The Golden Girls' Road Trip

This was a truly lovely book, I think I read it within 24 hours... I'm not exactly sure, but it can't have been more than a day and a half.

I enjoyed the lovely detail about the knitting, being a knitter myself. And also being a fine artist, I'm glad in this case a painter wasn't depicted being quirky, overly eccentric, whimsical as in untrustworthy or unreliable, otherworldly... well, you get the picture :)

Having my own currently personal dealings with difficult people who in this case are definitely not remorseful, this book was a breath of fresh air. Funny (what would you use as an emergency bookmark – as in the first chapter), heartfelt, witty, and warm.

The Golden Girls' Road Trip well deserves to be on my for-a-rainy-day bookshelf on Goodreads.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

The Golden Girls' Road Trip is 2 - 70 year olds meeting after 50+ years and going on a trip, something they'd planned to do decades before life happened.

The trip, their relationship and how they interact with each other through the story is very appealing in a non dramatic, no fuss straightforward way. I enjoyed the whole trip and was happy for the gals.

What a pleasant surprise! Having not read Kate Galley's first book, The Second Chance Holiday Club, this book was a perfect introduction to a new author for me. BTW, I've already requested my library add her first book and will do so with this one as well when the time comes!

I loved everything about this book. There are truly enjoyable characters (including an adorable dog), wonderful descriptions of the places they travel - the travel was what grabbed my interest, complicated but realistic relationships and character growth that also felt realistic. Connie has a complicated past and at 70 is on the verge of marrying for the first time, but is this the right decision for her life? Also, she's a crocheter which was a happy surprise. Alex is portrayed as a flawed human, but not the commonly seen eccentric artist. No magic wands here. Life is hard. Relationships are hard. Everything isn't solved in an instant. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and was sad to see the end nearing as I read. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Never read any Kate Galley books before and this was a fantastic introduction to her! The plot was original and realistic, it was a real breath of fresh air. I was routing for Connie from the first page and loved seeing her character develop. Looking forward to reading more Kate Galley books in the future. Thank you netgalley for the ARC ❤️

I enjoyed this new to me author very much! I'll be looking for the 1st book too
What an adventure! I just loved Constance. But I sure didn't like her daughter in law very much! She reminded me to much of my mother in law!
I think a whole day passed before I realized it!
This story will definitely keep you turning the pages!
These ladies were wonderful and I loved in getting to know them. I felt like I was right there with them the whole way.
In a way, this reminded me of the trip my family took in 2005. Such am exciting time! A trip I'll never forget.
When reading this book it helped me to remember what a fantastic time we had.
You'll laugh, cry and yes sometimes scream at them for the silly stuff they did. And sometimes even shake your head. I know I did!
This is a read I won't soon forget because it was such fun and so different than what I expected but enjoyed!
The cover is so cute! In all honesty, it's what made me want to read it. I wasn't disappointed at all!
I adore a good book and this one met all my expectations!
5 stars for a well written novel! I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It was good, quick read , Characters were great and well written about. It was something fresh and kept with life lessons but werent like preaching at you


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book..

Some books take a while to get into but not this one, it really grabs you from the start. A lovely story about love, family and secrets. I really enjoyed it, great well written characters and a story that keeps you interested. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

This is absolutely one of the best books I've read for being the most memorable! I loved this! I could not put this down! I absolutely loved it!
I just reviewed The Golden Girls' Road Trip by Kate Galley. #TheGoldenGirlsRoadTrip #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read, The Golden Girls Road Trip, by Kate Galley. What a wonderful story. You’ll fall in love with the main character, Constance and get totally wound up in her story. This is a fast, easy and uplifting book about first and last loves. I highly recommend it! I will read anything this author writes!

Connie is engaged for the first time at 70 and about to become a grandma, but a random article in a magazine has her taking a road trip to reconnect with her past. First book I’ve read by Kate Galley, and it was a very good read. A bit different from my normal romcoms. Probably considered to be more of a women’s fiction/romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Golden Girls’ Road Trip to come out August 31, 2023.

Two people who used to be very close to each other in their youth try to find each other again after 52 years.
The trip they take together is not only a real road trip, but az emotional inner journey as well with past secrets revisited.
I like reading about more mature people and the two main protagonists in this novel were very interesting characters.
I enjoyed the book and recommend to everyone who likes books about friends, family and secrets.

A truly lovely book that just shows how you are never too old to make a change. I loved the characters and the descriptions of the places visited on the road trip were amazing. Highly recommended.

