I knew straight away that I would love this book. I loved how we were introduced to each character and what was going on in their lives within the first chapter – I felt like I knew each character in the story really well. I particularly liked and was drawn to the character of Ginny, as only very recently losing my Dad, I understood her grief – it felt a very familiar feeling to me.

As the story develops, we discover that each of the FLOWERS – as the ladies refer to themselves – has their own issues they are dealing with, and the skiing trip proves to be a very emotional journey for all of the ladies, but with friendship and love ever close, each one of them faces up to the challenges life has dealt them, and realises that life really is for living.

I really enjoyed this story, I loved all the characters and getting to know each of them. I especially loved the character of Ginny and following her journey through dealing with grief and the challenges that she faced. It made me cry as this is the journey I am facing after losing my Dad just a few weeks ago. Five Ladies Go Skiing is such a heart-warming read, full of love and friendship, and reminders that life is amazing, and just perfect for this time of the year – a well-deserved 5 out of 5 from me.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I loved the cover and the details about it. Although it was good I was let down a little as found it slow going to start with but once it got going I enjoyed it more. The characters are very good and love hearing about the skiing resort as you felt you were there. Full off loss, friendship and heartbreak and about moving forward from loss and being happy again and of course full of romance to. It's heartwarming and funny and an easy read.

There were a few too many main characters for me to get my head around at first. But once I got into the story this was delightful! Reading it at the height of summer was fun but I think I’ll crack it back open again closer to Christmas!

I really enjoyed this, it was a great escape, i rated it 3/5 i do sometimes struggle when there is a fair few main characters but once i got my head around it i really loved getting to know them all

There was a lot to enjoy in this book, the descriptions of the ski resort in Switzerland, the restaurants and food and the in depth skiing from a total non skier to skiing the blue run was very enjoyable Karen Aldous had researched the Swiss resort well.

The book follows five friend In their sixties who plan the holiday to help one of the group whose husband died a year ago. There are secrets shared and future fears and hopes expressed. I did find the book slow to begin with and it did get bogged down in places with unnecessary details but on the whole an enjoyable read.

Loved the book. Being part of a group of five life long friends who come together to help one who has the 1st anniversary of the death of her husband death from cancer. They plan a ski trip. Each looking at their life and marriages. Sometimes life is not what it seems to be. A very good read.

Ginny has struggled with the death of her husband and to make matters worse she has also lost her job so her four best friends decide that they need a holiday together to help cheer her up and decide on skiing in Switzerland. As they are around the sixty mark and some of them have never skied before a brave choice! It soon becomes apparent though that Ginny is not the only one with problems, they all have their secrets!

A lovely novel and one that made me want to go skiing again thinking of the fantastic scenery and the fun of the apres! Good characters and fun as well as a few twists.

I loved the FLOWERS - no matter what stage of life you're at, you need your girls around you.

Siblings called Ross and Rachel was way too cliché for me.

A little slow to begin, picked up about halfway through

The five ladies in this story are all around sixty years old and have been friends for years. However, family commitments, distance and secrets have kept them from all meeting up until they agree to go on holiday for the New Year . . . . and not just any holiday – four of them are going skiing for the first time ever, travelling to beautiful La Tzoumaz, Switzerland to do so, under the guidance of the one remaining member of the quintet who regularly goes skiing! One of the main purposes of this holiday is to help reconnect with Ginny, who has been particularly reticent to share how she is since the untimely death of her husband during the festive season last year and her being made redundant shortly thereafter. Ginny is the obvious one needing support but, as the story progresses, they discover that they all have their own secrets and that life isn’t always as rosey as it may appear for any of them!

This is a heartwarming story of friendship, learning to face your fears and discovering that a trouble shared may well be a trouble halved! Told mainly from the points of view of three of the ladies, it explores relationships, expectations, temptation and love in a laugh out loud adventure on the Nursery slopes with some unexpected twists though not necessarily of the injury kind. The ladies explore the après-ski options and discover more about themselves and each other in this delightful festive read. It is such a lovely change to have more mature main characters and this story shows that age is not a barrier to making changes in your life, facing new adventures and having fun.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

my first read by this author and i didn't know what to expect but i enjoyed it a lot. I would read another by her as well so thats a plus. Really well wrote.

Was very disappointed in this book. Sadly it wasn’t what we had hoped it would be from reading the description. It just wasn’t for me

This book was ok..The story line was good. Then charcters for me were well developed, however I did not connect with them. I didn’t love this book yet didn’t hate it.

I enjoyed this book but felt tht we were reading about 5 extremely lucky ladies. No financial worries, excellent friends, expensive holidays. Even when they had troubles they were dealt with in double quick time to the satifaction of everyone. If you are looking for a good chick lit read that takes you away from reality you will find nothing better.

Really loved this book. It is a christmas book, but its also much more than that, its about grief, loss, friendship, love, and healing. A really lovely read.

I started reading this but just could not get in to the story so did not finish the book. Might be something I try and read again in future.

