Unfortunately I was unable to get in to this story and had to put it down, however, I'm sure it is a highly loved book and appreciated by the right readers.

A wonderful read with charming characters and an engaging plot!! I look forward to reading more by this author.

Oh this book was a pleasure to read! It was sweet, funny and uplifting. It's the perfect book when you are feeling down or had bad couple of days. It was so lovely :) The characters are wonderful and there is a lot of laugh out loud moments. The book read almost itself and I was almost sad when it ended.

Always a joy to read a book from Lilly Bartlett and this really is no exception.

I loved getting to know all the residents at The Happy Home for Ladies, which is care home for ladies of a certain age, and has far more of a community feel to it than some. There are many clubs and activities daily, and it sounded like a really pleasant place to live.

We meet Phoebe on the day of her mother;s funeral, and I instantly felt a sort of kinship with her, as her relationship with her mother isn't simple, and neither is mine,

Phoebe is the cook at the care home, but not only that her best friend is the manager, her crush is the all around dogsbody of the place, and they are all friends to ladies that live there.

I loved hearing about the ins and outs of the home and its various residents, there were some very interesting sub plots at play, in addition to a few more serious ones too.

It is a well thought out, fun book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

A sweet tale of romance, easy to read with great characters. This book fits the pattern of her previous work . The book starts with a funeral, and follows the tale of Phoebe, a chef in a retirement home, as she tries to work out what’s she wants from her life. A good holiday read.

I liked this book but I think the best part were the old ladies, wonderful and quirky characters.
Phoebe seems to me a bit whiny and she pales comparing to the old ladies.
The plot was engaging, it was a fun and entertaining read.
I look forward to reading other books by this authors.
Many thanks to HarperImpulse and Netgalley for this ARC

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

This is a laugh out loud, fun story. The characters are heartwarming and the story is charming and engaging. I really loved this book and hope the author continues the story with a sequel. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for this honest review

If you're a fan of the Golden Girls, this book is for you. Hilarious hijinks. Loved it!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable tale filled with fun, laughs and feel good moments. The heart of the story is full of hope and the characters truly were a delight to get to know. It definitely had a cozy feel to it and would love the author to continue this story into a series.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is a laugh out load read. I really liked Phoebe and all the residents in the care home. Great read

A fantastic warm hearted lovely book about friendship with some great humorous moments.. fantastic read

I have to confess my favourite characters of this book were the seniors who brought much humour to the book. Essentially this is a romance, but it's all a bit complicated between Phoebe and Nick, who often seem to be on opposite sides in efforts to save the home.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for a review.

I have previously read and enjoyed books by this Author, and enjoyed them.
The cover and title of the book attracted me, and I was eager to read it.
Friendship house was set up by the Mother of Max, the manager. It was a home for women to live in in old age, be among friends and pay a reduced rate. Unfortunately as time passed, the home was losing money, so Max came up with an unpopular idea to save it, by introducing male residents. 
The main Character is Phoebe the chef , who works very hard, and often 
acts as the peacemaker between residents and management. Then there is Nick, her potential love interest, who is an enigma.
The other part of the story is about the residents and their past lives. I thought the stories about the residents were wonderful, and their different experiences were interesting.
The younger generation are not so endearing to me at first, but the mix of the older and younger characters make the story come together.
The book was good, but not quite as enjoyable as Lilly's previous books. It is a great light hearted and humerous read

I have read all Lilly’s books so far, and really enjoyed them, so it was an absolute pleasure to read “The Not So Perfect Plan To Save Friendship House”

The story focuses around Phoebe, whose mother has recently died, and who is the chef at a retirement home for ladies. There are lots of wonderful characters – Phoebe’s best friend, June, the home’s owner, Max, delivery man Davey, and physio Nick, as well as all the interesting residents.

The owner decides to open up the ladies’ home to men because the business isn’t financially viable, but nobody wants men living there, especially the owner’s awful father!

I had difficulty putting this down and loved every minute of it. A witty, heart-warming read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperImpulse for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I have loved all of Lilly Bartlett's books in the past, especially the Carlton House novels, but I must admit I was a tad disappointed in The Not So Perfect Plan To Save Friendship House. The cold open is one of the most bizarre few chapters I have ever read - I understand Phoebe's mother was a bit judgemental, but for Phoebe to be so blase about her death was just wrong on all kinds of levels. If anything ever happened to either of my parents, touch wood, I wouldn't know what to do for grief. It just seemed so false and I didn't understand it.

That just made the novel feel off-kilter to me and I just couldn't get back the warmth I normally associate with Bartlett's books. This one just wasn't for me, which was a big shame because I wanted to like Phoebe and the gang so much, but that opening just left me confused and baffled, in all honesty and I couldn't get past it.

Just look at the cover for The Not So Perfect Plan to Save Friendship House - it's just so inviting that I could not pass it by...

We meet Phoebe at her mum's funeral, with who she has had a slightly tricky relationship with over the years. She's a chef working at an all female retirement home, where her best friend June is the manager, and it's a job she absolutely loves.

Not only trying to come to terms with her feelings about her mum dying, she's also recently messed up with her love interest and fellow colleague, Nick, and to top it all off, owner Max then announces that he's going to open the doors to men moving in!

This doesn't go down well with anyone, so, Phoebe, June and the ladies in the home decide to do something about it and start a campaign against it....

It took me a little while to warm to Phoebe, but I don't find this a bad thing in a novel - just like in real life we sometimes don't quite fully get and understand a person until more of their story comes to light, and this was how I felt with Phoebe, and her situation with Nick especially. Once more light was shed on this, I really warmed to her. She's a character who I'm guessing a lot of people will be able to relate to; she values her job, she loves coming to work everyday and it fulfils her completely, but her parents wanted more and she's always been made to feel a disappointment to them - all the while they constantly praise her brother, Will, for going to University and having the high flying/paying job. Despite this, Phoebe never let anyone deter her away from what she loved and it shows how strong a person she is.

The biggest charm for me in this story and what I loved most was the retirement home itself and the colourful bunch of ladies living there. Dot, Maggie and (my favourite) Laney are all unique individuals, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them all and learning about their past lives and hidden secrets. I've worked in care for many, many years and currently in a residential environment, and let me tell you, the elderly are every bit as territorial and petty as they are in this story - you can't actually believe what they can be like until you witness it, therefore the author captured this wonderfully for me - I was just nodding along and laughing at how real it all was!

I really enjoyed having the mix of young and old in this novel as main characters - it's something we don't see very much in a rom-com and I'm definitely open to more. I loved how the story really captured the friendships between the varying ages and backgrounds and highlighted how age is nothing when it comes to forming friendships. It has all the easy, light-heartedness that you want in a rom-com, but with a little added depth in looking at old age, pushy parents, and the importance of following YOUR dreams, doing what makes YOU happy and not fitting to how someone else wants to shape you!

The Not So Perfect Plan to Save Friendship House is a story about new beginnings, community and friendships, with the right mix of heart-warming, poignant and very funny moments. It's a novel that gradually grew on me, but by the end I was most sad to be saying goodbye to 'Friendship House' - but none the less was left with a smile on my face.

Thank you to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for allowing me to read The Not So Perfect Plan to Save Friendship House in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is like a cup of tea! It’s not exciting or dramatic, it’s familiar, comfortable and just what you need after a hectic day!

This is a story of friendship. Of mistrust. Of coming together to celebrate friendship and work out differences.

Phoebe Stockton is the chef at the all female senior living home, her friend June is the manager, and they love their residents and cherish the friendships that they have with the ladies. But the owner, Max, drops a bombshell on them all; he is bringing his father Terence to the home. Technically speaking Terence owns the house, but his rude behaviour and appaling manner send Phoebe, June, and the female residents into a spin.

Then there’s Nick. Nick is “one of the girls” but when Terence comes to live with them he tries to smooth things over, which gets Phoebe’s back up. In her mind Nick can do no wrong, shes had a crush on him ever since he came to work at the home. He’s gorgeous, he’s charming, he’s funny, and he’s a hit with the ladies in the home.

Max then delivers another blow, he’s bringing his daughter into the fold. Tamsyn is brought in to replace one of the helpers who left suddenly after Terence pinched her bottom! Tamsyn is not at all interested in doing any work, instead she hangs around Nick, cosying up to him and getting on Phoebe’s nerves.

At the very beginning of the story we are introduced to Phoebe as she attends her mother’s funeral. Despite the sadness of the occasion the storyline is heart-warming and inviting.

This is a wonderfully uplifting story that immediately draws the reader in. Phoebe is a lovely character and very witty too. I felt for Nick because I had guessed what was really going on with him, but obvioulsy the reader doesn’t find this out until much later in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters, apart from Tamsyn, she irritated me but I expect that was the author’s intention. I would definnitely recommend this book.

It took me some time to warm towards the story and the main character Phoebe. I still think the senior characters in the story were more interesting than the younger ones.
I had expected more plotting to prevent the owner from taking male residents as suggested by the title and the blurb. Admittedly there were some funny turns of the plot, but it was not quite what I had hoped for.
So it was a nice reading, but not my greatest book experience I'm afraid.