Connie has just celebrated her 70th birthday. She's due to marry Leo and works in a charity shop.Life seems to be going well.
Soon, her world is turned upside down. She's let go from volunteering in the shop to make way for younger people. Then Leo has to dash to help his daughter after she splits with her husband. Connie is fed up.
After discovering an art exhibition happening in Scotland by her old friend Alex, she sets off in her campervan Ruby.
After an initial frosty start, the two get together to deliver Alex's paintings around the country.
What a great way to spend your retirement travelling and sightseeing.
These two really needed their heads banging together at times, but what a journey and what a story.
This had some sadness but not morose.
I was really glad that Connie and Diana were able to come together.
It is a very enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC in return for an honest review.

An easy to read fun book following Connie a single 70 year old lady as she goes on an adventure in her camper van called Ruby. Con seeks to find an old friend Alex who takes her on a road trip across the UK. They have several stop start moments as they travel but what will be the outcome.
Thanks to Kate Galley and her publisher and thanks also to NetGalley.

Constance is almost 70, about to be married for the first time and finds she is also about to be a grandmother. She has not had a conventional life, being very much a free spirit, bringing up her son in a forward-thinking and loose sort of way. But Simon has married Diana who really does not like Connie. Then Connie spots a magazine article and realises there are issues from her youth that she really should resolve before she finally settles down.

This takes her to Scotland and her real love, but the path to true love is not smooth, and Connie has quite a bit to take on board and deal with before she can find happiness.

Its a good read - I was expecting some sort of fun, 'oldies' road trip and it really is much deeper than that. It makes you think - about relationships, aging and life choices - the 'what ifs'. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.This was an enjoyable, fast, summer read about women, friendship, love, and family. This was a different type of story for me to read, I generally read more historical fiction, but I have to say I enjoyed the interaction between Connie and Alex, all in all it was a pleasant book to read.. I would recommend this story for anyone interested in reading alight, but very thought provoking book.

I enjoyed Kate Galley's previous book, and "The Golden Girls' Road Trip" is equally readable. This is definitely a feel-good novel with themes of family, love, aging, and secrets. Recommended to those who enjoy life-affirming, pleasant reads about women and friendships. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was the first of this authors books I have read and I think I have found a new favourite author. This was a wonderful read full of multigenerational characters and also showed that you are never too old to make changes in your life and that life is for living

This grabbed me from the start and I read it in one sitting and almost felt like I was with the characters on their road trip and reading this makes you want to buy a camper van and set off on your own adventure.

Somehow i knew from the very first page that i was going to love this story. It was a beautifully written, heartwarming love story. It just goes to prove that its never too late!! Connie and Alex have a wonderful bond and enjoy a fantastic adventure together. All the other characters contributed to a great storyline too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it within a day. I will undeniably pick another book by this author.

Thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

I LOVED Kate's previous book, The Second Chances Holiday Club, and so was super excited to receive a digital copy of her new book. And the fact that it has 'The Golden Girls' in the title makes me extremely happy, as I automatically assumed there would be a Rose, Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia in it. Side note: The Golden Girls is one of the greatest sitcoms ever made.

I love how passionate and capable Kate Galley is at writing older characters. They rarely get their time in the spotlight but she continues to give it to them and in such a perfect way. They're not secondary characters, they're not characters to whom things happen. They grab life by the wotsits and do what they want to do. I was going to say they don't just sit there with their knitting patterns, but that wouldn't be quite true where this story is concerned - it's not really a spoiler, but Connie does a lot of knitting.

It really is a beautiful story. Connie is a fabulous main character in so many ways, and the second main character of Alex does wonders working off of Connie. Together, they make for a really entertaining, warming, and inspirational story. There are a number of other characters, some of more importance than others, but for me, this is Connie and Alex's story and that's where my focus remains.

It is exactly what it says on the tin: it's a road trip. The setting and the camper van become as much of the story as the plot and the characters. The trip takes in everywhere from Inverness down, and it's just so lovely, and I can really see the appeal of just taking to the open road, ending up where you end up.

I know there's only been two books so far, but Kate has very quickly become one of my go-to authors for happy, warming, cosy and very real stories. It is very real, the characters are flawed, they all have their pasts and their secrets, relationships are fraught, and friendships are tested, just like in life, nothing is ever perfect.

It isn't 100% happiness though. In order to see the sunshine, we need to get through the rain. And Kate has done that here. There is a lot of rain in this book, and this sometimes means Connie is not the happiest main character you could have. But that then makes the happier moments even better.

I read it in less than 24 hours. It flows so well and it is just seamless to read. When it comes out I will be buying copies for friends of all ages. It is more than jut a fun road trip novel of two old friends. It has got so much more depth than that. It may focus on people in their later years, but I think it's a universal story of lost love, friendships, passions, and joy.

