Set against the beautiful Cornish coast, this is the perfect feel-good story. I loved the title of the book and thought it might be kind of funny. It did make me smile quite a bit and I loved the sense of community and the unlikely friendships.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

For anyone looking for something very chilled out and extremely feel good I honestly can’t shout about this enough! So lovely with some great characters and a few nice little sprinklings of humour thrown in for good measure! Loved it. As perfect as the cover and so recommended that I’ve been shouting about it to friends and family!

I found this to be a wonderful escape read - full of the comfy feels, celebrating connection to others and finding what makes you happy!

Daniel finds himself back 'home' in Cornwall and he's not planning to stay long, but his sister has other ideas. They have inherited their Grans' home, so the plan is to sort through things and then decide what to do with it. Annabelle is married with 2 children, so Daniel offers to do the bulk of the work while living there.

As he spends more time there he feels restless, and walking has always been his thing so he sets up a walking club - in the hope of meeting fellow 'walkers' keen to push themselves while keeping fit. Along comes Hazel though, who is not quite the 'fit' kind of person he had in mind! She was a friend to his Gran, and on their slow walks he begins to learn so much that he never knew about her and makes him regret not spending more time with her. And he becomes very close to Hazel, who is looking for her own connections as her own family are far too busy to spend any time with her. It is such a sweet relationship and really at the centre of the book.

The walking club does begin to attract new members, and it's fascinating to see the different kind of people who show up and what Daniel learns from them. It also allows him a slower pace of life that gives him time to think, time to grow up and time to face reality and find his purpose.

With his past coming back to confront him, it's good to see how this different pace of life is changing his outlook and I found it to be a really fun and feelgood story!

The Slow Lane Walkers Club by Rosa Temple

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Daniel isn’t used to living life in the slow lane. So when he finds himself unexpectedly jobless and back in his old Cornish hometown, he can’t sit still.
 
Hazel used to be adventurous too. But now widowed and in her eighties, she barely leaves the house. When she sees an advert for Daniel’s new walking club, she grabs at the chance of some excitement.
 
Daniel’s heart sinks when he sees that the only person who’s turned up for his walking club is the crazy old lady from two doors down. But what he doesn’t expect is to discover that Hazel is one of the most fascinating people he’s ever met . . .

My Opinion

This is a lovely, gentle read that highlights what makes a good community. Rosa has written a very relaxing book with relatable characters. There are no big twists in the plot so it was very easy to dip in and out of. A feel good story, that will offer you a hug.

Rating 4/5

Daniel is reluctantly back in the UK to help sort a house left to him by his grandmother. He sets up the slow lane walkers club and a key member is neighbour Hazel. As a person Daniel was annoying in how he treated his new friends, and I didn't really like him very much by the end of the book.

Heartwarming, uplifting, compelling. A book that made me smile, go for a walk, and read it thoroughly enjoyed this weird couple of well developed and likeable characters.
A well plotted story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a gorgeous story. I really liked how the main relationship in this book was an inter generational friendship and I loved seeing it develop over the course of the book

I was delighted to be invited to read this pretty little book by the lovely people at Literally PR. A big thank you to them for sending me a gorgeous physical copy!

Daniel is back in his hometown of Trevone, Cornwall after a lengthy stint in Italy where he took tourists on walks up Mount Etna. He’s back to sort out his grandmother’s house, which he has inherited alongside his sister Annabelle. Daniel doesn’t know what his next life steps are but he’s pretty sure he won’t be sticking around the sleepy south-west coast. Hazel doesn’t often leave her house now but her life used to be full of fun and adventures. So she’s delighted when Daniel puts up posters advertising his new walking club. Could these slow walks along the coastal path be the start of an extraordinary, unexpected friendship?

Daniel is a typical free spirit, who just wants to do what he needs to do and then take off again. I understand this mentality to a degree but I know that it can be hard to find other people who really ‘get it’. It is also very difficult to find stability or make a long-term plan, which for most people becomes more appealing when you enter your thirties. That’s exactly the crossroads that Daniel is at and I really enjoyed watching him figure himself and his life out throughout the narrative.

