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The Fecking Fabulous Forties Club #2
Stuck in the Midlife with You
Pre-Order the BRAND NEW instalment in Freya Kennedy's brilliantly uplifting series.
Your forties just got fabulous...
Becca Burnside is going to make this the year she turns her forties around, and creates a life her 16-year-old self would be proud of... A smidgen of romance wouldn’t go amiss either.
And with a new job, and a blossoming friendship with handsome Conal, she’s off to a great start. Or at least, she was, until her youngest son dropped the mother of all his girlfriend, who just happens to be the daughter of Becca’s best friend Niamh, is pregnant. Now Becca and Niamh find themselves not only facing the usual problems that come with being women of a certain age, they’re going to be grannies.
So when Becca’s new job invites them on a weekend retreat, it seems the perfect way to distract themselves from ‘the Situation’. But will wild water swimming and yoga be enough to help the women face the biggest challenge of their adult lives? And can their friendship survive the chaos of a new baby?
Join the most fabulous club in town! Perfect for fans of Serena Terry and Alexandra Potter.
Your forties just got fabulous...
Becca Burnside is going to make this the year she turns her forties around, and creates a life her 16-year-old self would be proud of... A smidgen of romance wouldn’t go amiss either.
And with a new job, and a blossoming friendship with handsome Conal, she’s off to a great start. Or at least, she was, until her youngest son dropped the mother of all his girlfriend, who just happens to be the daughter of Becca’s best friend Niamh, is pregnant. Now Becca and Niamh find themselves not only facing the usual problems that come with being women of a certain age, they’re going to be grannies.
So when Becca’s new job invites them on a weekend retreat, it seems the perfect way to distract themselves from ‘the Situation’. But will wild water swimming and yoga be enough to help the women face the biggest challenge of their adult lives? And can their friendship survive the chaos of a new baby?
Join the most fabulous club in town! Perfect for fans of Serena Terry and Alexandra Potter.
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Published May 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 27, 2025
love love loved it I havent gone through my menopause yet but I will remember this book and appreciate alot of what is read just truly amazingly well written im 37!! I was laughing out loud !! BUT the question is are we getting a third book?? please please please 🙏
May 26, 2025
I've come into this series having not read the first book, but this did not detract from my enjoyment.
Three childhood friends now in their forties continue to go through experiences together, including menopause and impending grandparenthood.
In this story, we have the POV of two of the three women, Niamh and Becca. Laura, the third, is with them throughout, but not a main character.
Becca is a single parent, having brought her twin boys up to adulthood, and they have embarked upon the first step in independence by starting university. However, one of them is in a situation. His girlfriend is pregnant.
She is Niamh's daughter, who is also going through a tough time at work and handling her ever-changing hormones.
This situation could break the fragile bond of friendship, but that is where this story shows the strength of such relationships.
The ladies go on a special retreat, designed for women of a certain age, where they learn more about themselves and when to accept and stand up for themselves.
I love a midlife story, being a woman of a similar age, and knowing that such strong friendships exist, it is great to read about them, too. Also, being aware that life doesn't end just because you are in that midlife time, is key.
Three childhood friends now in their forties continue to go through experiences together, including menopause and impending grandparenthood.
In this story, we have the POV of two of the three women, Niamh and Becca. Laura, the third, is with them throughout, but not a main character.
Becca is a single parent, having brought her twin boys up to adulthood, and they have embarked upon the first step in independence by starting university. However, one of them is in a situation. His girlfriend is pregnant.
She is Niamh's daughter, who is also going through a tough time at work and handling her ever-changing hormones.
This situation could break the fragile bond of friendship, but that is where this story shows the strength of such relationships.
The ladies go on a special retreat, designed for women of a certain age, where they learn more about themselves and when to accept and stand up for themselves.
I love a midlife story, being a woman of a similar age, and knowing that such strong friendships exist, it is great to read about them, too. Also, being aware that life doesn't end just because you are in that midlife time, is key.
June 1, 2025
This is the second book in the Fabulous Forties series but it can be read as a standalone. I will however say that Book 1 The F*cking Fabulous Forties club is such a great read. So go check it out if you haven’t already read it. Anyway back to book two. Oh wow what another great read this was. I just love the characters in this book and could really relate to them all. They had me laughing out loud at times and I could totally relate to what they were going through. There was also an emotional side coming through . How will Becca and Niamh cope with the prospect of becoming Grandmothers will it bring them even closer together or cause a rift in their friendship. I’m really hoping there’ll be a third book in the series as I just have to find out how things are going with this close knit trio of friends and their families.