A road trip to remember. Connie, nearing 70 but a free spirit, flees to Scotland during a fit of pre-wedding nerves. She's also been told she's about to become a grandmother, but is unsure how much her daughter-in-law will let her be involved with her new grandchild. The draw in Scotland is Alex, an artist she once knew very well, who is currently holding an exhibition. So off she goes in her (t)rusty old camper van, Ruby.

Her son Simon is lovely but her prospective husband Leo seems a stick-in-the-mud and is not keen on Connie's beloved Ruby, so off she goes on a journey of self-discovery. An enjoyable read with some important points to make about relationships.

What a great book. It was such a great read I got hooked in straight away. Constance is a free spirited kick ass lady, mother of her lovely son Simon and owner of Ruby her vintage camper van. Recently engaged to Leo and newly announced Grandma to be via her slightly prickly daughter in law Diana. Her free spirited nature is slightly being hindered by Leo who is very hesitant to introduce her to his daughter and also to travel with her. She’s got a past and at 70 is not ready to let it go.
She ends up having to confront her past so she can carry on.
Really recommend this to everyone.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Second Chance Holiday Club so jumped at the opportunity to review the latest offering by Kate Galley. The Golden Girls Road trip is a heartwarming feel good read with characters you can’t help but fall in love with.
The easiest of 5⭐️ recommendations. I’m looking forward to the next book Kate Galley writes and I hope she sticks to writing about the more mature characters.
Thanks to NetGalley, Aria & Aries for an advance copy of this wonderful book

At the age of seventy Connie has a lot of unfinished business in her life. Family and friendships
are all in for a reshuffle. in this
uplifting story.. A road trip with
Ruby, an old camper van is the catalyst and wake call for a new start. I enjoyed this book so much. It's full of surprises and
optimism..

I love the golden girls, love the quirky characters and the stories they have. Loved the narration of the novel.

Absolutely charming, sweet book. The main character is so gentle, warm, and charming herself. Though it is bothersome how allowing and silent she is with the horrible men in her life. Adorable concept and enjoyable read.

This is my first book by Kate Galley and certainly won’t be my last.
I found the storyline very readable with great characters, exploring trials and tribulations and friendships.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride. This is a road trip not to be missed.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC I. Return for an honest review. It was a blast!

Connie Fitzgerald has just turned 70 and although she's engaged to sensible Leo, something has been missing from her life for the last 52 years.
Connie has a yearning to see what happened to her first love, Alex, and seeing Alex has an art exhibition coming up, she sets off to drive to Inverness in her trusty camper van, Ruby.
I loved, loved, loved this book! What a fabulous story, I didn't want Connie's adventures to end.
Maybe life begins at 70 these days!

At 70 Constance Fitzgerald has lived a full life, travelling around the world, her sole focus her son and ensuring he is happy and loved.
Now she finds herself newly engaged and about to be a Grandmother.
Then a chance reading of a magazine brings back memories that can’t be pushed aside any more and Constance finds herself on the road to the Highlands.
Will heading back to the past give Constance the answers she needs or will it put her whole future in jeopardy.
This is just a glorious joyous book. Full of love, friendship, and the healing power of forgiveness.

What I like best about The Golden Girls’ Road Trip by Kate Galley is the independent attitude of Connie, the narrator. Connie, who is seventy years old, is active and in good health. She recently became engaged to Leo, a pleasant chap of her own age who is a former colleague of her only child, Simon. This engagement seemed like a good idea at the time, but Connie is not sure what Leo wants from marriage, and the wedding arrangements bore her. Sadly, she does not get along with her current daughter in law, Simon’s third wife, who is expecting her first grandchild. Finding the combination of reluctant bride-to-be and expectant grandmother overpowering, Connie follows her instincts and escapes from Brighton in her ancient campervan, headed for the hills of Scotland.
Connie makes it to the neighbourhood of Inverness and contacts Alex, a friend she remembers from the summer she spent working at a hotel there when she was eighteen. Alex is now a successful artist whose paintings sell at high prices all around the UK. As a result, Connie embarks on a road trip, revisits her youthful self and develops a fresh outlook on her life and loves.
I know some of the places Connie and her companions stop at on their road trip well, and I enjoyed reading about their adventures in familiar locations. Being of advanced years myself, I sympathised with many of the predicaments Connie finds herself in. All of Galley’s characters are well drawn, but I think her fiancé Leo is especially true to life.
I love Kate Galley’s perceptive and positive attitude to women in Connie’s age group. Too often women of seventy and over appear in novels as stereotypes, whereas Galley correctly shows that like everyone else, they have varied personalities and experiences.
Thank you, NetGalley, for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and really enjoyed it. It was a great read, well written with strong characters and storylines. Recommend

"It's never too late for one last adventure...
Constance Fitzgerald may be approaching 70, but she's never been one for putting down roots. She's spent her life untethered and free, but when she finds herself newly engaged and a soon-to-be grandmother, Constance is forced to accept it may be time – perhaps – to settle down. Until a chance encounter throws open a window to her past, and Constance decides to head to the Highlands to find an old friend..."

