Delightfully funny and witty. This book will have you laughing from start to finish. Loved it and would highly recommend

Love this book! Tess is the mum in the middle. Newly divorced and looking forward to some “me time” now her kids have grown and left Tess moves to a new town. But suddenly her kids are back! First one, thentwo then all three. Plus a partner. Who’s pregnant. Then her mum starts to need her. And she trying / hoping to develop new relationships in her new home town. But who’s telling the truth? And then her ex husband rocks up. And then her mum goes missing. And the whole time her slightly neurotic boss is in the background demanding her time, attention, presence! It’s a great story, fairly romping along and giving us fully developed characters who are all the better for the flaws they demonstrate. Read it! And tell all your friends to read it too!

Really enjoyed this overall. Nice story to curl up with a mug of tea and relax. Bit of everything insude: family drama, romance, comedy, mystery, etc. Can't go wrong.

Well written book could not put it down keeps the reader wanting to read more.
Characters are well developed,and good description of them all.

A super fun weekend read, with a one of a kind plot. I had my expectations set high for an Alzheimer granny as the main character. However, this book turned out to be more of a chick lit than I expected, which was a relief to say the least.

I absolutely loved the British atmosphere of the whole book, and the whole close-knit society kind of suburbia. Some of the characters were brilliantly depicted and funny. At the same time, the author managed to highlight the emotional struggles of a mom whose kids are theoretically grown up and she is also divorced, hence available in the dating field. The whole situation is funny and complex, while catching glimpses of humanity and friendship vs depravity and obsession.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

I'm not sure I could survive the chaotic family life depicted in this book, or if I would even put up with it! That being said, it was a fun read. Certainly Tess is part of the "sandwich" generation dealing with an aging mother with the beginnings of dementia, and grown children who don't seem ready to stand on their own two feet and expect Mum to fix their problems. Add to that new friendships, issues with vandalism in the neigbourhood, a new romance, and you'll be pulling for Tess to come out allright in the end.

Homeliness, intrigue and romance. I was entranced by the web woven in this book. Drawn in by the chaotic family life and wanting to know if Tess got her happy ending. Must read for those wanting a cuddle in book form. Perfect for the beach or cuddled up at home. Highly recommended.

I love books like these, a good chic-lit book about a divorcee who’s grownup children ruin her peace and quiet, You’ll laugh, cry and cringe

As a Mum of 3 grown up wonders who are all at various stages of flying the nest, I can relate to our heroine Tess. My husband and I have recently found our conversation turning to future dreams of a house for us by the sea, with possibly a dog – but definitely lots of romantic walks. That is, when all of the kids have finally finished their university courses and are ready to move on. At the moment though, when they are here we too find ourselves picking up handfuls of clothing, bowls, plates and discarded food wrappers and I clean for the kids disproportionately, doing far more of their washing and chores than I did when they were here all the time. This is all just because I miss them so much and I trip out a bit on the treasured times when they tumble over the threshold once again.
Tess is most definitely in the middle - firstly between her old life in the city and her new life in the ‘burbs. She downsizes, deciding ‘a la Marie Kondo’ that it’s time to declutter and give up anything that doesn’t bring her joy. This includes her now ex-husband Rob. But she is still caught up in his net to a certain extent, as a best friend to his sister and as they interact over their children. Oliver, the eldest and more serious and his girlfriend Sam, Tilly – an aspiring actress and musical Ben – her youngest. These three descend upon Tess with unpredictable yet certain frequency, eating everything in their wake and creating piles of shoes, washing up and commotion, but Tess wouldn’t have it any other way.
Added into the mix, as Tess is learning to stand on her own two feet, is a common yet painful experience, that let’s say many of us women of a certain middle age find ourselves worrying about: aging parents. Tess is caught in the middle of the triangle including her Mum and her self-exiled sister in America. As her mother ages, the ravages of the body and mind begin to reveal the results of their rampaging. Tess is caring for her mother on the one hand, amidst a good deal of uncertainty, whilst communicating with her concerned sister on the other, and staving off those sibling niggles across the miles at the same time.
In order to pay for her brood and her new hopes and dreams Tess is taking on more work which means she is fielding daily phone calls from the pestering and permanently anxious Paul, her boss. Yet another pressure on our favourite lady. The working from home idyll can be as elusive as the prospect of a weekend away from work for Tess, under threat as she is due to the invention of email and the expectations that she will work 24/7 as a result.
Tess is also mastering a myriad of new relationships that are faced when moving to a new area. It is not until you have packed away the final boxes and the thrill of the chase is over, that Monday morning rolls around and you realise how many comfortable routines you had established where you used to live and how much of a network of support had secretly been holding you up. So, Tess begins a foray through the forest of new neighbours and the local politics of the smaller neighbourhood. Tess finds herself in the middle of community chaos with opposition to people moving out of London. This lands her slap bang in between her drama queen and immensely likeable neighbour Jinni, who is refurbing the old rectory into a top-notch B and B, and the dashing wheeler-dealing David and his agitating mother Ingrid. The shenanigans that follow this dispute, involving vandalism and threats, link her to the local journalist Gabriel – a veritable angel in disguise with his golden curls, big puppy eyes and faithful offers of help. Here poor Tess ends up as the meat in another sandwich between the calamity prone Gabriel and his editor, the cantankerous, quick-witted and food loving Malcolm.
With all of this going on it is not a surprise that Tess turns to a number of glasses of wine, and girly pampering sessions. Her humour and warmth are instantly likeable, and I related to her with a lot of empathy. Tess was a good friend to get to know and to share a knowing nod of the head with as I read along. As a result, I found myself really rooting for her, and wishing her a break from everyone’s demands. I wanted to stand up for her, take care of her, and create her some space. There are poignant moments in the story and high points of humour too. All in all, Tess gives everyone so much that you want her to receive. Thankfully the universe has got her back and there might just be something in your eye as they tale comes to an end!

