I loved the premise and the book was very promising in the beginning but it went downhill fast and it never redeemed itself.

Once again Judy Leigh has written characters that come alive through the pages. I smiled and laughed at the antics of the women. A story about older women living life to the fullest.

This delightful and heartwarming novel follows five friends in their 'golden' years, who refuse to settle into the quiet of a retirement home. Instead, they embark on a memorable Christmas holiday to the Isle of Skye. The story beautifully captures the joy of friendship, the strength it offers during tough times, and the unexpected surprises that come with new beginnings, including love. While set during the festive season, the book isn't overly Christmassy, making it perfect for enjoyment year-round. Easy to read and full of warmth, it’s a charming celebration of life, friendship, and the adventures that await, no matter your age.

If you are looking for a heartwarming, and funny yet thought inducing read, this is the book for you. This is the first book that I have read where the main characters are in their 70's, and I think that as a reader much younger than that, the characters were still captivating and relatable! This book follows another previously written one which I have not read, but I never felt like I was missing anything and was able to follow along with no issues. I have already put this book on several people's Christmas lists and am so excited to share it with them!

A sweet easy to read book that makes you want to go and visit Skye. The island is described beautifully, the characters are all a bit batty, the descriptions of grief after the loss of a loved one heartfelt and the determination of life after a stroke is inspiring. Although this is the follow up to the previous book about these friends it’s not necessary to have had read it’s predecessor- a good stand alone story

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

À definite feelgood cosy book to curl up with over the festive season. Featuring a group of 70 something women all facing their own trials and tribulations but give each other tremendous support. Set on the glorious Isle of Skye in the run up to Christmas in a failing hotel. Delightfully charming with wonderfully depicted characters with good diverse personalities, who instil a real sense of community and a positive approach to life plus a real villain in the mix to balance. A little far fetched at times basically because how fast everything is turned around and sorted. A real mixture of fun, sadness and happiness in a light festive read.

Here’s a story of living life to the full in your later years. It’s never too late. The friendship between the five friends in their late seventies was a delight.

Witty, insightful, humorous and sad. A great book with relatable characters. A story of restarting and resettling. Life's twists and turns and the courage to step into the unknow.

The description of the book tells you what the book is about, and it made me want to read it. For me, the book was about crossroads, where things changed in their lives, and forces them to think about who they are, what they want to do, and they start to move forward. It isn't just the silver haired women, there are younger people, facing the same challenges.
Things have changed in my life recently, and when I was reading this story, it made sense to me, that I was meant to read this book, so I would think about what had happened and figured out what I wanted to do. Like the people in the book, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. The ladies in the book, made some plans, and they followed through with the plans, and in some ways it showed them what they didn't want to do., but for others, it brought out their passion, and got them excited about life again. I think we all have crossroads all through life, and as I get older, it was comforting to see, that there can be an exciting life even when you are old. You try something, it might not be what you want, but it can lead you to what will bring you joy, get you excited to get out of bed in the morning, and you can live and not just exist. I think I have been living, I exist, so thank you, Judy Leigh for this book that reminds me there is still life, and it is up to me, to discover, what excites me now.
I received an ARC from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. This book got me excited about life again, and I am off to find the joy and the excitement. It is being released on December 2, and I am going to preorder books to send to some people I know that will love this book.

A heartwarming, funny and delightful book about five friends in their seventies who are living life to the full. Warm, relatable characters and an engaging storyline set on the beautiful island of Skye. This is my second Judy Leigh books and I highly recommend her work.

A quote that pops up frequently online goes something like, "You have only one life to live. You might as well do something with it". It always seems to be attributed to a different person, so I have no clue who really said it first but it's universal, so guess it doesn't matter. Judy Leigh's "The Silver-Haired Sisterhood" echoes that theme, that life is meant to be lived. The four characters in it, with Tess and Della being the focus, embrace that attitude despite age and all that comes with it. As they know and are reminded, much joy can also come with it. It's okay to be old. Yes, people may seem to look through you but that doesn't mean you have to be invisible and fade into the background, either. This is a delightful and heartwarming reminder to us all to live with hope and joy, reaching out for new experiences and to those who make up the family we create.