Golden Girls is a show that I watch or listen to daily, so be able to read a book that has similar vibes, yes please!! This was a beautiful story about adventure, love, friendships, and moving forward.

This is the first book I have read by Kate Galley, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy,

I truly enjoyed reading this book. There is so much within the pages. It is a story of searching, forgiving, becoming free by admitting who you really are, family (both difficult and supporting), and mainly love.

I really like reading books that have older characters (over 60 years) in them. The main characters are both 70 and it is wonderful to experience their lives for a short time. This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. I was deeply involved from the moment I began reading and read at every available time until I finished. I miss these people now, and yes, they are people to me now, not just characters in a book.

This is the first book I have read by Kate Galley, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

A lovely, gentle novel snot finding love in later life.

Seventy year old Connie has just got engaged for the very first time. Her son is married to his third wife and they are expecting their first baby. Connie should be happy, but she still yearns for her first love, who she met the summer she turned 18. Before she can settle down to enjoy the rest of her life, she needs to put some ghosts to rest, so sets out for the highlands of Scotland in her old camper van to track down her long lost love.

I loved reading about Connie & Alex’s differing lifestyles and the way they intersected. The author portrays a very vivid picture of grumpy old ladies who are used to doing things their own way!

There are one or two twists and turns in this story but it is a gentle exploration of relationships between lovers, friends, parents and children. The author explores how misunderstandings and unrealistic expectations can fracture relationships, some of which are healed, some left with regrets.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A really fun story with some harder edges at points. The characters are great and this story is hard to put down while you wait to see what next....

Kate Galley did it again with a second novel that is just as quirky and entertaining as her debut The Second Chance Holiday Club!
Given the protagonists are quite a few years older than me, I picked up this novel thinking that maybe I wouldn't connect to the characters, instead I absolutely love them - including Ruby the campervan.
I do love a good road trip and locations were really scenic and alive with details.
A highly recommended 5 stars read perfect if you are looking for something off the beaten tracks of the genre.

"It's never too late for an adventure"
...

Having previously read and so enjoyed author Kate Galley's debut novel 'The Second Chance Holiday Club', accepting an invitation to read this, her second book, was never in any doubt for me.

However, this storyline story unfolded so seamlessly as I turned the pages and is so heavily nuanced with almost every new change of narrative and dialogue, that giving away spoilers is almost an impossibility, which I can now see is probably why the official 'blurb' is so concise.

So, here is my best shot at convincing you that you really do need to read 'The Golden Girls Road Trip' for yourself...

...

Living in very modest circumstances in Brighton, England, Connie has recently celebrated her seventieth birthday. She has never married and has devoted her life as a single mother, to raising her son Simon, in a loving, if very bohemian lifestyle. Simon has always found life without a father figure slightly unsettling and is now with Diana, wife number three, many years his junior, very unresponsive to having Connie as her mother-in-law and who is now pregnant with Simon's child. Connie herself has recently become engaged to Leo, a widower who on the face of it will provide the gentle stability Connie believes she craves. However, alarm bells are beginning to ring, that Leo may not be marrying Connie for who she is, but for who he wants her to be, an assumption confirmed by Leo's daughter Fiona. Connie realises that she needs to put some distance between herself and Leo, whilst they each decide where their true feelings really lie.

It is at this opportune time that Connie reads an article about reclusive artist Alex Mackenzie, who is holding an exhibition of her paintings, the first for many decades, in her home City of Inverness. For Connie, who knew Alex very briefly from an enforced stay in Scotland at her aunt's hotel, during her teenage years, the memories come flooding back of the fun the two of them had together for that fleeting period of time. However, despite them being the same age and sharing the same birthday, they have never kept in touch during the intervening years, having parted company under something of a cloud, although Alex did gift Connie one of her paintings, one of a pair, the other which she kept herself.

