I really enjoyed The Coach Trip: such a fresh idea and a fantastic group of characters. I most enjoyed the second chances aspect of the plot. If you're looking for an escapist read that'll leave you feeling uplifted, this book is for you. Highly recommended.

Imagine taking a sightseeing bus trip with your bff and a group of octogenarians. Emma is escorting her grandmother on a trip she was to have taken with her recently departed husband. But there's also the matter of how Emma bolloxed up her bff's Valentine Day surprise. Add to this delightful cast of characters an equally interesting mix of traveling companions. Such a group allows for several interesting plots that Izzy masterfully mingles, holding you in such suspense that you don't want the story(ies) to end. A delightful read.

Emma wants to create a special birthday celebration for her best friend Mel, but has also promised to accompany her nan on a special coach trip to Edinburgh.
She finds herself on the coach trip with her nan and her best friend- potential for disaster?!!! The book was so amusing and dealt with the relationships really well. The holiday turns out to have unexpected highlights and her plans for her friends birthday are sweet.
You can just imagine yourself torn between family promises and friendships and dealing with a mainly oap trip and trying to forge your way through.

This is a very sweet and funny book and I really enjoyed it. The characters were well written and the character development was really good.

I loved the whole thing about learning from each other, not only did the younger girls learn something from the older people, but the older also learn something from the younger and they ended up using their different experience and knowledge together.

This was such a cosy and heart warming read and I will definitely recommend it!

Emma seems to always be messing things up and they don’t go quite as planned. Emma promises to make up the botched Valentine’s Day to her best friend and flat mate Mel by making her birthday the best. She makes plans to go to Edinburgh for the birthday weekend. However, Emma visits her Grandma and promises to go on a coach trip with her. She realizes it is at the same time as Mel’s birthday celebration. With promises to Mel that there will be tons of hot young men on the coach trip Mel goes along. Instead they are with all older people on this trip.

At first Mel and Emma upset me with their attitude towards the older generation, but as the story unfolded I ended up liking them. They were short and irritable towards the older passengers. Not giving them any compassion at all. They didn’t put themselves in their shoes. There were times that I wanted to give up on the book, but I’m glad I didn’t.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy

WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead!!

I love stories with a focus on older main characters as well as stories with a travel element, so I truly thought that I had hit the jackpot with The Coach Trip. The blurb sounded like so much fun with the two friends going on a coach trip with a bunch of septuagenarians, and I've been looking forward to read it. Sadly, I didn't exactly have the reading experience I was hoping for, and I ended up struggling considerably with this story. I'll try to explain why below.

First of all, I have to say that I still love the premise of this story. The idea of having the two friends joining a coach trip catered to the older population had a lot of potential. I also loved the travel aspect of this story, with the different stops including descriptions that made the locations come alive. I do like a bit of armchair travel when I'm reading! The travel element was probably the main reason that I kept reading to be honest.

Now, what didn't work for me personally then? It has a lot to do with the main characters and how they behaved. I absolutely despised Emma's best friend Mel, and she never really redeemed herself either. She was self-centered, arrogant, disrespectful and simply rude, and I really hated having to spend so much time with her. Emma was so frustrating as well, because she lacks backbone and confidence and lets Mel walk all over her (yes, she is forgetful, but that is no excuse for Mel treating her that way).

What I also can't get past is just how ageist The Coach Trip is. Not only with how Emma and Mel see the rest of the participants of the coach trip, but how the story itself portrays the older characters as what is basically a bunch of miserable and helpless old biddies and grumps. A rather bleak and disrespectful view of older age, and not even the fact that the story later shows that they are 'not that bad' after all could redeem it for me. The older generation complaining about the 'young ones' was likewise ageist and quite cliche to be honest.

It's such a shame, because the premise had so much potential for me... But between the ageism and a highly unlikeable character, The Coach Trip turned into a struggle for me instead. The second half did improve slightly, but as a whole it wasn't enough for me to change my opinion about this story. I know that I'm in the minority though, because most people do seem to enjoy this story so far.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The second half of this book was much better than the first. I really didn’t like the character, Mel and felt like she wasn’t a very good friend or person, for that matter. I get that she was supposed to be brash, but lovable, but she really just came off as bratty and self centered. Emma seems like such a great person and deserved better. Getting to know the other cast of characters was entertaining, though it wasn’t much of a sell for old age. Yikes.

Definitely a cute premise, but it left me with some mixed feelings.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Best friends, Emma and Mel embark on a coach holiday with Emma's grandma and a group of pensioners - and everyone is harbouring preconceived ideas of one another. The coach not only takes the holidaymakers to new destinations, but is a journey that helps them see the world through fresh eyes.

The Coach Trip is a light-hearted read with a sweet storyline. It reminds us how important it is to spend time with our loved ones - and not to be quick to judge others.

Adorable book!

I loved the whole cast of characters and that the novel really focused on personal growth, pushing outside of your comfort zones, and that you can befriend anybody. I loved how the adventure walked us through some of the places the trip stopped at, while crescendoing to the finale of Mel's birthday part. I loved how it all came together. The ending could not have been better. Enjoyable read and highly recommend.