I won't detail the plot as the blurb does an excellent job but will note that the characters are wonderfully fleshed out and distinct. While I haven't read it, I gather that there's a previous book with these same characters that I'm definitely going to have to find. While the characters don't downplay the problems of aging, loss of mobility, losing loved ones, health issues, and such, the positives shine through them, even when they themselves aren't quite feeling it 100%. To me, that actually made them all the more real. The dialogue seemed to flow naturally, chatter you'd hear while sitting with friends or simply listening to others about you. It was wonderful to see Tess and Della find joy and purpose during their somewhat impulsive trip to Skye in hopes of relaxation and seeing the Northern Lights. As I just had the joy of seeing them above my home here in Alaska recently, that goal made me smile in anticipation.

They also reach out to help others and create new relationships, all the better when they are surprised with visitors. Will they see those magical lights dancing in the sky? Well, I'm not telling but you'll definitely enjoy this book if you love character driven books. There's so much more to the story but, well, you just need to read it. Thank you #BoldwoodBooks for the early introduction to this wonderful, optimistic sisterhood of women (and the glossary at the beginning). No matter what our ages, we should all be half as full of life and up for adventure and "What's next?" as they are.

I really like this author a lot..this is only the second book I've read and I've loved every minute of it.
Leigh has a way that brings her characters to life and that makes us feel like we are among friends. That's what I like about her books. They feel like home.
These five ladies are amazing and I enjoyed in getting to know each one individually.
They've made me laugh out loud and sometimes even made me smh.
I've really appreciated how this author has portrayed these beautiful ladies that are in their 70's or above. I love that they don't let life get them down.
Especially Tess! She's truly one amazing woman and my favorite character.
I'm very glad that Tess finally woke up and stepped in where she was needed. Sometimes it takes a wake up call to make things happen.
I won't say more but I finished this book in one evening. It was very good and realistic. I'm sure someone somewhere is still adventurous that's in this age group. I sure hope I'm like these ladies when I get there.
5 stars for a cute and fun read. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Love that the five ladies in this book are in their 70+ and that they aren't portrayed as frail ladies. Tess has recently got divorced and Della's husband recently past away so the ladies decide to go on holiday to Scotland. They dream of seeing the northern lights and sight seeing. Once they arrive their accommodations aren't what they expected. The inn is not even open but they beg to stay. They meet Roddy the owner and vow to help him get the inn back up and running and filled for the holiday season. Roddy's ex-wife is trying to ruin his business but she doesn't realize who she is messing with when Tess, Della and Rose all jump in to help save the business.

The ladies are happy to have distraction and not focus on life at home. Della enjoys making the meals and baked treats. Tess acts as housekeeper. They meet other guests and all really bond. Rose is focused on her recovery and being able to play the piano again after her stroke.

This is a heartwarming story of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and making the most of your time. The ladies are all very different but are friends through thick and thin and become their own family.

I love Judy's books, they're so heartwarming and funny and always put a smile on my face. And they're even better when set in Scotland.

I absolutely adore the way Judy writes older characters. It's quite common in fiction (be it books, films or TV) that older characters, 70+, are there just to tick a box, for the novelty, to be a nuisance. They're very rarely the protagonist or the hero. And Judy writes them with such heart and passion and pride, that of course they should be the stars of their own story. It's really quite powerful.

I loved all the women in this, but this is Tess and Della's story and they do rock it. They're fabulous women. They have their concerns - mainly Tess - but they haven't lost all of their spark. It looks at how age is just a number. Sure there are things you have to consider as you get older, but just because you're 75, 85, 95, whatever, it doesn't mean you HAVE to do something or you CAN'T do something.

I am not the same age as the characters - in my 30s to their 70s - but I still loved it and related to them. So much so that I assume readers closer to their age will love it even more, because they can relate to what they're going through and feel closer to the characters.

I also love this idea of friendship being the family you choose, especially as you get older and start to lose people and possibly start losing your independence.

Judy's books never fail to cheer me up. They're light and uplifting and cosy, easy and quick to read, comforting, but they don't hide away from the truth. There's some difficult topics in this, including illness, grief, bereavement, loneliness, ageing, affairs, despair, lack of self esteem.

This does follow on from Five French Hens, which I haven't read, and so I can definitely say you can read this as a standalone. You'll probably get little things from this book if you've read the one before it, but I never felt at a disadvantage coming into this. Judy goes a great job at filling in some history without regurgitating what came before.

I won't spoil it, but let's just say the women don't see as much of Skye as they may have initially wanted, but what is there just sounds beautiful. I love Scotland but have never been to Skye and would love to, and Judy has really depicted it so well that you can practically see it. I wonder if she has any history with that area.