Connie, who has never lost the wanderlust feeling and still owns a rather dilapidated camper van, which is strawberry pink and cream and goes by the name of Ruby, decides on the spur of the moment, to make the trip to Scotland and surprise Alex at the exhibition, without telling anyone where she is going. Alex however, is far from pleased to see Connie, which is not the reception she had anticipated, although, having had a brief fling with a now deceased Lord, Alex seems very well set up and appears to have money to burn. After the sale, a very unresponsive and cold Alex, asks for Connie's help in delivering some of the sold paintings to her favoured customers, who hail from all the far flung corners of the country.

Thus sees the pair embarking on one of the strangest mini road trips ever. After many arguments, with more than a few home truths being aired, much soul-searching by both ladies and nights spent in a variety of accommodation, an uneasy truce has been established. Their journey is however, curtailed before its last port of call, when Connie receives news from Simon that she needs to come home. It seems that Connie isn't the only one who has been adept at being economical with the truth and when Simon confesses all that has been happening behind her back during the last few years, Connie is less than pleased. It takes a forthright Alex to bring Connie to her senses and Ruby is turned back towards Brighton in a mercy dash. One emotional rollercoaster ride for Connie, suddenly becomes two when another crisis piles in and due to work commitments, Simon can't be there for moral support.

The unorthodox situation throws Connie and Diana together and a new understanding is reached between them, so by the time one sad and one happy event have finally sunk in with everyone, it is only then that Connie realises that Alex is no longer beside her, has taken all her belongings out of the van and left. It takes a determined Diana to force the entire truth and full-length story from Connie and with her daughter-in-law status now fully restored and the two of them totally at ease with one another, she sets about finding Alex to reunite her with Connie, exactly where she should have always been. Together at last, Connie and Alex embark on a once in a lifetime road trip of epic proportions.

...

Whilst the storyline was nothing like I had expected it to be, there were so many aspects of it which immediately resonated with me, even though I am still a few years short of Connie and Alex's septuagenarian age and I will certainly never have the courage to 'grow old disgracefully' as they are so intent on doing.

Connie's commitment to her charity shop volunteering, where she has responsibility for keeping the bookshelves stocked and relevant, and the acute pain she feels when she is told that her services are no longer required, because a younger tranche of volunteer is being sought in an effort to change the average age demographic of the customer, is highly personal to me and I can relate to her reactions completely.

Her reconnection with her crochet work, is also a path I trod in an effort to discover a new niche for myself post charity shop era, although Connie's motives are wonderfully unique to her circumstances and her quirky choice of the way forward with the first item she decides to make, highlights her underlying thoughtfulness and resourcefulness, even though she might deny it.

Finally, Connie's relationship with her mother, although distanced and broken down for very different reasons, had a very similar impact and resulted in the same emotionally traumatic consequences for myself as her own. Having been estranged from one another for over 50 years, we are to discover that Connie has not been totally honest with either herself, or her son, about recent gestures of reconciliation her mother has made and her own intransigence at grasping the olive branch which has been held out to her. She has also never told Simon the true reasons for the break down in the mother daughter relationship, which had left the two of them as a self sufficient unit for all of his life.

Connie's rather unconventional lifestyle might be explained by the many 'trigger' points, which are brought to the forefront of the story. The coercive and controlling behaviour her father exerted over her mother, which resulted in her mother being forced to choose which one to favour over the other - father or daughter. That the behaviour of both parents resulted in an excess consumption of alcohol, used as a crutch, which is then echoed down to the present day and manifested in Alex's means of dealing with her own issues. The trauma of sexual assault and rape of a minor by a much older professional person, whose lies are instantly believed as the truth. The taboo of dealing with one's sex and sexuality - All set against a 1970s backdrop, where an instilled morality code reflected attitudes of "Are you absolutely sure that's what happened?"...and "How are we best going to bury this problem before friends and family discover the truth about us?", all so alien to todays open and inclusive culture.

This is a story in four acts - A reconciliation with the past; A realigning of the future; The pain and discovery of the transition from one to the other; The joy of the life-changing journey ahead.

The story is bold and unconventional, multi-layered, well structured and developed. The writing is fluent, poignant and evocative, conveying just the right amount of empathy and compassion. Oh! and there are actually a fair few laugh-out-loud moments, although some of the humour is quite dark and wicked.

As with her debut novel, this story, whilst having a small, diverse cast of characters, is primarily focussed on two ladies of a certain age and I did stop to ponder on how much of what Kate Galley incorporates into her writing, is gleaned from the connections she makes in her day job as a mobile hairdresser. It was just so easy to forget that both Connie and Alex are now septuagenarians, although these days this is almost classed as late middle-age, so why shouldn't a new beginning be possible. Although not in anyway a direct comparison with the successful film 'Thelma and Louise', there are definite overtones in some elements of the multiple genres, which might be described as a drama, adventure or road trip, with elements of a romantic comedy. The characters literally speak for themselves, they are so well-drawn and authentic. The synergy and changing dynamics between them, with the exception of the long established relationship Connie and Simon have, builds slowly over time and whilst they may be a multi-faceted, complex, emotional and at times volatile bunch of individuals, they are also addictive and quite easy to invest in.

