Hens Reunited

by Lucy Diamond

Wonderfully warm and funny novel of love, divorce and friendship

Katie, Georgia and Alice were at each other’s hen nights but now the chickens have come home to their marriages have fallen apart and their friendships have been tested to the limits. Control-freak Katie has become a commitment-phobe – there’s no way she wants to get married again. Is there?

Ambitious Georgia always puts her career first. If anyone gets hurt, it’s their look-out – right? And faithful Alice wants to make a fresh start, but can’t get over her cheating ex – and Georgia’s betrayal. Hearts have been broken, and feathers ruffled … can the hens ever be reunited?

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Audiobook, Humor

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

First of all, a confession. My name isn’t really Lucy Diamond at all, it’s Sue Mongredien. I’ve used a pen name because ‘Diamond’ is a lot easier to spell and pronounce than ‘Mongredien’ and also because I’ve written lots of children’s books too and wanted to keep the genres separate. (There is actually another Lucy Diamond on Amazon who writes religious children’s books. That isn’t me, though.)

I was born in 1970 and grew up in Nottingham. I read English at Leeds University then moved to London and worked for various publishers before I packed it all in to go travelling around the world for a year and a half. When I came back to the UK, I worked in publishing again, then moved to the BBC. I now live in Bath with my husband and three young children and divide my time between writing and looking after them. You can have a look at my children’s books here.

Favourite things: beaches, holidays, chocolate, wine, reading, Green Wing, bubble baths, sunshine, hearing my children laugh, babysitters

Favourite books: The Magus (John Fowles), The Edible Woman (Margaret Atwood), The Secret History (Donna Tartt), The Colour of Memory (Geoff Dyer)

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel by Lucy Diamond that I have read and I thought it was a fantastic read.

I really liked the characters: Georgia, career minded, selfish and sharp-tongued comes to realise there's actually more to life than work when her nan falls ill and she meets handsome Owen. Alice, sensitive and naive eventually fights back with the confidence of a mother protecting her child, even if it's from the man she thought she could never do without, and Katie, once bitten twice shy, lands the guy of her dreams but nearly loses him until she realises that not all man are the same. Three women. Three lives. And I loved them all. I could connect with each one of them on so many levels, which made each of their stories more believable and totally absorbing.

I enjoyed how periods of their pasts were woven throughout the present, as it gave the characters more depth and helped to understand them better. It was well written and kept my attention until the very end. The ending was fairly predictable, but I didn't mind. I cared about these women and wanted them to have a happy ending.

Verdict:

This book shows how three very different women can be the best of friends. It is about family, friendship, love and forgiveness. If you love chick-lit and want a feel-good read, then this is the book for you. Brilliant!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Lucy Diamond's novels as I find them easy-to-read, and enjoyable for the most part. However, this particular novel just didn't hold my attention as easily as the others had. I felt that the title itself 'Hens Reunited', just didn't do justice for the storyline itself, as the 'hens' weren't actually having a 'hen party' throughout the entire book (save for flashbacks, and another quick event at the end). I thought that given the title of the book, we would be reading more about 'hen parties' however, that was not to be. I found that each of the characters were portrayed in a certain light, which gave way for many clichés to be formed about each of them. I would have liked to read more about their personal feelings, which would have been intriguing to note. I also felt that their relationships with others, specifically with the opposite sex, was underdeveloped, and could have been described in a different light. I found that there were many stories within this novel that could have been avoided, making it even longer then it had to be. Overall, this wasn't one of Lucy Diamond's best; I look forward to reading a different work of hers in the near future.

[Jessica Eimear Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie, Georgia and Alice are three friends thrown into adulthood with everything modern life has to offer: divorce, cheating and work dissatisfaction.
The book was such an easy read, although I found it hard to believe that Alice would forgive Georgia so easily, and that Alice could be so spineless with Jake. I like how the story ended, though- it left no room for what ifs, but a chance to imagine their happy futures.
My favourite parts were the descriptions of the cottage, and baby iris; I live in a small town and it’s all true that gossip spreads quicker than wildfire! I did want to know if Jake was going to pay for child support, and Georgia’s new job in more detail, but I’m a stickler for detail. I love how spot on lucy gets women’s thought processes. It showed different types of women but how they didn’t put each other down, but looked to one another for support.
Perfect chick-lit novel.

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful novel by Lucy Diamond. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, great characters, you really feel for them.

So if you like chick lit, heartwarming reads then this is definitely one to read. :-)

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, fun read but the 3 girls didn't really interact that much other than flashbacks, georgia and alice's makeup scene was just shoved into the last chapter. also a lot of the interesting stuff i wanted to read about got glossed over like georgia's bully, i wish they had actually got a chance to speak, and jake's return felt a bit lackluster. the best part about the book is that the character's felt realistic and fleshed out.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie, Georgia and Alice thought they would be best friends forever. As well as being great friends they were also all at each others hen nights. Years later however, all of the girls’ marriages have fallen apart and the girls barely keep in contact.

