I like to people watch and reading this was like an indulgent afternoon doing just that! Celia Imrie's first novel and being a successful British actress, it read like the script for a Saturday afternoon movie. You don't have to think too deeply or concentrate too hard on the plot. It rolls along easily and at times a little predictably but there are a few surprises along the way and it's easy to pick which character Celia would play!! A good book to take to the park or the beach or on a plane.....or to read while in lockdown. ( )

This feels like Best Exotic Marigold Hotel meets Agatha Christie. That's not a bad thing. ( )

Theresa has lost her job and on impulse decides to "retire" to Southern France. She finds a lovely flat with a view of the harbor in Bellevue-Sur-Mer, a small village near Nice, where she meets a group of ex-pats, mostly British, who befriend her. But not all is perfect in paradise. A series of burglaries and a couple of vicious muggings have people on edge. Not to mention the family difficulties each of them has - cheating spouses, ungrateful children, dwindling funds, alcoholism, etc.
In her debut novel, Imrie has given us a sort of “coming of old age” story. I loved Theresa, though I wanted to shake her a few times when she put up with bad treatment by her ungrateful, selfish daughter and her bratty grandchildren. Still, this is a woman who has always done her best and who is slowly but surely realizing that she deserves some pleasure in life. The cast of supporting characters was marvelous as well: the smooth and attentive Brian; Sally a former British TV star; Americans Carol and David; “dragon lady” Sian and her philandering Aussie husband Ted; the witty, seemingly never aging octogenarian Zoe; compliant Faith and her pushy son Alfie who insists she needs a mansion rather than the small flat she’d prefer; and gay couple Benjamin and William.
I thought it was an enjoyable, fast novel. Perfect for a vacation read. The bad guys get what’s coming to them, and everyone learns a lesson or two. It’s not exactly a happily-ever-after ending, but it gives me hope for the future of these characters. There are two more books in the series (thus far), and I look forward to reading them. ( )

A very s-l-o-w start as the main character moves to the south of France and becomes a member of the ‘gang’ of retired middle-class ex-pats. My heart drooped as recipes were included. An ensemble cast, including a pantomime villain of a daughter. Ended up gathering pace and a plot, but not enough for me to want to delve into the future goings-on of the aged ‘gang’. ( )