As a confirmed 'armchair traveller', I am always looking to be transported to the locations my reading takes me to. So, whilst Connie and Alex only tend to make whistle-stop trips to many of the paces on the route of their mini road trip, author Kate Galley makes full use of her palette of words to paint a visually perfect picture of the physical locations, whilst imbuing an immersive sense of time and place, sights and sounds, which brings the experience to life.

What makes reading such a lovely experience for me, is that with each new book, the individual stories take me on a unique journey of discovery, written by some amazing authors who have the ability to fire my imagination, stimulate my senses and stir my emotions. I can only recommend that read this book for yourself and see where your journey leads you. I have some lovely memories of this story to treasure, thank you Kate!

Another book which would definitely not have been anywhere on my radar, had it not been for the lovely team at publisher Aria Fiction introducing me to this fantastic author. As it is, this book is definitely right up there as one of my favourite reads of 2023 and will take some doing to be beaten. It's 5 stars right across the board from me, for uniqueness of storyline, quality of storytelling, depth of characters and a wonderful mini UK road trip journey.

This is a heartwarming story about relationships (parent and child, mother in law and daughter in law, friends, lovers) and enjoying life in your seventies. I love books like this with older main characters. I loved Connie and wish I could meet up with her and her van. A sequel would be excellent!

Seventy-year-old Constance Fitzgerald gets more than she bargains for when she embarks on a cross-country trip with an old friend in The Golden Girls’ Road Trip by Kate Galley.

At the outset, the future of Constance—Connie to her friends—seems set, with marriage to Leo and impending grandparenthood all in the near future. But dreams of that sensible future end after she accidentally discovers some painful truths. Connie impulsively drives her raspberry red camper van Ruby up to Scotland looking for adventure.

The trip is to see her friend and long-lost love, the painter Alex Mackenzie. Connie hasn’t seen Alex since abruptly leaving when they were both 18. They have much to catch up on, including secrets and recriminations, but first Alex asks Connie to help deliver some paintings up and down the country. Connie and Alex jump into Ruby to get the deliveries done, but Connie has more questions than answers for her friend. In every town they stop in, Connie buys another ball of wool to add to the colourful blanket she’s crocheting for her future grandchild.

These two 70-year-olds are ready for adventure, know their own minds, and are not afraid to say so. The old friends eventually fall into an easy rhythm, as they rediscover why they were such good friends so many decades before.

Long friendships are something special, but being able to fall back into a special friendship after decades apart, is very special indeed. The Golden Girls’ Road Trip takes the reader along for the adventure.

I thought this was super cute and relatable. It really makes you think about your life and the things you have been through. I loved the banter and dynamic between the friends and I think it really puts things into perspective of how quickly life can pass us by.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

well i wasnt expecting that.....this book has quite a few surprises in it and its very enlightening

constance fitzgerald is nearing her 70th birthday and life hasnt always been kind to her but she is a free spirit and has thought nothing about packing her van up and going travelling and thats what she has done for most of her life with her son

but now she is about to settle down and get married but life has a few more surprises in store for her

it was an interesting read and very thought provoking and i like the idea of getting into a van and just travelling around exploring the sights and sounds around us....

Well this is a delightful read.
Connie is at a crossroads in her life. At 70 she’s about to be married for the first time, become a grandmother, be made redundant from her job and more seriously give up Ruby her trusty camper van and settle down. A very readable tale, you’ll instantly become invested in her life and I’m quite bereft I’ve now left it.

I was very much attracted to this one by the title; there's a bit more to it than first meets the eye.

Constance has spent her life upping sticks and living where the fancy takes her. Now aged seventy, newly engaged and with her first grandchild on it's way, she considers that it may be time to settle down. Then a chance encounter changes her thinking and she finds herself heading to the highlands to look up an old friend. Will putting the past to rest settle her down - or not?

There are quite a few surprises along the way with this one, and it is an excellent story with bright, vibrant characters. I wasn't quite sure about the timings of some of the road trip though, but it is fiction, after all. An enjoyable read and, for me, 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

A feel good novel about two mature women who road trip around Scotland to deliver paintings and resolve some old issues that have nagged at them. Connie's life gets turned upside down when her fiance- her first husband to be- dashes away, she loses her job, and well, things happen. She decides to go see Alex an old friend who has an art exhibit. Things don't always go smoothly for these two but it's often a hoot and the characters are delightful. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I just loved this book just as much, if not more than Kate's first. Utterly delightful with true insight into the more mature of us and being the same age as the main character myself it was just brilliant. I loved the way the story unfolded as the past gets resolved along the way. A gentle read to get immersed in. Can't wait for the next book from Kate.