Katie’s marriage was so bad it left her scared to marry again. What’s she going to do when her new boyfriend proposes? Georgia is a single newspaper columnist who ruined Alice’s marriage, can Alice ever forgive Georgia? Alice is now a single mother worried she’ll never get over her ex. Can she find love again?

Can the girls ever make up and go back to how their friendship was?

Hens Reunited was the first book I had the pleasure of receiving to review when the site first opened. I worried for ages that if I hated the book I would have to say so and thus forever offend Lucy and her publishers. I had nothing to worry about though, as I really enjoyed the novel.

This is actually my second Lucy Diamond book and I really enjoyed Over You, which I read a while ago, so I hoped I would enjoy Hens Reunited as much. The book starts by taking us back in time to the three girls’ hen nights and then coming back to the present and to how they are now. Each chapter also has a Take That song at the beginning which is a quirk I love from authors. Particularly with Take That songs, I love Take That.

The storyline sounds quite basic at first but is in fact incredibly enjoyable nevertheless as each girl has issues from their previous marriage as well as other issues from the past. Georgia has by far the most complex back story and it was a pleasure to read. All three girls though were hugely affected by their first marriage and that is apparent as the book progresses. It was interesting untangling their failed marriages and seeing if it was possible for them to love again. There was also the story of how the girls’ friendship disintegrated especially with what Georgia did to Alice. Yes, maybe she was only trying to help but she did it in the wrong way and I could see both sides of view about the issue.

All of the girls are fabulous characters and all are flawed and come across as incredibly real. I think I liked Georgia best which surprised me as she wasn’t the nicest of the three girls. However she was immensely enjoyable and the reasons she did some of the things she did were believable enough. Alice was incredibly nice even though she had to cope with becoming a single mother and having to move house. She didn’t let it get her down too much but had her weak moments. Katie, for me, had the weakest storyline of the three girls I felt but she was still and OK character. She acted as the go-between between Georgia and Alice, trying to create some sort of peace. Each of the girls have their own love story and for me Georgia’s was the best. It took a while but it all worked out eventually.

The book is written in the third person and each chapter swings towards a different girl, never giving us two chapters with the same one, which meant the book was incredibly fast-paced and difficult to put down. There was so much happening and yet I found it incredibly easy to keep up with everything. Incredibly the whole story happens within a week which people may think is unbelievable but it all adds to the pace of the book as far as I was concerned.

The cover isn’t fantastic, in fact I really dislike it, but you need to get past that as the book itself is fantastic. It’s an incredibly enjoyable read and I really recommend it. I look forward to Lucy’s next offering!

[Nicola Clough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book as always by Lucy and had many twists and turns and plenty about friendship and callings out and romance and families and being happy. Mainly about how they get together in the end for one main event. The characters are good and realistic and the plot to the story is good to.
Three girls Alice Katie and Georgia are friend and we’re at each other’s hen nights problem is their marriages have all broken up and their friendship is really rested can they make it through or have they been tested to much. You have Georgia who is ambitious and puts her job first before men and friends and then Katie who is a control freak and will not commit to relationships as he mother gave her a bad example then you have Alice who has had a baby but can’t get over her ex who cheated on her can she forgive him when he turns up or not. Many hearts are broken but when one has a hen party will they all be there together.
A good read

[Tamsynsbookreviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author: Lucy Diamond
Page Count: 421 Pages
Published Date: 18th March 2011
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐
Synopsis:
Katie, Georgia and Alice were at each other's hen nights but now the chickens have come home to roost: their marriages have fallen apart and their friendships have been tested to the limits. Hearts have been broken, and feathers ruffled. Can the hens ever be reunited?
My Thoughts:
I couldn't get into this book but I managed to read it all I just found that this book was very confusing with the characters and remembering who is who. I didn't really understand the storyline of this book. I feel like this book is more for the elderly generation but this book wasn't for me. I have rated this book 1 out of 5 stars but that doesn't mean it won't be a good book for you.

[Carole Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth a read

[Haley Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable story about friendship.

[Stacy Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book from Lucy Diamond. She is one of my favourite authors and this was another fantastic story. The way she writes about her characters makes it easy to either love or hate them. Many books of this type of genre tend to be very stereotypical of women and how they act. But Lucy’s characters aren’t like that. She expressed their flaws as well as everything else. I will always recommend her books. Lovely, feel good stories.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good few years ago, Katie, Georgia and Alice were all at each others hen nights promising to be best friends forever and looking forward to starting their married lives. Fast forward a few years later and nothing seems to have gone to plan for the girls.

