📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Life Begins at 50 By Celia Anderson
Publication Date: July 18, 2024
Publisher: Boldwood Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

Sometimes a book just finds its way to you at the exact right time. That's how it was for me and Life Begins at 50 by Celia Anderson.

This sweet book is the perfect uplifting story to remind you that, no matter your age, there's always the possibility of a fresh, new start. With a host of loveable and charming characters in the fictional English town of Willowbrook, this book warmed my heart and was like a much-needed shot of optimism into my world.

While I'm not quite the same age as the female main character, Kate, I could personally relate to her story so much. Her struggles with fertility, her miscarriages, her regrets about past relationship choices, her fears that maybe she just isn't meant to find a love of her life, her feelings that life was just passing her by...I get it, Kate. I really get it.

I needed this book in my life. This was a cute story that, though it included a potential newfound romance in its plotline, wasn't entirely focused on Kate's search for love... This was a story about Kate finding herself -- and reclaiming her own power in her life. And sometimes, we ALL need a little reminder that we just need to say YES to what comes our way.

If you need a palate cleanser that will make you feel good... If you find yourself feeling like life is just ho-hum...if you need a reminder of all the possibilities that could be around the corner if only you're open to seeing them... If you like books that make you smile...This book is for you. A quick read that is both light-hearted and meaningful, I highly recommend you add this book from Celia Anderson to your upcoming reading list. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

#LifeBeginsat50 #CeliaAnderson #NetGalley #ARC #boldwoodbookclub #boldwoodbookstour #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #booklover #booknerd #bookcommunity

This is the first book I have read from this author. Some of the characters are older than Kate, who the title suggests is almost 50. The book has an interesting and different storyline and makes a good read.

As Kate's fiftieth birthday approaches, she feels her life lacks vibrancy, symbolized by her predominantly indigo wardrobe. Reflecting on her past, she recalls her unfulfilled desire for a family, her father's sudden death, her mother's move to France, her husband's departure, and a haunting impulsive act. Despite these challenges, Kate decides to look forward and make changes, supported by her friends: Sophie, who encourages her with humor, and the "Saga Louts," three elderly ladies who include her in their fun.

Kate enjoys her job at a cafe and has meaningful connections with her god-children, especially the precocious Elsie, whose single father appreciates Kate's support. She meets Milo, who has his own troubles, and they develop an attraction, though they’re unsure about pursuing a relationship. Their potential romance is complicated by hidden factors.

The story blends gentle humor with darker, emotional moments from Kate's and Milo's pasts, handled sensitively. Kate is relatable, and her efforts to step outside her comfort zone are inspiring. The friendships and family dynamics add unexpected emotional and joyous touches. The developing romance feels genuine, and the handling of Kate's fiftieth birthday is touching. While the ending leaves some threads hanging, it’s fitting.

This book, with its perfect emotional touch and storytelling, is highly engaging and recommended for summer reading. It’s a delightful tale of fresh starts and second chances for characters beyond their youth.

The cover jumps right off the page, great idea. Love a book with characters in there 50's lots of trigger points but all handled so well. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

I do enjoy books where characters are around my age, so I was intrigued to read a novel about a woman who is nearly fifty. I can usually relate to characters in their fifties more than fictional heroines in their twenties and thirties.
Kate is approaching fifty. Her marriage of nearly twenty-five years is over and instead of her dream teaching job, she is working in a café. Her dad has died, and her mother Caroline has moved to France to be near Kate’s brother Jamie. She has no children, but spends time with her brilliant six-year-old goddaughter Elsie - one of my favourite characters in the book, with her dodgy named cuddly toys!
Kate’s life is not how she expected it to be, approaching this milestone birthday. Her best friend Sophie tries to urge Kate to change. She’s noticed how her friend seems to be unhappy, only wearing dark clothes and living in a house with barely any furniture, after her ex took all the nice stuff.
Luckily she lives in a beautiful area with a great community spirit and she soon becomes an honorary member of the Saga Louts – three single women in their eighties Beryl, Anthea and Winnie – who are full of fun and quite a handful at times.
One day, Kate is taking a break in a local park and sees Milo visiting the memorial bench for his sister Frankie. She recognises him from visiting the café and the pub. When they meet again later and begin talking, she finds out more about him. Milo is fifty-one, and a financial advisor. He has split from his wife Marianne and their s Son Luka (17) lives with her. They have a great connection which could really go somewhere and make them both happy, but issues arise and it isn’t as straight-forward as it could be…
I really enjoyed the story and all the wonderful characters in the book. The narrative goes back and forwards in time to show key moments in Kate’s life and I did find that a bit confusing. I also felt that although the book is described as “laugh out loud” it covers lots of serious topics in there like infidelity, grief and infertility, so isn’t as light reading as suggested. To me though, I felt those topics really enhanced the book. I just didn’t find it so comedic as painted.
I loved so many of the characters and really wanted to be there in the café drinking coffee, eating carrot cake and chatting to all the women. I was especially rooting for Kate throughout. I felt she’d had a rough deal overall and wanted her to find happiness. Whether she does, well, you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens…

