A brilliant read. Heartwarming and hilarious, telling the story. Of three sisters, Dee, Rose and Fleur and their mothers attempts from beyond the grave to bring them closer together. Well written and with some surprises, this was the sort of book that i was disappointed to finish. I got totally immersed in the lives and emotions of the three women. The characters well realistic and believable. Without giving too much away this book will send your emotions sinking as well as soaring. Highly recommend

I have laughed out loud and shed tears whilst reading this book. Engaging and difficult to put down, how sad that three sisters should be so detached from each other and it took so long for them to reconnect. Daniel certainly took advantage of Dee and Fleur, however, he helped Rose to come to terms with her illness and to find her inner peace. Having recently taken a course in mindfulness, I found many similarities within the storyline to the benefits of thinking in the moment and embracing what is happening right now in our busy lives. I would highly recommend this book.

One of the most heart warming books I have read in a long time. It made me laugh and it made me cry.
I could not put it down a real page turner
It is very thorough provoking especially if you have siblings.
It makes you think about your relationships with them and that nobody lives in isolation.
It also makes you realise that life is a treasure not to be wasted on petty inconsequential issues and to live each day to the full.
Brilliant what an amazing author.

An emotional book with an interesting angle. I enjoyed it for the most part but found the 'God' parts a bit meh. I enjoyed the sisters and their relationships. I liked the main character, Dee but I didnt love her. The book was funny in parts too which was a nice offset to the sad parts.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters Rose, Fleur and Dee having for many reasons drifted apart and this book is about their mother trying to bring them closer. This book is makes you happy, sad and makes you reflect on your own life.. would recommend a great read

Rating 4.5/5

This book has a brilliant storyline; I was engrossed within a few pages. I think it is a really original way to deal with the subject of grief, it is, of course, a sad situation but the tasks that Iris sends them on gives the book a good dose of humor and more of a cheerful feeling than a morose one. I also liked that whilst the money was a factor in the story, it was actually more about bringing the sisters closer together and them being able to share these moments with their mother after she had passed.

The story is mostly narrated from Dee’s point of view, I think it was good that she was the main voice of the story because she often felt like the mediator between her sisters, so it felt like you were getting the most unbiased version of events. There are some parts that are told from Rose and Fleur’s perspectives and I liked that these were included because you got to see into the background of all the characters and it also makes it clear how much they assume about each other.

The only thing that I will say in way of criticism is that it would have been nice to hear a little more from Fleur, it might just be me but I felt that I didn’t get as much in depth with Fleur as I did with Rose. Her segments appeared a lot more surface and anything of more substance about her seemed to come from Dee.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Rose, Dee, and Fleur, when Dee had errant thoughts about her sisters or when she thought one of them was saying things to be hurtful, these were things that I could relate to (I’m sure plenty of people would as well). Their actions felt realistic, perhaps occasionally immature, but that’s not to say that age means maturity and there were plenty of occasions when I was reminded of ways that my sister and I have acted towards one another when someone’s been annoyed or upset.

It was wonderful to see how these relationships evolved and that they gradually started getting a little bit more in sync with each other. It was especially interesting as they were all really different personality wise, so their approaches to the tasks and situations caused some friction between them, which added to the fun.

I definitely went through a range of emotions reading this book and in my case, that usually means I have been wholly invested in it. It had me giggling one minute and in tears the next. This is a really enjoyable book; it’s easy to read and deals with a subject that many of us have experience of with a bit of humor and a different outlook. It makes you think about what happiness is and that life is too short not to pursue it.

This book is so different to the usual books I read ,I decided to branch out and read some different genres and I am so glad I chose this book.I loved it, for me its the sort of book that will stay with me long after reading the last page.I thought it was believable, the characters were great and realistic, and it made me laugh the humour was right up my street, it also on more than one occasion brought tears to my eyes.More than anything it was beautifully written and offered little pearls of wisdom, not in a heavy or overbearing way but in a way that makes you stop and pause for thought, and that is never a bad thing.I can't praise this book enough and if I could give it more stars I would.I suspect I might have found my book of the year although its early to be saying that but it will be a very good book that I would heap more praise on than this one.I am very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was excellent, an easy read which followed three sisters carrying out their dearly departed Mothers Bucket List. One minute I was laughing out loud, the next I was feeling sad. I almost felt like I was one of the sisters. A brilliant read.

