This is the first book I’ve read by Clare Pooley but if her other books deliver a warm hug as good as this one, I’ll definitely be reading more.
The entertaining cast of characters, the warmth, humour and great story telling make this an uplifting and laugh out loud book to read.
It’s true there’s no real sense of jeopardy, you always know everything will work out ok, and that everyone but the ‘baddies’ will be fine, but sometime it’s nice to read a book that doesn’t have you on edge and where the nice folk have a happy ending.
The book tells the story of a diverse, chaotic group of people each with their own sorrows, fears and problems coming together and finding a community of unlikely ‘comrades’. Together they can take on not just the local council threatening their community centre, but the criminal underworld and more than one love rat.
I recommend settling down with a cup of tea and a slice of cake to devour this warm hearted, funny, clever and fresh book as soon as possible.
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC.

Forget the stereotypical picture of retirement filled with bingo nights and shuffleboard. Daphne, a woman with a mysterious past best left undisturbed, is about to turn 70 and itching to break free from her self-imposed isolation. But can she shed her cloak of secrecy and rejoin the world without jeopardising her safety?

Daphne dips her toes back into the social pool with a surprising mix of ventures – a local senior centre and a dash of online dating. While her prickly personality might not win her instant friends, her interactions, particularly with the equally feisty Art, create laugh-out-loud moments. This heartwarming story proves that life, with all its humour and challenges, is for living at any age. The diverse cast of characters at the community centre, all facing their own battles alongside the threat of closure, adds another layer of depth to this delightful and surprisingly emotional read.

5 stars all the way....

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley is the funniest book I've read in a long time - I mean actual laughing out loud, drawing attention to myself! I was hooked from the opening prologue and devoured the whole book in two days. The cast of characters are all so well developed that you are rooting for each of them as their stories unfold and entwine. Stereotype the elderly at your peril! Five stars - a very entertaining read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the review copy.

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Laugh out loud fiction
- Challenging stereotypes
- Leading ladies
- Fun and entertaining reads

With thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Books and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this fabulous book. It was a fabulous romp, a little dark at times, but you are buoyed up by everyone rallying around. Would love to read some more from this author.

Five septuagenarians who aren’t done with life yet, not by a long chalk.

First of all, I would like to thank the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC. This was my first Clare Pooley novel, and, oh boy, was I in for a treat!

Five septuagenarians who aren’t done with life yet team up with a teenage dad, an orphaned dog and a fifty-something, empty nest mum.
A mysterious past may or may not catch up with main character Daphne, when there is a community centre to be saved and lives to be put back on the rails. This heartwarming novel does very effectively away with macramé-ing, tottering granny preconceptions.

How To Age Disgracefully is well worth five stars.
It will be out 20 June 2024, but readers beware: be prepared for laugh-out-loud humour, a brilliant plot, and lovable, well-rounded characters.

Daphne is a prickly character, initially difficult to empathise with but as the other members of the community centre draw her out of herself she becomes more understandable, more feisty and much more leading lady!
The story is one of gentle triumph for each of the main characters with their own personal demons and ambles along at a good pace.
Humorous, full of great characters and plenty of joy!

This book was an absolute joy to read! I knew I was in for a treat as soon as I read the prologue and spluttered with laughter at Lucky’’s unexpected outburst! It’s one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time, but as with all great comedies, the laughs come from the natural quirks and foibles of a brilliantly realised set of characters. I loved them all, and particularly the way the author challenged stereotypes across the age and social spectrum; single dad Ziggy really tugged at my heartstrings. The comedy was effortless, but was equally matched by the emotional depth of the story, and I loved how all the characters developed as the story progressed. I have to give a special mention to Daphne: one of my new favourite fictional characters. I want to be Daphne when I grow up! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an uplifting, escapist read. It deserves to be a huge success.

I'll start out by saying this is not my typical genre, but I wanted to try and see if this kind of adult contemporary was for me. In reality, not really. The story is a bit too twee, a bit too fluffy for me as we see a community band together to save a local rec centre. The plot is also overly drawn out, in my opinion, and a bit boring. I like stories that have either a lot of action, or a lot on angst. Or both. This had neither,and the characters just didn't engage me enough to carry the slow pacing.

I've no doubt that individuals who typically like this genre will love this, but unfortunately it's really not my cup of tea.

Daphne’s 70th birthday prompts her to reflect on her past and the fact that she’s kept a very low profile for many years, venturing out only when necessary. The thing is, Daphne has a very shady past, but could now be the right time to get out there again, act like normal people do? Most importantly would she be safe?

After much thought Daphne decides to join a Senior Citizens Social Club at the local community centre, and while she’s at it, how about a spot of Internet dating?

Let’s just say that Daphne is not the easiest of characters to get along with, but her interactions with others (especially fellow senior citizen Art) makes for some very amusing dialogue. Easy to get along with she is NOT, but she has real hidden depth and this lady definitely steals the show!

The author skilfully presents a diverse cast of characters, from the funny to the malevolent, each bringing their own unique story, and all of them with one thing in common, their determination to stop the local council from closing their community centre. There’s laughs galore, sitting alongside some really emotional moments, so if you’re looking for a fun and entertaining read, then look no further.

What a wonderful read this book was. I loved the flow of the writing, the loveable characters and enjoyed every single page. It was a real “feel good” story and the main character Daphne certainly brought things to life. It was refreshing to have a mix of young and old, a real treat. I shall certainly be recommending this book to others and can’t wait to read more by this author. Completely adorable.