I’m loving that there are so many more books being written about the experience of being a slightly older woman. Or maybe they’ve always been out there but I’m only becoming aware of them now that I’m that slightly older woman and can relate more to what’s being shared! Whatever the case may be, the stories that I’ve read lately that fall into this category, have all been so relevant and relatable and Life Begins at 50 is a fabulous example of this genre that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed!

Kate’s life hasn’t been easy and I felt so sorry for her. It just didn’t seem fair that nothing had worked out as she’d anticipated. It’s true that life rarely does land up being the way we think it’s going to be, but here she is, about to turn 50, a time in her life when she thought she’d be surrounded by loving family: a doting husband and numerous children and possibly their own offspring, and she finds herself in quite the opposite situation. The husband in question was never quite doting to start with, and now he’s run off with his golfing partner. The children she longed for were never to be, and she can’t get over the recent loss of her beloved father.

She knows she needs to drag herself out of the rut she’s in, but she’s not entirely sure she wants to. She has no clue where she’d even start! Thank goodness for her best friend who knows her better than she knows herself, and a surprise group of wise, sassy women (the Saga Louts!) who’ve more than been around the block a couple of times (I just can’t call them ‘older women’, it just doesn’t do justice to them at all!). They all take Kate under their wing(s) and bring her out of the shell she’s been hiding in for so long.

And despite feeling so down in the dumps, Kate does what she can to pull herself towards herself, not wanting to depend entirely on others to do it all for her. She sets out to make new friends, and in doing so finds her potential love interest, who has also been through a horribly rough patch. It’s a gentle reminder that even when we’re feeling awful about ourselves, we can still feel sensitive to what others are going through, and Kate is so genuine in her empathy towards Milo, despite all the knocks she’s taken lately. I loved the interaction between the two of them and the interludes between those laugh-out-loud moments and the more quiet, poignant ones.

Apart from all the wonderful, strong characters in this book, Celia Anderson has written a resoundingly loud shout-out to the importance of female friendship and how much we need to be there for each other, recognising when a morale boost is desperately needed.

This is such an enjoyable read, and once again, a big thank you to RaRa Resources and Boldwood Books for a delightful blog tour!

I have to admit I didn't warm so much to the main character, she seemed a little uptight and self righteous. Though she got over it by the end of the book! The romance was also a little too convenient and on the rebound.
BUT I absolutely loved the other characters!
From the best friend who is not joined at the hip to her husband, with both happier for it, to the Morris dancers, and most of all the fabulous Saga Louts - women enjoying life to the full way beyond 50!

I really enjoyed this book. I realise that there may be a lot of triggers in this book and other people have written about them in their reviews, so I won’t mention them here. I liked it because Kate has just turned 50 and things have happened in her life so she’s feeling down. She meets Milo and they start a very tentative relationship as friends. Life doesn’t stop at 50, but nor is it smooth sailing. Enjoy life while you can and read this book. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

Before I started reading this, I think I expected a lighthearted sort of read, maybe humorous too. I felt those qualities were there, but what surprised me was the way I connected with the story on a deeper level.

The protagonist, Kate, is approaching her fiftieth birthday, and it seemed that throughout the book, she had the opportunity to reminisce and reflect on a lot of things. That was something that resonated with me, and I found that the storytelling was both lighthearted and moving.

