A delightful cast of characters from 8 months to 75 years old bring a lot of heart to this madcap adventure. When a senior citizens group loses their meeting place to ceiling damage, they are mixed in with the local daycare next door. A variety of temperaments, life experiences congeal and combust but ultimately band together against the council that would see their community center be sold.
What ensues is a comedic take on aging, the reality of loneliness, teenage and adult mistakes, do-overs, and starting fresh. The very real benefit of pets and children around seniors is explored gently within the context of this humorous tale.

4.25

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books for an early e-copy via Netgalley

I really liked this book! It was so cute and wholesome. Some happy and sad tears were shed throughout reading this book. It reminded me so much of the movie POMS, which I loved!!!

“Maybe it was time, whatever the consequences might be, to re-engage with the world, to make some friends.” The problem was, Daphne didn’t actually like other people very much, and she has no idea how one went about making friends as an adult, in any case.”

Lydia is finally headed back to work and running the Senior Citizens Social Club. She expects it will consist or tea, cake, and some crafts, but she was not expecting this. Art is trying to keep his career as a D list actor alive, Daphne is trying to meet new people, Ruby is knitting up a storm and leaving her creations for all to find, and one of the members passes away at the first meeting. When the council starts talking about selling the building, this cast of characters comes together to try and save their space.

You all know my love for Clare Pooley! Within the first chapter of this book I had already laughed out loud AND copied down a quote. I mean seriously, Clare can do no wrong! This book had the all the quirky characters you love to question, and you love to love! I just adore how Clare has a way of bringing characters together from all different walks of life, as well as all different ages. And gotta love a little Iona call out! I adored the questionable first chapter that kept me wondering all book long, but overall I just cherished every second of this ride. Like each of her books in the past, Clare hit this one out of the park, as always!

Loved this for the hilarious cast of misfit characters of all ages and backgrounds who come together for a common goal. Plenty of satisfying character growth, unexpected and heartwarming relationships, and sweet found family who truly care for each other. I’ll be moving Clare Pooley’s other books up higher on my TBR now!

ARC Review - thank you to the publisher and Negalley for this opportunity to read this book in advance and share my honest thoughts.

What a great collection of characters author Clare Pooley has pulled together in this book. The folks who show up to join a newly formed Senior Citizen Social Club are not your stereotypical seniors. They are lively, quirky, spirited, opinionated, and quite mischievous! They are also determined and fiercely loyal as they join forces to support each other and to save the Community Center. The ensuing adventure is both hilarious and heartwarming.
Such a fun read! Now I want to go back and read some of this author's other novels.
Thank you to Net Galley for this advance copy.

I picked this book for the title alone. I was expecting a zany grandma figure, a bit like the grandma from the Stephanie Plum series. That is not what I got. Which isn't a complaint, just a statement of fact. The book begins with a scene from a policewoman's point of view as she searches a bus for someone. You see most of the characters through her eyes, with no frame of reference. Then the story moves back in time to introduce you to them.

I found Daphne hard to like at first. It is a testament of the author's skill that she can have readers cheering for Daphne by the end without really changing much about her - only how the reader sees her. The author does the same for the other characters, jarring you with their introductions and then weaving the story of their lives into a fun and enjoyable novel.

I liked this book, and I think you will too.

Not family friendly due to profanity.

Clare Pooley is an auto-read author for me. I love all her books, but this is her best yet.

-Heartfelt? Yes
-Restores faith in humanity? Definitely
-Overstated or in-your-face? Not a bit
-Twee? Never

How to Age Disgracefully is magical in that Clare Pooley writes the interwoven lives of these vastly different characters of vastly differing ages/genders/lifestyles in a way that the reader can't help but somehow directly relate with them all.

If you're still on the fence, please know that at some point, several old people conspire to turn a scooter into a giant yarn penis.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! This is a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me.

