March is national women’s month. This book takes the stories of four women on a journey. It addresses the topic of growing older with respect. the story takes you on a an emotional rollercoaster, but leaves you feeling uplifted. .

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

Bella Osborne is a very good author. It's always so refreshing to read her books. If you like books without profanity but still have a good plot and interesting characters, her books are for you.

The Girls doesn't disappoint. The character development is great. I loved most of the characters and was surprised at the twist. Can't really say much without spoiling the book. I suggest you go in blind and just simply enjoy the read.

What a delight this book was to read. I enjoyed getting to know the 4 "girls" although the start was only told by 3 of them. It was so well written that I'm convinced we only get old on the outside!

Four friends are brought back together after they get an invitation to one of the friends 80th Birthday. Zara is a famous actress, Jackie is the wild one, Val is the sensible one and Pauline is the safe friend. Each of them have there problems and they rely on Zara to help them out.

What a lovely book, you want to read more and more about the characters. Each of them has their own personality and are full of life. A wonderful, well written book. Another brilliant book by Bella.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Brilliant new read from a wonderful author. Contemporary, warm, full of heart, just like The Library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Another brilliant story by Bella about childhood friends who’s lives have all gone in different directions but they are reunited and try to recreate their childhood by making more memories together. Loved it

3/5 stars!!
This book is definitely so much more than a rom com! If you love women's fiction, older characters, and friendship this book will be perfect for you!! I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns that were present in this book. It was quite bonkers but in the best way possible!! I also don't really read books with characters who are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s so it was really interesting to be in the heads of characters who are of that age. I didn't really appreciate how the book fell a bit flat for me towards the 3/4th mark.

Thank you to Head of Zeus, Aria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of, The Girls, by Bella Osborne. I thought I was going to love this book, and I did not. It was very slow to start.It got better but not by much.

In the 1970’s Zara, Val, Jackie and Pauline shared a house in London. Now 40 years later they are about to become housemates again but this time on the French Riviera. Will living together live up to their expectations or will chaos ensue?

A great story about friendship with a good mix of characters which made for an enjoyable read.

How nice to read a simple, enjoyable story about women of a certain age. This book was like vanilla ice cream--you enjoy it when it is in front of you but generally don't crave it. This was an easy read and I think it will be well-liked by senior citizens.Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC Kindle book in exchange for an honest review.

What would happen when you get a group of girls together after 50 years!! This is a well writhe story and I throughly enjoyed it.

This is the first novel I've read by Bella Osborne and I was drawn to it by the synopsis and reviews. I enjoy reading novels about older women and this sounded like it would be an uplifting read. 40 years ago Zara, Val, Jackie and Pauline shared a house, in the present day Zara suggests the others move in with her so they can support each other in their older years. The novel starts off well, even if the characters are rather cliched. However I lost interest about half way through as the novel increasingly descended into farce and I felt it moved from one genre to another to it's disadvantage.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.
2.5 stars.

*thank you netgalley and head of zeus for the eARC!

I loved the premise of this book: four friends who are getting the band back together for one last hurrah, but everything is not as it seems. I also love how the cover art and title really have you thinking this is going to be a fun women's fiction novel, but the book falls under many genre categories. however, I had trouble with the fact that the first main plot point isn't introduced until over 30% in the book. it started picking up around 60-70% through, and that is when I truly started enjoying the ride. i enjoyed the character arcs for val, walter, and pauline. i didn't find that we as the reader were given much in the way of feeling anything other than distaste towards zara, which is something else I found tough about it. overall, it was a little slow for my taste, but wrapped up nicely, with a fun mystery flair!

I am a massive Bella Osborne fan but I didn’t like the characters or story. It did not grab me.Four flat mates at 18 were brought together by Zara who of the 4 had become famous and wealthy. Set mainly in south of France. Good twist at the end . An easy read . The villa sounded amazing .

Four women who were flatmates 50 years ago are reunited by one of them who has become a rich and famous actress. The story is told from the multiple points of view of the other 3 “girls”. Now living together again in the south of France, the plot twists and turns as more of events of intervening years emerge and affect current behaviours. Bella Osborne is a master story teller and produces and absorbing and unusual book which I highly recommend.

Pauline, Jackie and Val each receive an unexpected party invitation: it's Zara's 80th Birthday.

The four women shared a house in their twenties, but lost touch after that. So the invitation is a surprise, but they are intrigued to attend, as Zara is a world-famous actress.

What they discover at the party is that Zara's health is quite poor, despite her façade. Zara then has the idea that they should all move in with her, since they each live alone and could, instead, spend their time together in luxury.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Girls. Bella Obourne is a good story-teller, and while I could gradually see where the plot was going, and could suspect certain things, it held my interest and still brought a few surprises.

Of course, this is a character-driven story, and this is where the book really delivers.
The titular girls are very distinct and rounded, and their different personalities make their interactions entertaining.

It's not all fun and games, though. The girls all have their secrets and emotional baggage, and although the overall tone of the book is light, it does touch upon some heavier themes.

I'll definitely be looking out for more of Bella Osbourne's books!

Immersive, Entertaining, Heartwarming…
Back in the 1970’s four girls were sharing good times as well as a house. Now in their later years they come together once again - at a suggestion from one - to share each other’s lives, much as they used to do. Wouldn’t it be great to share the later years all together again, support each other and have that constant companionship? Perhaps. First off, all is well but soon things are to take a somewhat odd turn. As life spirals out of control, true friendships may well be tested to the limit. Immersive and enjoyable, entertaining, touching, heartwarming and delightful. All of those things. All at once.

An enjoyable read, but I had slightly mixed feelings about this book, it started off well, then dipped a bit for me, but picked up a bit by the end.

I loved the title and the idea that four friends who used to share a house together when they were younger get back together to sort of re-live their youth, and be there for each other as they get older, a great idea, especially as the instigator is a famous actress with plenty of money and a villa in the South of France! But what seems like a good idea at the time isn't always such a good idea in practice, as they start to remember annoying habits about each other and an ulterior motive is revealed by the aging actress.

I think what I found hardest was the characters as I couldn't really warm to them, apart from Val who I liked. Jackie was extremely annoying, acting like she was in her 20s instead of her 60s, and while it was great that she was trying to enjoy her life she went to extremes and it didn't make her happy. Zara was quite controlling as she held the purse-strings and tried to persuade each of 'the girls' to do something they didn't really want to do. And Pauline had a hard life and was the quietest of them all, with a secret to hide.

The setting sounded lovely, and I really liked the laid back gardener Walter, but it turned into a bit of a whodunnit farce with the police at the end.

Enjoyable, but just didn't quite hit the mark for me, unlike the book I'd read just prior to this also by Bella Osborne, 'The Library' which was just fabulous.

This book involves 4 ladies who lived together back in the ’70s. Fast forward to 50 years later and the girls are back together.

As they recreate their lives in the 70’s there are many challenges that they are forced to face and along the way they each learn something very important. Personally, I felt this particular aspect of the book brought the whole story together.

This book was told through three separate POVs which I enjoy but I know is not for everyone. I felt this helped establish each of the women’s unique personalities and it really promoted the development of each of the characters throughout the book. However, this book touches on harsh realities and some difficult topics that may be triggering for some, but relatable and comforting for others.

Overall, this book made me feel all kinds of emotions, which to me, makes for a great read. I really enjoyed this!

Thanks to NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and Bella Osborne for the e-ARC of this book!

A woman's friendship with others always remains salient especially in light of shared experiences. I am glad that Zara brought everyone together especially due to economic and personal hardship. However, I think that Pauline needs to be stronger as I had to force myself to read her chapters due to her wobblines and childlike behavior. All may have fallacies such as Jackie and her trying to find a man to satisfy her financial needs or Val to simply find a connection, but Pauline overshadowed some of the humor and how great the relationship of the girls was.