At first I didn't enjoy this book and stopped reading within the first 30% of the book. But recently I came back to it and I'm glad I did! I'll seek out more from this author.

This book (which has lingered on my netgalley shelf for a shamefully long time) is described as ‘The lady in the van’ meets ‘The pilgrimage of Harold Fry’. I would certainly agree with the ‘The lady in the van’ comparison. Meet Gloria, a lonely lady with a severe hoarding problem who lives in squalor and does not have a good relationship with her family. She begins to make changes in her life after an electrical fault causes her to temporarily move out of her home and that is a ‘lightbulb’ moment for Gloria as she realises the way she has been living is not good. She makes progress very quickly, making big changes in her life and making new friends along the way. Will she be able to improve the situation with her family too? I really enjoyed this uplifting novel and I was rooting for Gloria from the off. My only gripe is, I question whether someone with such a serious hoarding problem (which is a mental illness after all) would be able to make such big changes and improvements in their life so quickly. That aspect of the novel felt a tad unrealistic to me. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book and 100% plan on reading more from this author. Apologies to the author and publisher for not reading and reviewing this novel sooner.

Gloria is a widow, a mother, grandma and a hoarder. When an electric issue occurs, her son steps in and takes over. At first she excepted it, but then finds her backbone and rebels a bit. What an adventure this 80 year old has. Started a little slow, but worth it. Really enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down. Highly recommend this book and author.

I was really looking forward to this book however it just did not hold my interest and the pace was too slow. I struggled to connect with the characters. However I’m grateful to Netgalley, publisher and author for the opportunity to review a digital copy.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This is a charming, heart warming book that made me laugh!

I really enjoyed this and adored Gloria's zest for life. OK so some of the story is a little bit...over the top and unlikely to happen but that doesn't matter as you just enjoy the ride!

I read this in a couple of days as it was such a easy going, light read that perks your spirits up.

It also makes you think that in actual fact things i.e. possessions don't really matter and that people, experiences and memories are the most important things in life.

Would recommend this book if you need a pick me up and some inspiration!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review.

It took me quite a while to read this book. It was quite boring at the beginning, and honestly also at the middle and end. It was definitely more about the characters than the plot. I am thankful for the audiobook of this as it was very good and the voice actress in it did an excellent job. She made the book interest me and kept me listening. If I did not have the audio of it I would have DNF'd it early on as I was not connecting with the characters then nor could it hold my interest very much. Once the book was getting towards the middle and closer to the end I started to enjoy it some. The characters became more likable and enjoyable to read about, and a few things started to happen to create some plot and interesting things happen in the story. It was overall not really good or bad, and I do not think I will recommend it to anyone. I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it, but I also did not gain anything from it. So 3 stars, just an average feeling about it.

There was never a dull moment in this book that just kept on giving! At the same time there was a 'real life' underlying tone to it which is important not to ignore.

What an enjoyable gem of a book this turned out to be. I'm just sorry I didn't read it sooner!

Gloria starts the book rather downtrodden, she is living in a hoarders paradise, but a nightmare for an outsider, she barely cooks, washes from a sink, and seems to have almost given up on life.

When an electrical fault is found, she is moved into a home for a bit, and from there its a journey of self discovery for this marvellous septuagenarian.

I really don't want to spoil what happens from that turning point, but expect adventure, expect family disagreements, and a whole new lease of life for Gloria.

It's always lovely to see an older main character, and Gloria is someone I took to my heart, she has a great personality and a lovely way of looking at things.

It was a sheer joy to read her story, and see her develop over the book.

This is the first book I've devoured by the author, I read it in a few short hours, and was hooked, and it certainly won't be the last.

A truly enjoyable and inspiring read, and I hope to be even a bit like Gloria in my twilight years!

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

Lovely feel good read. It was well written and flowed well. I enjoyed it very much. The plot was good and interesting. Hard to put down

From the cover, I thought I was really going to love this book, but sadly, I didn’t really like it. From the title, I assumed the hoarding was going to play quite a big part in the book, but it was only a little bit at the start, so didn’t really centre around it like I had imagined. Lots of times I found the book dragging on and I just wanted to fast forward it. I also found it quite unrealistic how two of the main characters had mental health issues of depression which they both seemed to get over quite quickly and easily. I know from family experience, that this doesn’t happen. I also felt like they kept mentioning that they didn’t have long left and it was all just a bit depressing.