At it's core, the book has a great premise. The cover and description both had me REALLY excited to dive into this story.
Unfortunately---in my opinion---the surplus of characters and the overall lack of plot for the first third of the book keeps the story from reaching it's full potential.

Plot:
I won't linger on this point to long. For some authors, the characters are more of the main focus than the plot, which I completely understand and honestly prefer of more plot centered stories. However, a good amount of this lack of plot was due to the fact that all but one of the characters didn't seem to do anything to help solve the problem for the first third of the book. Luckily, this does eventually change and the characters become much more active in both their own personal plotlines and the overarching plot of the story. This is where the story truly begins. I just really wish it would've happened sooner.

Characters:
Pooley clearly had fun writing the internal thoughts and banter between these characters. Each of them have their own little quirks, and are definitely the highlight of this book. My only complaint with the characters is that there are simply too many of them. I felt we didn't get to spend enough time with some of the characters which is such as shame since many of the characters that I feel got sidelined were some of the ones that I also found the most interesting.

Overall I think this book could be improved if it was just a bit less. Cutting out a good deal of the first third would resolve most plot issues and having less characters would allow us to spend more time with the remaining ones. There would be more time to expand on their relationships with each other and their personal stories that weave together in the book.

Charming and insightful realistic fiction about what it means to age in our society and how to "rage against " the process. Clare Pooley has written a dynamic and vivacious heroine in Daphne and her attempts to live life to the fullest. I laughed out loud and cheered for Daphne to fight for justice and the underdogs. The cast of characters point of views style is compelling and a joy to read. I loved the hilarious hijinks and how the characters seemed to interact like real people you might meet in your neighborhood anywhere in the world. Daphne was my favorite character, and yet the whole cast of characters were well-written. Pooley has a gift for illuminating the humanity of her characters and touching your heart.

I absolutely loved this book! Daphne is my favorite. Honeslty, all the characters were great! This book made me laugh and tear up. It is a must read. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an ARC.

A laugh out loud book by a great author! A heartwarming tale of different generations of ladies coming together to save their community. Definitely recommend!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. This is my first Clare Pooley book but it won't be my last. She does an amazing job of mixing humorous moments with heartfelt ones, never letting us lose track of either. From the hilarious opening scene on the bus/van to the very end, it held my attention completely and, more telling, kept me thinking about the story even when I wasn't reading. There's even an adorable dog, not to mention memorable senior citizens, a teenage father who had lost hope and his charming daughter that he is raising alone.

The senior citizens, though, they dominate and I mean that in a marvelous way. Viewpoints switch, so we get to not only see most in action but see their innermost thoughts, hopes, and fears. As older citizens, most feel ignored, even invisible, and it's a delight to see the impromptu group responding to Lydia's meeting notice come together and bond for a cause: the need to save the sadly in need of repair community center. Oh, did I mention that having a collapsing ceiling fall on you can be fatal? Yep, that's one of the bizarre happenings. In any case, coming together isn't easy. None of them are particularly gregarious. Daphne and Art, who is estranged with his daughter, clash immediately. Ironically , they met beforehand on the street when Daphne, after years of isolation, went out to prepare to make friends. Let's just say, she was anything but friendly. Daphne is a bit of a mystery but with obvious organizational skills and the gumption to stand face-to-face with obstacles and those who'd oppose their efforts to save Mandel Community Center. She's the catalyst.

While some of their efforts and the resulting antics might not be orthodox, it does get them noticed. They even combine forces with the neighboring daycare center to present what must have surely been one of the most entertaining Nativity plays around. A mobility scooter as a donkey? Maggie the dog as a sheep? You'll meet the children involved, too, including teen father Ziggy's lovely daughter as the Baby Jesus. Hey, she was the only one young enough to fit the part. The childcare center is his lifeline, allowing him to, hopefully, finish school and, assuming the "bad guys" don't end him first, maybe, just maybe go on to college with the help of a teacher who still believes in him, as does the mysterious Daphne.

