What can I say, this is another case of the right book for the wrong reader. I requested it from NetGalley, as it’s about a woman about the same age as me, which is not so common, so I thought I might be able to relate. Sadly, no.
I’m sure there are plenty of people who will love this story about rediscovering passion after a long marriage, but it just reminded me why I don’t read romantic comedies. I was promised heart-warming hilarity but instead had to push myself to get to the end so I could write it up and move on.

Lucy Jones has lived the fairytale happy ever after, with her handsome husband, Leo, who goes to work while she has a nice hobby job, even though she’s dispatched her three grownup children. When Leo announces he wants to downsize and do up a ramshackle cottage in the countryside, she won’t have a bar of it, but his sudden redundancy convinces her they have no choice. With her menopause approaching, she feels old and unattractive, but the handsome builder who arrives to do their renovation soon has her all aflutter. Will Lucy blossom with a new man, or remember what she liked about the old one?

One of my particular bugbears in fiction is women who got everything they ever wanted, but do nothing but complain about how boring their life is.
Lucy has let her lazy husband and spoiled kids get away with doing nothing her whole marriage, but now complains about having to do all the housework, especially when this involves cleaning up toothpaste mess. (Top tip for a happy marriage - get a job that pays enough that you can get a cleaner. Failing that, train your family properly from the start.) Even when her selfish bratty daughters move back in, she lets them walk all over her.

This is all told from Lucy’s point of view, and unfortunately I had zero sympathy, especially given the hypocrisy of falling in lust with your builder then complaining that your husband is charmed by another woman. I also didn’t find any of the jokes or situations remotely funny. There are terrible puns and Dad (or should that be Mum?) jokes all the way through that just made me cringe.
The outcome is completely predictable and I was uncomfortable with the reasons behind Lucy’s ultimate choice, again maybe it was supposed to be funny, but imagine the roles being reversed (no spoilers so I can’t explain.)
I didn’t really like any of the characters apart from Pip and BC.

It is however well written, and I did enjoy the descriptions of the Kent countryside and cottage. It’s not too long and the dialogue was well done.
Please don’t let my antipathy for this genre put you off - I chose it because I was expecting something different, but it you enjoy this kind of frothy chook-lit then definitely give it a go. I’ll go back to my mystery thrillers and try to remember not to request anything with the word “romantic” in the blurb ever again.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.
All opinions are my own.

Overall I liked this book. I found it funny at times, especially some of the scenes with the dog. I could relate to the toothpaste! I did find Lucy's inner monologues a bit boring at times - in that they went on too long. Leo was totally selfish, uprooting their lives, and then doing a disappearing act! Lucy's eldest daughter was so selfish. She didn't ask, but rather assumed that her mother would give up her bedroom for her. I think many of the characters were exaggerated for effect - the nerve of the music teacher! All in all, a good read. I found the ending to be satisfying. With thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is Lucy and Leo Jones marriage broken? They have successfully raised their children and Leo is insistent on purchasing a small cottage. Lucy is hardly excited by the prospect. As a matter of fact, she isn't very excited about the marriage itself.

Concerned that she might be going through the change, Lucy has no idea where the extra energy might come from if they buy the cottage, as it will need a lot of work. From Lucy's first-person perspective, her thoughts and worries float through the pages.

With Lucy's thought process and humor liberally peppered throughout, this was a really fun read. I was rooting for Lucy to get past her current crisis and for her and Leo to be able to relight the joy they no doubt had once before. As if that was not enough of a challenge, when their children show up wanting to move back home, everything truly goes off the rails.

This is my second book by Debbie Viggiano and I really enjoyed it. I sat down and read it in one sitting in just a few hours. One of the draws was because as a mother with grown children in some ways I felt that I could relate to Lucy. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a wonderfully light hearted read which will resonate with many long time marrieds. Like all of us there’s one habit of our other half that really grinds, for Lucy it’s toothpaste smears and the inability to replace the cap. That aside she’s struggling with menopause, libido and keeping the spark alive and her husband has thrown her life in a tailspin by persuading her, against her great misgivings, into moving from the family home into a cottage which is barely habitable.