Coffee Cup Conversations and Teapot Talking Points:
If you and I dear reader were sitting down together today, having both read the book, here are a few of the points we could mull over together:

Have you ever made a ‘big’ move?
I remember on the birth of our third child, when I was not working Matt was offered a promotion at work that meant we could have a house with more than the 2 bedrooms that we were currently residing in. The only catch was that we had to move about 2 ½ hours away. We were already quite independent, and we really needed the space – so we took the opportunity. It was only when Matt went out to work on that first Monday that I sat on the floor of the front room with the curtains closed and burst into tears – I didn’t know anyone – and I had come from a world where I had carefully cultivated mum’s groups and toddler activities. Here, I didn’t even know how to get to the shops yet. Over time we built all of this up. But I can still remember that feeling.

What is your recipe for comfort food?
In the story Malcolm and Tess have long conversations over how to make the best scrambled egg. Do you have a certain secret ingredient for a recipe that you love to make? I have just discovered a new recipe for porridge from my husband of 27 years. He found out about it when stopping for breakfast at a Morrisons recently. We top it with banana, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a drizzle of agave syrup. It is gorgeous, low in calories and has totally transformed porridge for me.

Do you worry about aging? Have you any advice for caring for elderly family members?
This is something that we are all going to have to consider in the future, even if it is in relation to ourselves. The elderly population is going to increase disproportionately and my generation, whilst caring for our kids, (who may be struggling to get on the housing ladder in this difficult economic period), will be in the middle caring for our parents too. There are lots of new research projects into Dementia and other health issues, but there are also so many unknowns. I really want to take care of my family and be a good daughter, but a lot also depends upon how that person wants to live and what choices they want to make. I like that in the story this is an area that we see Tess exploring – because it seems to me that it really is something that you have to take step by slow step.

This was my first book by this author the cover is what attracted me to it and I'm so glad I read it as so funny and well written and very realist to every day life and a very easy read and wanted you reading more straight away. Made you think about your life to very poignant and recommend you read it.
Tess has moved to a new town and downsized as is ready for time for herself with her kids all grown up. Sadly though she is tested as her children keep coming back home after leaving and she's still supporting them and her elderly mother is struggling to so she's having to help her. Problem is the village she's moved to there is resentments simmering that go back but sadly there is vandalism happening to even the new comers like tess can they solve who it is abs move forward or not and can Tess settle in or is her new found freedom wearing thin and she just wants time for her.
Such a funny read and so true to life a good read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Tess has relocated after her divorce to a small village close enough to London and her kids but far enough to rethink her life and start fresh. Her kids are soon descending on her and ruining her peace. Her neighbour is convinced that she is the conspiracy centre for the local troublemakers and Tess has her eye on the local scoundrel!

Ah i loved this read, like Jane's previous books it's full of chstm , humour and heart filled happiness. Perfect summer reading

Solid chick lit…doesn’t take itself too seriously! You’ll laugh, cry, and say “Oh! No!” Definitely a fun weekend read :c)

Tess has left the former marital home in London and bought a run-down house in a rural village where her BFF lives. Now her three children are adults in work or at university she is looking forwards to spending time with friends and not having the smell of take-away food permeating every room of the house.

What she finds is rather different to the idyll she imagined. First, a former TV star lives next door and is renovating a glorious old house in order to run it as a B&B. Second, her mother appears increasingly out-of-sorts and has had a 'turn' necessitating a visit to the hospital and various scans. Third, although they may have lives of her own her three children appear to believe that dropping in and staying for long weekends (or longer) along with their friends and dirty washing is okay. Fourth, there may be someone in the village with a grudge against DFLs (Down From London-ers) buying property and raising prices in the village. Add in dodgy plumbing and a suave architect Tess is beginning to think it's not all sheep and meadows in the country!

This was absolutely perfect beach reading. I laughed along with Tess at the cluelessness of her children and her ex-husband (who thinks its okay to come and stay when his second wife is 'having a turn' AKA had enough of him), sympathised at the dodgy drainage in the downstairs loo and loved the way everything got solved by a bottle of merlot (or chablis or frascati etc).

Recommended for women with teenagers, women who don't have kids, women with elderly parents or just women doing the best they can.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.