Where I think Judy excels is two fold: firstly, in the characters, I mentioned that above. But also with the dialogue. When I do my own writing, dialogue is the thing I struggle with the most. I love writing prose and description and scene setting, but then I stumble when it comes to the dialogue. Dialogue should be natural, should feel like a conversation, it shouldn't feel like you're reading a made-up story, like the author doesn't know how to form a conversation. And that's what Judy does so well. It flows so naturally that you get lost amongst it and forget that you don't actually know these people.

It could have quite easily strayed into the sickly sweet territory, but she's got it just right.

Whenever Judy releases a new book, I jump at the chance to read it. I am lucky that I have been sent a number of her books in the past by the publisher, and every single one has been a pleasure, and so now I keep my eye out and recommend her books to anyone wanting a light, peaceful, cosy, warming story.

The Silver-Haired Sisterhood tells the story of a group of older women who are facing challenges in their lives - divorce, widowhood, health issues - you name it. Tess, who I felt the story mainly centered around, had found her husband in bed with another woman and they got divorced. Della is happily married to the love of her life. Rose, who had been a performer in Paris, is recuperating from a stroke. Jen had a broken engagement but may have found new love on a vacation. Pam is happily traveling with her dog Elvis. These ladies have fun! Tess plans a trip to Skye in Scotland where she travels with Della and the two pitch in to help the hotel owner make a success of his business. When their pals Rose, Pam, and jen also show up, the story really came alive. Through the ladies' discussions of a previous "hen party" (which I determined was similar to an American bachelorette), I get the idea that there must be another book out there featuring these women so I do plan to look for more books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was great read. I especially loved how the older generation was portrayed. Wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. Once I had started reading I couldn’t put it down.

This is the first book by Judy Leigh that I’ve read (although I have Five French Hens, the book that introduces the five women — aka, “the Hens” — on my Kindle TBR pile!). Ms. Leigh does a great job of filling in some backstories about the lovely women in this standalone, although now I will go back and read that first story! What appealed to me was that all the women were in their 70s or 80s, and I just turned 70. I was curious about how they all would be portrayed. As I’ve never been to England, the Isle of Skye (where Tess and Della go to see the Northern Lights), or Europe, I jumped at the chance to travel with these women. The characters are all multi-dimensional, and the dialogue and interactions are realistic and so enjoyable. You can feel the love they have for one another. I loved their friendship, resilience, humor, and, despite loss and sadness, they continue to embrace, celebrate, and live their lives to the fullest. Great lessons for any reader at any stage of life! Thank you, NetGalley, Judy Leigh and Boldwood Books, for the opportunity to read this delightful advance readers copy and discover a new (to me) author. I have voluntarily provided this review.

Oh what a joy! An uplifting read with more than a story between the pages.
Tess and Della, after a tragedy and a meeting best forgotten, head to Scotland for a break but it isn't quite the luxury trip that they had envisaged. They pick themselves up by the bootlaces and make the best of things which takes their minds off what happened at home. Just as they begin to get things together there is a surprise arrival. Life for the hens is a very mixed bag at times. Can they overcome the seemingly insurmountable and get back to their old lives with a different attitude?

I can't help but love Judy's books. They are a real joy and pleasure to read. We all have life’s ups and downs and this gives a gentle message that whatever, life goes on and we should do our best to try and grab it with both hands whilst we can. Age is but a number and if told “ you can’t” then maybe (safely) we should at least give it a go. You never know what you are capable of until you try. A wonderfully uplifting read I cant recommend highly enough. Ps special mention to the drag names- loved them!

This follows on from Five French Hens but can also be read as a standalone.
This book is set in the Isle of Skye and while all the brilliant characters from the previous book are in it we also get some great new characters such as Roddy and Murdo.
The setting is brilliant and I loved how the characters formed new friendships while also strengthening their current friendship.
I could not put the book down and loved all the adventures and escapades they had.
I’m hoping for a sequel to see what happens next.
Thanks to NetGalley, Judy Leigh and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was another fabulous read from this author love how they write about the older generation and also reading what the characters get up to in this authors novels gives inspiration and shows that life is for living and I hope I get up to some of these escapades in my 70s and 80s.

This story reintroduces us to the characters from five French hens but this book can be read as a standalone.

Fabulous characters and a beautiful setting and a lovely community feel and love how the friendships in this story are carved out and come together. Once I had started reading I couldn’t put it down. Such a beautiful and poignant read

I would love a sequel to this one to see where the characters lives take them next.