This is a very easy book to get into and Lucy is a very identifiable character, her husband Leo isn’t as easy to understand, you can understand Lucy’s frustration with him however it was hard to figure where the desire to uproot came from. Lucy’s neighbour Patsy is quite marvellous and I found her amusing however I couldn’t truly see Lucy’s attraction to Will beyond that of a crush based on his physical appearance. Overall though the story flowed well and the conclusion will thought out.

This is a funny and laugh out loud story of Lucy, whose husband is continually unfaithful, and for whom she no longer has any respect. He then is made redundant, and suggests they buy a cottage nearby, but it needs a lot of refurbishment.
The builder who is chosen, is good-looking and very fanciable. There is also a fly in the ointment of a near female neighbour, who thinks she is God's gift to men!
Lucy eventually finds out that she has misconstrued the whole thing, and the result is a complete turnaround.
The characters in this book are well drawn, and the plot leads you on and on.

OMGoodness- what a treat for those of us who have been married as long as Lucy (or in my case, longer). It is the toothpaste in the sink that can make you nuts because it's the littlest thing and something you can focus on when everything else is going a bit wonky. Lucy is faced with moving and renovating a cottage and she honestly doesn't want to. Her husband Leo is a good guy at heart but now she's annoyed with him because he's taken off again leaving everything in her lap and there's Will, the gorgeous and nice guy. She's got a good friend in Patsy and a new pal in Sal. This is a chuckly book, with good characters and a light heart. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice read for a lazy day.

Married over twenty years and now an empty-nester with her rescue dog, randy neighbor and husband who commutes to London to work, Lucy is finally feeling like life is settling: the kids are grown and don’t need constant management, she’s got more time to work on her small seamstress business, and perhaps there is time to just relax. Until her husband begins pushing for a ‘downsize’ as he’s worried about redundancy at work, and the cottage he’s chosen is little more than a project from the ground up. Aside from not wanting to move, Lucy’s finding that everything (and everyone) is looking to her to fix the messes – even when her husband says he’ll be there, he’s not, or he gets distracted, tied up or otherwise becomes ‘unavailable’ to help out. In fact, cleaning the toothpaste from the bathroom sink becomes her own little metaphor for the ills of her life and marriage, and it’s not being helped with her age (nearing 50), her hormones (the neighbor has suggested HRT) or her husband’s unusual attachment to the real estate agent and his ‘builder”.

Lucy is acerbic, self-deprecating and wholly honest in her own interior voice, and as a narrator she’s pretty wonderful. From those little annoyances that happen in a relationship of long standing, to the complete crossed wires in communicating when you hear your partner, but don’t really listen to the words. More importantly, Lucy and Leo are supremely well paired despite neither believes they have been heard or their needs met. And when the cottage becomes a reality, and Lucy finds the builder has her reverting to her fifteen year old self, things heat up a bit, with her regular (and very harmless) fantasies and imaginings. Everything comes to a head with Leo actually finding a new jo that requires he trains in the US for a month – the same month as the construction crew is set to work on their new cottage, with Lucy in residence. With her dog. Oh – and soon, one of her daughters who discovered her boyfriend was unfaithful, soon followed by the other daughter with her partner and all their stuff as they lost the lease on their place. From two neighbors with hot pants, a fairly regular dose of Lucy behaving inappropriately and further fueling gossip and speculation, a whole lot of laughs and a moment of clear communication – things do work out for the best – to everyone’s satisfaction. Clever, honest and fun, this is a story that feels very real while reading, as you simultaneously nod your head in recognition or shake in that “thank the gods I’ve not seen / done / dealt with that” moments – it’s a fun read.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all occlusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aty/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I love Debbie’s books, so I was really looking forward to this one. As usual, I was hooked in from the first few pages and didn’t want it to end.

Lucy and Leo live in a house that’s too big for them, now that their children have grown up, so Leo tries to persuade Lucy to downsize. Not just downsize, but to a dump that needs lots of work doing to it. There are several great characters but nobody is what they seem, or doing what other people think they’re doing. Lots of getting the wrong end of the stick, and lots of laughing out loud.

I’ll never look at a tube of toothpaste in the same way again :-)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I wanted to like this but it just didn’t work out for me. Honestly the only character I cared for was Patsy, everyone else was blindingly fake and just annoying. If Will had been more...well endowed would Lucy just have gone for it? I feel like the answer is yes and the only reason she went running back to her husband was due to a split decision to use the bathroom and end up shocked that a single man has toothpaste in the sink basin.

