Granny with Benefits

This was an enjoyable book. I laughed more in the first ten percent on this novel than in the entirety of many others! It explored some interesting situations, engaging the reader easily.

Well the title of this book just conjures up so many scenarios especially with the cover picture too. I thought is this little old lady thinking of herself as a curvy younger version ready to hit the town? Well not quite you see it is a little bit the other way. Grace at 39 and single has gone to the old folks home where her deceased Gran use to live, as Grace wants a good root through her gran’s possessions for the odd bit of bling she has had her eye on, before she packs the rest up. Feeling the closeness of her Gran, Grace puts on some of her clothes and wig only to be seen by a rather handsome man that has come to view the room for his father. Grace invents a sister for her Gran and calls herself Louise. As every second passes Louise becomes more solid, with Grace creating a past for her with every word she speaks. Before she knows it she is past the point of no return. Louise can not just simply disappear now.
What a super character Louise becomes as Grace soon discovers that being older means you can get away with so much more than when you are 39. She really wants Dishy Dale, that she re names Heaven on Legs or HoL, to get to know the real her and by being Louise and talking to Dale she can push him towards the ultimate prize, herself of course, Dale though only has eyes for Louise. No he isn’t a weirdo, he just thinks she would make his dad a pretty cool lady friend. Oh yikes things start to heat up and get hot under the collar but for all the wrong reasons!
Marilyn Bennett has written a very lively and funny novel that made me laugh and cringe at every situation. If you are a lady that pee’s when you laugh then go get the Lady Tena ready, you will need them! Love this lady’s humour. It really made me think too about the chances I didn’t take in my own life and at times how I would have loved a ‘Louise’ of my own to give me a bit of a push. Louise is really the confidence that we all lack at times when we are too shy to say what we really think and want. A super story with a follow up book coming soon I hope.

GRANNY WITH BENEFITS by Marilyn Bennett is a laugh-out-loud novel with a truly unique twist.

Grace is thirty-nine and wants to find love but is definitely sick of the dating scene where men put on an act just to get their leg over. While clearing out her deceased grandmother's room in sheltered accommodation, Grace decides to play dress up and transforms herself into an old woman, with a wig and all to boot!

But when Dale, a sexy guy her own age who is interested in the room for his dad, stumbles across her and mistakes her for an older lady, Grace is too embarrassed to explain the situation - and so Louise is created. As Dale begins to really talk to Louise about life and love, Grace realises that maybe this is the way to get to know the gorgeous Dale, and comes up with a plan where 'Louise' will introduce him to her lovely niece, Grace. But like plenty of ideas, things don't always go to plan...

With plenty of hilarious situations and well-developed characters, this story will have you crying tears of laughter but there is also a deeper side to this book. Grace finds herself in a mess, wanting a man who she has lied to from the start, while Dale is trying to set up 'Louise' with his father as he wants to see him happy again. As things begin to unravel there are plenty of people who could get hurt. The importance of friendship and figuring out what you really want in life is always at the forefront of this tale and makes you appreciate the value of a true friend. GRANNY WITH BENEFITS by Marilyn Bennett is a great debut and hopefully, this is not the last that we see of these crazy characters.

When I saw an email in my inbox with the subject Granny with Benefits I almost deleted it thinking that it was a dodgy email, you know the type! I'm glad I didn't though as I would have missed out on this cracking debut novel by Marilyn Bennett.

Grace is going through her late grandmother's things at the sheltered accommodation where she lived when Dale walks through the door to view the room for his dad. He's Grace's ideal man and she instantly nicknames him Heaven on Legs, the only problem is he thinks she's a resident as she's been playing dress up and is wearing her grandmother's clothes, right down to one of her wigs and a pair of glasses!

Instead of laughing at the situation she'd been caught up in and confessing all she decides to introduce herself as Louise. The pair sit down and chat and as Louise she finds out things about Dale that she wouldn't have if she was herself.

Using her granny alter-ego Grace charms her way into various social situations as a means to find out more about Dale, not knowing that Dale is inviting her along as a prospective date for his widowed father. At other times Louise would send her niece along to these events in her place and that's how the pair officially meet.

But juggling Grace and Louise isn't always easy and she has a couple of close encounters before she's rumbled by friends and family. Will they understand and more importantly will they keep quiet?

Granny with Benefits is a refreshingly delightful read full of laugh out loud moments cleverly combined with the reality of being single later on in life when all of those around you have settled down. I loved the interaction between Grace and her little group of close friends so much so that I wanted to be invited to Angela's 40th birthday trip to New York. All of the characters were so well developed and interacted so smoothly it was easy to imagine them as real people.

Ms Bennett has a wonderfully engaging writing style that hooked me in right from the very beginning and with a great twist on the usual boy meets girl story. Aside from the humour this is also a book about family relationships, the importance of having good friends around you and handling difficult situations in the work place.

I didn't want this book to end (for reasons which will be obvious if you read it) so I was pleased to find out that there's a sequel coming later this year.

If you're looking for a contemporary story with a new twist then Granny with Benefits could be just the book you're looking for!

This is a beautifully descriptive book the author paints a brilliant picture of each character, and the story is intriguing in the sense that aunty is never uncovered!!
I really enjoyed the interaction between the characters and her different friendship groups and how her opinions changed towards her own grandmother
It was a lovely read recommend to my friends anytime

Top notch chic lit, British style. As good or better than Bridget Jones. I like it so much better. You will be wishing you could be included in the friendship of these gals.