I just finished reading the novel 'How to Age Disgracefully', and I have to say, it's a breath of fresh air! This charmingly original gem by Clare Pooley was an absolute delight from start to finish. Although I had never read any of her work before, Clare has now become an automatic read author for me after just one book. I loved every single character in this novel, and they are still living rent-free in my mind! Along with the incredible characters its witty humor and heartwarming storyline made this book an absolute must read. ‘How to Age Disgracefully' is a 5++++ star novel that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted, yet meaningful read that will leave you feeling uplifted.

This is my third book by the author - I have read Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting and The Authenticity Project - both which were 5 star reads to me! At this point, this author is an auto-buy author for me!

This author is great at crafting a good story that makes you feel something at the end and also makes you fall in love with the characters along the way.

I'm a huge fan of the Thursday Murder Club and the Marlowe Mystery series both which follow characters who are older, and this gave me similar vibes. Our main characters come together to save their beloved community center! I love when a group of strangers/ people you wouldn't necessarily put together come together for a common good! I laughed, shed a few tears and had a big smile after finishing this book. Also, the cover is so much fun!


Thank you NetGalley, Clare Pooley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you for the arc! Love a book that features different age groups and makes it so delightful! A wonderful book focused on friendship and community! A light hearted fun read!!

This was my first Clare Pooley book, and it certainly won't be my last!

From the cover to the very last word, I was enthralled with this delightful story. It was full of laughs, heart, and (mostly) likable characters.

I've read over 30 books so far in 2024, and this is one of my top three favorites.

This book shows how you can have fun and make new friends at any age. I was enamored with this crew of senior citizens and their antics.

Five-fabulous stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group - Viking for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How to Age Disgracefully
I read and loved Clare Pooley’s two other novels and was excited to get the chance to read How to Age Disgracefully, her newest book which releases on June 11th, and it is my new favorite of her books. As with her other novels, this is the story of a group of people who come together and find community, and themselves, in the process.

When I started reading I was a little concerned that this felt a little close to the Thursday Murder Club, but my slight fear was quickly displayed as I realized this was going to be a story that I find unique to Clare Pooley. I love a story with a group of older protagonists, like Thursday Murder Club and others, and think this is a wonderful new addition to that genre. The author immediately draws you in with her funny and flawed cast of characters. It was a joy to follow along their adventures, over come obstacles and see each of them grow and become better together. I loved all the characters but especially Daphne, what a rock star!

The author’s note at the end made me tear up, as I am right at the same time of life as she is, and her note really hit home. How to Age Disgracefully is a funny and heartfelt story and I highly recommend you pick it up.

Thank you to Penguin Group Viking, Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for the digital ARC to review.

4.5 ⭐️Just like Iona Iverson’s Rules for
Commuting, Claire Pooley has created another masterpiece of found family, fun characters, and a heartwarming story featuring older non-stereotypical protagonists. I love how Pooley manages to bring such different characters together. She writes with such humor even when writing about some serious topics like infidelity, gang violence, and teenage pregnancy. She has greater another brilliant older female protagonist, Lydia, and I had so much fun following her adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman books for an advanced reader copy.

What do you get when you mix a group of senior citizens with a daycare and a motley crew of other community members? A ridiculously funny story; at least that’s the case with How to Age Disgracefully. The story follows 4 characters whose paths cross at the dilapidated Mandel community center. Lydia is hoping to finally have a career of her own entertaining seniors with some bingo, crafts and cakes. Daphne has just turned 70 and decided it’s time she makes some new friends, despite generally not liking anyone. Art is an actor best known for his portrayal of a dying man (or sometimes an already dead man). Ziggy is a teenage dad just trying to figure out how to survive high school, parenting and avoiding the grimy drug dealers hanging around his block. These characters plus the rest of the seniors group join forces in an attempt to save the crumbling community center.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. I can honestly say this book was fun and at times ridiculously funny. I read it in one sitting during a particularly long tattoo session. Not only did this outrageous story distract me from the pain, but it made me laugh out loud and fall in love with these outlandish personalities. Who says you can’t have sass and a whole lot of fun while aging. This is a perfect beach read coming out just in time for those summer vacations!

An entertaining and delightful read with unlikely friendships and sassy septuagenarians. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this humorous and adventurous tales that follows multiple strangers coming together to save their community center. This book is not only character driven but full of plot with mystery and suspense. This is my third Clare Pooley book and she is a marvelous author who someone can bring her characters to life and adds the perfect amount of drama and laughter. This story will having you laughing out loud and rooting for all the characters. Pooley has a way of creating real characters who are honest, flawed, raw, and heartwarming. The story shows that live doesn't end in your 50's let alone your 70's and never overlook a senior citizen. I highly recommend this charming book as well as all of Pooley's books!

Thank you to net galley and publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and feedback.

Charming, sweet, finished in one sitting. Loved this story and the characters that it featured. Maggie being my favorite!

This book was so much fun from the very first page. It was such a lighthearted and genuinely funny read. There was a big cast of characters but each of them felt really unique and realistic and worked wonderfully off each other to create a chaotic and heartwarming story.