Just not for me I guess.

This was a funny book and apart from the main characters having children, I found I could feel some empathy for Lucy as I’m a very similar age.

The internal monologues that Lucy had were especially amusing and had me chuckling.

Thank you to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Loved this book from the very first word of the book to the very end

It is the sort of book that I would love to be reading whilst laying on a hot beach with the book in one hand and an alcoholic drink in the other. A light hearted read with so many twists and turns it keeps you hooked

Lucy made me think of myself....very set in her ways and comfortable with her life until Leo decided he wanted a change and Lucy was dragged along for the ride without wanting to be but was prepared to try. Patsy, the neighbour and friend....everyone has a friend like Patsy in their lives even if they do not admit to having a Patsy, she does make you think of someone like her. Hugo, the estate agent...smarmy and condescending, Will, the builder, confident, charming, oozing sex appeal and knows what he wants, Jessica and Amy, the children who treat their mum like they are the adults and she is the child (as all children do at one point or another), Sally, the new neighbour who musically and confidently puts a spanner in the works for everyone but herself

but in then end, it ends as all good books should.....leaving me happy with the final words and feeling like I have just lived in that world.

A enjoyable read about some tough topics endured through middle age, tackled in a humourous manner. This would be a great holiday read - or anytime really!

This book made me smile, giggle and laugh out loud. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who has the time to just sit down and read, read , read!! Fab book

A light and entertaining read!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book of Debbie Viggiano that I have read and I wasn't disappointed. I'm glad I requested this from Netgalley.

It was funny from the very beginning until the end, and there were some laugh out loud moments which I loved. Perhaps the family didn't when I was reading this at 2am!

The novel unravels the life of a woman fast approaching fifty with added stresses from downsizing the house, children returning home and a husband working away.

The book if full of humour, encompassing Lucy's irritation, stress levels and menopause. Add brilliant characters and a relatable story and you have quite the book!

I really enjoyed this story which had me giggling away. I ended up reading this in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down. Thanks for one hell of a laugh Debbie!

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Debbie Viggiano for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Posted on Instagram @thebookendreviews and Blog www.thebookendreviews.wordpress.com.

Lucy reluctantly agrees to sell her home after she discovers that her and her husband’s finanacial situation has changed. As a whole, this wasn’t a terrible read, but as a woman approaching 30, I did find it difficult to relate to the scenarios discussed. Overall, 3 stars for me. Special thanks to NetGalley an the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it, Made me Laugh, Made me Smile and most importantly it was a great read so thank you Netgalley and the Publisher.

This was my first read of Debbie Viggiano, and I can't wait to read more! The book was entertaining from beginning to end. The book seemed realistic and you could imagine these things happening to Lucy. I enjoyed how the author incorporated Lucy's daughters as additional plot lines.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy of this read.

What a brilliant book. This book has a fantastic story line, excellent characters and is just wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I enjoyed it immensely.

Description
It was the toothpaste smeared around the sink that broke my marriage. As I rubbed it away AGAIN, I was reminded of everything else I’ve put up with these twenty-five years. My husband’s obsession with his pension, his ability to charm me into every single one of his ideas, never being taken on a romantic date, let alone ravished on the patio (like the woman who lives next door)… small things, but the realization was huge.

Just when Lucy Jones thinks her marriage is about to screech to a halt over toothpaste, her husband, Leo, announces he wants to move to tumbledown (clapped-out) Rose Cottage, and Lucy knows she’ll be the one managing the renovations.

Then along comes gorgeous builder Will, ten years younger and the only person actually listening to Lucy. His twinkly eyes and blowtorch smile are causing Lucy to break out in a hot sweat – but is it love, lust or simply dodgy hormones that are causing her heart to flutter?

Lucy loves her husband, but everyone knows that little things build up. And then they explode. Can Lucy keep it together, or will there be one last straw she might not be able to get over?

Lucy and Leo demonstrate what happens when you let your marriage come second. It is a hilarious read. Yes, it will make you laugh OUT LOUD. It is also a sweet book which will make you root for Lucy and Leo.

Thanks, to NetGalley for the advance copy to review.