A good read. The idea of a post-death bucket list was so interesting. It was easy to warm to the characters the further you got through the book. There was some humour in the book but not too much that it made nonsense.

The Kicking the Bucket List by Cathy Hopkins (Harper Collins UK)

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genres: Drama, Women's fiction, Family

RATING: 4/5

The Story

Three estranged sisters have a shock when they attend the reading of their mother's will - in order to receive their inheritance, they must complete a list of tasks together, spanning a year. For sensitive Dee, being close to her sisters seems like an impossible dream. Fleur, the free spirit and Rose, the control freak, think it's a waste of time. The feud between these women can't be fixed in a few weekends. For the sake of their mother, they'll give it a go, but none expect the program to succeed. What they don't know is that the next year will change their lives and relationships forever.

The Review

The Kicking the Bucket List is a wonderfully unique concept. How many of us would kill to have such a legacy from a parent who has passed on? An entire year of activities to bring a family closer together. Some say that love cannot be controlled, but this novel shows it can, at the very least, be manipulated.

The three sisters, Dee, Fleur and Rose, are distinct, well outlined characters. At time they can be a little two-dimensional, but some elements of their different personalities are sure to resonate with most, if not all readers. The majority of the novel is written from the perspective of Dee, however Fleur and Rose do get a bit of personal narration themselves. Although I believe it's important for the story that each sister has 'their say', at times I felt that Hopkins struggled to strike the correct tone or style. Whilst Dee's narrative is just that, a first person narrative like that found in many novels, the other two were harder to pin down. Sometimes they read like a diary entry, sometimes like a prayer, sometimes like a conversation with their deceased mother. I would have preferred if each sister had their own distinct narrative style, to provide context and individuality to their thoughts and feelings.

Nevertheless, The Kicking the Bucket List is for the most part a beautifully handled tale of sisterhood, touching on themes of grief, loss, love and happiness with great tenderness and respect. There were points during this novel were I was on the verge of tears, and many more when they were free flowing! Having siblings myself, I found it so easy to relate to the struggles these sisters were experiencing. Misunderstandings can cause so many difficulties and frustrations, and oftimes during the book I was close to yelling at them "JUST EXPLAIN YOURSELF!". If everybody was honest, at least the world would be simpler.

Dee was the main focus of the novel. An artist and single mother of a grown-up daughter, she had a peaceful life down in the countryside of Cornwall, but the death of her mother alongside the passing of her landlady threw her life into turmoil. Many would crumble under these circumstances; her mother was the only member of her family she really spoke to, and she was being evicted from the home she had rented for over 25 years. I was really intrigued to see how Dee would handle these situations, and I can't say I was disappointed. Although I don't usually enjoy escapades of sensitive, big-hearted characters (I find them a bit unrealistic, weak and dreary), Hopkins has written a woman with backbone and integrity which is extremely admirable. The same goes for Dee's sisters - although they all have dislikable traits, there was also something sympathetic about all of them.

My favourite parts of the novel were definitely when the three sisters were interacting on their weekend excursions. With a host of activities including colonics, cat sanctuaries and perfume palaces, Hopkins exploited many wonderful opportunities for laughs and tender moments. Often funny, always meaningful, The Kicking the Bucket List has to be one of the more unique novels of friendship within families. It's an issue which affects us all, and I think we could all learn something from this book. I know I did.

The Kicking the Bucket List is published TOMORROW, 9th March!

Cathy Hopkins can be contacted via her website and twitter.

Meet the daughters of Iris Parker. Dee; sensitive and big-hearted; Rose uptight and controlled and Fleur the reckless free spirit.
At the reading of their mother’s will, the three estranged women are aghast to discover that their inheritance comes with strings attached. If they are to inherit her wealth, they must spend a series of weekends together over the course of a year and carry out their mother’s ‘bucket list’.

