A wonderful, laugh out loud look at friendship and being fifty. Loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable with an amazing cast of characters that you cannot help but engage with.

Lovely feel good story. It was well written and flowed well. Easy to read and hard to put down. Perfect on these summer nights

I love books with a cast of female friends! And these four work so well together, each with their own problems, relationship woes and secrets. The author cleverly has us wondering which of the four is hiding her breast cancer fears from her friends, and I wrongly guessed more than once! A good solid feel-good read with the right ending for every character. I enjoyed it.

Friends with secrets and a big birthday looming on the horizon in 'The Big Five O' from Jane Wenham-Jones. It's a funny, feel good read but still with some poignant moments and credible characterisation. A good dose of escapism and a generally fun, easy read.

An easygoing read about four friends all close to hitting fifty, it’s not deep and meaningful but a good thoughtful study of friendship. If you are around this age group you will relate to a few things but I didn’t really warm to any of the characters even though it was well written. It is a pick up, put down book, didn’t really draw me in but was easy reading for a few hours in the garden.

Roz, Charlotte, Fay and Sherie are all turning 50 and plan a massive party. While their friendship holds them together there are just some things they haven’t shared but time will soon reveal those secrets.

This was such a feel good book and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Big Five O is at once a Coming of Age and Coming to Terms story as four women embark upon a half-century of living life. At times it was bitter; at times it was bittersweet; but most of all it was just sweet. I enjoyed the journey of all four women as they struggled in various degrees with their acceptance of turning 50. I like Jamie very much, but I am crushing on Roger and Nate. Wonderful story about the value of love and friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jane Wenham-Jones for an ARC of 'The Big Five O' in exchange for an honest review.

A positive book about friendship and secrets. This follows 4 friends, who are nearing their 50th birthdays, on the run up to a party they are planning to celebrate it. Their stories are intertwined and there are several cliffhangers in the book, one of them is ill, but you don’t find out who til the end. Although I liked the premise, I found some of the characters hard to like, and felt that at times their friendships were not as real or as close as first expected. Because of this, at times I found the book hard going as I could not properly empathise or identify with the characters. A little more depth and kindness may have added more enjoyment for me. I will try more of the author’s books as I did enjoy her style of writing at times.

This book tells the story of four good friends all approaching 50 and organising a joint birthday party.
We learn the lives of all 4 women, their working background alongside their relationships. The characters are extremely easy to relate to and very likable.
In the background is a running storyline around one of the characters, not identified until the end, who is keeping a secret around her health. This was dealt with sensitively but demonstrated a woman's strength al9ngside the idea that she felt this was something she needed to face alone.
A feel good book, with humour, easily relatable.
I would recommend this read.

Perfect chick lit! I loved the premise and the characters were well developed! I recommend this for anyone looking for a light and fun read!

This was the first book that I’d read by this author but it won’t be the last. I found the characters believable and whilst writing about tough topics it was still light-hearted and fun.
I would recommend this to friends and family, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this in exchange for a review.
I will leave this review on amazon and goodread in due course.

I thought this book was really good. As I turned 50 last year I was able to identify with some aspects of all four ladies' personalities. The author combined humour, pathos, romance and intrique really well so the book always kept the reader interested. This was the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last.

Review will be posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

I'm happy I found this book that talks about women in my age bracket, real women with problems you can relate.
It's engrossing, fun to read, moving and heartwarming.
The cast of characters is relatable and fleshed out, the setting interesting and the plot keeps you hooked till the last page.
It's the first book I read by this author and it won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is a great story about 4 friends planning a huge milestone birthday.

Very heartfelt and funny read. Had me giggling, as I could totally relate.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Impulse & Killer Reads for the ARC.

A nice easy read about four different women , revolving around friendships, families and getting older. It was a nice enough read but not as enjoyable as I was hoping


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Ok so I found this book on Netgalley as a free read and thought I would try to expand my reading horizons a little. This is the first book I’ve read by Jane Wenham-Jones and it was an interesting experience for sure. This is a book about 4 friends: Charlotte, Sherie, Roz and Fay. It is told in each woman’s experience, overlapping and sometimes with cliffhangers in a section. It took me about ¾ of the book to actually enjoy what I was reading and flow through the words, instead of being confused.

Charlotte comes up with the idea of having a joint birthday party to celebrate them each turning 50. Charlotte of course has her own issues she is dealing with, she thinks her husband is cheating on her, she drinks too much and misses her daughter who has moved away from home recently.

Sherie is a single woman, with a cat she adores, a job she loves and a horrible dating history. She loves hanging out with her friends and wants to find some way to finally please her ultra critical mother.

Roz is a single mother with a teenage daughter that can’t be bothered with her any more than to ask for money. With money at a minimum she looks into what she can do to supplement her income to give her daughter things other girls are getting. With time and jobs at a premium she has little choice.

Fay is a divorced tough talking business owner. She can’t be bothered with relationship and is more than happy with a boy-toy on the side. Older than her fling, she knows when its time for him to move on she’ll be just fine. She has her business and plenty of friends to keep her occupied.

These 4 women battle the ups and down associated with life after 40. It isn’t always a bed of roses, each of us has our own struggles but with solid friendships those struggles are worth the battle. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy without expectation. 3 ¾ stars because of the bumpy beginning for me.

What a wonderfully uplifting book!

Four friends, Charlotte, Roz Fay and Sherie are about to turn 50 and to mark the occasion are organizing a fabulous party. The book focuses on each of their personal lives and despite giving each other the impression they are all fine they are all struggling in some way. One of the ladies also discovers a lump in her breast but we do not know who until the end of the book.

This book was funny, sad and inspiring and proves that it is never too late to live your best life. Ideal beach reading. Book in one hand and cocktail in the other!

A fun read about four women staring down the barrel of one of THOSE birthdays! All four- Charlotte, Roz, Fay, and Sherie- have an issue they don't necessarily want to deal with but which is hanging over their head. Yes they each have a secret but they also have each other. That's what made this a good read- it's a novel of how we can help our friends and make everyone's lives easier. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's light, it's funny, it's got a bit of a serious cant in spots, and all in all, you will root for these women.

Four friends with an upcoming 50th birthday decide to have a joint party to celebrate. During the planning we find that one of them is really going to need her friends. But which one?
All of them have secrets in their lives and not everything is as perfect as it appears to the outside world.
A good holiday read.