Did Maggie save the Golden Circus or did the Golden Crocus save Maggie? The death of her husband floored Maggie in ways she didn't expect but she finds purpose, and herself again, in the Golden Crocus. At the same time, her daughter Hannah, newly divorced has a journey of her own. This is a good read. Sure you can guess what might happen but the characters are so relatable and the story telling is good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this.

When Maggie retires, she and her husband have big plans to travel. After a short time of following their dreams however, he unexpectedly passes. Now Maggie is home, helping her daughter by caring for her grandchild, but something is missing. She wants to work again. Finally getting to follow her dreams of being a chef, she sets out to get a job. When she finds herself running the kitchen at a friends Indian restaurant that is on the brink of closing, Maggie is determined to save it. Is it too late though?

This book was such a wonderful tale of found family, community, love, and passion. I just adored all the characters that came together to help try and save the restaurant. Maggie is such a force, but one of those characters you just can’t help but fall in love with. She was so caring and compassionate with everyone she met, and I just loved her. I enjoyed the ride of trying to save the restaurant from page one to the final chapter! This book was a warm hug, and I think we could all use those kinds of reads right now!

What a fabulous book to loose yourself in. Full of great characters and plenty of humour. Maggie shows us how you can turn your life around when circumstances change. A real uplifting read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review. It was a sheer delight.

What a wonderful book! Within the first few pages it had me laughing, then moved me to tears. It is a tale of reinventing yourself and starting again after life’s knocks, about friendship and family, and communities coming together. It is heart warming and also very funny. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Cooking, feisty women, beautiful setting and great humour; what more could you want from a book! This is a feel good book that celebrates age and experience, while also championing the other much maligned group that is teenagers. I really enjoyed reading about these characters, who are so true to life. Only one jarring mistake though, Maggie would never have thrown away the tasters she took to the restaurants; they would have bone into her freezer. My age group never wastes food.

Maggie is retired, but after the passing of her husband, she is no longer enjoying retirement and wants a bit of adventure back in her life.
After visiting a local restaurant her and her husband used to dine in. She finds the place almost empty. She comes to realise the chef is struggling. She steps in to lend a hand in the kitchen when she finds out the business is also struggling. She is determined not to let her friends restaurant close without a fight! With the help of her daughter Hannah, her granddaughter Alice, and the community, she creates a plan.

This was honestly such a feel-good read! I love Maggie and her can-do attitude. She was a force to be reckoned with from the beginning and was very determined. We also had so many loveable side characters. Alice was cheeky but adorable. And I definitely had a soft spot for Ben. His character development was one of my favourites.

This was honestly just such a bingeable read, I read most of it in one sitting. I found myself routing for the characters and their plan and found myself smiling with each of their successes. I definitely recommend this one. It is so easy to be sucked into the story, and I didn't want to put it down.

Maggie Lawford, her daughter Hannah and Granddaughter Alice are the main characters of this delightful easy read book, joined by Sav, Joe, Ben, Jade and Oscar. Not forgetting Banjo the dog.
The book is about love, friendship, compassion and community spirit, pulling together. It was funny in places and had me laughing out loud.
Oh, the food! I so wanted to eat it. It was a thoughtful treat at the end of the book to see some recipes had been added.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

This story highlights the importance of friendship, family, community and resilience, especially when dealing with loss.

Maggie has been dealing with being newly widowed, so she the chance presents itself to help her struggling favourite restaurant, she doesn’t hesitate to jump into action. It turns out, this is just the medicine she needs.

This story proves that age is just a number and it should never hold you back from your dreams.

The pace was a little slow at the start, but then I got into the story and was hooked. Maggie gives me Iona Iverson vibes.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an arc of 'The Unretirement'. I thoroughly enjoyed this warm and cosy hug of a book. Recently retired, and sadly widowed, Maggie's not quite ready to give up just yet and reckons its time to put her cookery skills to good use. I loved everything about this book, great characters, great storyline.... and mouthwatering recipes too! Highly recommend for your holiday read.

The Unretirement by Penny Mirren was a charming and fun escapade into the unexpected twists and turns of life. Plus, I'm interested in almost any story set largely in a kitchen! The main characters are Maggie and her daughter Hannah. I enjoyed the loving and supportive relationship these two have, as Maggie tries to find her purpose in the aftermath of her husbands unexpected passing and Hannah is trying to juggle a career and raising a young daughter after divorce.

