A charming, light hearted read touching on themes of friendship and how you're never too old to change your ways.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Such a delightful book. Easy to pick up and fall right into the story. I believe this is a debut book if so looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

From re-inventing yourself, friendships, to old secrets. This novel shows it does not matter what age you are, you can re-invent yourself at any age.

With Evelyn’s late husband passing, she discovers so much that we can see she kind of did know about but choose to overlook it by not acknowledging any of it. But now that she has, she has used this opportunity to grow as a person emotionally for once in her life.

It was difficult however we join her on this journey. It was an interesting read as it has mature characters in terms of their age as some do not learn lessons at a younger age but this novel shows it does not matter at all.

Adventures can be had at any point in life.

What a lovely book from
What I think is a debut author!
I’ve recently come back from a trip to The Isle of Wight so it was lovely because I recognised some of the places and the ferry etc

This book will definitely warm your heart

A gentle story of three ladies of a mature age and the descriptions of their characters really brought them to life.
it was an entertaining story that kept the reader engaged as it was not predictable as to what would happen next. The back stories of the main characters were revealed more and more as the book progressed.

The Second Chance Holiday Club
by Kate Galley

A tender, lighthearted novel about a trio of women who make an unexpected connection during a Christmas Trip.

Evelyn, a new widow is not as grief-stricken as one might expect. She's a bit of a grumpy old cow, judgmental and intolerant. But Evelyn has a depth of sorrow that is at the root of her curmudgeonly behaviour. A hidden letter with devastating details sends her on a mission to confront her rival on the Isle of Wight, but her upselling travel agents books her onto a "Turkey & Tinsel" trip which definitely is not her normal cup of tea.

Christmas is a time for family and old friends, but this year, Eve's Christmas is about seeking the truth, facing her demons, finding her feet in her new life and maybe finding friendship.

This is a light and easy read, perfect for Christmas, maybe for the grumpy old cow in your life.

Publication Date: 1st December 2022
Thanks to #netgalley and #headofzeus for the egalley of #thesecondchanceholidayclub

This story focuses on Evelyn as she travels to The Isle of Wight to hand deliver a letter her husband has written to another woman. It was lovely to see how Evelyn began to come out of her shell and made a few friends along the way. She has been recently widowed and it seemed to me reading this that her husband had made all the life decisions for them both. This was a lovely uplifting story and I can't wait to read more from this author

This is a charming feel good book about ladies of a certain age who meet on an I’ll-fated coach holiday over Christmas to the Isle of Wight. I didn’t particularly take to some of the characters at first but grew to understand them and like them by the end. We get to understand their previous lives and enjoy their new relationship of mutual support.

The Second Chance Holiday Club by Kate Galley

When Evelyn's husband Tony dies she finds a letter and a diamond ring intended for another woman. Reuniting them with their owner leads to her booking a coach trip to the Isle of Wight. Despite the diasters along the way, Evelyn makes new friends, Cynthia and Joy, and finally starts to heal after the heartache in her past.

What a fabulous book - I absolutely loved it. The characters were all so real, their quirks and personalities so authentic I was imagining the story as though it were a TV drama (please could we have a TV or film adaptation of this!) and raced through it. Fantastic debut from the author - I can't wait to read what she writes next. Very VERY highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

What a lovely heartwarming read.

When Evelyn is widowed at the age of 76, she discovers that her husband was in possession of a diamond ring, a letter to a woman and her address. So Evelyn sets off on a journey to discover the truth about her husband and who this woman is.

Her journey provides some unexpected meetings and realisations and Evelyn realises that she’s not too old to change the habits of a lifetime.

Evelyn and the people she meets on her journey are lovely. There are some beautiful, heartfelt moments and a lot of dry humour. I’d thoroughly recommend this cosy holiday read.

This book is touching and uplifting look at life after loss.

There were a few gentle twists and turns in this book, but the real stars are the characters. Brilliantly well observed.

This book shows that it’s never too late to make new friends, reveal secrets long buried and reinvent yourself. People think that dreams and adventures are only for the young; Evelyn, Cynthia and Joy prove that theory false!

The three meet on a bus holiday trip. All there was different reasons, they bonded over shared bad accommodations, slowly revealing their stories to each other. Their family relationships, marriages and life experiences are nothing like each other, but the friendships still developed.

