About Books #70: The Age of Misadventure

The three things a book should promise me in order for me to definitely want to read it: 1) women; 2) empowerment; 3) multi-generational. And yet, sometimes a book can promise me all of these – The Age of Misadventure certainly did… And still fall incredibly short.

I was offered an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are strictly my own.

The story

55-year-old Georgie Turner doesn’t need a new man. Her daughter, aunt and sister are the most important people in her life (and the most infuriating). But it seems the older they get, the further apart they drift.

Georgie’s never been a fan of her sister Bonnie’s husband, so when she learns her brother-in-law has been up to no good, Georgie sees an opportunity to bring the women of her family back together. Along with her 21-year-old daughter and 80-year-old aunt, she packs Bonnie into the back of her car and they leave Liverpool to hide out on the coast of Sussex. With the help of some sun, sea and bottle or two of prosecco, this will be an adventure they’ll never forget.

But could the right man find Georgie while she’s stopping the wrong man finding her sister?

The opinion

I honestly cannot say I enjoyed this book at all. While the premises certainly had its promises, the reality fell flat in comparison.

What could not be fun about 4 women escaping a hardened criminal, out to kill them? You know, apart from the fact that the daughter is *furious* non-stop, either because her mum is living below them, because her mum dares have her life endangered (such an annoyance!) or because … Well, I don’t know really – Jade just seemed perpetually determined to be angry with her mum.

Bonny, honestly, wasn’t much better. “Sure, I have someone after me, but hey, surely shopping’s more important than not being found, right?”. Nan, I could actually understand – she was old, supposed to be something of a comic relief… And even though her “misunderstandings” ventured beyond the acceptable from time to time, she seemed alright. Ish.

Even the main character’s love story didn’t really seem to hold the sort of feeling I was looking for.

I probably would’ve been less disappointed by this book if I hadn’t been looking forward to the concept as much, but still… The entire thing felt a bit like a car lurching forward: stop, too fast, stop, too fast, … No consistent rhythm, characters that weren’t so much “hilarious” as they were annoying, … Really not my kind of book, all in all.

The rating: 1/5

It’s not often that I really cannot enjoy a story. And trust me – I’ve tried. I really, really did. But, apparently, yelling at characters doesn’t actually make them behave better. Who knew, right?

-Saar