A hug in book form! This was exactly what I needed. Commercial fiction at it's very best, The Coach Trip had a unique premise, a loveable and relatable protagonist in Emma, a fun romance and a satisfying HEA. My expectations were pretty high but it definitely surpassed them mainly because right from the off you can't help rooting for Emma. She's slightly scatty but loveable and the set up of her going on a coach trip with her Gran and best friend promises a lot of fun. There's serious moments too as we see them deal with the loss of Emma's grandad but all in all this is a heartwarming story designed to make us feel good. Perfect!

This is a delightful journey of a five-star read. I so enjoyed reading this story, even though I didn’t like everyone at least for some part of the story, but I honestly feel that was the authors super power a I loved getting to know everyone better and enjoyed getting them as people. This story made me smile so much as well, as last year my friend wanted to see a show, and I saw an ad for the show and a night away, didn’t occur to me that it was a coach trip and all that would entail until after I paid the very reasonable price, what type of trip it was. I can honestly say we had so much fun, we have already been back for another show with same of the crowd. Emma is such a clumsy dits, but honestly as she grows on the journey you just start to really feel for her. Do not miss this story, as it will have you chuckling so hard, it will also bring you on an emotional journey that you won’t want to end.

IZZY BROMLEY – THE COACH TRIP

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Izzy Bromley is a wolf disguised as a sheep. A million-selling author branching out in a new direction. And you can tell. This novel is no meek debutante; it is a tour de force of plot, character and pace.

Two young friends (reasonably tolerant but hapless Emma - who has just lost her grandfather - and best friend and flat mate Mel, whose intolerance for the elderly she polishes like a badge) end up on a coach trip of oldies to Edinburgh to celebrate her birthday. Many of whom are as intolerant of the young as the young are of them. Bring into this mix Robin, the young and single tour operator, and stir, and you have a recipe for success. Not to mention great fun.

Just as in a love story, you expect the lovers will get together by the end, right from the get-go you are confident that by the end of the trip the intolerance on each side will result in a smart about turn. But not before you meet a whole coachload of funny and interesting characters, plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, lots of twists and turns, and even a moment of sadness, not to mention a set piece which will have you cheering two of the characters on: in a nutshell this author is the most capable of drivers. And to link back to my analogy about wolves, this novel should be a howling success.

Looking forward to the next one, due 2014.

Super cute, kind of bland and generic, but easy and heart-felt. Love the unique premise. Worth a read!

This is a cosy , light and heart-warming read - an ideal book to pick up when you don't want anything too heavy but still want to be entertained.
Mel and Emma, two friends in their late 20s, find themselves on a coach trip with a bunch of people around 50 years their senior when Emma tries to meet the needs of her recently bereaved Grandma and the birthday needs of her demanding best friend at the same time. What could possibly go wrong?
The book has many laugh out loud moments as well as leaving the reader to reflect on how often we make assumptions about those from different generations.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book and am leaving my review voluntarily.

I loved this second chance cute and cosy romance storyline. It's lovely, heartwarming and guaranteed to put a great big smile on your face.

It was a sweet book, but focused a lot on an old-age home group of people, and i couldnt really relate.

“We only get one life, and it’s better to spend it smiling than frowning. Not that that’s always easy.”

🚌 👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼

Emma tries to make up her shortcomings to her friend Mel by planning to make her birthday celebration extravagant, only realizing she had already promised a trip with her grandma on a Coach bus through Scotland. 💺🏰 Read: 2 young ladies with lots of old people that sure makes for an incongruous situation. Will they be able to tolerate the deficiencies of their elders and have a good time?

😍 I thought this book was super cute, I really loved the character developments and relationships woven through the coach bus. The novel has laugh out loud moments too especially when Emma and Mel have their own quips and sarcastic moments that the other don’t quite understand or catch onto, like feigning utmost interest in something completely bleak and then snickering amongst themselves. Ahh todays youth 😂

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy! Truly enjoyed this read and would recommend it! Check it out on pub day - May 16th 2023! 🗓️

Emma has messedup again and derailed her housemate Mels boyfriends plans for a romantic valentines day..

So she decides to make up for it she will take Mel to Edinburgh for a weekend break for her 29th birthday.

Emma's grandmother is still coming to terms with the sudden death of her husband she initially asks Emma to cancel a bus trip she had booked for her and her husband but then Emma suggests why doesn't she go with her grandmother instead, only one problem ita the weekend of Mels birthday.

So Mel and Emma are on a coach trip with a bunch of pensioners, what could go wrong.

This was a lovely book about acceptance and understanding.

I read it in massive chunks and it definitely kept me hooked.

If you are looking for a book that's just a little bit different but full of laughs and poignant moments, give this a go.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

When Emma ruins her best friend Mel’s Valentine's day, she vows to make it up to her by giving her a birthday weekend to remember. The only problem - Mel’s birthday falls on the weekend Emma is supposed to be going on a senior coach trip with her grandmother.

Emma convinces Mel into going with them and they all board the coach headed for Edinburgh. On the coach we meet a variety of interesting characters, who inadvertently teach Mel and Emma about life and friendship.

It was a bit slow to start with, but then it really grew on me and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Emma and her grandmother. A quick and fun read.

Thank you NetGallery for an ARC. Out on the 16th May.