A fun, fast-paced, enjoyable read. Perfect to read in your beach chair.

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

After reading 'A Grand Old Time', I was looking forward to reading 'The Age of Misadventure'. but whilst the story follows a multi-generational family's adventures, it lacks the laugh out loud and charm of the first book.

Georgie at fifty-five is divorced, running her own business. She doesn't have the time nor the inclination for a man in her life trying to keep her family on track. Consisting of a petulant daughter in her early twenties, Jade, her aunt, known by the family as Nan, and her sister Bonnie whose feckless husband, Georgie has never liked, she finds they are drifting apart. When her brother-in-law's actions threaten the family's safety, Georgie takes them away from home to hide on the south coast.

I like Georgie, she is relatable, as are her family problems. The other characters are harder to empathise, Jade's behaviour is immature and reminiscent of a teenager. Nan seems a little stereotypical for a woman in her eighties. She's portrayed as absent-minded, stroppy and always complaining and this seems at odds with the story's ethos of having fun and age being unimportant. Bonnie, should be the most complex of the characters, but she lacks authenticity.

There are laughable moments and lots of action, but the pace is slow in parts.

Overall, a lighthearted read, for those who enjoy satirical humour.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Unusual storyline in that it starts as a feel good family tale but then things become more sinister. I found the characters interesting and believable.

The Age of Misadventure, by Judy Leigh, is an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable read about women past fifty who discover that there is still time to grow, change, find love, and overhaul their lives. Leigh’s novel is a fast-paced caper of four related women who flee Liverpool to escape danger, which inevitably follows them to Brighton. While this novel layers mystery and danger with laugh-out-loud comedy and romance, it is the story of family, and the relationships between mothers and daughters, sisters, and caregivers and the elderly receiving the care. Some moments are so authentic, they felt more like memories of my own family than fiction.

Some plot twists are implausible, and the author ties a neat bow around the ending. Sometimes, however, a feel-good ending is just what the reader needs! Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read the electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Georgina is a divorced mother of one, with her own ‘spa business on the ground floor of her house, a twenty-four year old daughter who does personal training in between nights out with her friends, and a sister married to a wanna-be gangster who, despite his oily charm, has never been a favorite of the family. His wife, Bonnie is a simpering and quite “oh but he loves me’ sort, far too willing (or afraid) to put her own feet on the ground and behave sensibly. With Georgie’s apparent ‘need’ to control everything she can and protect Bonnie, all while trying to make ends meet and spending 3 days a week caring for Nanny (a great aunt Anne that has always been ‘nanny”) who lives in a tiny flat across town. But now, Jade has decided to move on with a new man, much to Georgie’s dismay and oft-spoken negativity and Bonnie’s husband Adie is running from a bigger and more threatening gangster than he is – leaving them all flummoxed.

Georgie decides that moving Jade in with the new boyfriend in Brighton is going to go better (and perhaps she can talk some sense into her to slow down) if she drives her there – bringing Bonnie and Nanny with her, as the time has come where Georgie has decided Bonnie must leave her husband. A road trip, several false clues of which most came to naught as Bonnie was too “distraught’ to actually think sensibly, meant not only Adie but the gangster he was trying to cheat were far too close behind, a six or eight hour trip turned into 3 days, flat tire, short tempers and a colossal problem on the other end.

What emerges here are several different things: the improvement in Nanny as she has regular good food, entertainment and company make her brighter – and her mispronunciations are just hysterical – cross ants, deduce, etc. – just delightful. Bonnie does, eventually, grow a spine – but her moping, selfish and utterly childish behavior had me wanting to toss her off a cliff more than once. Jade’s relationship with Luis was calming for her, and wonderful to see how he accepted her and the craziness that arrived, even as Georgie was trying desperately to see the ‘what happens when” rather than the what was. From the childish mutterings of Georgie, most based in her hurt when her marriage ended, and her fear that it will happen again, her reluctance to accept that Jade has grown up and needs her own life, and the frustration from the near “house arrest” because of dangers from Bonnie’s ex, everyone has a chance to grow up, change and find yet another path to start off along, even in their 50’s (or 80’s as in the case of Nanny). Clever, with true laugh out loud moments and plenty of heart, the writing and character growth and development are fabulous and sure to please readers who want something more than the ‘expected’ growth and change story.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-ait/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

My feelings are a bit mixed about this book. I was looking forward to reading it as I loved Judy Leigh's previous book, 'A Grand Old Time', however I finished it feeling rather disappointed.