Before reading this book, I presumed from the cover image that I would be entering into the world of a hoarder and how wrong I was.
The book begins with 79 year old Gloria and her friend Tilsbury leaving her home because of a suspected electric fault. As the title suggests, Gloria has failed to throw anything away since the passing of her husband Arthur some 20 years earlier. Which is much to her estranged sons disgust.
After a brief stint living with her son (who is trying to sell her home from underneath her), Gloria armed with a credit card and an adventurous mind heads to Skegness to visit an old friend. When Gloria arrives at Mabel’s farm house she is astounded to find that Mabel has also become a burden to her family and is living in squalor with an awful standard of life. At this point the overwhelming bond of friendship and understanding takes centre stage. For Gloria it is so much more than helping her old friend but an acceptance of how she was living her own life.
Knowing that she will inevitably be put into a nursing home, Gloria extends her adventure from London to Eastbourne making good friends and memories.
On her return home, rather than being met with the loving arms of her son, Gloria is instead faced with a tough decision of fighting for what belongs to her. Instead of being intimidated: Gloria Frensham has a plan and I must say a very good one.
What follows is a heart warming story of love, forgiveness, secrets and acceptance with an overarching message that time is relatively short and to enjoy your time as much as you can. A great read from an underrepresented heroine.

Ahhhh the lovely Gloria!

This is the story of Gloria, she’s a 79 yr old woman who has become isolated from her friends and family because of her hoarding. Since her husband died she’s , struggled and things have only got worse. She had a son called Clegg, who doesn’t really care much about her and comes across as very manipulative & only interested in himself; he was horrid and I didn’t like him at all.

A fire breaks out in Gloria’s home and her life from that day changes and will never be the same again.

What a lovely endearing book, sad and funny and makes you think a lot about aging and life in general, a real treasure!

I really enjoyed Jane Gilley’s style of writing and I loved the concept of the book.
But I did not think that it was appropriate for two major mental health issues experienced by two of the main characters to be shown to be overcome so easily (Gloria’s depression and hoarding and her son, Cleggy’s depression and subsequent ‘breakdown’). It really spoiled my enjoyment of the book, particularly the hoarding issue as it happened early on in the book and was so central to the theme of the book. Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely light hearted and heart warming story. Loved Gloria, she was a real hoot! I cheered for her at times and loved her new found attitude towards life.

This is the story of Gloria, she has one son, Gleggy. She lost her husband some time ago and no one has bothered with her since - except her friend Tilbury who stays on Gloria's floor sometimes. Gloria is what we would call a Hoarder, but not in the sense of sentimental things.. although she keeps them too. No Gloria keeps everything... and I mean...EVERYTHING!!
When the electric goes bang and there is no power to the house, things start to change for Gloria... her son gets involved and before you know it.. Gloria is turfed out to a nursing home while her son and daughter in law get the house empty and back into a beautiful liveable state.
What follows is a fab story of a son trying to dominate his sole parent .. a parent who is unsure of anything as she was looked after by her husband till he died. The story is brilliantly written with such fun characters that show us your never to old to live. I love Gloria and Tils and would love to read more about there adventures.
This book was not what i was expecting at all -it is a whole heap of laughter, worry, anger, regret and travels... life. This is an amazing story and one i highly recommend

I love books where people discover a new outlook on life, become more adventurous, and rediscover themselves, but this one I didn't love as much as I'd hoped I would. Parts felt very unrealistic and started to become repetitive and too oversimplified at times. I still loved Gloria and her journey to reclaiming her happiness.

Gloria is a hoarder. Now seventy-nine, she keeps everything, literally everything and her small house has gradually, yet inexorably filled with junk, treasures, and the things that she cannot let go. It's been this way for her, becoming profoundly more difficult to maneuver and to cope since her beloved husband Arthur died. With few friends and a nasty son, Gloria gets through her days with denial, looking on the bright side, and mulling the old days. When an electrical problem means Gloria is removed from her beloved home for the weeks it takes to fix the electrical issues and empty the house of rotten and terrible mess, she learns once again how to be a person in the world. Working with a therapist at the nursing home, she begins to understand the forces that drove her to hoard and kept her from living a full, meaningful life that brings her joy. An impromptu visit to the beach with an old friend changes everything: Gloria travels, makes new friends, and learns to speak her mind and stand up for herself. The story started out rousing strong with an opinionated, scared, and resilient Gloria and devolved to lovely and touching and ha ha laughter all around. I wish it had kept with that original promise of a smart, powerful woman choosing a new way in the world, but unfortunately, it did not. I read to the end hoping with all my might that the rickety structure might hold the promise, but, alas, it did not. There is much to like, much to appreciate, but ultimately, it's a dissatisfying experience with too much talk and too little action.

A heartwarming, fun and engaging read. I love the Authors writing style, it’s easy going and fun ti engage with, but easily emotive.

The Characters are fun and varied, and I missed them within a day of finishing the story!

This was the perfect book to settle with on a nightth, and I was wager to return each morning!

This book vaguely reminded me of 'The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry', the premises being similar, an elderly person on a path to rediscover life. It has its moments, some light hearted and some serious.