And, just when things are finally going smoothly....well, I'm not telling, but it's one of those moments when hilarity and pathos collide. There are so many, from Lydia dealing with a worthless husband to the mystery yarn bomber, not that it's much of a mystery to readers. I probably felt more connection to Lydia than the others, sympathizing with her insecurities galore even without the complication of a worthless, cheating husband, but Daphne made the story. She's tough, outspoken, and retains that air of mystery throughout the book. Her story isn't fully revealed until near the end, but don't skip ahead. Too many heartwarming moments, often combined with belly laughs. Hopes and dreams are reborn, and this incredible group of senior citizens find themselves no longer ignored.

Heck, there is even romance in the air. Romance, cute dog and baby, scenes that might provoke belly laughs and/or sad eyes/tears, and hope for tomorrow. Old age may slow them down but they are determined to live their best lives without being relegated to the shadows. Bottom line, I've only touched the surface of the plot. So much happening. So many human emotions. So much sadness....and joy. These are characters that are going to stay with me for a long time. Thank you so much #NetGalley and #PenguinGroupViking - #PamelaDormanBooks for introducing me to this marvelous book and cast of characters. In fact, I'm thinking this may be the perfect book to gift to the local retirement village library when it comes out. It shatters the image of the stereotypical senior citizen and that is a good thing.

This book got me out of a reading slump and everything about it was delightful. I was a little unsure at the dual pov at first as the chapters are short and I was getting everyone confused. I caught my stride around 8% and then was golden until the end. I absolutely love the whit in this book as well as each of the characters.

The story follows the participants of a Senior Club who meddle into the lives of Lydia and Ziggy who help run the center. Lydia is middle aged and is on the brink of her marriage falling apart, and Ziggy is a new dad while still in high school. Art is in his senior years and hasb een estranged from his family for decades and Daphne has decided to create a new social life for herself. Ruby is a knitting champion and pranks the small town with her creations.

This book is the definition of found family and also that age is just a number that doesn't really mean anything.

I loved it!

Besides language, there isn't really any content.

Contemporary fiction isn't my typical go-to genre, but the "How to Age Disgracefully" synopsis sounded intriguing, so I picked it up - I'm so glad I did!

I loved seeing ageism through the eyes of some VERY capable senior citizens, and their fight to save the community center for the seniors and the daycare children was a fun ride. I especially loved Ruby's not-so-secret Banksy-style approach to turning her knitting into public yarn bombing. Every character has flaws, secrets, and some regrets after a life fully lived, and it was fun to unravel all the parts and pieces of the story.

This is my first Clare Pooley book and it definitely will not be my last. As a matter of fact, I have already added all her books to my wish list and picked up a couple to read! I don’t know how I haven’t heard about her before, but this book has put her on my radar for future releases!

I read every genre out there, but lean heavily towards historical fiction and fantasy, both of which tend to have darker topics discussed. So, every once in a while I need a break and am always actively looking for something light, something fun without being cheesy or full-on romance. This book hit every single check mark for me.

How to Age Disgracefully is cute, it’s funny, it includes a cast of characters who have their own baggage and deal with it in their own way, and when these people collide, it creates a great story of friendship, found family, and new beginnings. What makes it even better is that these senior citizens are full of sass and out to take care of themselves. Working as part of a team brings some learning curves none of them expect, especially Daphne, who might be one of my new favorite characters.

I suspect this book will remain in my top ten at the end of the year as it was such a fun read.

This book was such a joy to read! The characters were dynamic with flaws, actual thoughts, and redeeming qualities. I was able to keep all of the characters straight, even though it was quite a cast! We were told the story from 3-4 main POV and it was great to see the plot play out through each one of them. There wasn't a POV that I liked more than another, they were all pleasant.

Read this book if you enjoy some of the following: The Golden Bachelor, The Switch by Beth O'Leary, and even kind-of the Alice Network by Kate Quinn. Though this book wasn't about reality tv, or historical fiction, it gave me the same overall vibes of some of these things.