I really enjoyed the setting for this one and I love the cover too!

The book was well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and getting to know the different characters and I loved that the focus of the book was older women and not those in their 20s and 30s which seem to be so common in this genre of books at the moment - it was a really lovely change!

For me this was a lovely book to curl up on the settee with a blanket and a warm drink! A really enjoyable story - 4 stars from me for this one!

A really funny read with likable characters and a great story. Great for this time of year and really puts you in a christmas and holiday mood

This is a story full of friendship and emotional highlights as one of the party, Ginny, tries to come to terms with losing her husband the previous year. Each of the five friends have their own back stories and personality but together, they form a united group. At the beginning, you get to meet each of them and see what is going on in their own lives. Then, the story is told primarily through the eyes of three of the group, so your interest never flags: Ginny, Kim and Cathy. Each of the friends has something to offer the group and their own issues.

All the women are all at an interesting stage of their lives as they approach their sixties. It is great to read a story which is full of their friendship, understanding and hope for the future. I particularly enjoyed seeing the ladies through each other's eyes. With fabulous scenery, there are some lovely, sparkling festive touches. It is an entertaining read, just right for the holiday period.

In short: Five fabulous ladies and a wonderful festive setting.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

Ginny Watts is still grieving a year after her husband’s death. To make matters worse, she’s also recently lost her job. Her friends, self-styled as the Flowers, decide to whisk her off on a ski holiday in Switzerland, where the wine flows freely and ABBA plays regularly. However, it soon becomes apparent each of the women has been dealing with her own difficulties, and a host of secrets threaten to fracture their friendships.

The title suggests five women and, technically, there are five friends, though they each receive different levels of attention in the text. Most of the story revolves around Ginny—after all, the trip would not happen without the sudden loss of her husband and the distance she puts between herself and the rest of the Flowers. Author Karen Aldous puts her through the ringer as she struggles with tragedies and a major secret carried by one of her friends. She’s a character struggling with loss and finding what she truly wants in life. Because of this, scenes from her perspective are some of the strongest.

However, the book alternates perspectives within chapters, with Flowers Cathy and Kim also getting major time to bloom. Cathy struggles with writing a novel and her husband’s clinginess after his early retirement, and she uses the holiday as an escape. Kim is the only Flower living overseas, in Australia, and she longs to return to the United Kingdom. These complications alone would be enough for one novel, and that’s before considering the final two Flowers, Lou and Angie. It’s a lot of action jammed together and, for the most part, it works. However, there are moments when the sheer number of names and side stories becomes overwhelming.

Fortunately, Aldous is more than skilled, and her humor and sheer joy for her subject matter shines through. Here are five women of varying ski-skill having the time of their lives. Whenever they join together for a meal involving lots of cheese and wine (which is usually after a heavy day of skiing triumphs and blunders), the conversations that flings back and forth between these women sound so perfectly natural. Whether they’re discussing aging, infidelity, grief, or even who’s the better-looking ski instructor, it feels as though you’re eavesdropping on age-old friends. In those moments, it’s real.

And, as a note, if ABBA starts to play, assume dancing will follow.

Note: Review will be posted to my blog, Plucked from the Stacks, on 12/17/2018.

3,5*
Ginny Watts is facing her first Christmas without her husband and the job she loved. Kim Anderson couldn’t wait for her trip to Europe. After being in Australia for several years she really wants to move back to England.

Cathy Golding is feeling smothered by her husband’s constant attention and demands since he retired. Angie Ricci’s energetic personality and sexual appetite is proving a little too much for her husband. Lou Cavendish still remembers the chemistry between her and her first love when they were at university. She cares for her husband very much, even if the chemistry isn’t quite the same.

The five women friends, who call themselves Flowers, have booked a skiing trip to Switzerland between Christmas and New Year, thinking it would be good for Ginny and help her get over the first anniversary of her husband’s death. Only one of them had ever been skiing before, the rest were novices.

Alternating chapters are from the first person perspectives of Ginny, Kim and Cathy, each including a lot of introspection which slows the pace considerably. Each of them have aspects of their relationships that they’re struggling with and as secrets are gradually revealed, friendships are tested and lives are evaluated. It’s an emotional time for them all, a time for discovering more about themselves and what they can still achieve.

And now I have to mention those pesky dialogue tags! It’s my personal opinion but dialogue tags do tend to grate when they seem unnecessary or over the top. Unfortunately they were littered throughout the narrative. There was so much screeching, squealing and shrieking, even a few roars, going on that it did get a little tedious after a while, making the ladies quite difficult to believe as mature women approaching sixty, which is a shame because the characters had a lot going for them.

On the plus side the descriptions of skiing, the learning processes and eventual use of the slopes, is interesting if a little scary but still makes me want to visit such a resort (mainly for the après ski, I have to admit. I’m not a skier.) The village, restaurants and food are fabulous and the relationships between the friends is lovely.