I loved the close bonds of love and friendship that Kate shared with the other characters. This was a charming, heartwarming read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

As Kate’s fiftieth birthday approaches, she’s very aware that her life is distinctly lacking in colour – and not only in her wardrobe, where indigo seems to have taken over. And as all those of us who’ve passed that threshold will know, this big birthday does tend to be the one when we look back over our lives – and sometimes wonder where everything went wrong. She’s certainly had a lot to handle – a lifelong yearning for a family of her own (which wasn’t to be), her father’s sudden death and her mother’s abrupt departure for a life in France, and her husband leaving her for his golf partner and taking most of their home contents with him. And overshadowing all of that, her shame over one impulsive act – that didn’t have any real consequences, but that frequently dominates her thoughts.

But now might just be a good time time to try and change things, and look forward rather than backwards – and thank goodness for wonderful friends. Sophie’s always watching her back, egging her on to make those changes she really needs, with much laughter along the way: and then there are the Saga Louts, the three elderly ladies who certainly know how to have fun and are more than happy to include “Junior” in their adventures. She enjoys her sociable job in the cafe – and there are children in her life too, god-children from her earlier days as a teaching assistant, especially the wonderful (and distinctly precocious) Elsie, whose young dad is very glad of her support. And then Milo crosses her path – life hasn’t dealt him a particularly good hand either – and there’s a definite attraction, but neither of them are really sure that they’re ready for anything beyond friendship. And that’s even before they find any relationship might just be more complicated than it appears.

But I really mustn’t tell you the full story – instead I’ll just tell you how very much I enjoyed it. It does have its darker edges, particularly when revisiting Kate’s past – and parts of Milo’s story bring a few tears to the eye too – but all the issues are so sensitively handled. And it’s perhaps not entirely “laugh-out-loud”, the humour more gentle than that – ah, but I’d almost forgotten the Louts, they do have their moments! If you’re of an age, you’ll find Kate so easy to identify with – and there were times in this book when I felt myself cheering her on, so delighted when she managed to step outside her comfort zone and stretch herself to try something different (I’ve even added “find a red dress” to my personal to-do list).

The friendships are wonderful, but so is the focus on family – there are more than a few touches of the unexpected there, some emotional, some joyous too. The developing romance? Yes, that was one I really believed in – and what a lovely man. Oh, and when that 50th birthday finally comes – I so enjoyed the way that was handled (yes, a few tears again – but they were mostly happy ones!). And while I’ll admit I do sometimes like my happy endings tied up in a neat bow, I rather liked the way this one left a few small threads slightly dangling – just perfect!

If I ran through everything I enjoyed about this book, this review would be considerably longer. I always love stories about fresh starts and second chances, especially when the characters are past the first flush, but there are those times when an author just gets everything absolutely right – and with her perfect emotional touch and excellent story-telling, this book was one that totally engaged me from beginning to end. I honestly couldn’t recommend it more – one you really need to add to your summer reading list, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Bravo!

I love Celia Anderson's stories and her golden girls who are full of stamina or are able to find again their zest for life.
Kate is one of those women who need to move on, start to live again and be able to love as it can hurt you but it can also bring a lot of joy.
There’re some poignant moments, there's laugh, and a well plotted and compelling story.
It's a mix of sad and happy moments like life and I loved this well plotted and relatable characters.
A book that made me smile and helped me to feel some lightness when I needed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book, which had you laughing at some parts and others which make you sad.

Kate’s big birthday is coming up soon, just before it her husband informs her that he’s leaving and moving in with his mistress. Taking most of the items from the cottage with him. She’s not looking forward to celebrating.

She wants to change herself, her outlook on life and ways of doing things, to not be the person she is, but isn’t finding this easy to do. But, when she meets 3 older ladies, they show her how to start enjoying life.

Then she meets Milo, who is grieving after losing his sister. When they both meet, things don’t get off to a good start, but, slowly, they both begin to heal.

I highly recommend this book.

Kate has been stuck for quite some time. Her marriage is done, her family has moved away, and all she has are her friends.
Slowly she reassess her life and begins to rebuild after facing a secret that she’s kept for a long time. I don’t think Kate gave herself time to grieve over her marriage failures, loss of babies, and her father’s death.
She tackled all these issues, stuck her foot in the door for a new relationship and also ventured into a new career.
Kate had very supportive friends that made all the difference.
It’s never too,late to begin anew.

