Hilarious book that was just enough chaos and warmth to keep me engaged. This book jump started my summer reading and I think a big part of that was due to the pace, short chapters and zippy dialogue.

This book was a blast, with a great cast of characters. It follows a group of septuagenarians, all of whom are trying to make friends and find new purpose in life, and the wild misadventures they get into. You’ll grow to love the entire cast, and the ending is incredibly feel-good and satisfying. This is a light, fun read, and I very much enjoyed it!

This was cute. I liked the different relationships between the characters. They were all pretty funny and likable.

Such an adorable story of found family! This story starts out hilariously as a bus is pulled over with senior citizens and children and they all start confessing their deepest and darkest secrets. We then go back earlier in time and meet all the characters. A washed up actor, a reclusive woman with a secret, the operator of the senior citizen club, a teen dad and more. We follow them through the ups and downs and it was just a cute and lovely story.

4.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙏𝙤 𝘼𝙜𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮
by Clare Pooley
352 pages
June 11, 2024

Thank you @netgalley @pameladormanbooks for the opportunity to read this delightful story with an amazing ensemble cast.

I am wishing this one would go straight to the screen with its appealing story line of British boomers saving the day for themselves, their community and the middle-aged leader of their senior social club.

This book captivated me instantly with its hilarious opening scene, and then I fell for the characters. Can I say I see Helen Mirren as a fabulous Daphne? Or that I’d really get a kick out of a knitting needle bearing Maggie Smith if this went to screen?

That is to say, this crew engaged me, made me giggle, and I think this is a funny story I could recommend to anyone who loves a heartwarming comedy involving seniors out to save the day as well as themselves. Their mission was to save their community center, but ends up being more meaningful as they meet teen single dad Ziggy and team up with the kids at the nursery next door to achieve their goals.

I needed a feel good and fiercely fun read. This fit the bill.

Reminded me in many ways of Love, Actually & A Man Called Ove.

Delightful. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookreviews #newbooks #howtoagedisgracefully #currentlyreading #bookstagram #humorousbooks

This was truly delightful! This book had me literally laughing out loud at the characters - this book is filled with characters that will steal your heart and make you smile. Claire Pooley does such a beautiful job with characters who are considered "senior citizens" but are so smart and witty and use their age & other people's perceptions of them to their advantage. The found family and friendships that are created throughout this novel truly just had me hooked and I cared so much about each person that we met - and this is a big cast of characters.

I have always wanted to read Claire Pooley - I even have one of her other books on my shelves - and this book has absolutely solidified that I will be seeking out ALL of her backlist. This is just one of those books that will make you feel all the feels and make you sad to say goodbye to these utterly delightful characters - including a dog named Margaret Thatcher!

Read This Book If You Love:
Found Family
Humor & Wit
Multiple Narrators
Loveable & Smart Characters
Kids Community Theatre
An Adorable Dog
The Thursday Murder Club Series (minus the murder, but with a little mystery!)

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House Audio for advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion!

Clare Pooley does it again. I love the way she writes older characters, of having wisdom but still a lot of fun. Though I don’t want to say I want to be just like Daphne, there is a part of me that would like to be like Daphne. I laughed, I cried. My heart was warmed.

Clare Pooley did it again with How to Age Disgracefully, an engaging story with a large cast of entertaining characters that you can't help but root for! Having read and enjoyed her two previous novels, The Authenticity Project and Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, I was excited to read How to Age Discracefilly. Although I did have a little bit of trouble keeping all the characters straight in the beginning of the book, once I had them figured out it was a pure joy to read. Lydia runs the local Senior Citizens: Social Club which is right next to the day care center. Our story centers around the eclectic group of senior citizens as well as a teenage father who sends his daughter to the day care next door. The city council threatens to sell the building and all matters of fun ensues in order to save the day care and social club. I especially enjoyed how Pooley so effectively tells an entertaining cross generational story that has you rooting for each and every character. Don't miss this highly entertaining story which shows that it's never too late to start again. Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. It was a great read which I give 4 stars.

