Review: The Gin O'Clock Club by Rosie Blake

Happy paperback publication day to The Gin O'Clock Club by Rosie Blake! This is a lovely, warm-hearted read, the perfect tonic (pun intended) for life as we currently know it. Thanks to Rosie for sending me an e-copy of this book.

I adored Rosie's previous novel The Hygge Holiday so so when Rosie asked me to read and review her latest novel The Gin O'Clock Club I jumped at the chance - I actually said yes without even looking up a synopsis, and so went into reading it with no idea what it was going to be about - it wasn't at all what I expected, it was better! Here's the blurb: 

Lottie is always in a hurry, rushing through her days ticking tasks off her to-do lists. Teddy is worried about his granddaughter – and he knows that his late wife, Cora, would have known exactly what to say to make things better. Now that Cora has gone, it’s up to Teddy to talk some sense into Lottie.

With the help of Arjun, Geoffrey and Howard, the elderly reprobates who make up his Gin O’Clock Club, Teddy makes a plan to help Lottie find her way back to the things that really matter – family, friendship and love. But as Lottie balances a high-powered job with her reluctant attendance at whist drives, ballroom dances and bingo, Teddy wonders if she’s really ready to open up her heart to the possibility of true happiness…

Review

Lottie is burnt out. A successful barrister intent on applying for silk, she's juggling work with her busy personal life, and looking out for her recently widowed Granded Teddy. Despite desperately missing his wife. Teddy has a strong support group in the form of The Gin O'Clock club, his band of best friends Arjun, Geoffrey and Howard who regularly meet up, drink gin and put the world to rights. As cracks begins to show in Lottie's relationship with long term boyfriend Luke, Teddy and his fellow Gin O' Clock Club members come up with a plan. Teddy will try out modern dating methods if Lottie and Luke do things the old fashioned way. Cue date nights at whist drives, drawing classes and the ice rink. But as Lottie's life spirals further out of control it's up to Teddy to remind her what really matters in life.

Teddy and his friends were the stars of this book for me. The description of them in the blurb as 'elderly reprobates' sums them up perfectly! They were so full of life and optimism, and could certainly teach the youth of today a thing or two about having fun! Teddy's letters to his late wife Cora brought a tear to my eye; they were so heartfelt, and even though we never actually meet Cora her presence is felt the whole way through the story. Lottie was an interesting character. At times I actually disliked her- she treated her boyfriend Luke (an absolute sweetheart) so badly, and just seemed to keep making things worse for herself. By the novel's end though I was really rooting for her to make things right. 

The Gin O'Clock Club is a heartwarming tale of love, family and friendship.