I will definitely add all of Clare Pooley's other books to my TBR after this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley in exchange for my true thoughts.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on June 11th, 2024.

I loved this book. It was hysterically funny and I found myself laughing out loud on almost every page, multiple times on some. I definitely got some looks on the subway.

A community center housing a senior citizens social club and a daycare is threatened with closure when the board gets greedy for development money rather than making the effort to fundraise for repairs. But the senior citizens (and one desperate teen father) will do anything to keep that from happening and come up with some pretty interesting long shot ideas. FYI these are not senior citizens living up to society’s (pallid) expectations! We’ve got the larger than life Daphne whose future is bleak but whose past was “extraordinarily colorful;” Art, the actor who specializes in playing dead bodies while managing a small kleptomania problem; Ruby, the Banksy of knitting; Anna, the ex-trucker with quite a number of dead husbands to her credit; and William, the retired Paparazzo who puts his (IMHO sleazy) skills into useful practice. All supposedly organized by the 50 something Lydia, whose life has been drained of purpose but filled by an utter a*hole of a hubby. There is something very appealing about old cranky people getting a new lease on life, and this intensely uplifting book has that in spades.

I loved the characters (a teen father? how often does that happen?), loved the humor and excellent writing, and loved the random thoughts on aging — like how to take advantage of the apparent invisibility of the aged for your personal aging benefit. I loved the author’s note where she claimed she still did not feel like a “grown up” despite her “advanced” age — I so relate to that! Lastly, I loved the reference to the Dylan Thomas poem “Do not go gently into that good night.” How many times have I heard of that poem without ever bothering to actually read it and think about what it means? Here are the first lines:

Do not go gentle into that good night 
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

There is more — it is good — go read it if you haven’t …

Some great quotes — only a tiny fraction!
“She appeared to have jumped out of the frying pan of sexism and into the fire of ageism. The final frontier of isms.“

“There was nothing better than listening to someone else’s guilty conscience being offloaded.”

“Her comfort zone was exceedingly spacious, but this experience lay well outside of it.”

“She needed to turn over a new leaf. Become an entirely new plant, even.”

“Despite her age, Daphne seemed to have the hearing of an adolescent bat.”

“Why on earth, when there were so many more important things they could be teaching their children, would parents waste their time reading stories about an insect with a dysfunctional relationship with food?” (about the Hungry Caterpillar)

“Daphne wrote texts, he’d discovered, just the way she spoke in proper full sentences and with perfect grammar and an under current of condescension.”

“She leaned forward and gave the man she was with a peck on the cheek, an incidental comma nestling up to a bold exclamation mark.”

“Art had tried to call his new pet Maggie, as instructed by Lydia, but her surname lurked in the ensuing pause like toxic waste.” (pet’s full name was Margaret Thatcher)

This book made me laugh and see myself as one of the characters. I think it will appeal to everyone, especially those over 50 years old. So easy to relate to a broad mix of characters and of course a special dog named Maggie Thatcher. I hope that the author will write another book soon. The story is about a small group of over 70's who form a club and meet at a very run down senior center. When they fnd that the center is to be demolished they try to raise the money to save it. There is a talent show coming up, with a large prize They have written an act stariring Maggie Thatcher, what could go wrong?

I had really high hopes for this one but it fell incredibly flat. Honestly it felt like I was sitting around a table with a detective telling me every last detail about a group of strangers I had been given no reason to care about. The cast of characters is unique but there are so many that it makes it difficult to actually get attached to one. I feel like the cast is too large and none of them feel lived in. The premise seemed cute but this one just missed all the marks.

This was my first Clare Pooley novel! It made me laugh out loud and cry all at the same time. I fell in love with this book and obsessed with her writing. You really want the best for the characters in the book and it leaves you wanting more.