I am unwell after reading this book. Truly. I picked it up this morning and could not put it down. I’m not exaggerating. This was the most wholesome, fun book I’ve read in a long time. Even in the thick of a depressive episode I found myself smiling for much of this book. When I wasn’t smiling, I was crying literal tears of happiness. This cast of characters is the greatest group of seniors (and teenage boy) that I’ve ever read about. They’re all hilarious and flawed and perfect. There’s just something about reading a book with senior characters that makes me happy. Fabulous book, fabulous ending.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. How To Age Disgracefully is out in June 2024 and you’re going to love it. I know I did!

I absolutely loved Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting so when I saw that Clare Pooley had a new book out, I requested an advanced copy right away! I love this author’s writing style - humorous, compassionate and great character development. Her latest book follows a similar format as her previous two books in that the reader is introduced to a number of characters whose lives become intertwined with each other. The author’s development of each character is such that the reader feels a personal connection to each one by the end of the story. The storyline itself is engaging and humorous with some twists and turns sprinkled throughout. If I could give this book a rating higher than five stars, I would! Loved it (and loved the reference to Iona Iverson, that she included in the storyline). Another winner for Clare Pooley!

This was a fun book. I enjoyed it immensely. Perfect for all ladies of a certain age. Sorry for the delay in posting!

After her last book (I LOVED the Iona Iverson shoutout in this book!), Claire Pooley became an auto-read author for me. This one added more kindling to that fire- she remains in one of my coveted auto-read spots (I don't have a ton). I loved the characters in this book. It wasn't hard to keep everyone straight but they were all endearing in their own way. Highly recommend adding this one to your summer to read list!

Are you over seventy? Why not join the Senior Citizens Social Club at the Mandel Community Center?

What a gem. Pooley’s How to Age Disgracefully is such a fun addition to the elderly main character era that made me laugh out loud. It’s humorous, witty, charming; reminiscent of Backman’s Ove, Sutanto’s Vera Wong, and Richard Osman’s cast of unlikely friends, while being entirely original. A favorite read of 2024!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Clare Pooley, and oh my gosh, why didn't anyone tell me about her brilliance before?! Like, seriously, I've been living under a rock not reading her stuff sooner!

Lydia, main protagonist, unwittingly thrust into a world teeming with eccentricity and mischief. Pooley has crafted a cast of characters so vibrant, so alive, that they practically leap off the page. Art, with his penchant for pilfering; Daphne, haunted by secrets buried in the recesses of her past; and Ruby, the Banksy of knitting—each one a masterpiece in their own right. So, when the city council decides to bulldoze their beloved hangout spot, that golden team isn't about to take it lying down!

This book had me laughing so hard. and I'm talking belly laughs that'll have you clutching your sides. But don't get it twisted—there's some serious heart in here too. Like, I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear or two (okay, maybe more like a waterfall) at some of the heartfelt moments.

I love how this book is totally fresh and unique! Like, how often do you see a book with a squad of seniors as the main crew? Clare Pooley totally nailed it with this one and I can't wait to read more of her works!

This is by far my favorite story so far this year!!! I love this author so much and this book doesn’t disappoint. What a fun group of misfits! I kept thinking about who should play each role when (not if) this is made into a movie. Each character has such depth- genuine souls who may be a bit broken but are living their lives the best they can. Claire Pooley is now one of my top five favorite authors.

This book follows a number of characters at varying stages of life and wisdom all coming together to save their community center. In the middle of this is Daphne, she's just turned 70, she's lonely, but she has a plan. So she goes to the community center to make friends. This mismatched group of people grow on her and she finds that maybe not everyone in the world sucks. You learn about all of these characters along the way but especially Daphne who has a wonderfully fun character arc.

Is a quick fun read with humor and a touch of found family.

This is a delightful, entertaining book that made me laugh out loud.

Lydia has a new job to start a senior citizens’ social club. It’s posted that this group will be meeting three times a week with activities such as bingo, bridge and singing.

Six people show up. Art is still trying to get acting jobs at 75 years old and it’s not working. He doesn’t feel old knowing that he’s younger than the US President. William is his retired friend. Ruby is there with her knitting needles. Anna is trying to find her sixth husband. Daphne, at 70 years old, wants to age as disgracefully as possible. Pauline has arrived with her little dog, Maggie, named after Margaret Thatcher.

The group starts by discussing their goals. Lydia wants suggestions and they say: skydiving, target practice, speed skating, karate, synchronized swimming and go-karting. This isn’t exactly what would work but it shows the excitement of soon-to-be friends.

What happens next as a misfortune turns into quite a dramatic spin. The plot moves quickly with an entanglement of players. It makes me think this could be headed to the movie screens as it’s filled with seniors that are all living on the edge. It’s full of surprises and keeps the pages moving. Everything seems to come together at the end in a satisfying way.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of June 11, 2024.

This is another wonderfully interwoven story by Clare Pooley. I have loved all of her characters, and these were some of the best. This book was uplifting and heartwarming- it flirted with corny but never quite crossed over for me. I love this style of book- it always amazes me when an author can climb into the heads of several characters and make you fall in love with them in such a short period of time. I love how Clare Pooley is able to make all of her characters relatable- no matter age, sex, race, etc. I love love loved this one, and can’t wait for more from her. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.