May 29, 2025
This is a book about changing lives as we age. It is book 2 in a series. I did not read the first book and that did not hamper my ability to enjoy this story.
Menopause is a large theme and there is lots of discussion about those symptoms and the different ways it impacts women.
Sometimes the author was a bit repetitive but overall this story is very well done.
Though the book tackles some tough subjects including teen pregnancy the story is told with incredible humor. I chuckled throughout the book and towards the end there was a chapter that had me laughing out loud. I liked that we can explore tough topics and still do it in a way that is relatable. There were several emotional moments as well as the two main characters grapple with all the changes they are facing.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more things by this author.
Menopause is a large theme and there is lots of discussion about those symptoms and the different ways it impacts women.
Sometimes the author was a bit repetitive but overall this story is very well done.
Though the book tackles some tough subjects including teen pregnancy the story is told with incredible humor. I chuckled throughout the book and towards the end there was a chapter that had me laughing out loud. I liked that we can explore tough topics and still do it in a way that is relatable. There were several emotional moments as well as the two main characters grapple with all the changes they are facing.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more things by this author.
May 25, 2025
I read the first book in this series and flew through it. This book was just the same. Becca and her besties are back at it, suffering through the worst of perimenopause and trying to stay sane through the constant upheaval of their lives.
I'm perimenopausal myself and the things these women went through hit it on the head. I laughed and literally cried along with the characters as they tried to cope with life while feeling out of control of their own bodies.
Freya Kennedy has an amazing knack for being realistic, hilarious, and heartfelt in her writing and I love to just gobble up these stories of women in their forties.
I hope this series will continue for a long time. All of the characters are wonderful. The situations they find themselves in are so realistic and also entertaining.
Another five star entry in the Fabulous Forties Club series.
I'm perimenopausal myself and the things these women went through hit it on the head. I laughed and literally cried along with the characters as they tried to cope with life while feeling out of control of their own bodies.
Freya Kennedy has an amazing knack for being realistic, hilarious, and heartfelt in her writing and I love to just gobble up these stories of women in their forties.
I hope this series will continue for a long time. All of the characters are wonderful. The situations they find themselves in are so realistic and also entertaining.
Another five star entry in the Fabulous Forties Club series.
April 11, 2025
Another great read from Freya, following the three friends Laura,Becca and Niamh as they continue into their forties having to contend with ongoing menopausal issues, empty nest syndrome, elderly parents, relationship issues, and a very unexpected pregnancy!
Totally relatable to women of a certain age, told with humour, realism and graphic detail we are privileged to experience the next chapter in the friends lives.
Becca is finally finding the time to do things for herself, starting with a new job, this entails going on a retreat and taking both Laura and Niamh along for the ride as she collects material to write her first post in the new role and to have time away from the pregnancy situation for her and Niamh, things don’t get off to a great start but through exposure to new experiences and time to be themselves the outlook looks much better helping all three of them to move forward and make life changing decisions.
A fantastic read that will resonate with many and extolls the virtues of female friendship something that can never be underestimated, would love another book to get an insight into Niamh’s and Beccas new roles as grandparents as they continue to embrace midlife with all its challenges
Thank you NetGalley for this early read
Totally relatable to women of a certain age, told with humour, realism and graphic detail we are privileged to experience the next chapter in the friends lives.
Becca is finally finding the time to do things for herself, starting with a new job, this entails going on a retreat and taking both Laura and Niamh along for the ride as she collects material to write her first post in the new role and to have time away from the pregnancy situation for her and Niamh, things don’t get off to a great start but through exposure to new experiences and time to be themselves the outlook looks much better helping all three of them to move forward and make life changing decisions.
A fantastic read that will resonate with many and extolls the virtues of female friendship something that can never be underestimated, would love another book to get an insight into Niamh’s and Beccas new roles as grandparents as they continue to embrace midlife with all its challenges
Thank you NetGalley for this early read
July 18, 2025
I was really in the mood for reading a light book about female friendships, and so when this book came along, I thought it would hit the spot, and it did! I didn't read the first book in the series, but this can easily be read as a standalone.
