Absolutely loved it. Heartwarming and entertaining. Highly recommend! I didn’t want it to end. The expectation-defying geriatric characters were wonderful.

This is the third book I’ve read by Clare Pooley, and while I’ve loved them all, this is definitely my new favorite. Her knack for bringing an unlikely group of people together for humor, friendship, love, healing, wacky antics, and then subverting expectations- it’s unlike anything else I’ve read. And I just love every minute spent with her delightful characters and their adventures. She manages to touch on numerous heavy topics with empathy and humor, and without unduly weighing down the story. I highly recommend reading this. And even better, read it somewhere in public, so that when you find yourself laughing hysterically and repeatedly, the person at the next table can interject, and next thing you know, you’ve befriended everyone around you and devised a scheme to….. oh wait, I should really leave that to Pooley, she’s much better at this than I am. Anyway, seriously just read this.

Thank you Clare Pooley, Penguin Viking, Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

For such a large cast, I thought the characters had remarkably well developed back stories. I especially liked that there was a responsible single teen dad, not because I think teens should be having babies but because I like to see positive representation.

Like Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting, the large cast leads to themes of found family and solving one another’s problems. In this case, though, I think there was one or two too many storylines and I wish it had been cut down so we got more depth on the others. I was surprised to read the author’s note and see she was inspired to write a Lydia as a mirror for herself when I found Lydia the weakest of the characters. I was much more interested in Daphne, Ziggy, and to a lesser extent, Art.

I think I’d call this cozy found family fiction, which goes down like a milkshake but will ultimately not be memorable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Absolutely delightful! Right out of the gate these characters feel like your friends. The found family trope is one of my favorites, and this family will be sticking with me for awhile. All I can say is THAT ENDING!!!!!! Chefs kiss ❤️

Once I saw that Clare Pooley had another book I knew I needed to read it! I loved Iona Iverson so much and was worried that this wouldn’t compete.
I loved the characters, the stories that each of them had were so unique and came together perfectly in a tale of life, love, redemption, and secrets. So good and the ending was exactly what I was wanting for the characters! Loved this!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ok so I might think I'm not the proper demographic for this book. I was excited to read it based on the description but I'm a bit disappointed. This book was a bit hard to read! The characters were kind of funny, and all very different - i liked that rhey all had their own pasts, flaws, thoughts, and redeeming qualities. I sometimes had a hard time keeping all of the characters straight, There are so many. Ziggy really through me for a loop, I thought he was going to be older also, so it was a shock that he was a teenage dad. Idk what I would do the improve this, I think it was well written - just didn't hold me.
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Hooked from page one! A feel good story of 70 year olds and 5 year olds bringing a community together leaves you with characters that will stay with you. With laughs along the way. Different ages, backgrounds, way of life coming together. I absolutely fell in love with Ziggy (rallying for him all the way). I hope to be Daphne when I’m well starting today not when I’m 70. Arts story really pulled me in with his backstory, actions, and even his feelings. Definitely a feel good story as A Man Called Ove and The Help. Highly recommend

How to Age Gracefully, by Clare Pooley, is such a fun read. The characters are great, from young to old. (This group of seniors...I want to be their friend!) The story is filled with so many laughable moments that you'll find yourself laughing out loud or at least smiling through most of it. I highly recommend this one if you want something to lift your spirits!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Clare Pooley has once again captured my heart with her delightful storytelling! In "How to Age Disgracefully," Lydia finds herself immersed in a world brimming with eccentricity and mischief when she encounters a cast of characters so vibrant, they practically leap off the page. From Art's penchant for pilfering to Daphne's shady past and Ruby's knitting prowess—each character is a masterpiece in their own right. When the city council threatens to bulldoze their beloved hangout spot, this golden team isn't about to take it lying down!

This book had me laughing out loud, with belly laughs that had me clutching my sides. But amidst the humor, there's a poignant exploration of friendship and community, which brought tears to my eyes. I was particularly drawn to Daphne's journey as she navigates the complexities of re-entering society, with her interactions with fellow senior citizen Art providing some truly amusing dialogue.

"How to Age Disgracefully" presents a diverse cast of characters, from the funny to the malevolent, all united in their determination to save their community center from closure. With Lydia leading the charge and a motley crew of characters by her side, this quirky tale promises laughter, mischief, and a hefty dose of British charm.