Katie’s husband turned out to be Mr Wrong, and although she’s now back in a loving relationship, she’s determined never to get married again. Georgia is now a high-flying journalist but has sold out one of her friends along the way, leaving her feeling lonely and married to her career. Finally, Alice has just welcomed her baby daughter but has had to move to a new house to get over her cheating ex, who she is still in love with. With the hens lives changing and friendships being made and broken, will the hens ever be reunited?

Lucy Diamond is the pseudonym of children’s author Sue Mongredien, and she seems to have branched out well into Women’s Fiction. I have read and enjoyed her debut novel Any Way You Want Me, and I have Over You on my bookshelf to read. I was excited to read Lucy’s third book when I was sent it by the publishers, and I really liked the premise of following a group of women years after their hen nights. I sat down for an enjoyable read, and I certainly got that! The books release date isn’t until 7th August but I believe it is available now on Amazon.

With a group of female characters all taking the lead, you really have to like them all otherwise the book is going to fail. Luckily for us readers, Diamond has created 3 very normal and nice women who we can all relate to, and consequently I cared about what was going to happen to them. The book is written in the third person so it is easy to follow each of the three stories at once. The characters are all very different, as are their storylines so you have no problem making the transistion between them when the narrative changes, and I found this kept my attention and I was eager to read on to find out who I would be following next!

All 3 characters were lovely, but I have to admit having a soft spot for poor old Alice. I know what it feels like to have to cope with a newborn without any family around and to move somewhere new and not know anyone, so I did feel empathy with her. Georgia was the great one we love to hate, and you did see a different side to her as the book went on which I loved. Katie seemed to hold the whole story together and it is her we follow at the beginning and who really becomes the main character. There aren’t all that many other characters in the book, it really does choose to focus on the three women, but I liked it this way because with 3 main characters, it could have ended up with way too many characters to keep track of!

The book does have little flashbacks all the way through to give the viewer the back story between the 3 women. I enjoyed the way the story was revealed slowly, and as things became clearer, it made the book more enjoyable to read for me. There were a few twists and turns along the way which I wasn’t expecting and I enjoyed the direction that the book took throughout. It moves along at a good pace, and it felt realistic with everything that happened and how long it took things to develop.

This was a super book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. It is a book that will appeal to readers of all ages, and I am sure we will all be able to relate to something that happens to Katie, Georgia or Alice! The reading style is fun and easy to read, it’s the sort of book you can dip in and out of during the day and get back into straight away. The unfolding histories of the women were well written and my favourite part of the book. Highly recommended for a fab summer read of finding love, and keeping friendships.

[auteaandtales · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the fact this book took me a little under a week to finish, despite being in a place where I have plenty of time to relax and put my feet up, should tell you everything. Sorry, Lucy Diamond (or Sue!), I was a big fan of "Over You" and "Sweet Temptation", maybe it's because this is one of your older books.

"Hens Reunited" follows three girls leading very different paths: Commitment-Phobe and Control-Freak Katie, Heartless but Glamorous Georgia; and my personal favourite Sweet, Cheated-On-By-A-Movie-Star-And-Betrayed-By-Georgia Alice.

It was a nice, cozy-themed sort of book, the kind I want to drink hot chocolate to and be snuggled in a blanket. I guess this was just the wrong time to read it, I just couldn't get into it. Unlike "Over You" and "Sweet Temptation", it was written from three different perspectives, going back to the past and present, and in third person. If you didn't already know, third person is my least favourite form of writing and, unfortunately, Lucy Diamond never pulled it off for me. Her writing style remained lovely, and refreshing, and light, but that was not enough.

The only real flaws in this novel that aren't me being picky with my morals was how predictable it was, and how slow the book went - a lot of what was going on seemed to me to be like filler, and not actual plot. It wasn't interesting enough, like her past books, to make me grab the book back up wanting more.

Now, on my moral side of things, there was a few things I had a problem with. Katie was almost shamed for not wanting marriage or a baby, her mother there and her past failed marriage there as an excuse or a reason as to why a woman would not want marriage or a baby. I understand that might just have been a plot-device for Katie, but because of Georgia's past it was clear that even someone like Georgia might end up having marriage and babies (but I'm going to think not, she didn't seem that type of person to me). Which just made me feel even more negatively towards Katie's situation. However, this is not an unusual situation in books like this one. Romance novels, written by men OR women, usually have a lot of common ideals in them that I don't agree with. For example, how kids are viewed in only a positive light and the writing makes it seem like it would be insane for a woman not to want one and must need a reason (in "Over You", Nell didn't want a baby because she was a career-driven woman and not because she didn't want a baby). That's a rant I best save for a close buddy, though, as it really doesn't matter in terms of the enjoyment of the book for other people, I'm sure.