Becca is a woman "of a certain age". She is in her forties, divorced, and wondering what the future holds for her. She is working in a job she doesn't particularly like and finds herself not having enough time to do all the things she would like to do although her best friends Niamh and Laura are always up for adventure and have been in her life for a long time. When one of her son's drops a huge bombshell on her, she isn't entirely sure how to react; what is the balance between supportive and "wow, you really stuffed up there, didn't you?" e.g. parenting teens/young adults is HARD. Meanwhile, Niamh is trying desperately to juggle the load that comes along with having 4 children, even though her husband seems to be drifting away from her.
When the opportunity comes up to go on a women's retreat, the three friends find themselves doing things they never thought they would do......
In amongst work and parenting, Becca is trying to get a romance going with Conal, who is lovely but she really doesn't want to put too much on him at the stage their relationship is at because he might just run for the hills!
I really liked the relationship between the three women and even though I am a little older than the three of them, what they are going through is very relatable.
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.
Becca is a woman "of a certain age". She is in her forties, divorced, and wondering what the future holds for her. She is working in a job she doesn't particularly like and finds herself not having enough time to do all the things she would like to do although her best friends Niamh and Laura are always up for adventure and have been in her life for a long time. When one of her son's drops a huge bombshell on her, she isn't entirely sure how to react; what is the balance between supportive and "wow, you really stuffed up there, didn't you?" e.g. parenting teens/young adults is HARD. Meanwhile, Niamh is trying desperately to juggle the load that comes along with having 4 children, even though her husband seems to be drifting away from her.
When the opportunity comes up to go on a women's retreat, the three friends find themselves doing things they never thought they would do......
In amongst work and parenting, Becca is trying to get a romance going with Conal, who is lovely but she really doesn't want to put too much on him at the stage their relationship is at because he might just run for the hills!
I really liked the relationship between the three women and even though I am a little older than the three of them, what they are going through is very relatable.
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.
July 25, 2025
In this funny new novel about female friendships and conquering middle age, readers follow Becca, Niamh, and their friends and families as they cope with the changes of life -- new jobs, new friends, and Becca’s son and Niamh’s daughter’s pregnancy. With a wild amount of challenges and joy ahead of them, both women decide to take full advantage of a weekend retreat from Becca’s new job in the hope that swimming and yoga will get them ready for becoming grandmothers and sustain their friendship in this new season of life. Entertaining, emotional, and enjoyable, readers will love Becca and Niamh’s relationship as it continues to evolve in this fun new novel. Their changing dynamic and the other character relationships really pull readers into the story, while the addition of new characters and challenges really add to their character arcs over the course of the novel. Deeply entertaining and well-written, readers will particularly enjoy Kennedy’s world-building and the vibrant settings that Becca and Niamh inhabit. The characters and settings are both detailed, complex, and entertaining, and the emotional storylines hit the right notes for fans of Freya Kennedy’s other books, so readers will love this funny, heartwarming, and emotional new title.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advance copy.
August 30, 2025
When I started The Fecking Fabulous Forties Club ( which has a lot less swearing than the name might imply), I didn’t realise there would be a follow up book. The clue came in the very last chapter.
Although this book might work well as a standalone as most things are explained well enough, the essence of the friendship and the mental load the women carry is not as clear without the entire picture. Menopause is a central character all on its own and I’m not looking forward to my own future even if half these experiences are the norm! So if the topic is not something you want to focus on, I would not recommend this book.
At the end of the last book a bombshell was dropped and new changes are afoot for two of the three best friends. Becca has higher ambitions she plans to truly work towards and Nimah is not at all happy or comfortable most of the time. A part of the story is spent in a wellness resort for ‘women of a certain age’. This is the kind of passive book that defines the right kind of friendships amongst women.
It is hard to make friends and keep them. I appreciate the ones I have even more after reading this.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous work.
Although this book might work well as a standalone as most things are explained well enough, the essence of the friendship and the mental load the women carry is not as clear without the entire picture. Menopause is a central character all on its own and I’m not looking forward to my own future even if half these experiences are the norm! So if the topic is not something you want to focus on, I would not recommend this book.
