The Ibiza Crone Club Book 1

I was initially drawn in by the cover. It's lovely. The author drew me in from page one. She has created a book with a multitude of fabulous, well detailed characters that seemed so very real, they are each different from one another and yet I can see myself in each of them, each one of them. The characters all meet accidentally and soon develop a friendship that enriches them each, as they don't only learn about one another but they learn more about themselves. This is a beautifully written book about friendship, camaraderie and self-discovery. I hated for it to end.

“We don’t have problems because we’re getting older—we have problems because we’re human.” With this statement, Cassandra demanded that the group she named the Crone Club, still needs to seek adventure and fulfillment.
Cassandra met the women on the island of Ibiza, a Mediterranean island known for wild bacchanals during the summer tourist season. Seemingly random events put all three women on Ibiza in the off-season. Each is deep in self-doubt and questions what she should do with her life as a middle-aged single woman.
They meet in the waiting room of the local emergency room. Cassandra twisted her ankle when her stiletto heel caught in a crack in the cobblestones. The same cobblestones claimed Pamela who was walking with her granddaughter. Blaithín (pronounced blaw reen) passed out while touring the Phoenician cemetery on the hill above the town.
A friendship grows among the women. Ultimately, they all admit to being afraid of the future and angry and becoming invisible just because they are “past childbearing.” The ancient mother goddess Tanit’s visit galvanizes Cassandra to use her formidable organizing skills to create the Crone’s Club. The Crones support each other while they follow their artistic and sexual passions—occasionally with a nudge from Tanit.
With Tanit’s assistance, the Crones foil a greedy real estate developer, permanently establishing themselves on Ibiza.
The characters are engaging, Ibiza is faintly magical, and the story kept me waiting to see what would be next. Buried in the gentle story is a demand that women not allow themselves to become invisible. It’s not a strident call to arms but a steady, gentle push.

Blaithin has had a failed marriage, had the same job for decades only to find herself being made redundant at an age when she will struggle to find more work. Her boss, in a fit of conscience, offers her his apartment in Ibiza at a reduced rent (not a great deal, given he wouldn't be able to rent it out over winter anyway). Cassandra has flitted through life, is also divorced and the job that brought her back to Ibiza has just folded. Pamela moved to Ibiza with her daughter Susan and her family, she loves painting but is the main babysitter for the children and as she lives with them, her time isn't really her own.

The three ladies have mishaps and end up at the hospital at the same time, when they strike up a friendship. From there they form the Ibiza Crone Club, acolytes of the goddess Tanit, and their lives strike out in ways that each of them could never have predicted.

Its not terribly believable but nonetheless a fun read. The characters who really stood out for me were Diarmaid and Pauline, Blaithin's brother and sister in law; their sadness at the deal life has given them and how they try to overcome it are heartbreaking. As you'd expect, older ladies having fun and misbehaving and learning they don't have to please everyone else anymore. A great holiday read, great fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Books Go Social for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a Netgalley ARC of this book. It’s difficult to review without giving away much of the storyline and spoiling the fun, so I will have to comment very generally here. First, the writing style and narrative flow are excellent, and the plot is complex enough to keep me interested without losing track of the storyline. The characters are easy to identify with and feel compassion for, but each has enough quirks to individualize them and make them real. The setting is, of course, also ‘exotic’ but not ´stagey’—not the paradise it is presumed to be. How these women end up forming tight bonds on a number of levels is a really heartwarming reminder of the value of friendship in all stages of life, and especially as we get older. But ‘crones’ or not, this isn’t a book just for seniors by any means. It should be enjoyed by all. I’m pleased that it’s meant to be the first in a series and look forward to much more from a very talented author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this slightly bizarre, adventurous, funny, magical,
Coming of (slightly advanced) age book! A book about discovery, rediscovery, self-discovery. This book came out in August of 2022 and states that it is book 1
but I haven't been able to find anything else out about another book in this series. I'm really hoping there is more, I'd love to see where this is going!

These strong women prove age is nothing but a number! I look to forward to more in a series starring these incredible women!

Great book, really enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.