Peck was 60 when, seemingly out of the blue, her husband of 25 years left her for another (of course, much younger) woman. As part of the healing process, Peck wrote this memoir of her life from then until approximately three years later.

Although a memoir, Peck includes some lovely descriptive passages featuring her travel destinations, food, clothes and art. The book has no chapters, something I’m not usually a fan of, but Peck’s style and writing flow so well, I can’t say I actually noticed after a while. There are sad and poignant moments, as well as funny ones (I’m pretty sure nearly every review will mention *that* massage) but she mixes it up so that her story never becomes boring or her theme’s repetitive.

One theme which is there is how much further we still all have to go when it comes to gender inequity. When Jo, an educated woman who ran a successful business for several years, can still be manipulated by a man for so long, it’s kind of depressing. As is the way the law obviously sided with her ex-husband during the divorce process.

I need to mention too that I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary for you to be ‘age appropriate’ to enjoy this book. There’s nothing that a younger reader wouldn’t understand and relate to at all. In fact, if some of us stop and review our choices a little earlier in life, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Peck mentions that one editor advised to change the book from a memoir to a work of fiction. She resisted but I think if she decides to head down the path of writing another (fictional) book, I’ll definitely be there.

4 and ½ out of 5

“I m sixty-three years old and this morning I had the best sex of my life.”

Yes, I just spoiled the ending. I always try to write spoiler-free reviews, but how do you do that with a memoir? Almost made it for the release day – I’m one day late, story of my life. Suddenly Single at Sixty is a memoir of a, well, sixty-year-old woman whose husband, out of the blue, decided to swap her for a 26 years younger model. As the book progresses, Jo realises that their marriage hasn’t actually been all that great… and maybe Rex did her a favour.

She throws herself into the online dating world with joy and fervour I don’t think I could possibly exhibit (or feel) at 46. This is actually why I picked the book from NetGalley (I received a free review copy from NG, which did not influence my thoughts or review) – I thought, whoa, suddenly single at sixty is going to be ROUGH. After literal decades together, how do you shed the shared habits, tastes, conversations, non-conversations, friendships, favourite places…? I’ve ‘only’ been with my husband for 12 years (and he is NOT going anywhere, neither am I, but then, Jo thought the same thing) and I couldn’t imagine living without him. Jo couldn’t either. Until she tried. And tried. And gave no f*cks. (I think the number of f*cks, i.e. f-bombs in the book is one. I’m the vulgar, unpolished one here.) Sometimes briefly depressed, sometimes just unused to her new life, in a brave search for, well… a REAL new life.

I tend to hate memoirs, the reviews of which talk about ‘raw, unflinching, gut-wrenching’ etc. Suddenly Single at Sixty is none of those things. It’s open, honest, only mildly filtered… I mean, see the first sentence… and it’s a wonderful book to read. No, Jo isn’t perfect (thank Gods!), she gets anxious the same way Bridget Jones and me did in her twenties, her body is not in its twenties, but damn, this woman has some ovaries! I smiled. A lot. I felt for her. A lot. This memoir is a rare specimen that manages to be both interesting and well written.

In terms of criticisms… I don’t really have any. Suddenly Single at Sixty is just a very good book with re-read potential. (Hopefully not due to me finding myself suddenly single at sixty…) If you love memoirs, can deal with the idea of a sixty-three years old woman having The S-E-X (apparently the publisher had a problem with the massage scene… you’ll get there…) like some teenager with skincare straight from TikTok, and want to see a new life unveil at the time when it’s supposed to start settling into “and they lived indifferently forever after” – and you like unexpected drops of dry humour showing up at the most unexpected places – which I happen to like, all of what I just listed… I couldn’t recommend this book more.

Is Suddenly Single at Sixty a life-changing masterpiece? No. Er. I mean…not yet. Hopefully not. It’s uplifting and made me second-hand happy (just in case it turns out to be a life-changing masterpiece…) It wasn’t actually finished until three years after that first sentence, and… oh, enough spoilers. Just read it!

Score: 8.5/10 rounded down to 4/5 for Goodreads

My ratings:
5* = this book changed my life
4* = very good
3* = good
2* = I probably DNFed it, so I don't give 2* ratings
1* = actively hostile towards the reader

Suddenly Single at Sixty by Jo Peck is a wonderful book for any age, for anybody who has found themselves dumped or discarded, especially when it seemingly comes from nowhere, out of the blue and knocks you for six

Jo Peck has written a truthful, witty and yet raw memoir. At once funny and heartbreaking, wry and melancholy, vulnerable and powerful. This book details the hourney well trvelled from desolation to elation and amongst other things, forays into the tribulation of online dating.

Although a fun, quick read, Suddenly Single at Sixty is also full of heart, natural and relatable. I am not yet 50 but I already feel empowered for reaching sixty and now, I cannot wait, no matter what the relationship status!

Awesome book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Text Publishing and the author Jo Peck for this ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Wasn’t sure at the beginning if this was for me! However I actually loved it! Thank you Net galley for this fab read

Well done Jo Peck. Initially I was not too sure about this book. I’m not the probable market for this. Having read it I would recommend it for anyone who is or has been ‘dumped’. Ms Peck writes a fabulously open and honest story of not only what it feels like but also some great shared wisdom of how to get through the aftermath. You don’t need to be sixty or older to find support, humour and hope here. Her foray into online dating is not only really amusing but also instructive. This is sort of book you will not only enjoy, dumped or otherwise and find yourself buying multiple copies for friends going through tough times. It recognises the power and importance of female friends for honesty and tough love and friendship more generally for love and care. Thanks to @netgalley and to @textpublishing for the opportunity to review an advance copy.