I might give this a re-read in future, but personally, I don't think it was her best work.

[Laura Wooles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. To be honest, I didn't expect much from the blurb but I was gripped from the start. I would recommend this.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite of Lucy's books.
Couldn't really warm to the characters and felt like I was in a but if a merry go round as the story went back and forwards between the three girls.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favourite Lucy Diamond books but couldn't leave it half way through. She's still one of my favourite authors.

[alia · Rating 2 out of 5]

a decent and easy read 3.5/5!

[Jane Gregg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guilty about this 2.5 guilty pleasure.

[Annie Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read but some of the characters seemed rather cliched. It isn’t as good as some of Lucy Diamond’s more recent books.

[Nikki Philipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed Lucy Diamond’s books, and this one was no different.

I really liked how the 3 main characters lives were written to be running alongside each other, and even though they’d grown apart that they were still there for each other when the chips were down. I liked how each character has their own unique story and character development, with their flaws only adding to their depth and like ability. I feel like most readers would be able to relate to at least one of these characters. I loved how each chapter was named after a Take That song to reflect the events of the chapter but also to reflect Katie, Alice and Georgia’s love for Take That.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys feel good romance. It was so easy to read.

[Sarah Truckell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Katie, Alice and Georgia are old friends who attend each other’s hen nights and then marriages fall apart and friendships are tested. Katie, the first bride, is now in a relationship with Steve, but she’s happy with things as they are and Steve wants marriage. Alice’s husband cheated on her and she and baby Iris have moved and settling into a new village community. Georgia is a gossip journalist who digs the dirt on celebrities, she has turned her back on her family and become hardened to life. Each woman has her own story and the actual reunion doesn’t happen until the end of the book

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Lucy Diamond's book are a joy to read and I always find myself rooting for particular scenarios - which often happen, but sometimes don't ( my magic wishing fairy doesn't work on this).

We have three friends from uni, all living in different parts of the country and all facing life changing issues. The story takes us back to their various hen nights to give an insight into their younger selves and hints at reasons why they are where they are now. A charming book.

[Nicki Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful read from Lucy Diamond. 3 friends who have been through the joys and sorrows of life together marriage, divorce, betrayals. A book about friendships, how they change during different phases of our lives. Very likeable characters, an enjoyable chick lit read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #hensunited #lucydiamond #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram #amazonaustralia #chicklit

[Laini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hens Reunited is a nice easy read. We get introduced to each of the main characters; Kate, Alice and Georgia by first getting a flashback of their hen nights ahead of their respective weddings before finding out that each of their marriages has subsequently broken down for various reasons.
An interesting aspect of this book is that we follow each of the girl’s lives seeing that they have actually drifted apart a little and in fact Alice and Georgia don’t speak anymore. Usually I find it irritating following multiple characters that don’t have any interactions but each of the 3 main characters had such interesting stories that it kept me captivated.
One point I will make which is something I don’t say too often is that when I realised how close to the end of the book I was I felt a little disappointed, the characters were so well developed that I could easily have read another 100 pages to find out more about their stories but I knew that the ending was going to be wrapped up quickly.
Lucy Diamond is an author I’ll be popping on my to read list.

[Vikkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Lucy Diamond book, I wasn’t disappointed. The characters are likeable and I found I was rooting for some of the scenarios. This book has the right amount of love, loss and shenanigans. It’s been an entertaining read and I have laughed out loud at parts. I will definitely be looking up more of Lucy Diamonds books.

[Christina Rochester · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure I can even put into words how much this one bored me! It was a case of reading three different stories that barely touched, the hens only reunited in the final chapter.

Safely say I wouldn't recommend this one in the slightest. The characters are flat and don't really have anything that makes them stand out at all.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly light-hearted chick-lit and easy to read in the Ibizan sunshine :-) Katie, Georgia and Alice met at Uni and went on each other's hen do's. All 3 marriages failed and this story follows each of their journeys to find true love & happiness with their friendship being tested along the way. A little daft but 3 happy endings with a few life lessons thrown in along the way.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who’s planning a wedding, I really enjoyed this audiobook!

I love that this explores different relationships, different ways relationships/marriages have broken down but essentially boils down to the friendship group.

I would highly recommend if you want a fluffy romance/story around friendship.

[Jane Acton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Lucy Diamond book and I really enjoyed it. I love a happy ever after book so this was perfect. A feel good book, of different people and completely different lives and personalities but they work so well together.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook
I enjoyed the development of the characters in this story and how they found themselves in their different situations. Was slightly disappointed with the end and felt it was slightly rushed.