Thanks to Random House UK / Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

This is the first Clare Pooley book I’ve read and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Lydia has just started a new job running a senior citizens’ social club but the people who turn up don’t quite fit her stereotype of genteel older people. Ziggy never expected to be a single father at eighteen. He relies on the nursery in the community centre so he can finish at school. When the community centre is threatened with closure, the seniors are determined to fight the decision and join forces with the local nursery with hilarious results. I loved this book and found it really funny. I enjoyed how it challenged the stereotypes of older people and introduced some feisty characters with dubious pasts. I also liked the relationship that developed between Ziggy and the group.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC,

📚 Book Review 📚

This book made me smile, giggle and laugh which is just what I needed. Not only are the characters realistic, fallible and lots of fun to read about; as a reader you grow to love them.

Daphne has just hit her seventieth birthday and for the first time in a long time, she wants companionship and friendship. After trawling the socials, she decides to pop along to her local senior citizens social hub at the community centre and the shenanigans begin. There she meets a small group of likeminded not-so-senior pensioners, a belittled but lovely woman returning to work and dealing with empty nest syndrome, a number of youngsters from the childminding group based there along with teenage dad Ziggy and his daughter Kylie, a group of antenatal mums to be and members from the local AA group.

Together we learn about the lives of these characters and fall in love with each one as the story progresses.

I loved this book, it genuinely made me laugh and I was rooting for each character along the way. Seriously, Netflix or the BBC need to take a look because this will make a great series.

Me? I’m rooting for Daphne every step of the way and have now found my role model for my future self.

This is a brilliant read, please.. go treat yourself.

#bemoredaphne

I’d like to thank Random House UK, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I found this book rather slow to begin with, but I was glad I persevered as the characters stories gradually, satisfyingly interwove and resolved each others problems.

This is a truly lovely book. It had me right from the beginning with a first chapter that hinted that further fun and games were to come and the story provided exactly that . when I posted that I was enjoying reading this book in the sunshine. in my garden, I had a lot of my friends commenting that it was an appropriate title for a novel for me to be reading the cheek of them!.
The story tells of a group of elderly Londoners who meet in a newly started senior citizen social club. Instead of settling for jigsaws and Macrae plant holder making the characters have other ideas they start with cocktails in the way that they mean to go on! When the social club is threatened with closure because of. the building falling down the members of the senior citizen social club together with the antenatal class and alcoholics anonymous who also meet in the Centre get together to plan ways to save the centre.
Right from the start we hear that one of the members potentially is hiding from the police and gradually we hear more and more about this as we read. I loved this prologue it was a great teaser.
There’s a whole host of charming eccentric British characters in this novel which is particularly proudly British. There’s a yarn bomber a shoplifter and a menopausal woman struggling with her symptoms. and her unthankful husband who is having an extra marital affair.
The author has a delightful relaxing flowing prose style you really tumble into this book and it gives you a big hug . I’ve not read any of her previous novels but will now put them on my to be read by as I enjoyed this one so much.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a primarily relationship based novel. If you enjoyed the recent novels the list of suspicious things by Jennie Godfrey or goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Erika Waller I think you enjoy this book too
I copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 20th of July 2024 by random house UK Transworld publishers.

This review will appear on NetGalley UK Goodreads and my book blog bionicSarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK

What a joy this book was to read; so uplifting, amusing and fresh.

What attracted me initially was the title, as unlike the author I am more of an age similar to Daphne. The exploits of the members of the Mandela Community Seniors Club, each with their own guilty secrets, were eventually revealed. A superb cast of individuals, led by Lydia the coordinator of the newly formed club, fight for the community centre’s survival, alongside overcoming their own personal issues. A truly entertaining read. I look forward to reading Clare’s next book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Random House for this e-APC in exchange for an independent review.

Thanks netgalley and publishers for arc
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel it was extremely funny,very interesting and most importantly very entertaining
It follows a social club of over seventy’s at the Mandela community centre which is a rather dilapidated community centre in a London suburb
The council have decided it needs £80,000 spending on it to upgrade and update it all
There are lots of groups use it AA, pregnant group,nursery, social club and others so council will have to find money surely
At Christmas council say building to be demolished so nursery and social club put on nativity invite council big wigs to come see it which they do but makes no difference
So social club decided to raise money themselves now need £100,000 so they see competition on to where your dog is the star as the group inherited a dog at beginning this is perfect so train dog and children enter competition now they just have to win not to much to ask really

DNF. The writing. I hate it. If I pick up your book and within the first few pages get frustrated that you're writing like I've never read a book before, I'm not going to keep reading it. Also - TANGENTS. I don't care about this woman's favourite websites! Especially when you've started the chapter on a completely different note! It's a certain kind of fiction that has its fans - I'm not one of them.

Loved loved loved this book!

What a fabulous set of characters, full of flaws and secrets but able to help each other out.

Loved how Lydia grew with help from the others. Lots of laugh out loud moments in this uplifting book.

I’m a big fan of Clare Pooley’s books so I jumped at the chance to read her latest novel. The plot focuses on a group of senior citizens who attend a social group at the local community centre. The characters aren’t typical OAPs and we are given a glimpse into Daphne’s mysterious background, Art’s mediocre acting career and poor old Lydia’s attempts to keep some semblance of order. A satisfying and fun read!