Cornwall is shown off in glorious fashion. I visited the Cornish coast every summer as a kid, so I know it well and I definitely felt like I revisited it through this book. Some parts of it read like a love letter to Cornwall and there is some beautiful, postcard-worthy imagery that make it seem like the most stunning, peaceful place on Earth. I’m sure there will be many readers who will immediately book a holiday there, whether they enjoyed the book or not!

Hazel is the kind of character that I find very hard to forget. She is a woman in her eighties, who has had an incredible life and been through a lot. My heart broke when she told Daniel the stories of division and racial prejudice that plagued her youth but she countered it with tales of the mischief that she got up to. Through Hazel, Daniel learns about a different side to his grandmother as well as what really matters in life -love. I think we all have a lot to thank Hazel for!

The Slow Lane Walkers Club attracts several eccentric characters who I loved getting to know. I wanted to sit and have coffee within earshot of sisters Mary and Eileen, take Benny the whippet out for a stroll and gossip with Hannah the hairdresser. These kinds of authentic, light-hearted characters are my absolute favourites to spend time with, so I was in for a right treat when the club got bigger!

The Slow Lane Walkers Club is a warm, light-hearted novel about finding your place and purpose in the world, seeking adventure in all its forms and simply embracing life. There is a wonderful community of characters who you’ll want to revisit again and again, so I have my fingers crossed for a sequel where the sisters are running fitness classes for the over 65s and Annabelle is renewing her wedding vows.

When Daniel moves home from his job - taking walking tours at Mount Etna- to empty his grans house he meets Jess. They form a friendship with the motto no decisions, no drama.
He also starts up a walking group and makes friends with his gran's neighbour and friend Hazel, and finds himself looking after a cat. He starts to move on from having his heart broken by Aria.
But when Aria turns up again and Hazel has an accident Daniel needs to make decisions and decide which way his future plans will go.
A nice little read

This is my first book by Rosa Temple and it won't be my last.



I was a bit unsure when I started it. However I loved it.



Its not often I finish a book and end up hugging it because I loved it so much.



The characters were great, Hazel is amazing. She reminds me of an old family friend who never gives up no matter what. Daniel is a kind lad who I think is slightly misunderstood when he arrives back in Cornwall.



Their relationship is fantastic, one you can only dream about having with your grandmas friend.



This book is one big giant hug and it's exactly what I needed at the time of reading. Once you start you dont want to stop.



Best book of the year so far!

The Slow Lane Walkers Club is an easy read about Daniel who is young and adventurous and Hazel who was a friend of his grandmother with memories of her adventurous youth. I warmed to both of these characters and loved the way their relationship developed and changed both of them. An easy read and a heart warming one. With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for a e-ARC of this title to read and review

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #Theslowlanewalkersclub #netgalley

Daniel lives life in the fast lane! Until he has to come back to Cornwall to sort out his grandmother's house which has been left to his sister and him. Daniel cannot wait until he is able to move on to his next adventure. Until he meets Hazel and starts a Saturday walking club. Will Daniel be able to live life in the slow lane ? Will he settledown or continue to move from country to country.

The title was the thing that drew me into this book. I have recently heard some good reviews from other readers about this book and how it made it into their 2022 top 10.

The characters are mainly all heart warming and make you feel like they could just engulf you with a hug and all will be OK. Particularly Hazel who is the grandmother figure for the group. Whilst you are next to her encouraging Daniel, Greg and Dox to make the right choices in their life to enable them the peace of settling down.

This book is a great read all year round and you never feel that you are missing anything from the story line allowing you to follow it through until the end with confidence. With some twists and turns thrown in particularly about 3/4 through.

Their are some emotional subjects included in this book such as accidents, divorce, single parents, racism amongst other things. I do not feel this takes away from the romcom feel of the book and I feel actually gives each character a third dimension to get your teeth into. Whilst being representative of the trials and tribulations felt in 20th and 21st century society. I really feel this author is trying 5o bring taboo subjects to the forefront. Making you think and reflect on your own community and life. Through the use of fiction particularly romance fiction which is something very special with her writing.

However I did find the first 20% very repetitive surrounding why Daniel didn't visit his Grandmother and how he was now at the house to clear it. Whilst there was little description surrounding his environment and feelings. After this though the book evened put and became a page turner and I read it in 48 hours.

