Member Reviews

I loved the story of Evelyn. Such a brilliant book and so inspiring to take life and go with it. I just loved it

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This is a wonderful story, with an original storyline. It hooked me from beginning to end. It is good to read a story with older characters. I found it both intriguing and moving. I won't say more as I don't want to give spoilers.

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This is an amusing heartwarming story. The premise was very engaging. It is nice to see the elderly characters. The author has managed to deal sympathetically with sensitive issues.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The reference to the holiday club makes it sound as though this book will be all about the holiday. The Christmas break away is far from what was expected, and each character reacts differently to the challenges presented. Their backgrounds are revealed slowly, and I loved reading about the developing relationships as forced proximity brings about the need to interact. The thoughts, emotions and reactions described as the characters reveal their stories and events unroll are completely credible, especially with the references to their ages and health issues. I thought this was an excellent debut novel and I've signed up to follow this author.

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I loved this story. Every single bit. Different and fun with fantastic characters and setting. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

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It took me a while to completely warm to Evelyn, but once I did I really enjoyed this book.

Especially once we discover just what a scumbag her husband really is, and not just for the reason we are initially led to believe.

It's the reason why Evelyn against her normal personality books a short coach trip to the Isle of Wight over Christmas, in the hopes of getting some answers.

However she isn't great at mixing with people, and there are two other ladies on this trip that seem determined to befriend her.

Which turns into a rather unlikely alliance, and I was certainly surprised by the twist in Joy's story too.

I really enjoyed this debut novel, and am intrigued to see what the author rights next.

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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โ€œSometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reason".

๐—–๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ
I am not the biggest fan of this cover. the title appealed to me though.

๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€
second chances
mystery
friendship
grief
holiday

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต๐˜๐˜€
Aside from the fact that its such a heartbreaking book, i really did enjoy it. christmas is heavily featured but i wouldn't call it a festive book (unless you enjoy crying at Christmas time)

๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€
Literally cant remember anyones names, but the main character i loved. i felt so bad for her and felt like she coped really well with the hand she was dealt. All side characters had smaller stories but tied in well.

๐—ช๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
I found it was written so well. I kept turning the page wanting to know what happened next.

๐—”๐—ป๐˜†๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—œ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ?
It was so sad!!!

๐—™๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ
"But itโ€™s my story, too, and no oneโ€™s allowing me access to it."

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A lighthearted funny book telling the story of three older women, Evelyn Joyce and Cynthia on a coach trip. Perfect holiday reading. I really enjoyed this.

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A coach trip to the Isle of Wight, with three mature ladies, Evelyn, Cynthia and Joy, each looking for something.
This book had some extremely funny moments. A excellent read with fantastic relatable characters, great location and many twists and turns to the plot.
An easy, light hearted read which I highly recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley, Head of Zeus, Aria and Kate Galley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

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This book was a very light hearted read, three old ladies get up to misadventures, bit with some serious matters thrown in

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For fans of the Tuesday murder club, this is a great story about Evelyn, who is the main character and her life after the death of her husband. This is a really entertaining story that would appeal to all ages, but especially those in their later years. The three women in the book are all in their 70s and made me laugh and really kept the story moving along. It goes to show that you are never told old to have fun and make new friends. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a good fun entertaining read.

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โ€œItโ€™s never too late to change the habits of a lifetime.โ€

The Second Chance Holiday Club is a lovely book about three women who meet on a bus trip. Itโ€™s a heartwarming story about how itโ€™s never too late to make new friends. I loved the element of mystery as well.

3 stars!

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Oh my what a joy of a book! Evelyn's journey to the Isle of Wight to deliver a letter she found in her dead husband's pocket addressed to another woman she, nor the reader, had any idea of the poignant, funny and at times deeply sad journey they were about to go on.
Extremely well written with characters you genuinely care about.

Please read
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review

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I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Second Chance Holiday Club by Kate Galley from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and feedback. This was a great book and had characters that were older than usual which made for a lovely read. I thought this was a fantastic read that was very heartfelt. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading many more by Kate Galley.

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Evelyn Pringle makes a shock discovery about her now deceased husband, which gets her thinking about doing something rather different in her life. No husband means she has to start making decisions more for herself in order to continue in life. What she discovers, with a ring makes her do something out of the ordinary, for her. She up sticks and leaves the house for a marvellous adventure on the Isle of Wight. On this new adventure she seems to find a new zest for life and finds that she can even make some new friends.

Thereโ€™s humour, sadness and poignancy abound as you join Evelyn on this holiday, where she tries to discover a new path for her life, but also a link to her old life, in the most unusual manner. What she does, takes some courage to do, even with her newfound support of new friends.

Evelyn is a complex character, as was her marriage in some ways. Peel back the layers in what is an enjoyable book of a very different type of holiday.

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The Second Chance Holiday Club by Kate Galley tells the story of a woman who sets out to discover the mystery of the ring found on her dead husband. Evelyn Pringle can be described as pragmatic and introverted. The combination of an unexplained ring found on her dead husband and a letter addressed to Margaret on his desk is the catalyst for her out-of-character solo trip. The destination is the Isle of wright on a "turkey and tinsel" coach trip.

The trip starts disastrously for Evelyn as she is forced to engage with fellow travellers Cynthia and Joy. Her fellow passengers will not allow Evelyn the privacy she craves. The holiday did not live up to the idyllic getaway promised. Their misadventures provided humour for the novel. As the story unravelled, the secrets of the three main characters were laid bare.

The novel is life-affirming as the three friends examine what they were running from and intentionally resolve to make changes for the future.

The author skillfully tackles grief, adultery, neglect and reinventing oneself in mature years.

It delivers a good argument for the tagline on the cover - it's never too late to change the habit of a lifetime.

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When Evelyn Pringleโ€™s husband Tony dies, her life it thrown into disarray and not for the reasons you think. When sorting through his possessions she comes across a piece of jewellery and a letter written by her husband to another woman. Evelyn knows she has a decision to make, ignore the letter and let the past gnaw away at her, or delivery the letter to the recipient who lives on the Isle Of Wight.

Before she knows whatโ€™s happening, Evelyn finds herself waiting for a coach which takes her and others on an adventure no one could have predicted โ€“ least of all Evelyn herself. Making new friends in Joy and Cynthia, the trio discover that it's never too late to have a second chance at life.

When I started this book, I didnโ€™t really like Evelyn, she seemed grumpy and pushed away everyone who tried to help her, but over the course of the story, you see her vulnerable side and this is mainly thanks to Joy and Cynthia who are two people you would really want as friends.

I would love to read a follow up in a little while to see what route their paths took โ€“ a fantastic debut novel.

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My heart! This story made me feel such a wide range of emotions. It was truly fabulous!

Thank you for the digital ARC! All options expressed are completely my own.

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This is a really great 1st book by this author and I really
look forward to reading more of their work in the future.

Three ladies in their 70โ€™s separately decide to embark on an impromptu Christmas trip to the Isle of Wight, each of them wanting to escape something at home.

Disaster strikes as the accommodation is double booked and they reluctantly cater for themselves at a downtrodden hotel which is due for closure. Bonding together and looking at their lives is instrumental to each of them accepting their fate and working on their future.

So well written and with some hard hitting and emotional themes.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a great debut from Kate Galley. I wasn't sure what to make of Evelyn to begin with, but a few chapters in I was totally invested in her story, quickly followed by those of the other characters. The development of the women's friendship is beautifully written and the issues they are dealing with is sensitively handled. It was refreshing to read about older characters and I loved the ending to their story. I will definitely be looking out for more by this author.

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