Pleasant enough, this is a book about relationships in the senior stage of life (70+) , family relationships and friendship. Connie is a single mother and engaged to Leo when she turns 70. She comes across a feature in a magazine about her first love, an artist who has an exhibition in Scotland. On a whim she decides to attend and takes off in her camper van.
I enjoyed most of the book and the descriptions of relationships , especially in places the suggestions of seeing relationships from another point of view which can change dynamics between two people. I did think that the relationship between Leo and Conny did not ring true and the developments there pushed the bounds of credibility for me. The pace was mostly Ok, though dropped off a little for me during the roadtrip. In places perhaps a little too much description and detail without it adding very much to the story .
A good thoughtful read on the whole though . My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

This is a wonderful book, written with such apparent ease but a great sense of characters who stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. I had thought it might be a bit frothy and inconsequential but it has depth and makes you think.

*Thank you Aria and Aries (Aria) and Kate Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I adored this story. It was so sweet and cozy. It was like a nice hug. Refreshing for a mature story since I don't normally read that. The protags were likeable and I liked the pacing and storyline for the most part. I found the ending felt slightly rushed the way it was wrapped up in 2 pages but I am overall satisfied with the way it ended and having read the story. A very sweet, easy, feel good read. I recommend it!

The Golden Girls' Road Trip is a delightful book! Funny and heart-warming, you can't help but to fall in love with the main character, Constance Fitzgerald, as she navigates a turning point in her life and re-evaluates the people she holds close. This was definitely a cozy read that was well written with a few surprises along the way.

Straight into this from the very first page, A good heartwarming story where life begins at 70. Lovely read and 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I want to age like Constance and go on a travel with someone from my past. I had fun, loved the story and read it in one sitting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

'Old age is only a word' Or so they say. Connie, who is turning 70 begins to have doubts about her life, her engagement, her family. So off she sets in her camper van, Ruby. I found it hard not to admire Connie, brave, fearless and determined. I found Alex difficult.
Altogether it was a very readable story and I enjoyed the trip to Scotland.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the book to read and review

This story was very enjoyable. It was refreshing to read about an older woman who was enjoying her life and finding new experiences, friendship and love in her seventies. I thoroughly enjoyed the road trip that Connie takes in the van and reading on as her story grows linking past and present. There are some humourous moments and a few poignant ones, which is a good mix.

I really liked Connie and her spirited friend Alex, they were a good foyle for each other. The characters in the book work well together, although there aren't too many but they are well written.

Overall, this story is about reawakening love, finding peace and enjoying life at any age. A good easy read.

The Golden Girls' Road Trip by Kate Galley is a really uplifting and moving story.
I thought that the descriptions was wonderful, the characters are entertaining and the writing was engaging.
The characters were lovable, funny and engaging while also having depth and a good story line.
The relationship between these characters is honestly inspiring.
A fun, exciting and lovely story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Aria & Aries for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A truly stunning book from Kate and good to have a different subject written about. Kate's books get better and better. It is beautifully written with lovely descriptions.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is an easy to read book.

Connie at the age of 70, is off on an adventure in Ruby, her camper van.

Meanwhile, Con, is also on a road trip with Alex, his old friend, along the way secrets are revealed. But what will happen when they reach their destination?

I recommend this book.

I love to read a book that features older women as the main characters, so The Golden Girls’ Road Trip was a treat to read. At age 70, Connie is getting ready to marry Leo and finally settle down, until she realizes she will just be a replacement for Leo’s dead wife. She heads to Scotland to see if she can connect with her first love, Alex. But things are seldom as remembered, and life doesn’t always work out the way we would like. A lovely road trip book!

EXCERPT: Sometimes I try really hard not to think about the summer I turned eighteen. On other occasions I allow the memories to engulf me, the pleasure and the guilt to wrap themselves around me. From time to time it comes at me unexpectedly, like a slap or a kiss. Today it's in the form of a book and makes me smile. How could it not, because today is our birthday. Today we are both seventy years old.

ABOUT 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS ROAD TRIP': It's never too late for one last adventure...

Constance Fitzgerald may be approaching 70, but she's never been one for settling down. She's spent her life untethered and free, but when she finds herself newly engaged and a soon to be grandmother, Constance is forced to accept it may be time, perhaps, to settle down. Until a chance encounter with throws open a window to her past, and Constance decides to head to the Highlands to find an old friend...