I struggled to start with - I felt it was a little slow, but as I got to know the characters, I fell into the rhythm of the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me laugh out loud with the matchmaking exploits of the group and you very much wished the characters well on their journeys.

THE SLOW LANE WALKERS CLUB
BY
ROSA TEMPLE.

This is a gentle feel good read. With some endearing characters who you will immediately take to your heart.
There are no major twists or turns in this story, but it is still an absolute delight to read.
You won’t regret picking up this wonderful book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out now in all formats.

With thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster Uk for a digital arc of this title.

The Slow Lane Walkers Club is the first book that I've read by Rosa Temple I've read but what an uplifting, inspiring read it was with the perfect message within its pages.

When we first meet Daniel it's clear that he's a bit of a lost soul, unsure of what direction his life is taking him. Having lived and worked abroad as a walking tour guide in Sicily for many years, he's just arrived back in his Cornish hometown to clear out his grandmother's house that he and his sister Annabelle have recently inherited. He's used to the action-packed daily routine of guided walks but now his future is looking distinctly bleak as he's single and jobless for the first time in his life.

As a way to make new friends, he decides to put his skills to use and decides to arrange weekly walks along the local coastal path. Fresh air and beautiful scenery, what could be better? Well a few more people to join the club as on the first day there's just him and his local Octogenarian neighbour Hazel. But as they say never judge a book by a cover, and the same could be said about Daniel's perception of Hazel, as her spirit and determination proved to a match for Daniel in every way possible.

The more time they spent together, the more that we discover about Hazel and in turn, Daniel's grandmother Molly, and honestly I'd have loved to have explored this in even more detail. What can I say about Hazel, except I wish I had a 'Hazel' in my life. She might look and appear frail but she was anything but as she proved to be a mischievous livewire of a character.

I loved the whole community feel of this book and the unlikely friendship between thirty-something Daniel and Hazel was a real tonic to read. There were so many moments that brought a smile to my face when reading of Hazel's antics but also one that brought a tear to my eye as I imagined how much worse a certain situation could have turned out to be. But in that one moment, what could have been a tragedy turned out to be the kick-starter for Daniel as to where his future was heading and brought their friendship ever closer.

The Slow Lane Walkers Club was a joy to read from start to finish. I really hope that it's not the last that we hear of Hazel and Daniel as I'd love a follow-up story one day, even if it's just a novella.

This was my first time reading a book by Rosa Temple and I absolutely loved it! I became so invested in the characters and really felt like I knew them. I struggled to put this book down and was so sad when it came to an end. An easy five stars for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for sending me this arc. I will be posting this review on my Goodreads and Storygraph accounts, and on Waterstones and Amazon upon publication.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/57438368-georgie
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/gfairs’

The Blurb :
Daniel isn’t used to living life in the slow lane. So when he finds himself unexpectedly jobless and back in his old Cornish hometown, he can’t sit still.
Hazel used to be adventurous too. But now widowed and in her eighties, she barely leaves the house. When she sees an advert for Daniel’s new walking club, she grabs at the chance of some excitement.
Daniel’s heart sinks when he sees that the only person who’s turned up for his walking club is the crazy old lady from two doors down. But what he doesn’t expect is to discover that Hazel is one of the most fascinating people he’s ever met . . .

My Thoughts :
We meet Daniel, after just inheriting his Gran’s house in Cornwall along with his sister. He goes to sort it out and get it ready to sell. Having just returned from abroad working as a walking guide Daniel decides to set up his walking club, when only Hazel turns up, a neighbour a few doors down they soon realise they have a bond and Hazel sets about telling Daniel stories of his Gran that he never knew.
Daniel really doesnt want to be in Cornwall after a falling out with his father and wants to wrap things up there as quick as he can.
Soon Daniel gets a blast from the past, will he decide to stay and turn his life around or will he up sticks and leave!?.
There is some great supporting characters in this story and you will feel invested in the lives of them.
Without giving too much away you have to read it yourself.
Rosa Temple once again delivers such a feel good story, although no big surprises or twists this book will leave you smiling and wanting nothing but the best for Daniel and Hazel.
Looking forward to more from Rosa Temple.

Thank you for my earc of this book. This was a quick and easy read, and one I’d recommend for a holiday/beach read