I loved this one . I love books where characters aren’t 20 etc and so one . I love the seniors in this book and the fact they are pictured living full engaging lives . It was an absolute joy to read
Thanks to net galley for letting me review the book

A hoot with heart!

I saw Clare Pooley's books described this way and I thought it fit perfectly. I've read two of hers now (this and The Authenticity Project) and found both to be a pleasure. I was unsure about this one because this is a plot that has been rewritten an awful lot but the characters stole the show.

Summary
How to Age Disgracefully is a comedy novel by Clare Pooley about a senior citizens' center and a daycare that collide with unexpected results.

British
Fun and complex characters
Told from multiple perspectives
British humor

If you're looking for a feel good book with no romance, this could be your book! Have you read anything by Pooley?

Thank you @netgalley for this free copy!
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* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book has quite the entertaining cast of characters! That seems to be what Pooley enjoys writing the most. This is my second book of hers (my first being The Authenticity Project) and I think I enjoyed this one much more. She really draws you in at the beginning, and then you get to know the characters over the course of the book. The middle can get a tad slow, but it really picks up with the big plan at the end.

Would recommend!

3.5⭐️

A senior social club and a daycare join forces in this heart-warming and laugh out loud funny novel.

What I loved…
- laugh out loud funny
- a ridiculous cast of characters
- found family to the max
- a peak into the lives and struggle of an older generation

What I didn’t love…
- this was slow to start and dragged in a lot of places for me
- multiple POVs felt a little disconcerting at times.

This might be a book better suited for an age group above where I fall (37 for the record), which I realize is completely a me problem, as I didn’t connect with the story in the way I hoped to.

A disparate group of people come together in a seniors group at a community center, seeking companionship and connection. Hijinks ensue in the best possible way. I absolutely loved this book, filled with great characters and laugh out loud humor. I got the sense the author had a lot of fun writing it. I’ve never read this author before, but I will absolutely be looking for her other books.

What a fun and entertaining book, filled with quirky characters and humor. Lydia started a job in the community senior center, housed with a daycare, AA and more. The characters in the senior center all have quirks and secrets, some even criminal. Art is a former actor, Daphne is a strong personality, lonely and looking for friends. Ziggy is a young man who drops off his baby, Kylie, to daycare, becoming involved with the seniors. The community center is threatened with demolition, and the group comes together to find a way to save the center. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an enjoyable feel-good story! The eclectic mix of septuagenarians at the community center band together to solve many problems, most importantly the closing of the community center. They are a quirky clever group and make some unlikely friendships while helping each other out.

How to Age Disgracefully is HILARIOUS. It is not my typical genre, and I'm so very grateful I took a chance on venturing outside my comfort zone. These characters are all incredibly lovable and fun. This is such a feel-good read that is clever, without any fluff. I fully enjoyed this from the first page and savored reading it.
Massive thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for this ARC!

This was fun! A light hearted and comical quick and easy read! This was a new to me author but I think I’ll see what other titles she has available. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Cute and quirky quick read - some of the characters reminded me of The Thursday Murder Club. Perfect for when you want something fun to breeze through.

I really wanted to like this one, but it just fell flat for me. I think the main issue I had was the lack of character development. We got a good amount from Lydia and from Daphne, but Daphne was clearly the most interesting character in the book and we just didn't get much from her until about the last third of the story, maybe fourth. Maybe some flashbacks to her former life? Introducing readers sooner to her background? I also wanted more from the secondary characters. Anna and Ruby had to have fascinating backstory and we didn't get much of anything. The story itself was creative and had promise, but it just moved incredibly slowly. 2.5 stars.

Senior center and daycare team up with an unlikely set of characters which makes for a charming story. It was cute, but I didn’t have any laugh out loud moments. I would recommend this for a heartwarming read.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC. The opinion expressed is truly my own.