Life Begins at 50! by Celia Anderson was a fun read, that will have you laughing out loud. it was so good. I ended up reading this book in one sitting as it was so good. A perfect book for you day off or a holiday read........A beautifully written book and a new author for me to keep an eye out for in the future. I loved this book......It was a joy to read especially if you are turning 50........They say life begins at 50........Well it did for Kate the main character.

Kate is turning 50..............Then Bang! her husband tells her he is leaving her and moving in with his Mistress!!!! OMG!!!! Kate's whole world crashes around her! especially as she has gone through so much already...............But she pulls her big pants up and gets help and great advise from 3 older women............Before she knows it she bumps into someone called Milo. but he has his own problems he is dealing with - he is is grieving the death of her sister and a big change in his own married life.

This book was a ray of fresh air and I loved it. I highly recommend this book.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Kate has always wanted a family but after various heartbreaking miscarriages she’s approaching 50. Her long term husband has left her and taken most of her possessions leaving her with the cottage she’s loved always but sparsely furnished.
She’s determined to reinvent herself for the big birthday but finding it harder than she realises.
Milo has lost his loving sister and is immersed in grieving so the last thing he needs after his marriage breakup is someone else. But he meets Kate and they start a journey of healing for the, both.
Great read funny and heartwarming.

What an adorable story!! I loved the plot, the characters and position of where they all lived!! It sounded peaceful and beautiful with a community that looked out for each other. Perfect!!!
Poor Kate finds herself in a horrible situation. Her husband has left her after telling her that he had been having an affair for a while and was moving out to be with her. She hadn’t long lost her Dad, so this was a big blow. She might not have had the best marriage but she’d stuck at it all these years!. She thinks that she will have to face living all alone from now on and struggles to see a way to be happy again.
She meets Milo, while out on a walk before work that she finds has problems too, so she’s not going through these emotions alone.
The thing I loved about this story was the message that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Be a strong independent person, but use your friends if they offer. Don’t shut yourself away, or try to cope alone. People want to help always!!
This definitely deserves the five stars I’m giving it!!!
Many thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #TheBoldBookClub, #CeliaAnderson.

his is a book about a woman named Kate who goes through a transition right when she turns 50. She loses a parent, goes through a divorce, and has experienced several miscarriages. It’s not easy, and I’m certain that many can relate, regardless of age. I don’t think you necessarily have to be over 50 to have experienced a tough moment or experience in your life. I believe that if you are planning to read this book, you definitely might want to consider reading or looking into several triggers this book may have. As depressing as part of this story may sound, there are some parts that are also going to make you laugh and cry. I feel like this band of support Kate has reminds me of The Golden Girls, or Eat, Pray, Love. The author narrates the story of a woman getting her life back together despite the many challenges she has faced. In the midst of all of this, she meets someone named Milo who goes through something similar. As sad as this may sound, it does have a happy ending. I personally enjoyed reading this book because it shows the growth that Kate went through. I think that despite all the challenges, she was able to start all over and move forward with a difficult experience. You don’t need to be young to do it again. You also don’t need to follow a specific order or life plan to be happy. Sometimes our “plan” in life will be the right direction for us to take. Anything can change at any time. Life in general does not care about what we have planned out or how long we have it set up. It’s up to us to figure out what we do with what we are given and how we move forward from any negative experiences. I think that this book also shows that we can grow from our past and turn something that can be so ugly into something beautiful.

Kate's just about to turn 50 when her husband decides to leave and move in with his mistress. She is devastated after everything she's gone through and hasn't been able to get on with her life. She then gets help with 3 older women and then bumps into Milo who also has his own problems. Lovely book

Life Begins at 50 struck me as being imbalanced. Celia Rees has created some strong, well-drawn characters but her story I felt got a little bogged down. Kate's father has recently died, her husband has left her for another woman and she is still not dealing with a succession of earlier miscarriages. As a result she is fading away into the background and has almost opted out of life. Much of the book looks back and gets stuck there. I enjoyed the book for the characters but only really became involved in the story once Kate started dealing with her past. And, for me, that was too far through the book.

Definitely one for the 50 plus crowd to read as it is extremely relatable. At the age of losing parents, pondering life choices to date and wondering what next, this definitely captures the key themes for this age group. The author created a strong main character but also a strong world for her to live in, including the various people in her lives, she didn’t try to make her perfect and I think this makes her all the more engaging, yea, it’s funny but it’s also got it’s poignant moments, so keep the tissues handy.