putting. Juxtaposing her is Jackie, who is certainly a ‘larger than life’ character. Whilst she is interesting and I enjoyed watching her reckless behaviour, I also disliked her selfish, self-centred personality that often had me wincing at her lack of care towards others. I am sure Jackie will be a character who readers will either love or hate. As for Pauline, she is quite meek and mild but I found it interesting to watch her grow over the story. From her relationship with Brian the cat, when Pauline does share her past with her friends, it is as if she starts to believe in herself and this, I think, is all thanks to Zara’s influence.

I don’t think this novel was as fun as I was expecting. Indeed, the plot took many unexpected turns which definitely kept me intrigued throughout. Quite often I was anticipating a reveal to show that Osborne had tricked her readers. This didn’t come and I think this is why I struggled whether to take the plot too seriously. On the other hand, there are several poignant scenes in this story and I think this really demonstrates Osborne’s talent as a writer.

I enjoyed the different direction that Osborne has taken with this book but I personally would have preferred to see The Girls reminisce more about their youth and friendship. For me, I was hoping to see some flashbacks to some of the wilder times that the women experienced when they were younger, thereby celebrating how far they have come as individuals. I think this would have definitely added to the narrative, particularly as the second part of the story seems so different to how the novel began.

Appealing for its older characters, I liked some of the story’s charm and was especially entertained by the copious amounts of alcohol and tea consumed! I could vividly picture the women gadding around and liked Toby’s interjections throughout. This was an unpredictable, surprising read from Osborne and not what I would have expected. A well-written book, I think it’s one that will divide readers because it has such unusual developments.

With thanks to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Zara, Val, Pauline and Jackie are women of a certain age who once lived together but who have drifted apart. Zara is an actor and is rich and famous, the others less so and have no ties. When Zara invites them to live with her once again, they are initially wary but circumstances dictate that they must. Their initial reaction is that they've landed on their feet. A villa on the French Riviera, chauffeur driven car, chef cooked food. What could go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually starting with the task that Zara wants them to carry out for her. But when she dies unexpectedly, that turns out to be the least of their worries.

I enjoyed this book on the whole. There are a number of witticisms in it that made me smile and it's great to see a book with older women at its heart. I do have some quibbles though.. The characters are quite distinct from each other which is a good thing, but they are perhaps a little stereotyped and therefore didn't quite come to life for me. Zara, the narcissistic actor. Jackie, refusing to believe she's in her sixties and still chasing after rich or younger men, Val, sensible and level headed and Pauline, the nervous wreck. It was all a bit niche and unconvincing. This isn't a genre I would usually read though and as I say, I did enjoy it on the whole. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Cute read with a nice cast, I especially appreciate it when characters are a little older than the usual age range. As always Bella Osborne delivers a really great read.

I loved Bella Osborne’ s last book – The Library – so when I was asked to take part in the blog tour for her new book I jumped at the chance. Older readers may remember a 1980s US sitcom about a bunch of more mature women called The Golden Girls. This book has a similar kind of vibe. Three women are sent invitations to a surprise 80th birthday party. They haven’t seen actress Zara since they were all sharing a house over 40 years earlier. The invitation is literally a lifeline to introverted Pauline, as her loneliness has led to some very dark thoughts. Jackie was always the wild child, flirting with all the men and partying away the night. Her credit card bill is the size of a small country’s national debt. Val is the clever one of the four with a very respectable career and a decent property in Richmond behind her.

After the party Zara invites them all to come and live with her again, sharing her home. A chance to have a bit of security and companionship as they all move into their twilight years. Jackie is keen from the get go and doesn’t take much persuasion. Pauline is tempted but knows from experience that the combination of Zara and Jackie could get pretty explosive unless she can persuade level headed Val to join them too.

Osborne has a knack for creating interesting and lived in characters. This is the second book of hers that I have read that includes real older women, ladies that you would want to be friends with, or at the very least be able to peek over the hedge at them and eavesdrop on their lives! Life in their new commune is never dull and there are some real surprises along the way.

