Lucie was once married, ran a successful business and lived an extravagant lifestyle until her husband's debts caused them to lose everything, including their marriage. Lucie is now divorced, has a mediocre job and is in debt. She is a sad reflection of who she once was.

Stuck in Second Gear is about Lucie rediscovering herself and regaining that spring she once had in her step.

There were some storylines that were far-fetched (the Channel crossing), but overall, this proved to be a refreshing read.

A journey of a lifetime begins with a single step. For Lucie, it is a journey to her ex husband's wedding. Traveling through France with her very pregnant daughter and her neurodiverse nephew, things get exciting. The journey has bumps and bruises as it continues bringing new emotions and life changing decisions. A thoroughly engaging novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lucie can't understand how she went from the perfect life with a great job, husband and lovely house to having nothing, divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy. Then she finds out her ex-husband is getting married i9n France with a huge wedding to someone a lot younger than her and she's been invited to the wedding. Her daughter Zoe and nephew Deva persuade her that she needs to take them and so starts and adventure for them all

Well, this was riveting! Truthfully, I couldn’t put it down. I love books with this kind of pace. Great book and congrats. I’m sure many more will enjoy it as well. I loved it . . . stayed up late to finish it!

What a wonderful book! This isn’t an author I’ve come across before and will definitely be reading the rest of her novels. This one gave me lots of interesting back stories of Coco Chanel that I was totally unaware of. There were excellent researched storylines of autism, death, grief and travelling by car through France to Perpignan all subjects I’m well acquainted with and made the story even more realistic. There were some lovely funny moments, lots of heartfelt incidents and a couple of unlikely bits that made you realise it was a novel and not real life. Simply glorious!

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

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lucie's life has been spiraling out of control since her divorce. She went from being happy to being broke. When she learns, her ex is getting married, she is surprised. I liked this book.

I love this story so much! It has wonderful characters, who immediately went straight to my heart. I really enjoy books that have characters of various ages, especially if they include an elderly main character. I am thrilled to say this story has a lovely older gentleman.

The majority of the story is an unexpected and unplanned trip filled with self discovery and a chance to explore relationships. It was a joy to go along on this journey.

I absolutely adore this book and wish I had better skills to convey why! It just touched me so deeply. I know I will be reading this book again, which is a huge compliment, since I rarely re-read books. I look forward to future books by this author, Carmen Reid who has become a favorite of mine.

A sincere thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

I have only recently been introduced to this authors books not sure why I missed them out on them for so long n I love how they write about topics which are r engaging and relatable and also how within the serious topics and storyline there is undertones of humour and real laugh out loud moments.

This was an emotional yet heartwarming read which covered some serious topics in a very sensitive way.

I would love a sequel to this book to see how the characters lives progress.

Lucie is in a bad place - divorced, stuck in a boring job and paying off a credit card debt that her ex-husband Miles left in her name for his hair plugs.

To make matters worse, her father is terminally ill and dirsnt have much time left, she has fallen out with her pregnant daughter Zoe after she expressed concerns about her relationship with boyfriend Rafi and she has just received am invite to Miles' wedding in France...

Lucie decides she is not going tonthrnwedding as Miles.jusy wants to show off his younger influencer wife . However, when the trains are cancelled and Zoe struggles to find a flight Lucie agrees to drive her, along with her neurodivergent cousin Devi.

The premis of this story sounds depressing but it is actually light-hearted and feel-good. A fun light read. I really enjoyed Carmen's writing style and hope we get to hear more from the characters in future books!

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

We meet Lucie who is still dealing with the after affects of her divorce to Miles. The divorce didn’t exactly leave her flush, in fact, it left her with a lot of debt due to all the bad decisions he made.

Then, she receives an invite to his forthcoming wedding in France. Her Dad is very ill as well as that her daughter is just a short time away from giving birth. So going to France to attend a wedding isn’t exactly doable.

But, even though she has no intention of going, the decision is changed when she has to drive her daughter and her nephew to the wedding as there’s been a change in their mode of transport.

The journey isn’t straightforward and has some funny moments as well as some emotional times as well.

Does Lucie reach the venue on time and will she stay to attend the wedding herself?

I recommend this book

It took me a good few chapters to get into this one, but once I had I was hooked! I really enjoyed the twisting plot and found myself cheering for certain characters. It was a really comforting read and I’d definitely recommend you check it out!

Lucie Marshal was stuck in second gear, but a trip to France, to take her grown up daughter Zoe and her nephew Deva, to her ex-husband's wedding changed that. She is no longer stuck in second gear, and is having the time of her life. When she heads back home, she had a choice, go back to second gear or continue on with who she found in France. You will enjoy the book so I hope you read it and find out what happens.
I received an ARC from Boldwood Books through NetGalley.

I have enjoyed Carmen Reid's previous books and this one also didn't disappoint. An unexpected but enjoyable road trip with ups and downs for a mum and her daughter and nephew.

Stuck in Second Gear is the tenth Carmen Reid book I’ve reviewed. It has a catchy title like so many of her books.

I really liked Lucie. Dava was interesting and I loved how we learned so much about Chanel through him. He was so committed to his knowledge about her. Chanel is someone I admire too. I have some of her perfumes, as well as a lipstick by her. I have a DVD about her life. Dava’s passion has inspired me to search for a book about her life and to know as much as I can about her.

Zoe was likeable but I felt sad for her and Rafi. I felt very annoyed with Rafi about his attitude towards her and lack of commitment towards and their unborn baby girl. I, like Zoe, was frustrated that he wasn’t there with her.

The road trip was so fun and realistic given the characters’ personalities.

Stuck in Second Gear is more than a road trip, it’s more like a voyage of self discovery. I really liked Lucie’s father and how positive he was in spite of being elderly and needing care. I loved how much love and respect he showed Lucie and Zoe. It was heartwarming to witness how he allowed them to use his Jaguar to drive to France instead of Lucie’s car.

I felt Pete and Fikru’s subplot was harrowing yet heartwarming.

Thanks to Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I finished the book in a day. Everything about it is perfect, the characters, plot and pacing.

5 stars but it deserves more.

I have enjoyed Carmen Reid’s books for a long time. Strong female character, usually disillusioned from a failed relationship and how they turn their life around. Stuck in Second gear is written with her usual trope and fans will not be disappointed

This was a brilliant story. I loved it . Even the sad bits were readable . Loved how the main character changed through the book. Her x was a piece of work. You got why he did it . Loved her father won’t say any more . The Channel part and her nephew was sad, happy and a good ending. You have to read it. All the clothes mentioned were good. Just a good happy relaxing read.

Lucy is divorced, broke, and dealing with family issues. The story would’ve been better if it had just the mother daughter relationship. The obsessive coco Chanel references were a bit much. Overall it was a good story. Thanks NetGalley for an ARC.

I received a free copy of, Stuck in Second Gear, by Carmen Reid, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lucie's life has not turned out like she expected it to. She is divorced, unhappy, not a lot of money, a pregnant daughter, and her ex husband getting married in France. Her daughter, and nephew wants her to drive them to France for the wedding. This book was a little silly, but nice.

I did not enjoy this book. It could have been soo much better especially when part of it is set in France. I found the character Deve very annoying especially when he kept going on about Coco Channel. I think had the write kept it as a mother daughter trip it would have been soo much better.
I would not recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Lucie is single, divorced, repaying debts for her ex husband, has a sick father and a difficult relationship with her daughter. Against her better judgement, she embarks on a journey across France to take her daughter to the wedding of her father, Lucie’s ex, and a crazy adventure begins. A heartwarming story, interesting characters, a touch of romance and some humour too…..loved it!