Synopsis
Sixty-nine-year-old Fliss has lived a life!
A career running her own successful business, a beautiful home, a wardrobe full of designer clothes – Fliss has everything she ever wanted. So why does she feel so lonely?
Sixty-six-year-old Shirl didn’t expect to be looking after a baby again, let alone a grown woman who should know better. But with her daughter Gemma struggling to adapt to motherhood, and her boss Fliss increasingly reliant on Shirl to run her life, Shirl never gets a moment to herself.
Fliss might not be great at life’s chores, but she is great at seizing opportunities, so when the chance for a jaunt to France’s beautiful Brittany comes her way, she decides it’s just what she and Shirl need. And as the sun-soaked town of Plouvannec-Sur-Mer begins to work its magic on the women, they realise there’s another way to live.
From cake-laden patisseries, to joyous local fetes, from food, views and beaches to die for, to a community quick to embrace them, not to mention some rather fine French men for company, perhaps it’s not too late for Fliss and Shirl to embrace a new adventure and look forwards to a totally different future.
My Review
I am a huge fan of Judy and her work and have been for a few years now. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed each and every book that she has written to date. When I heard that Judy was due to release another book I knew that I had to grab a copy and hibernate until after I had read the last word on the last page. Well ladies and gents, the wait is over because Judy’s new book is called ‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’ and it was released on 4th June 2024. I couldn’t wait to dive in and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for what proved to be a fun afternoon of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’ but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into ‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’. In fact by the time I got to the end of the synopsis, I was hooked on the story. As soon as I started reading the book itself, I realised three things – firstly that I was reading something special, secondly that I was going to become addicted to the story and thirdly that I would find it nigh on impossible to put the book down for any length of time. Guess what? I was spot on with all three predictions. I warmed to the two main characters of Shirl and Fliss. In fact they ended up feeling more like friends than characters in a book. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I just couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. Besides I had to keep reading to see if the story was going to turn out in the way in which I thought it would. I was so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the two ladies that I didn’t realise just how quickly the time was passing and how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’ and I had to say goodbye to Shirl and Fliss. I found ‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’ to be a delight to read from start to finish with lots of laughs, love and life!
‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Judy Leigh. Judy has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Judy’s books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Judy’s love for her characters shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. Judy’s characters seem just as real as you and I. As I mentioned earlier, I ended up feeling more like friends rather than characters in a book. I love the message that Judy sends out in her stories, which is that the fun doesn’t have to stop just because you reach a certain age! I love the way in which Judy makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Golden Gals’ French Adventure’ and I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to other readers. I hope to read much more of Judy’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
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