But one year doesn’t seem like nearly enough time for them to move past the decades-old layers of squabbles and misunderstandings. Can they grow up for once and see that Iris’ bucket list was about so much more than money…

This is a well written and fully rounded story about three siblings and their petty arguments, this is a warm, witty and often sad story about three sisters trying to come to terms with their mother's death.

But also the sad fact that most people hide there real feeling even to their own families.

Highly recommended read!!

What a super book this is. I can't think of anything more heart breaking for a mother than knowing that her children just do not get on together and haven't done for the last three years and the only time that they do communicate is to arrange visits to see her that will not coincide with each other. So when Iris, their mum, died not only did she leave her three daughters, Rose, Daisy (Dee), and Fleur  equal shares in her substantial Will, she also left a condition, which if it wasn't fulfilled would mean no one received any money.
I love good feel books that get me emotionally involved with the story and this story just pushed all the right buttons for me. It is told by each of the sisters so I knew what was happening in all of their personal lives even if they oblivious  to each others. Every other month the women had to meet to complete tasks, or as you could say a bucket list complied by their mother. The tasks were described to them by video recordings Iris and two of her friends made before her death. Like she says it was inevitable that it would happen one day, and I thought what a lovely idea, especially not having a mother myself now. How precious would that be.
This is a journey of discovery for the three sisters, a second chance to make amends because you never know when death will come, there is no age restriction. Well what I can say is Iris had a wicked sense of humour. I loved the tasks she set for her girls. The question is can they change their ways and not only get the money from the Will but also make amends with each other. 
When you finish the story do please continue to read to find out what Cathy Hopkins Ten Steps to Happiness would be. It is a lovely little piece to read.

"The Kicking the Bucket List" is Cathy Hopkin's first adult book - previously she has been writing teen fiction. As soon as I spotted this novel on NetGalley I knew that I want to read it - I love the cover, it's so uplifting and the three ducks are lovely :) Also, the tag saying "Mum knows best. Even if she's dead" is really eye - catching and I just had a feeling that this can be THE book. It is about death and grief but dealing with those issues in a lovely, exceptional way. The writing style is truly great, it was flowing, it was so vivid, bringing all the characters and events effortlessly to life. I couldn't wait to see what the next task is going to be - some of them were better, some of them not so good but in the end they should have bring the girls together. Did they?

The book started very promising and it quickly started to gain a pace. However, somewhere in the middle it went a little downhill for me, felt a little too slow and too flat, but in the end it gathered pace again. There were many funny moments and I more than once laughed out loud, but it was also full of very poignant moments that almost brought tears to my eyes. There were passages that I loved and passages that I skim - read, as I thought they were not necessary. There were moments that were so important but also some that felt too insignificant. But altogether, I totally enjoyed this story and was engrossed in the three sisters' lives - the three very different women are the main characters in this story - well, just like sisters can be different. They are sisters by blood but because of life getting in the way they are actually more like strangers - they don't get in touch, they don't see each other, they don't know what is happening with each other. I don't know if it's such a typical relationship between sisters? Though, you know, I also have a sister - she's 8 years younger than me and there is 1000 km between us since more than 10 years now and well, yes, we talk on the phone every once in a while, or we send an email and we know what's going on in our lives but I wouldn't call it the perfect sisterhood - although Rose, Daisy and Fleur took their relationship to another level, I think, as they only knew what's happening with their sisters through their mother - but now she's gone. She had also added some conditions to her will. The girls must complete some tasks before they receive their inheritance but the main reason is that Iris wanted to bring all her girls together - will she manage, from beyond the grave?

I must say that I liked the characters immediately, probably because they were so honest and genuine in the way they were. Rose, the eldest, is also the bossiest and she seems so cold - hearted. She is the one who wanted to backtrack from the challenge - Dee thinks it's because she's so stand - offish, has enough money and doesn't need to be afraid of the future. But - is this the real reason? The more you read the more you learn about Rose and her reasons. Yes, she was smart alec, she thought she knows best but I think that deep down it was because she was the eldest and somehow she always felt the responsibility for her younger siblings.Daisy, the middle sister, is an artist and she often has her head in the clouds - she, unlike Rose, doesn't own a home, she only rents it and Rose can't understand why. Dee turns 50 in the book and her birthday party, especially the song sang by Anne and Marie was fantabulous! Dee is single, and her only daughter lives in Australia. After the misfortunate relationships Dee decided no more men in her life, she's going to concentrate on her art but well, how do they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans - because a man, or even more, appear on the scenes. Dee is desperate to make the challenge her mum set for the sisters, as without her part of the inheritance she can't buy the house she's currently living in. But she also wants to connect with her sisters again, she misses them - really misses them. Then we have Fleur, the youngest one, real power - woman who runs a very prosperous property portfolio and next to having some fancy apartments all over the world she also has one in London. I'd personally love to know more about Fleur, because I have a feeling that I didn't get to know her as much as I'd like, she was the closed, withdrawn one, even though she probably had the sharpest tongue of all of them.
There is also Daniel, the man who was helping Iris organizing the tasks for the girls. Let me just tell you that from the very beginning there was something in him that made me unsure. I didn't trust him, full stop. Was I right?

Dee is the main character in the story and it's told mostly from her point of view, however there are also chapters told by Rose and Fleur, so we also get a chance to get to know - and understand - them much better, especially Rose. I also totally adored how the relationship between them was developing - it was not too quick, it was not a bed of roses and it's good, because then it would seem too unrealistic, and doing it this way the author has made it much more authentic and genuine. Well, you can't fall into each other's arms after years of hidden grudges and animosities and not being in touch, right? So it was a real joy to see how eventually the girls start to stick up for each other. And they loved their mother. They could be different, they might have not agree on different issues, but what they had in common was the fact that they loved Iris, so I imagined how emotional it must have been for them, to see her in the video messages. The author has brilliantly captured all the emotions between the sisters, this great deal of misunderstandings, hurt and jealousy. I think she described it just like it is in real life. The way they picked on a word or two and chose to understand it the wrong way, the way they jumped to conclusions, well, it was just so realistic and honest. Also the reasons why the sisters didn't want to partake in the challenge were thoroughly explained, the secrets were revealed and it really let us understand what and why.

I truly enjoyed "The Kicking the Bucket List" by Cathy Hopkins. It was emotional, it was full of feelings, it was incredibly funny and poignant, just the perfect mix. It made me pick my phone and call my mum and sister, just to hear their voices, to know they are there. It is a story that will probably make you think and re - evaluate your relationships and show you that you shouldn't take them for granted. It is a book about appreciating what you have because it can happen that very suddenly there will be nothing more to appreciate, a lovely and warm story about finding happiness and contentment. Recommended!

What an amazing book. The premise of a mother setting a bucket list for her three separated daughters is enough to make a story as is but the best thing that I found from this book was the inner peace and friendship that it brought to the girls and inspired in myself. The 6 weekends of activities were so varied and oh so thoughtfully planned. I loved this book from start to finish and then at the end the section 'About the Author' added even further inspiration to the story. The author's ten steps to happiness will be reflective in most people's lives and adds incredibly to the impact already made. The three girls are so different and I am sure that all of the readers will be able to associate themselves with at least one aspect of their lives. To end with the full Desiderata was such a beautiful ending and so thought provoking after having read the book and felt the love grow back for the sisters.
I cannot sing the praises of this book enough. It is esoterical, thought provoking and full to the brim with sound words. Highly recommend that everyone reads this to be able to reach inside themselves.

I loved every single minute of this book.

If I could award 10 stars I would.

Cathy has put a lot of work into getting this book just right.
 It's original and clever.
I applaud her for creating something different for death and grief is often such a sensitive subject.

I loved the Kicking the bucket list idea, the characters and the challenges.
I felt like I was part of the story I was drawn in from the very beginning and felt like I was on the journey with the Sisters.

The story starts with Rose, Dee (Daisy) and Fleur.
Their mother passes away and they are called in to read the will.
However their mother has other ideas!
All 3 sisters have to complete a series of bucket list challenges set by their mother and her 2 friends in order to get their inheritance.

Simple you may think!
However each sister has to participate or they all lose everything!

Slight problem with this..... None of the Sisters get on and have been estranged and barely speaking.

It quickly becomes clear. Their mum wants them to repair their relationships with each other. Part of the agreement is that they spend several weekends together completing the challanges.

Now I don't want to give any more away except, I laughed alot, I shed tears as there are some tender heart breaking moments, there is love, lust and relationships, family drama, friendship bonds, and a whole lot of sass between the Sisters which I loved!!

Each sister is own their own personal journey within the story. Dee is about to be evicted from her home and needs her inheritance, Rose wants for nothing and Fleur is desperate to be part of a family again.

Then there is Daniel. He is in charge of the Sisters bucket list. Making sure each sister participates and handles the expenses.
Daniel is charming and intriguing. But what is he's end game? There is just something about him!

My only critiscm is that it ended too quick I wanted more!
I felt there was a few questions that i needed answering for my own curiosity!
I have since spoken to the Author and she has cleared my curiosity.
I would be interested to see if anyone else felt there was answers they would of liked to of known.

But overall I absolutely loved this book.
Such a gem to read.
The chapters were short and snappy and kept me engaged the whole way through.
I loved each and every character and felt I really got to know them all on a personal level which was so nice.

I highly recommend this book as it has a great original concept.
Kicking the Bucket List is such an original idea and each challenge is perfectly thought out and researched.
You can tell Cathy Hopkins has spent alot of time researching the challenges to get them perfect for the journey each sister takes.

Totally absorbing, first class book. I thoroughly loved it.

This is a lovely book about three sisters grieving for their mother in their own way. They all have very different lives and issues that come along with middle age. I liked the idea of the mother creating a video for her daughters to help them come closer. I would have preferred another ending but I don't want to give too much away!

First of all thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story. It was different to most of the "girly" books I've read. I liked that the main characters were older, 40-50 somethings rather than the usual 20-30 somethings in this genre.
I gave it three stars as I didn't feel much empathy for the characters, except maybe Rose, I would've liked to have heard more from her point of view.
I did enjoy the story though and thought it flowed well.
I would recommend this if you are looking for something slightly different in your chick-lit.

Iris Parker was eighty seven but has suffered a heart attack and sadly died, leaving behind her three middle age daughters, Dee, Rose and Fleur.

We first meet the girls at the will reading of their mum's after she passed away two months before. We soon learn why the sisters havent been in touch with each other and not just through their mum for years due to the argument that stopped them all talking was over their mum's care plan after she had a stroke. The sisters soon learn that they need to spend a year rekindling their relationships with each other to inherit the money left behind.

Dee lives in Cornwall but now her landlady has also passed away, her teo sons want to sell the house which currently means Dee is losing her house unless she gets her sum of will money sooner to allow her to buy, she relies on her best friend Anna for support through all the drama.

Fleur is a high power professional.

Rose is secretly suffering behind the hard face mask she wears, a secret health war means her husband and kids are facing losing her and Rose just wants to not have to break her sisters hearts as well.

As the story goes on we are hit full force with the reality of coming to terms with changes, trying new things and the reality of death and its wake.

The story is endearing and adventurous as their mum and her two friends whom helped her set up the Kicking The Bucket List left Daniel a man unknown to the sisters at first, in charge of guiding them through the list as their mum beyond the grave forces them to become sisters again. However Dee believes Daniel is her soulmate whilst really he's taking advantage of his situation with the girls in an awful way.

Cathy Hopkins has smashed the chick lit genre right here, I love her young adult fiction but this shows how talented she truly is once again and more so. Brilliant and tear jerking from Cathy, thanks so much to her publishers for allowing me to review her latest book!