The supporting cast of characters in this story were so fun and down-to-earth! Also, it was uplifting to see how the community came together to try to rescue this local small business. This was a feel-good story about creating the life you want, and that it's never to late to find some joy and purpose in life.

I rated The Unretirement by Penny Mirren 4/5 stars and recommend to anyone looking for a light-hearted read, with a little clean romance, and a group of characters I wish I could hang out with in real life.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penny Mirren, and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book. I was not required to leave a review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Maggie decides that after her husband passes away that she is going to find her passion while in retirement. She ends up working at a restaurant and finds her passion. She helps some people out while they encourage her to pursue her love and she expands what she loves to do. It was nice to read a book that was about a more experienced group of people and them working hard to achieve new dreams.

Be sure you continue past the Authors note where you can find recipes for some of the dishes that were made.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc..

Great comfort read. Maggie has retired and loves spending time with her husband on new adventures. Then her husband suddenly dies and she’s thrown into a deep dark place.
The highlight of her life is minding her granddaughter while her newly divorced daughter struggles with life as a solicitor. Maggie discovers one night her favourite restaurant is in trouble and makes it her mission to save it from closure. With help from new friends she sets out to save the local Indian restaurant from the fate of an overbearing celebrity chef.
Funny and very poignant in places loved sharing Maggie’s journey.
Brilliantly written and looking forward to more from this author.

Great story, lovely and relatable characters. A great book to read on holiday by the beach/ pool or like me on a 4 hour plane journey!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The bright, cheery cover grabbed me, the enjoyable story made me keep reading, and finish it in a day.

This is a heart-warming book about Maggie who loses her husband shortly after their retirement and decides to get back to what she loves best - cooking. No restaurant in town wants to hire her but then she realises that the Indian restaurant of a close friend is struggling and decides to help, while at the same time helping out her daughter Hannah with childcare.

This book is choc full of lovable characters and shows that young and old can work together for a common goal. It's a feel-good story about family and community that gives you "the warm and fuzzies". It is funny and has a glorious baddie.

I personally don't like Indian food so the recipes at the end were wasted on me but it's good to know the fusion dishes from the story actually exist.

"The passion with which she’d immersed herself in cooking and in the plight of The Golden Crocus was how her mum had always approached life generally: with gusto and guts."

4.5 stars

The Unretirement is a delightful and heart warming tale that celebrates the joy of pursuing dreams, no matter your age. With its charming characters, engaging plot, and feel-good message, this book is sure to leave readers smiling. Perfect for anyone in need of a lift-me-up, The Unretirement is a testament to the fact that it's never too late to start anew.

Although life hasn't worked out exactly as she planned, Maggie isn't ready for retirement just yet. When an opportunity to help some old friends practically lands in her lap, she sets about using her skills to get their restaurant up and running again even though her daughter might not approve initially she realises this is exactly what her mother needed to regain her spark.

An uplifting novel of loss, disillusionment and getting your groove back.

Just lovely! What a fabulous, feel good, heart warming read! I loved Maggie and the movement through loss into finding life. All of the characters were relatable - I particularly liked the two young people (so often get a bad press!) who were brilliantly written. A must read for me and one I'll be recommending.

Penny Mirren tells the heartwarming tale of a retired woman who rediscovers herself.
Following the death of her husband, Maggie realises that retirement isn’t quite the same without him. Having studied cookery at college in her youth, she looks for a job in a local kitchen. Scorned for her age she feels a little hopeless, that is until she and her daughter go out for dinner at the Golden Crocus and she discovers old age isn’t a barrier.
This is a story about love, friendship, community and family. It is a beautiful tale and you find yourself really connecting with the characters and how they’ve all become stuck in a rut. Mirren helps draw the characters out of their shell and realise what life is truly about.

This is a fabulous book. The characters come alive on the page, and make you want to cheer them on through their challenges.

Maggie is a retired widow who is looking for ways to fill her life. Hannah is a single mom trying to manage a career while staying connected with her daughter and her mom, Maggie, who returns to her childhood home of Saffron Walden. The Golden Crocus restaurant is the catalyst for change for both of them, and for the friends, new and old, that join them on their journey.

I would love to see more stories featuring Maggie, Hannah and Saffron Walden.

What a fantastic book. Finding new purpose, friends and career.
The death of her husband leaves Maggie devastated and only looking after her granddaughter is keeping her going through the grief.
Moving back to her hometown as a single parent Hannah is trying to juggle everything.
A rare night out for a meal as mum and daughter is the unexpected catalyst for change.
Enjoy I did