MY THOUGHTS: There is so much more to this book than is initially apparent. The Golden Girls Road Trip deals with ageism, sexual assault, unplanned pregnancy, family relationships and doing what we must simply to survive. And it does all this in a simply delightful way that tugged at my heartstrings and had me rooting for Connie all the way!

Although dealing with serious subjects, this book is not at all flippant, nor is it grave and grim. It strikes a happy balance somewhere in the middle, giving due gravitas to the sticky subjects, dealing with them with empathy and understanding, and injecting joy and wisdom into the happier bits - and there are lots of them!

The characters are magnificent. I loved Connie and Alex, Alex's dog Bardo, and Connie's RV, Ruby. There's nothing like being in a confined space with someone twenty-four hours a day to sort out a relationship.

There are quite a few surprises along the way, Alex being one of them and in more ways than one.

The Golden Girls Road Trip is a read that gave me pause for thought, and great enjoyment. It's an unconventional story, but one that warmed my heart and has firmly placed this author on my 'must read' list. I read this in less than 24 hours, unable to put it aside.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheGoldenGirlsRoadTrip #NetGalley

I: @kategalley1 @ariafiction

T: @KateGalley1 @AriaFiction

#ageing #contemporaryfiction #domesticdrama #romance #womensfiction

THE AUTHOR: Kate Galley lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, children and Meg, their Patterdale Terrier. Much of Kate's inspiration comes from the many varied lives of her clients as a mobile hairdresser, and the inspiration for this book came from one woman's tale of a hilarious Christmas coach trip.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Head of Zeus, Aria, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Golden Girls Road Trip by Kate Galley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Thenk you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Wow, what an experience these two lady’s late in their lives have. It made me want to get together with a friend and experience what these two characters did, what fun they had along the way.

Connie is nearly 70. Works in a charity shop & is engaged to Leo, but her life does not feel settled. She travels to Scotland to see her friend Alex, an artist, who she has lost contact with.
This book is shows us that love can arrive at any age & it's great to see a book telling the story of older people. It makes a nice change!
Lovely writing by Kate Galley that makes the whole story heart warming, believable & enjoyable.
Recommended read.,

This was a fantastic story, full of surprises and actually arrived a message, to do what you want to do in life before it's too late. And too keep going for as long as you. An. A definite feel good story. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review

A feel-good read that takes you on a virtual, joyous, journey through some beautiful parts of the country with two hugely memorable characters.

I immediately warmed to seventy year old Connie, with her hippy vibe and colourful campervan and couldn't wait to see what adventures lay in store for her when she set off on an impulsive trip to Scotland, leaving a wake of uncertainty behind her.
The resulting road-trip with her former friend is rich in emotional depth, with complex relationships and past events that unravel along the way.
No spoilers here, but you can expect warmth, the power of family bonds and above all - the invincible sense of hope and adventure that accompanies true love, no matter your age.

Connie Fitzgerald has just turned seventy years of age. She reminisces of 1970, when she was eighteen.
Connie has some new life changes taking place, but 1970, when she was eighteen, the memories!

What a wonderful read this book was for myself. I warmed to Connie immediately.
There were twists in the story I hadn’t seen coming, and lots of different aspects of life brought into the book.
I initially was drawn to the book because of the camper van theme, but there is so much more depth to this book.
I could not put this book down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

An enjoyable read. This well written heartwarming book was a perfect read whilst spending time in a hospital waiting room. it took me away from my surroundings and all over the country in a raspberry camper van called Ruby. I was thoroughly engaged throughout and finished the book within 24 hours.

This was a very entertaining book, what an adventure it turned out to be for two very different women who hadn't seen each other for around 50 years but agree to go on a road trip together in a camper van. I loved it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

I enjoyed The Golden Girl Roadtrip. It reminded me of my mom and her sister., who will be getting this book for Christmas. If you enjoy feel-good, books that remind us it's never too late for adventures and self-reflection, this is the book for you.

If you enjoy feel-good, books that remind us it's never too late for adventures and self-reflection, this is the book for you. Throughly enjoyed this book and I've recommended it to friends!

This is a lovely, heart-warming book about a 70 year old lady who is at a turning point in her life and decides to take a road trip from Brighton to Scotland to try to reconnect with a lost love.

This is the second book I have read by Kate and I really enjoyed it. I love the fact that main character Connie is so independent and self-sufficient and has the freedom to travel around in Ruby, her old but trusty camper van with her crochet, collecting  wool from each place she visits. A cosy, emotional read about love, family and friendship, with some interesting twists!