I enjoyed seeing Evelyn’s emotional growth. It wasn’t easy for her but she did it. Joy moved beyond her past and her confidence grew. A nice book with mature characters was really nice for a change.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Evelyn has just been widowed. When sorting through her husbands effects, she finds a letter to another woman, along with a ring, and her world suddenly changes. She decides to travel to the Isle of Wight to find the mysterious Maggie - will she find out the truth, and will she accept the changes the trip brings to her life?

I found this quite hard going, slow in places, and I struggled to keep concentration. However, in the end it was a lovely story of friendship, containing a number of tough storylines that were handled sympathetically.

Evelyn Pringle has just been widowed but her husband was found dead in his car with a ring that doesn't fit her and a letter addressed to a woman she doesn't know. The lady concerned lives in the Isle of Wight and it seems Evelyn's husband killed her husband.
So Evelyn books a Christmas break in the Isle of Wight and decides to deliver the letter herself.
The delivery of the letter is more difficult than she expected but along the way she finds herself unexpectedly making friends and enjoying herself and at the end of the holiday she and her friends have had their lives changed forever.

Evelyn Pringle is going through her husband's things after he died when she finds a letter addressed to a woman who lives on the Isle Of Wight. Adding this to the fact that her husband had a diamond ring in his pocket that clearly wasn't for her, Evelyn decides that she needs to deliver the letter to the mystery woman herself.
Booking herself onto a coach trip Evelyn is totally out of her comfort zone but she is determined to complete the mission she has set herself.
Could she be making a big mistake or will this trip turn out to be the best thing she has ever done.
A story of friendship and new beginnings with three feisty, fun and surprising ladies of a certain age.
I really enjoyed this, it's hard to believe it's a debut novel. Well written with strong characters and a clever storyline.

I loved the settings and the theme of friendship and grief. I found the writing poignantly beautiful at times and amusing at others. An enjoyable read and I will be looking out from more from this author.

The lives of 3 retired ladies join as they take a Christmas trip to the Isle of Wight. The coach trip is a disaster but the women form a close friendship. All 3 have seen their husbands die under different circumstances but it draws them together. Great funny characters and easy to read chapters. Thanks to Kate and her publisher. Also thanks to NetGalley

A charming book about three ladies who become friends on a 'Turkey & Tinsel' coach trip to the Isle of Wight. I wasn't sure when I first started reading it that it was for me but I totally enjoyed it.
It has little pockets of humour and wit along with true to life experiences and emotions. A really enjoyable alternative Christmas read.

Three elderly ladies have fun on a coach trip to the Isle of Wight. Evelyn can't face going to her family for Christmas. Cynthia and Joy also want to escape their normal lives. The seedy hotel could have been a disaster but the holiday makes them friends for life. They're all great characters, making for an amusing and poignant Christmassy read. You really root for them all, especially Evelyn.

Kate Galley’s debut is a gem of a novel. Immersive, funny and at times tragic, it carries the reader straight into the world of its narrator, seventy-six year old Evelyn Pringle.

Evelyn’s world has been turned upside down by the recent death of her husband, Tony, and she feels ready to slide into a comfortless, isolated widowhood. But Tony has a few remaining surprises for her, a secret past that throws up too many questions. Before she knows it, she finds herself on a reluctant journey to the Isle Of Wight, hoping to find the answers.

What follows is in many ways a classic road trip, featuring a coachload of glorious characters, some of whom we will get to know very well, and a series of beautifully described destinations. Galley’s talent for observational detail and wry humour shines through, painting a set of very real individuals who are all dealing with their own challenges. A great strength of the novel is its vivid portrayal of senior citizens who are very much out to live life to the full, resulting in some wonderfully awkward situations.

Yet this is no frivolous comic story. With older protagonists comes buried baggage, and the second half of the novel lightly and movingly builds on themes of friendship, grief and loneliness. Transformation and ultimate redemption are vividly depicted, avoiding sentimentality to paint a strong picture of women turning their lives around, making the best of the moment and in turn flourishing all over again.

As such, the book has universal appeal and will be enjoyed by a wide audience. It is a well-written, well-judged page turner, full of both poignant and comic observation, building to a convincing and uplifting finale. I loved it.

Many thanks for the ARC.