Daphne hasn't really left her apartment since she moved there 15 years ago, but on her 70th birthday she decides that she needs to get out more and make friends so she joins the Senior Citizens club at the local Community Centre. There are a handful of other members in the group which is run by Lydia, who has returned to work after her daughters left home.
After the ceiling in the room they use collapses, the Council want to close the building but have a fight on their hands when Daphne gets involved. What is Daphne hiding from her past? An amusing story very well told.

This is genuinely one of the funniest books I’ve read in ages! It mainly centres around a group of over seventies who join a new social club for the elderly, and come together to try and save the building the club is hosted in from being demolished by the council. We also get the perspective of Ziggy, a teenage dad whose daughter uses the building for her council-funded nursery place.

I loved getting to know each of the characters and their individual struggles/back stories - Daphne really reminded me of Elizabeth from Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, she was my absolute favourite. Five stars easily - would love to read a sequel!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I was sent a copy of How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley to read and review by NetGalley. This is a really enjoyable romp of a novel! It was really refreshing to read a book that centred around an older age group, albeit with rather an archetypal and outdated view of ‘elderly’ people in this day and age – my personal experience of those who are 70+ does not fit entirely with the characters, 70 is the new 40 after all!!! This is an engaging read with quite a few laugh out loud moments. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot and I can easily see it being translated into a series for television. A definite 5 stars from me!

As with previous books by this author, How to Age Disgracefully was all about community and unlikely friendships and I blooming loved it.
Lydia starts a new job as the organiser of a senior citizens social club, but right off the bat, things don't start on the best terns when the ceiling collapses in the community centre.
Lydia, along with the seniors, the kids and the rest of the community centre patrons, set out to stop any closures.
Told from multiple character perspectives, we learn of past lives, loves and a lot of suspicious activities.
The characters were larger than life, the story was fun and the dialogue was laugh out loud in places.
I catn choose a favourite character, as I loved them all.
Another great book by Clare Pooley.

Why have I not read anything by Clare Pooley before?? This was a great read. Newly formed senior citizen group with a motley crew of members joins forces with the nursery children who use the same community centre to tug on council and public heartstrings and save the community centre. At the heart of the story are Daphne, newly turned 70 and finally venturing out of her self imposed exile in a luxury flat for the first time in over a deccade; Art, broke wannabe actor and TV extra, and Ziggy, teenage single schoolboy dad of baby Kylie. Add in an unfortunate death, a dog being shared among the group. a roaming husband, the Banksy of yard bombers and dangerous local drug dealers and we have a recipe for adventure and chaos. Lots of laughs and lots of emotion. I got really invested and was desperate to find out Daphne's real story. So much fun. #netgalley #howtoagedisgracefully

Why do we, in society, sometimes talk to old people like they are either very young children, or stupid?

As Linda discovers, when she starts up a seniors club at the local Community Centre, that is absolutely not want they want! The suggestion of skydiving from one of them may have been a bit extreme, but they’ve lived long and often fabulous and feisty lives, let’s treat them accordingly!

The characters in this book are utterly wonderful: if I am half the woman Daphne is when I’m 70, I will be very pleased with myself! Art, Linda, Ziggy, Kylie, Lucky and Maggie 🐶 were the standout characters who had me thoroughly entertained as the unlikely group form a strong bond while saving the community centre, entering a TV competition, standing up to drug lords and errant husbands, and turn their lives around in so many ways. Yarnsy (think Banksy with knitting needles) is absolutely legendary, of course, but Daphne is a QUEEN! I adored this gorgeous and hilariously heartwarming story.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Clare Pooley and Random House Transworld for an ARC in return for an honest review.

How To Age Disgracefully is the second of Clare’s books that I’ve read and adored 💘

Clare has a gift for conjuring up the most compelling and diverse characters. Daphne is fabulous and exactly who I aspire to be when I hit my 70s, however she is a dark horse and her past is pretty murky… I also was of course immediately won over by fellow pensioner Art 🥹 he does an excellent job of ruffling Daphne’s feathers at the Senior Citizens Social Club they both decide to frequent.

Although much of the dialogue in this book is lighthearted and amusing, the story has such hidden depths and there are some events that successfully tugged on my heartstrings. Each character has their own unique story but they have one common goal: their fight to stop the local council from closing down their beloved community centre. It was a genuine pleasure to lose myself within the members of the Senior Citizens Social Club’s lives.