At the end of the last book a bombshell was dropped and new changes are afoot for two of the three best friends. Becca has higher ambitions she plans to truly work towards and Nimah is not at all happy or comfortable most of the time. A part of the story is spent in a wellness resort for ‘women of a certain age’. This is the kind of passive book that defines the right kind of friendships amongst women.
It is hard to make friends and keep them. I appreciate the ones I have even more after reading this.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous work.
September 3, 2025
Second hilarious story about friends in their late forties, Niamh, Becca and Laura.
The tale continues with the first book finale where Becca and Niamh learned that their son and daughter are expecting a child. They realice that they are going to be grandmothers.
They feel too young to have a grandchild, they take the news with different feelings, happiness and worry. Adding to that difficult situation they both are starting to perceive the symptoms of menopause.
I love this club! I hope to read more about them.
The tale continues with the first book finale where Becca and Niamh learned that their son and daughter are expecting a child. They realice that they are going to be grandmothers.
They feel too young to have a grandchild, they take the news with different feelings, happiness and worry. Adding to that difficult situation they both are starting to perceive the symptoms of menopause.
I love this club! I hope to read more about them.
June 2, 2025
Brilliant!
Another great read about the trio of friends and their families!
So true to life, but honest and heartwarming!
There is something of each one in all of us as we tread the path of getting older but so life affirming about women!
Loved it and cannot wait to read the next one!
Another great read about the trio of friends and their families!
So true to life, but honest and heartwarming!
There is something of each one in all of us as we tread the path of getting older but so life affirming about women!
Loved it and cannot wait to read the next one!
July 18, 2025
Menopausal Madness,
This is a sweet, endearing, funny tale of the joys of menopause, coping with children, children having a child, friendships and just life, really. Freya Kennedy has nailed it, with three best friends and their chaotic lives having to manoeuvre and cope with getting older. Worth a read.
This is a sweet, endearing, funny tale of the joys of menopause, coping with children, children having a child, friendships and just life, really. Freya Kennedy has nailed it, with three best friends and their chaotic lives having to manoeuvre and cope with getting older. Worth a read.
July 26, 2025
What an enjoyable light hearted read which hit on some life lessons and could resinate with so much.
Being a 40 something it gave me some much needed laughing out loud moments. Also being from Northern ireland I could see the places they were talking about.
Can't wait to read more of Freya's books.
Being a 40 something it gave me some much needed laughing out loud moments. Also being from Northern ireland I could see the places they were talking about.
Can't wait to read more of Freya's books.
June 19, 2025
Ladies living their best life
Rounded up 3.5⭐
It's refreshing to read about woman older than 28. This follows a group of friends while they navigate to a new stage of life and learn to let go of past expectations.
Rounded up 3.5⭐
It's refreshing to read about woman older than 28. This follows a group of friends while they navigate to a new stage of life and learn to let go of past expectations.
November 2, 2025
Inspiring!
How very true each and every word was, every woman should read this to know they are not alone in the menopause period of life and there is help - loved this, I laughed and I cried and couldn’t put it down! Bravo x
How very true each and every word was, every woman should read this to know they are not alone in the menopause period of life and there is help - loved this, I laughed and I cried and couldn’t put it down! Bravo x
July 26, 2025
Saved by HRT and Love
Great read, personable characters has a real life feel to it. Funny but serious in some parts very enjoyable. Looking forward to more it this authors books
Great read, personable characters has a real life feel to it. Funny but serious in some parts very enjoyable. Looking forward to more it this authors books
August 10, 2025
Loved it and so funny
August 22, 2025
My favorite line “Go Big Covered in Chocolate or Go Home!”
Read
September 28, 2025I gave up on this book just not for me
October 10, 2025
absolutely brilliant reading. I,m there right now so very relatable. And it's so true.
October 11, 2025
Great book. I laughed and cried. If you are a women of a certain age you will love it.
October 15, 2025
I loved it! Had me laughing out loud, rooting for the characters, feeling their angst and celebrating their wins!
November 3, 2025
Funny and moving
January 12, 2026
Gave up on it when I got to a long list of relations and their backgrounds after that I could not be boithered
June 26, 2025
a fab read, a story of women of a certain age and all the trials and tribulations that come with this!
who says it’s gets easier as your kids get older…
a story of friendship, a fun read with some laugh of loud moments
who says it’s gets easier as your kids get older…
a story of friendship, a fun read with some laugh of loud moments
August 3, 2025
It was great to be back in the world of Becca, Niamh and Laura. As a 40 something woman myself it was very relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and would definitely recommend it.