Overall, Clare Pooley has crafted a fresh and unique story that celebrates the highs and lows of aging disgracefully. From Daphne's fearless quest for friendship to Art's knack for playing dead on screen, "How to Age Disgracefully" is a delightful read that will leave you chuckling from start to finish!

This was a fun, light read that had some twists and turns I wasn’t prepared for. It was a slower pace than what I’m use to and found myself struggling at times to finish but ultimately it was a wonderful read and I’m glad I pushed through.

How to Age Disgracefully had me laughing out loud almost from the very beginning. At first, I was not sure if this book would be for me, but that feeling lasted at most 25 pages because by page 30, I was laughing in the doctor’s office and finding myself needing to hold in the laughs. The main character is a septuagenarian widow named Daphne. She has decided to reengage in a social life after 15 years of solitude. She joins a senior citizen social club which is led by Lydia, a recently hired former stay at home mom.. The senior citizens meet at the community center in the room next to the nursery, where Ziggy, a single teenage father drops off his daughter Kylie so he can go to school. Not to give anything away, but the two groups (the seniors and tots) join together to save the community center from being demolished for a new development with the help of Maggie Thatcher, a recently orphaned senior dog.

These seniors are a sassy bunch filled with their own hidden issues and trying to make their way in a world that wants to ignore them or make them be boring. They aren’t having it. There is so much care and humanity in these characters that the reader genuinely gets to know, understand and root for them.

I received this ARC from the publisher for my honest opinion. I highly recommend this delightful light-hearted book.

I’ve loved Clare Pooley’s books and her depiction of found family and real characters. This book was right in line with what I always love about her work. The story was warm and the characters lovable. The shifting perspective was a little unclear as it felt like one voice throughout, but I liked the voice, so that was ok. I also thought there wasn’t enough of a connection to the community center to justify the story around it - why couldn’t they gather somewhere else? But those are minor complaints. All in, it was a warm and lovely read.

The kindle version had lots of errors, but I imagine that’s just due to the advance nature of the copy.

Are you a Senior citizen? Are you lonely? Join a Senior Club!! Sounds so easy doesn't it? This Senior group is anything, but dull. Everyone has a secret . Some of them can get you arrested. Add a childcare center in for fun. Old and young is a wonderful mix. Need a leader? How about one with a horrible, cheating husband? Can an old actor with a shoplifting habit, a woman who has been hiding for years, a crochet fanatic with a talent for serving justice, a talented senior dog whose owner dies under odd circumstances at the first meeting and a teenage single father one together to make a perfect story. Yes, they can.
This is a great book no matter how old you are. It would make a great movie, too!
Thank you, NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this book. Likeable characters and I couldn't put it down. Please write more Clare Pooley!!

This is the most delightful book I have read in a while. From page 1, I dreaded the end because it is THAT wonderful! This book is a warm hug and medicine you didn't know you needed. The characters, the plots: everything is perfect and inspires true joy.
Synopsis: The Senior Social Club and a daycare team up to save their community center. What could go wrong? ANSWER: Everything!

This was a comical look at a ragtag group of senior citizens banding together to save their community center. Full of heart and humor, it’ll be perfect for those who enjoy found family elements, a lighthearted tone, and a fresh look at aging.

Personally I struggled with the pacing of the plot and was never fully immersed in the story but I imagine this book will be a great fit for many readers as we head into summer. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital copy!

Nobody does an ensemble cast quite like Clare Pooley. This was such a fun whirlwind, I loved the elements of mystery and overlapping storylines and how they all came together. The range of ages of all the characters played together so well. I loved how smart and funny the humor about babies, teens, elders and every age in between was throughout the book. Another perfectly titled book as well!

Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75 stars

This was a fun read featuring quite an assortment of offbeat characters who intersect at a local community center that is being threatened with closure for lack of funding. We have Lydia, a brow-beaten woman in a bad marriage; Daphne, an impressively intimidating 70 year old with a mysterious past; Art, a hapless has-been actor; Ziggy, a teenage dad who is trying to do right by his daughter, and a few others.

How they come together and their oddball campaign to save the community center makes for quite an enjoyable read. Lots of humor but also characters you care about. And there is a tidy and optimistic but not overly Pollyannaish ending that is quite satisfactory.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I would watch the crap out of this if it were a sitcom tv show!! I love cantankerous old people who have silly little quirks, and the fact that they’re British (I have a strange fondness for British people), made this all the more delightful. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

A ragtag group of seniors, a teenage father, and a middle-aged woman with a cheating husband create unlikely relationships and find that life with friends is so much better than going it alone.