I was really excited to read this book as I absolutely loved The Library by this author. Unfortunately The Girls just didn't have the same lovely impact for me. I found the characters quite dislikable and struggled to get on board or care about any of them. The writing is good but I was hoping for more positivity and warm feeling which is what I associate with this author. Instead this book just felt a bit uncomfortable throughout. I didn't particularly enjoy the plot and was not expecting the book to deal with the particular topics that it does. I was anticipating more of a cozy 'pensioners in the pages' and actually this book deals with some dark topics. I will definitely pick up future books by this author but this one just didn't quite hit the spot for me. I did love the setting in the South of France though and the villages described sound amazing. Adding those to my travel wishlist!

I found this book enjoyable. The. plot was unusual and it was very nice to read something that involved older people. The story involved four women in their sixties and upward who had lived together for a time in the seventies. They had not really kept in contact and their lives had taken very different paths. The eldest of them, Zara, had become a famous movie star. Another, Val, had become a solicitor, the other two, Pauline and Jackie had not fared as well. They were all invited to Zara's 80th birthday party, where they picked up their old acquaintance. They find they are all single and at crossroads in their lives. Zara's health is not good but she is very wealthy and she invites the other women to live with her. Things are not quite what they seem and the 'girls' have many surprises along the way. Thank you to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

The Girls by Bella Osborne was much meatier than I expected. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover is especially true for this one. Four friends are reunited at a surprise birthday and decide to live together again as they once did in their early years. This book alternates perspectives each chapter and was fun to see what each person thought.

The Girls is a very entertaining read featuring an eclectic central cast of characters whom I really enjoyed getting to know. I was swept away into the world of Zara and her friends and I loved reading about their antics and the events that befall them.

Enjoyed meeting the girls.

I did struggle a little with the regular references to suicide after losing family members to suicide but actually this was well done, and not sensational.

Great characters and a good mix of stories. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

Favorite Quotes:

‘And how old is Stefan?’ she asked. ‘Forty-five,’ said Jackie proudly. ‘Recently divorced. As fit as a butcher’s dog with a bone to match.’

Rogues and charlatans are all I seem to attract these days. And nobody wants a decrepit old woman with the memory of a stunned goldfish. I’m better off alone.

Zara was the last person she expected to see on her doorstep. She was standing there dressed to the nines and inspecting her finger as if by pressing the doorbell she may have picked up a communicable disease.

‘Lad? He’s an adult– that makes him fair game,’ said Jackie, her words a little slurred. ‘You’ve got underwear older than him,’ said Pauline, who had been rather quiet. ‘It’s not my fault that Marks and Spencer’s make them to last.’ Jackie jutted out her chin.

Her hair looked like she’d backcombed it with a hedgehog and she still had a full face of make-up although it was now rather patchy and smudged, giving her a certain Dalí-esque quality.

My Review:

I enjoyed this wryly humorous women’s fiction tale. While the characters weren’t always likable, they were well-nuanced and insightfully layered with realistic complications and foibles. The writing style was delightfully detailed with sardonic observations, sparring and snappy banter, and perceptive inner musings and narratives that tickled and taunted my curiosity as well as my funny bone. I had pages of cleverly written highlighted passages and was greatly pained to narrow the list down to the handful in this review.

It was OK and would give the book 2.5 stars. I LOVED all of the author's previous books, especially "The Library." I definitely expected something different. I thought this would be about old friends getting back together and having crazy adventures. I didn't love any of the characters. Jackie was sixty years old acting like she was twenty. With the amount of alcohol she drank, I'm surprised she still has a working liver. The more I got to know Zara, the more I didn't like her. There are always strings attached, nothing is free. It wasn't hard to guess what was going to happen from one moment to the next. The reasons the girls ended up living at Zara's villa was the only surprise. The lengths people go to get what they want is crazy. The most interesting was Val and her backstory. I thought there might be flashbacks to the shenanigans that the girls got up to while living together back in the seventies. There was only a brief glimpse into Jackie, Val, Pauline and Zara's life. I never felt like I really got to know them. My favorite character was probably Brian, followed by Toby.