Georgie is divorced, runs her own beauty business with her daughter Jade & visits Nanny- her aunt, a couple of times a week. She worries about her sister Bonnie who is married to the smarmy Adie who is decidedly mixed up with some unsavoury things. Jade falls in love & plans to be off to be with her footballer lover. Georgie is devastated but hasn't got time to mope as Adie's dodgy dealings puts Bonnie in danger. So taking Nanny & Bonnie she sets off on the run with a very reluctant Jade.

There were definitely laugh out loud moments where Nanny completely stole the show & I think she was the main reason I kept on reading. Bonnie was a pain, Jade was a spoilt brat & I didn't know what to make of Gorgie, but Nanny was a star throughout. She dragged this book up from a 3* to a 4* as I can't give halves!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. This book is light, funny & enjoyable. It follows Georgina, her daughter Jade, her sister Bonnie and her Aunt Nan as they travel from Liverpool to Brighton to get away from Bonnie's husband. I enjoyed the family dynamics between the 3 generations of women and they were all characters.

Oh Good God, I was so disappointed with this book as I was hoping for something a little bit....more.

This is the story of Georgie, her daughter Jade, sister Bonnie and her old Aunt Nan. Georgie has sworn off men after her husband left her for another woman. Jade is smitten with the Premier League footballer she has just started dating, Bonnie is married to a horrible man who owes money to some nasty people, and old Aunt Nan is just a little bit....crazy.

Beware: Spoilers follow!!

I was very disappointed with what followed and passed for story. Bonnie's husband is no good but Bonnie won't listen - not only is he no good, he owes money to a gangster who threatens to kill Bonnie if he doesn't pay up. Georgie decides to leave Liverpool with her sister, daughter and aunt to go and lie low in Brighton where her daughter has decided to move to with her footballer boyfriend. They decide that the best way to get there and cover their tracks at the same time is by driving all the way to Edinburgh, then head to the Lake District, then Northampton and finally Brighton - is it really necessary to do all of that? All it seemed to do was serve as a vehicle for Jade to moan that she was being kept from the man that she loved having only met him two weeks previously.

When they finally arrive in Brighton the women all go and stay in the same apartment block as Jade and her boyfriend - he has a friend who has fortuitously gone to America for knee surgery meaning they can hide out at his place for a few months. Georgie is the only one who ever leaves the flat, venturing into the town to look around where - surprise, surprise - she meets a tall, dark, handsome man who she falls for. Jade, meanwhile continues to be petulant, rude and arrogant, ignoring her mothers phone calls and text messages.

It isn't long before Bonnie has revealed their entire whereabouts to her husband and they are soon being threatened by the gangster who is after the money, a gangster who apparently prefers to do all the threatening himself rather than using henchmen to do it for him. The girls soon go to the police and are assigned police close protection officers to take care of them - and what a useless pair they are, as first Aunt Nan and then Georgie manage to give the protection officers the slip on numerous occasions. In the meantime, the police run around like lunatics trying to find the gangster while he appears to be hiding behind a tree as he materializes every time Georgie leaves the flat, yet the police are always looking for him and "getting close" to arresting him. Jade just continues to moan and protest that they have to have it all sorted out in the next few days because it is all inconvenient for her and her boyfriend, who's game has started to suffer as a result of.....I'm not sure what.

The final climactic scene ends with the gangster managing to get into the flat past both police officers and get Jade and her boyfriend down from the flat upstairs where he holds them all at gunpoint threatening to shoot them one by one until they tell him where the money is hidden - clues to which are on a charm bracelet that Bonnie is wearing. The day is saved by Super Aunt Nan who manages to sneak out of the bedroom, down the corridor, into the kitchen where she finds a plastic veg spiralizer and uses it as a pretend gun to threaten the gangster with...I mean really???

I couldn't wait to get to the end of this book so that I could move on to something better. It's a shame really because there is the makings of a good plot here but it's been so poorly handled that it ended up being dreadful.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Georgie Turner’s entire life revolves around her family— even if they might not appreciate it. Though she has the best intentions by focusing on her daughter, sister, and aunt, she can’t help but feel that she’s stepping on their toes. However, when her sister Bonnie’s husband gets caught up in a shady business deal, Georgie hastily decides they have no choice but to gather together and hide out on the coast of Sussex in what turns out to be the adventure of a lifetime.

Author Judy Leigh has written a novel of family. Like family, much of the plot is heartwarming and feel-good. Also like family, there’s plenty of frustration. That’s not to suggest any parts of this book are bad— it’s a rollicking time. Rather, Leigh has managed to jam her characters together into a complicated situation, and sometimes their annoyances in a high-stakes environment are palpable. Sometimes Jade, the twenty-something daughter, can be irrational. Other times Nan, the grandmother figure, can be difficult. But Georgie and, in turn, the reader, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Brilliantly, because Leigh allows her characters the chance to be temporarily unlikable, it gives them ample space to grow. Each is given a moment to shine, and Leigh has a precise ability to give an authentic voice to each generation of character.

All of this unfolds around a unique adventure centered on keeping Bonnie safe from her sleazy husband’s business contacts. These ladies, led by Georgie, navigate a spur of the moment journey involving gorgeous lodgings, secret love, a bit of prosecco, and the unbreakable bond of family. It’s a wild, rather sweet, ride.

First, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book! It was laugh out loud so many times throughout the book! I carried my Kindle with me everywhere, so every time I had a moment, I was reading this!

Following the escapades of Georgina, who's 50 something, her sister, Bonnie, and their 80 something Aunt Nan. I loved every minute of this story! There is mystery, romance, and hilarity. You never know what you're going to get from one page to the next!

I had not heard of this author, but am going to go get every one of her books! This was a feel-good story that i didn't want to end! I want to know more about each of them in the future!

This is light, funny, and at times annoying. A family of women- headlined by Georgie- take off for the beach and talk about their lives, loves, and each other. In this case, the interactions, especially between Georgie and her daughter Jade, are so realistic. Bonnie can be a pill and Nan, well, Nan is a treat. These four women at different stages and ages in life have a good adventure together. Nothing too deep but a good read. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Funny and enjoyable. This was a feel good read. It was a bit slow in places but well written overall.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Yes, all 3 of us - let's leave Liverpool and go to Brighton...

Why? Well, there's the rub - we need to get out of town quick, 'cos a bad man is after us...

But we can borrow this really smart flat with lovely views. Just one problem - we can't leave it, because someone's very stupid husband made a very bad and very dodgy deal and now they are after us to pony up. Which of course we can't. So we need to stay hidden. 2 sisters and an elderly, but game Aunty.

I wish this story had been quite as amusing as it would seem from the description. I did think that Nan was brilliant but found the sister weak and whiny and very shallow with nothing at all humorous about her. The potential elements were there for a really great story that would make a brilliant film. But it just missed its mark for me.

A fun read, started out really well but lost momentum in the middle for awhile, picked up towards the end. I enjoyed the angst between mother and daughter, not overdone. A nice read,

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A brilliant story that enforces the fact that you are never too old to try new experiences. Clean out the old and bring in the new.
It demonstrates that you don’t have to take what life deals you.
It is up to you as an individual whether you are old or young to shape your life experiences.
One of those books that is enjoyable to read especially if you are a women of a certain age
Just loved it

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Read this book over the weekend and whilst it was not brilliant it was still enjoyable.

I enjoyed some of the characters in this book. Georgie and Nan to be precise but Georgie’s daughter and sister were a bit much and didn’t make me enjoy the story as much as I should have. The four ladies are on the run to escape a criminal who is threatening to harm the sister and her husband.
I think the book could have been shortened and some of the far fetched storylines omitted.

The Age of Misadventure by Judy Leigh is a complex book.

First of all it raises some very serious questions, but doesn't treat them properly. Of all four characters I found three of them so obnoxious, ungrateful and downright rude and that grated on my nerves so much that I couldn't quite concentrate on the book.

Georgie is a fifty something mother of an adult daughter and they work from the same place. She has a sister who is married to a local entrepreneur and ladies man. Then there is a aunt who lives all by herself and who Georgie is looking after.
Jade, Georgie's daughter falls in love with the footballer and wants to move to Brighton at the same time as Georgie's sister's no good husband gets himself into proper mess, by owning money to some very scary people. Georgie sees this as a chance for all four of them to have a bit of a holiday and get away from Liverpool until things settle down. So they go off on an adventure.

Georgie is such a lovely character. She is nice to everybody while all of them treat her like dirt. Expecting her to cook, clean, cater to their every whim while all they do is complain and behave like ungrateful idiots.

Jade, can't spare a moment to respond to her mom's text but she has a time to take her father out to dinner.
Bonnie, Georgie's sister is a really thick idiot who can't seem to realize that her cheating husband is just using her and doesn't care for her even a little.
Aunt Nan although complaining all the time and demanding things to miraculously appear, has at least an excuse of being old and sometimes quite understanding and helpful.

This is a combination of love story, tale about family and its relationship and a mystery all thrown together.

I like a romance aspect. I rooted for the main character while hating all others. The style is light and easy to read. Although at times I found the story to be dragging a bit.

The Age of Misadventure is a very enjoyable ,fun book .I had previously read A Grand Old Time and loved it so was looking forward to reading Judy Leigh's new book and I wasn't disappointed .The story is about Georgie a fifty something single lady who has no desire for a boyfriend ,her younger sister Bonnie married to Adie a dodgy character ,her daughter Jade who she is growing apart from and Nan who is Georgie' and Bonnie's 88 yr old Aunt .Bonnies's husband Adie gets caught up in dodgy dealings and runs away leaving Bonnie to deal with gangsters so Georgie decides they should all disappear to Brighton ,hoping to evade the gangsters ,what follows next is sometimes scary ,hilarious and heartwarming .All the main characters are so well written I felt I knew them .Really enjoyable ,feelgood family story .Many thanks to the Publisher ,The Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review.

Having loved Judy Leigh's first book, I felt it worth taking up the publisher's offer and reading The Age of Misadventure. The blurb seems to offer a similar harum-scarum chase, and in some ways it's true. But instead of escaping from the prison of an old people's home, this one features a silly woman escaping from her shyster husband.

It's a very family-orientated book. Georgie's long-standing protective attitude towards her younger sister will doubtless resonate with many. The concerns of both women for their daughters and the relationships they are in, ditto. The care given to Nan, who is actually Auntie, trapped in her home with little heat and company. It's all great stuff.

Actually I found the sister thing suffocating, and got extremely irritated with both of them, but I did wonder if that was just that I don't have a sister. Maybe this is a sister thing?

The trouble with the book really stems from the stupidity of each of the characters. How does 'escaping from your husband and not leaving a trail' not go into the pea-brain of the sister, who uses her husband's credit card all the way around the country? Well, that's a clever plot point. The way Georgie then managed to escape from the flat for secret trysts without alerting the police who were on duty to watch for the stalker really irritated me—both for her irresponsibility and the implication that the police simply weren't watching. Is this forgivable in a crazy adventure where the protagonists continually make really bad choices?

I got so exasperated with them. But the characters are really well drawn, the adventures in various parts of the UK nicely done, the uncertainty over which of the contacts was really a stooge (why didn't she just google the so-called journalist?). The problems are worth seeing if and how they sort themselves out. And Nan has some wonderful malapropisms and failures of idiom (as does the Spanish boyfriend, who's a hoot).

So, it's worth reading. Funny. Exciting. Exasperating. Take your pick.