Thank you Random House UK & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

How to Age Disgracefully wasn't what I was expecting but I ended up really enjoying it either way! I grabbed it from the romance section and it's not a romance, though it does have a small romance plot. It has elements of mystery and self discovery as well with a ton of comedy thrown in! I loved getting to know and like the different characters and I enjoyed the sense of found family it has.

In the author's note, Clare Pooley talks about not wanting to write seniors who aren't perfect but also aren't naive characters who just provide hugs and candy (I'm totally paraphrasing). The result is hilarious and more accurate. I also loved reading some of the younger characters who were going through difficult life transitions.

If you like a book that will make you laugh and want a badass fake grandmother to fix your life I recommend this one! It definitely has some twists that will surprise you.

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Your guide to be a boss (read badass) as you age (disgracefully of course!)

Thanks NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam
for the ARC!

Synopsis -

Daphe Smith, just turned 70 and is finding her life lonely and boring. Looking to make some new friends, she joins the Senior Citizen’s Social Club at the Mandal community centre only to bump into a group of pensioners from various walks of life (not all good). When the council threatens to close the centre, they now have to rise to the situation to pull off the impossible with the help of one geriatric dog named ‘Maggie Thatcher’ and the only talented ‘actor’ among them – Art Andrews.

Review -

I always love books that feature the good old and wise seputa/octogenarians. And what a brilliant set of senior citizens we have here!

At the outset Daphne, Art and the others might come across as typical grumpy, cantankerous loners – outdated and aloof from the modern world. But it is only when we closely come to understand them, we can truly appreciate their wisdom, passion and intelligence, while marveling at their past life experiences, as we also learn from their failings, flaws and mistakes.

The spotlight is on the mission to save the community center and it involves a spectacular collaboration of folks spanning the entire age spectrum from 0-90 and oh, an old dog too, the loveable Maggie, who proves that she can certainly learn new tricks.

There is fun, laughter, tears and ‘awwww’ moments that will fill your heart as you rise from your seat and applaud with gusto for these people who give it their all in the end, despite the odds and their murky pasts catching up to them.

Clare Pooley has brought her magical ingredients together again to present us with a heart-warming, uplifting and life-affirming read that is woven around a bunch of strangers coming together as one strong community. And this time it is to show that growing old need not necessarily be all elegant and tasteful. Seniority can come with a fair share of regrets and disrepute, yet be sassy, useful and very much relevant to the younger generations.

This fun novel, which has a lot to say about stereotypes, opens with the fabulous scene of a hapless police officer trying to arrest someone on a minibus, most of the occupants of which are keen to confess to a crime, whether that's having done something terrible to their husband, compulsively stolen or created something they call art but others say is criminal damage. And what about those husbands, so carelessly lost?

Daphne is a curmudgeonly older lady, spying on her neighbours through their social media group but with no actual friends. She has a mysterious past she keeps alluding to, and knows she'll have to move on soon, but in the meantime, she could do with some friends. Through joining a Senior Citizens' Social Club she meets a random cast of people, including a very soon to be late woman with a dog, a failed actor addicted to shoplifting and a teenage lad being drawn into dodgy doings on his estate, plus poor old menopausal Lydia with her possibly philandering husband and empty nest who has been given the job of running the club and, in fact, saving the community centre. Oh, and there's a phantom yarn bomber out there, decorating all sorts of things with all sorts of woolen sculptures.

The stories of the main characters overlap and intersect and there are laughs and aha moments and excellent set pieces. Oh, and the dog makes it through the book fine. Recommended as a holiday or garden read: great fun with a bite.

Review to come on my blog on 29 June: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/06/29/book-review-clare-pooley-how-to-age-disgracefully/

I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous novels and this is another warm and fun read.
As Daphne celebrates her 70th birthday she joins a social club for older people held at the local community centre. When the centre is threatened with closure Daphne and her fellow attendees join with another community group to save the centre.
I loved the relatable characters and the relationships between them. The author portrays the older characters with real warmth and empathy and so avoids any stereotyping.
An enjoyable and humorous read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars.

First book I've read by this author and I love it. A laugh out loud heartwarming read. I didn't want the book to end once I started it.