Definitely recommend giving the book a try. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Head of Zeus through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Once housemates in the 1970s, and after an absence of fifty years, four old friends get together to celebrate the 80th birthday of Zara, the one who made it as an actress and who is now fabulously wealthy. That the others haven't been quite so successful is obvious from the start as we are introduced to Jackie who is eking out a living as a carer in a care home, Val, the sensible one, who is struggling with loneliness and then there's Pauline, the sad one, who has secrets in her past which constantly overshadow her present. Now in her advancing years Zara is a becoming a little more fragile so when she puts forward the idea of living together to her friends it opens up a dialogue between them which will have great impact on how they go forward as a group.

The story focuses on friendship, loyalty, love and trust and does so in a lively account as this indomitable group eventually find their raison d'être. Although it may look like a frivolous account of five old friends living the high life, after all there is quite a bit of champagne consumed, it also takes a look at the intricacies of growing older. The author brings each of these very different women to life in a considerate and compassionate way and whilst there are some moments of fun, particularly with Toby, the outspoken, parrot, there are also poignant moments which test their friendship to the limit. I don't want to say too much as that would give away the whole premise of the story which would be a great disservice to both book, and author.

The Girls is a lovely entertaining read which captured my imagination from start, to finish.

The Girl tells the story of four friends who shared a flat in the seventies and then lost touch.
In present day Zara has a surprise 80th birthday party and the four are reunited. They have all taken different paths in life but none are as famous and wealthy as Zara.
Zara persuades them all to move to live with her in France. Then the fun begins. How will the girls get along after all these years.
A funny and sad story of friendship and loyalty. Just how far are these Girls prepared to go to help each other?
Thank you Head of Zeus and NetGalley for an arc of this book

I found the premise intriguing- 4 old friends reunite and decide to share accommodations, but each of the characters seemed like too much of a caricature to be likeable.

Bella Osborne has created a wonderful story with four feisty older ladies in their 60s/70s/80s, who definitely give off some serious ‘Golden Girls’ vibes in this humorous story with a hint of a cosy mystery about it.

In the story, ‘The Girls’ are reunited when three of them receive an invite to a special birthday party for Zara, who is now a famous actress. Not having seen one another since the seventies, they’ve got a lot to catch up on.

When the living situations for Jackie, Val and Pauline all change suddenly, they all reach a decision to move in with Zara. When they find that they will not be living with her in the location they believed that she lived, their adventure really begins.

I loved the way the girls interacted with one another, and I found Jackie a really entertaining character. When Zara presents each of them with a request they may find a little unpleasant, it really adds a tension to their existence in Zara’s home.

When faced with an unexpected situation, they are thrown into a really tricky situation which inevitably leads to the police and the paparazzi, given Zara’s legendary status. I loved the humour in the way they dealt with the police, and what follows, and think this a perfect example of friends coming through for one another when the chips are down.

It’s not all a series of funny moments with a quirky pet parrot, there are some poignant and serious moments, which are handled with tact and gentleness, but overall this is such a wonderfully feel-good read that will have you giggling, and keep you entertained throughout!

The Girls is a story surrounding four ladies who’s friendship blossomed in the 70s when they were flat mates. Flash forward to the present day, and a surprise 80th birthday party brings them back together. In their old age, they decide to recreate their youth and all move in together again to look after each other.

Throughout the story, which is brilliantly told by Bella Osborne, we learn more about each of the four ‘girls’ and discover they each have their own secrets and baggage.

It is a very light-hearted read that I flew through. However, it does touch on some serious and emotional topics.

Overall I really enjoyed this and thought it was a great story!

I Was alittle worried I would get confused with this book, with the characters having there own chapters. But I can say I really enjoyed this book, it had so many issue which people are experiencing today, I mange to read this in two days. Another great read but Bella Osborne

Four completely different women all above 60 end up living together again after nearly 50 years. They've all gotten older and come with baggage, but their characters haven't changed all that much.

I went into this book expecting a light read that would be uplifting and heartwarming, but it ended up being a different kind of story. It's definitely women's fiction, but a mystery also plays a huge role in it.

Although it wasn't what I expected, I really enjoyed it. I didn't love the characters, but I still wanted to know more and see what other turns this story would take.

As always with Bella's books I LOVED the writing style and cannot wait to see what story she comes up with next time.

#netgalley #headofzeus publication date 14 April 2022
A very relatable and fun book,it had me laughing and crying at the same time, I don't know how she did it but Bella Osborne has made this story funny and sad at the same time I loved it 5/5 stars