June 23, 2025
Heartwarming, funny and lots of mid-life angst for Becca and her friend Niamh. A treat to read about women of a certain age and the importance of friendship.
June 20, 2025
I'm 32. Have very few close friends, I hope to continue this friendship into my forties. I loved the aspect of starting over a career & trying to find who you are. I got pregnant at a younger age (18) so I understood a lot of this novel & cannot wait for more of the fabulous forties series. Glad we got to hang out with Becca again! Thanks to Boldwood books and netgalley for this eARC!
June 12, 2025
Book Two in Freya Kennedy’s Fabulous Fourties’ Club Series “Stuck in the Midlife With You” hits shelves May 28, 2025. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for letting me have an advanced copy to review.
I admit I didn’t know this was a book two going into it, however I still found it easy to follow without having read the prior book. That being said I am definitely going back to read book one because I really enjoyed reading about Becca, her friends, and their adventures facing the next chapter of their lives together. I love books about friendship and that is definitely at the core of this story.
After finding a Time Capsule that Becca and her friends buried as teenagers (Book 1) Becca has been trying to make her life into something teenage her would be proud of, along with her two best friends. The news that she will soon be a grandmother spurs her on even more to chase the dreams she let die.
I admit I didn’t know this was a book two going into it, however I still found it easy to follow without having read the prior book. That being said I am definitely going back to read book one because I really enjoyed reading about Becca, her friends, and their adventures facing the next chapter of their lives together. I love books about friendship and that is definitely at the core of this story.
After finding a Time Capsule that Becca and her friends buried as teenagers (Book 1) Becca has been trying to make her life into something teenage her would be proud of, along with her two best friends. The news that she will soon be a grandmother spurs her on even more to chase the dreams she let die.
May 28, 2025
Becca and Niamh have been friends for 40 years. They live near one another and their children have all grown up together. Becca has 19-year-old twin sons, Adam and Saul. She is divorced. Niamh is a middle school science teacher and is married to Paul. They have 4 children.
Becca’s son, Adam and Niamh’s daughter, Jodie, 20, have been dating for a little while and now they learn that Jodie is pregnant. The parents, while surprised, are being supportive and encouraging the couple to decide what they want to do. They want to keep the baby.
While all of this is a shock, the two women and another good friend, Laura, share the fact that while they are in their 40’s, they are going through menopause and having a difficult time with it. They are feeling miserable.
Becca has always worked from home writing articles. Now, she has a new job writing for a magazine. They want her and two friends to head out for a weekend with like age women to discuss their feeling about this time of their life. Then Becca will write an article about the trip. So, all 3 friends agree to go. At the retreat, the women learn to respect themselves and realize that what they are all going through is normal. They meet other women and have a wonderful time.
This is a funny book but also a down to earth one that openly talks about the many things that “women of a certain age” - i.e. women in their forties - all face the dreaded menopause. For some, it’s an easy time but for too many others, it’s a truly difficult time. So, if some readers are going through this now, hopefully, this book will help them put this situation in the proper perspective knowing that “this too shall pass.” Enjoy!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Becca’s son, Adam and Niamh’s daughter, Jodie, 20, have been dating for a little while and now they learn that Jodie is pregnant. The parents, while surprised, are being supportive and encouraging the couple to decide what they want to do. They want to keep the baby.
While all of this is a shock, the two women and another good friend, Laura, share the fact that while they are in their 40’s, they are going through menopause and having a difficult time with it. They are feeling miserable.
Becca has always worked from home writing articles. Now, she has a new job writing for a magazine. They want her and two friends to head out for a weekend with like age women to discuss their feeling about this time of their life. Then Becca will write an article about the trip. So, all 3 friends agree to go. At the retreat, the women learn to respect themselves and realize that what they are all going through is normal. They meet other women and have a wonderful time.
This is a funny book but also a down to earth one that openly talks about the many things that “women of a certain age” - i.e. women in their forties - all face the dreaded menopause. For some, it’s an easy time but for too many others, it’s a truly difficult time. So, if some readers are going through this now, hopefully, this book will help them put this situation in the proper perspective knowing that “this too shall pass.” Enjoy!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews