I laughed, I cried, I cringed... sometimes all at once. What a beautifully written book, this looks at the death of a loved one from such an honest point of view and I could relate to the characters on differing levels but all of them I found endearing in one way or another. I will be looking for more books from this writer.

This book surprised me, it was definitely not what I expected. I laughed and cried and it made me think, It's the story of three sisters who are distanced from each other, and their mothers beyond the grave plot to bring them all closer. I expected a fluffy read but got so much more. It covers grief, the need to sieze the day, sibling relationships. and acceptance. Don't get me wrong this isn't a book that takes itself seriously, quite the opposite, in parts it's funny and throughout it is written with a lightness. The characters are memorable, although you may be irritated by them at times, but more irritated at who they are rather than how they are written. I did think that more could have been made of the tasks but perhaps that would have made them too predominant in the overall story. Read this if you want a change, if you've suffered a loss and it has affected relationships, or if you need a reminder of the the Joys of life and the benefits of having balance.

I felt that this was a soap opera story with very little depth. The end was very predictable.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and grabbed my attention from the start. The book made me laugh as well as having a real poignancy to it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to immerse themselves into another family for a few hours. I give it 4 stars.

A tale of sibling rivalry,love, loss and hope amongst the aftermath of grief. At times raw, this book explores the multiple angles of scenarios and quite cleverly shows there's always more than one side to an experience. Tender, exasperating and intuitive this book is a great anecdote to family drama .

A simply lovely heartwarming tale of a mother's legacy intended to bring back together her warring girls. There will be tears, there will be uplifting moments and you will want things to end the way you imagine. It doesn't quite! There is more to this book than you might imagine, an interesting story with laughs along the way and one I just wanted to keep on reading.

Three sisters, very different in personalities and temperaments are bought together by the death of their mother, who leaves them a 'bucket list' of tasks. This is a fun read,

Really enjoyed this book, despite the sad circumstances surrounding the topic. Would definitely recommend to my friends to give it a try.

The story opens with three sisters, Rose, Fleur and Dee, sitting in the solicitors office, waiting to hear the reading of their mother's will. None of them have talked to each other since they fell out over how to best care for their mother, nearly three years ago. But their mother has a surprise for them. Before they inherit, one year from now, they must complete a list of tasks, designed to bring them back together again.
This novel explores the feelings of the sisters, mostly from Dee's point of view but with some chapters looking at it from Rose or Fleur's perspective. It follows the sisters as they complete the kicking the bucket list, spending a weekend in each other's company every other month. The addition of Daniel, the love interest, brings added tension to the sisters and the outcome of the book.
I thought Hopkins was perceptive to explore the immature reactions of the sisters, for no matter how 'grown up' we get, when we return to our childhood home or get together with siblings, we do revert to childhood behaviours and patterns.
The ending was poignant and right without being schmaltzy. A good read.

Given the cover, I was expecting a light hearted read, but this book had moments that really got to me. The idea of having to complete tasks set by your deceased mum, was a bit far-fetched and the reason the sisters were estranged, I found, was a bit weak, nonetheless the story moves along at a good pace with laugh out moments as well as tug on your heartstrings ones. Worth a read and I would recommend to people

I loved this story of family relationships through good times and bad. The three sisters are delightfully human characters and I would have loved to meet their wonderful mother. The book had me laughing and crying. I thoroughly recommend it. It is a joy to read.

When Iris Parker dies, she is determined that her death will bring her three daughters (her dollies as she calls them) back together again. "She cared deeply that you should all be happy in your lives and she regretted that you are no longer close." They are three very different characters and over the years have drifted apart, though not after any major fall outs. Iris has put a condition in her will which means that her daughters, Rose, Daisy and Fleur, must spend six weekends together carrying out various tasks she has set them in order to inherit what must be some considerable wealth. All the tasks she has planned involve them not only spending time together but hopefully realising and appreciating the various different ways that people can feel happiness and contentment. "The list looks at some of the different approaches to finding happiness..... Of course, that happiness can be random, just comes across you out of the blue.....But there are times when one needs a helping hand." She has appointed Daniel, who oversees a meditation centre, to make sure that the terms of her will are met over the course of a year.

I didn't realise that this is Cathy Hopkins first foray into women's fiction as I recognised her name. I suspect her books have been on my daughters' bookshelves at some point. I was amused to see that one of her books is entitled 'Portobello Princesses' though I suspect it's the London Portobello and not the Edinburgh one.

I very much enjoyed The Kicking the Bucket List and felt quite emotional at times reading it. I could imagine how the women felt having the chance to hear their mother talking directly to them, as she did in video messages, from beyond the grave. In some ways, it must have been a comfort but in others it must have reminded them so much of their loss. One thing they all had in common, different though they were, was that they all loved their mother. There was a lot of humour in the book too though, mostly provided by Iris and her two friends in the video messages. They seemed as mad as hatters and despite being in their 80s, they knew all about the value of having a laugh with good friends.

The story was told mostly through the point of view of Daisy, or Dee as she preferred to be known. I really liked Dee and although in a different situation in my own personal life I felt I could really identify with her problems. She is nearly 50, turns 50 during the book actually, single, with her only daughter living in Australia. As well as losing her mum, the owner of the house she has rented has recently died and her sons want to sell it. Without her inheritance, she has no chance of affording it so is very keen that her sisters comply with the terms of the will. Rose seemed really stand-offish and controlling at first but through the sections told from her point of view, I came to understand her more and why she was behaving as she did. I would have liked to have learned a bit more about Fleur as I felt I didn't get to know her quite so well.

There is inevitably sadness in this book, and perhaps more than you might expect at the beginning. But overall it is a very enjoyable read which will play with your emotions as you journey with the sisters throughout the year. It is a book which made me think about valuing relationships with family and friends more and not taking them for granted. It also made me think about how we often misjudge people, as I misjudged many of the characters in this book, and how we don't always know what is going on in others lives. I was quite absorbed in the sisters' lives while I was reading and I feel I would like to know about how things turn out for everyone in future. I don't know if any sequel is planned but would be keen to read more if the author does write one.

A funny and sometimes thought provoking story of a mother's dying wish to see her estranged daughters reunited. She attempts to bring them together through a series of somewhat bizarre tasks to be carried out over six weekends. If they all complete them, they will receive their inheritance.
Although she has died, her presence is felt throughout and you come to see how she understood her daughters and their very different personalities. The characters themselves are well written.
Contains some good humour, while treating death with sympathy and feeling.
An enjoyable read

Fun book. Yes it has its serious subject matter ie the broken relationship of sibling sisters, but right from the beginning you sense the amusement birthed by the dying mother who wanted to give her children a challenge and better, more rounded lives. Good uplifting read.

The Kicking the Bucket List by Cathy Hopkins

Iris Parker, aided by two of her friends, leaves a series of video messages to her three daughters, a fact that they discover on the reading of her will. They will receive their inheritance once a series of tasks have been completed over the coming year provided all three stick to the plan. Daniel has been chosen to administer the tasks (along with the video and random text messages of encouragement) and to ensure that the terms of the will are met.

Iris has done this in an effort to bring her three daughters closer together. The eldest, Rose lives and works in London and also has a family. The youngest Fleur (runs an prosperous property portfolio) and lives between various locations but has an apartment in the swanky part of London. Dee, twice divorced, is an artist living in Cornwall who is struggling to make ends meet.

Over the following year the girls have to get together every other weekend at various locations. During this time we discover their different traits, their different problems and their separate relationships with Daniel.

Cathy Hopkins has given us a very enjoyable book which is well written and great characterisation. I loved the character of Iris and her two friends – quite batty but what a way to reach the end of your days! As for the three daughters, I found myself drawn to Dee who in my opinion is the main protagonist but also to Rose who appears to have the least happy life.

I suppose you could say it is all a bit predictable, but there is a bit of a sting in the tail. Overall, I really enjoyed this book; it is a nice, comfortable read which left me hurrying back to it as soon as I could.

NetGalley provided an ARC copy of this via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Joyful and uplifting but also so sad. Lovely book - and such a fabulous idea.

This book was well written and would appeal to many readers but unfortunately it was too fluffy for me. It just didn't ring true.

The Kicking the Bucket List is a poignant ,wonderful heart warming sometimes sad book .The story of three estranged sisters and a Mum who decides before she dies to try and bring her daughters together after her death with an intriguing plan .I loved this book it made me cry and I was sad when it finished .

At the reading of their Mother's will, Rose, Daisy & Fleur learn they have to wait one year before they will inherit anything. Their Mother knew the sisters are not getting on and this was her attempt to get them together, once a month, for a year. The catch, they all had to,do whatever was asked of them or none of them would inherit.

The story is mostly told through Daisy, although we also get a little bit from Rose and Fleur as well. This is a nicely written, easy to read book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Cathy Hopkins for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had looked forward to reading this book and giving a review for NetGalley. It didn't grab me from the start and took forever to make me hang in and read to the end. 3 sisters not getting on and a dead mother who wished they did. Nothing new there really. She had made videos leaving them tasks to do together after her death, failure to complete them would forfeit their inheritance. That's ok in books but annoyed me no end. I need to believe and didn't.

I am not close to my sister and we have a mother aged 100, we will never agree on many things and I can't imagine doing any of the shared projects in the book.In fact it would drive us further apart. It was too crazy to me and considering they don't get along or spend time together it all fell into place to easily. Money! works everytime.

I was about to give up then Rose is given terrible news and grimly and sadly that at least kept my attention and there were some twists I didn't expect. The weekend at the cat sanctuary though was utterly stupid.

I didn't enjoy it and reading it became like a challenge. There was sadness and a sweet, poignant ending but the book as a whole was not for me.