Clare Pooley is a magician. You just want to disappear into the lives of her characters for as long as possible. I absolutely loved this book. Such a good plot, the writing flows well. I didn’t want it to end. Thanks so much #netgalley, definitely recommend!

I love Clare Pooley’s writing and she goes from strength to strength with each novel. I loved the heroine of her last novel and thought we should all be more Iona, now she’s stepped it up a notch and we should all be more Daphne; a feisty septuagenarian with. A hidden past who decides it’s time to put herself out there socially. She joins a seniors club, in the local community centre. At the first meeting the roof collapses, leading to a lot of unexpected events unfolding, not least for the leader of the group, Lydia. As a woman of a certain age myself, I felt a real affinity for Lydia and her menopausal trials and tribulations- there should be more writing for invisible women in society.
Above all, this book is very, very funny, but it’s also sweet and moving and a bit inspirational. Really wonderful

Daphne has been in her own for a long while. No friends or family but in her 70th birthday she decides to join a Senior Citizen Social Club. And there the fun begins. Do many lovely characters - a failed actor turned shop lifter; a serial yarn bomber and the chair of the club finds her husband is cheating on her. Fabulous storyline there. Then there’s Ziggy who’s got to look after his baby after a quickie in a cupboard! And the mum doesn’t want to know. He’s into something dodgy stuff but good old Daphne helps him out. In fact she helps everyone. Which causes problems for her as she’s not who she seems. Wonderful twist in the tale

What a fun read, I really enjoyed this book and it did what few others have managed and actually made me laugh out loud. Glorious!
A motley crew of characters from an 8 month old baby to several rather unique senior citizens not forgetting the dog.
The chapters gave the POV of some of the different characters and some of the back stories but the main issue was the saving of the community centre, mainly led by Daphne who was truly a force to be reckoned with.

“I wanted to create older characters who are bossing it.” Well Clare Pooley has well and truly nailed it! This is an absolute gem of a book. I’ve had so much fun with Lydia and her senior citizens gang, along with Ziggy and Kylie and her friends at the day nursery; I’m going to really miss them! From the very beginning you just knew that everyone on the minibus had a back story and it was so much fun uncovering their secrets and stories. Go Lydia! You deserve to be seen. Keep kicking ass Daphne! What a hoot and I think my favourite character. I hope I’m still causing as much mischief and mayhem in my seventies! It’s such a clever, well written book that leaves you with a big smile and makes you want to tell everyone to go read it too, now, so they can see just how much fun a group of OAPs, a bunch of toddlers and a dog can have. Definitely my hug in a book read of the summer.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Uk, Transworld for an arc in exchange for a review.

When the local community centre that hosts daycare, senior club and threatens to shut down, Daphne and her new gang band together to help save the community.

This book was absolutely fabulous. Each character came to life more and more with every page, and I loved learning their stories. Daphne is fantastic and I really enjoyed her development and the final story.
So much warmth, heart and utter wholesomeness, I can't wait to pick up a physical copy of this.
I really enjoy older characters in books, and this showed age is truly just a number.
Thank you so much Netgalley and RandomHouseUK for an advance ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the second book I have read by Clare Pooley. I love the way she brings a mixture of characters of all ages (and a dog) together. I would have given 5 stars but I thought there was a couple of places in the middle where it dragged a bit. But aside from that, this is a really fun book with some heartache along the way. The characters are all really believable and as the story is written through the perspective of a few of the characters it adds depth to the book and we see things from different points of view. The ending was great and quite unexpected. A very enjoyable book

If you have read Clare Pooley's previous books, you will know how well she writes feel-good books featuring a truly eclectic cast of characters - and i she delivers once again! It is a book that will make you smile, make you laugh - and as a woman of a certain age it definitely hit a chord for me!

It is the story of generations coming together to save their local community centre which hosts everything from a pre-school to a senior citizens club. There are some fabulous characters, from the downtrodden Lydia who is seeking to find herself as a recent empty-nester, to the delightful Daphne. I guarantee you will fall in love with the characters and their often hilarious antics - and as someone a little in denial about ageing, I loved the older generation’s refusal to conform to expectations and the reminder that it’s never too late to step out of your comfort zone.

It’s fun, it’s funny and for me Pooley’s best book yet - if you are looking for a feel good read then it’s one I’d wholeheartedly recommend.