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Why Do We Have to Live with Men?
Why do we have to live with men? As another evening with her best friends and a few bottles of wine comes to an end, Cat O'Connor is left pondering this very question. And, escaping from a ruined love affair, she is about to find the answer. When Cat joins a group of women in a huge, decaying farmhouse deep in the countryside, she prepares to embark on six months without men. Cat is promised a nirvana of serenity where the chores are done without mutinous mutterings, where nourishing food simmers on the Aga and where feelings are taken seriously. But Cat soon discovers that women are no saints either . . .
388 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2010
6 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Bernadette Strachan
9 books34 followersBernadette Strachan isn't sure whether she writes romantic books with funny bits or funny books with romantic bits. She was born in Fulham, London into an Irish Catholic family. Before becoming an author she ran a wool shop, produced radio commercials, and was a voice-over agent representing quite a lot of famous people.
She is starting her seventh book and working on a new stage musical with her husband, Matthew. They have one daughter, Niamh and a spaniel called Mavis.
She is starting her seventh book and working on a new stage musical with her husband, Matthew. They have one daughter, Niamh and a spaniel called Mavis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 28, 2024
3.5⭐️
A warm and entertaining read following 8 women who escape normal life, to live in a commune for 6 months with strictly no men. Cat is a brilliantly likeable character and Beulah is just wonderful. So interesting to hear the different tales that brought the women to the commune and to read female friendships written in such a realistic way.
However I had my gripes. I found Mary to be insufferable and I felt that Strachan played a little too much into the Irish stereotype for my liking. There were also some very overdone tropes in a generally quite unique story - cue daddy issues/affair with older man and token lesbian character. Overall an enjoyable read.
A warm and entertaining read following 8 women who escape normal life, to live in a commune for 6 months with strictly no men. Cat is a brilliantly likeable character and Beulah is just wonderful. So interesting to hear the different tales that brought the women to the commune and to read female friendships written in such a realistic way.
However I had my gripes. I found Mary to be insufferable and I felt that Strachan played a little too much into the Irish stereotype for my liking. There were also some very overdone tropes in a generally quite unique story - cue daddy issues/affair with older man and token lesbian character. Overall an enjoyable read.
January 2, 2020
A very light read referred from a friend, this book has some lovely elements to it, such as the processing of trauma in a safe environment and the discovery of LGBTQIA+ identities. However, it does also have its problems in some off colour jokes, inevitable ‘women do still need men’ material and a penchant for being a little haphazard in places. However, the overall message is a nice one, that perhaps it’s good to get a share house away from it all and just live for a bit without the pressure of relationships. Another thing I wasn’t huge on was the meetcute with the vet, but can understand this sort of novel necessitates a romance. I was particularly fond of the pig and the use of the group therapy sessions, though I did feel like it could have been delved into a little more, especially in respect to some of the ‘big’ secrets. Pick this one up if you’re in for some light romantic fluff- and also consider ‘A Month Of Sundays’ which is a similar premise but featuring older women.
June 2, 2011
I ended up buying this book on one of my 'in dire need of new reads' days and am glad I gave it the time of day. A main character whose side you're just ON and a backup group of women who are all endearing and funny in their own ways? It was refreshing to read about women living, learning and growing together as opposed to bitching and pulling each other down.
To suggest this might be a mere 'chick-lit' novel would be slightly insulting - it explores emotional issues in a more mature way than many female-orientated books out there, with Strachan managing to get the right amounts of empathy geared towards each character. An enjoyable read, especially if you want a more intelligent girly book.
To suggest this might be a mere 'chick-lit' novel would be slightly insulting - it explores emotional issues in a more mature way than many female-orientated books out there, with Strachan managing to get the right amounts of empathy geared towards each character. An enjoyable read, especially if you want a more intelligent girly book.
March 27, 2011
I don't know how to classify this book! Too much & just more of rubbish talk! Well if Bernadetts has focused more on the character's life instead of describing the place & surroundings, then the story would sound much better! This book it's not exciting as much as lots of unncessary details were mentioned.
The plot I believe was very nice but I don't care what color is that chair and who moved it 2 inches the right!
To be honest, I got bored of this book, but I have reached the part where the story MIGHT get better with Cat!
I will try to finish it, and maybe, maybe will change my review.
The plot I believe was very nice but I don't care what color is that chair and who moved it 2 inches the right!
To be honest, I got bored of this book, but I have reached the part where the story MIGHT get better with Cat!
I will try to finish it, and maybe, maybe will change my review.
June 2, 2020
I usually love this author in her various guises but this one was a bit of a disappointment. Usually her stories are light and summery and easy to read but this was actually quite depressing. I really had to push through to get to the end, not helped by some very dislikable personalities and a great deal of mystery surrounding a number of characters that never really resolved. Having said that the main character and her pig relationship were endearing and it was her story that kept me going to the end. Definitely not her best writing, but as one of her early books I can see how she has developed as an author over time. Maybe my expectations were a little too high.
July 8, 2018
If a book takes me longer than 3-4 days to read, it's never a good sign. This took me 3-4 weeks. It was just so... meh. The whole book was frustrating from start to its very lackluster ending; it ended as it Strachan got bored towards the end and just stopped writing, just as I got very bored towards the end and almost stopped reading. A lot of potential in here, really a LOT, but none of it came to fruition. There were far too many complicated characters who didn't have space to breathe or develop - the only character who seemed to get a decent amount of print space was the pig!
November 5, 2010
When Cat O'Connor finds out that her lover of four years is married, with a pregnant wife no less, and ends up losing her job over it, she no longer knows how her life is going to pan out. Until one of her best friends Germaine decides to set up an experiment: a group of women will rent a house in the countryside and spend six months without men. It's perfect; all the cleaning done without complaint, no wet towels left on the floor or the bed, and being able to talk about feelings without worrying. And while everything goes to plan for a short while, it isn't long before Cat and everyone else involved in the commune, realises that women aren't exactly perfect either.
I've previously read two books by Bernadette Strachan - Handbags and Halos and Diamonds and Daisies - and I thoroughly enjoyed both books. I thought Bernadette had a very distinctive writing style and I looked forward to getting myself the rest of her novels. When I received a proof copy of her latest book Why Do We Have To Live With Men? I was intrigued because the plot line was something I had never heard of before. So one weekend, I decided it was exactly what I wanted to read and I was pleased with the read I got.
The question 'why do we have to live with men?' is probably one a lot of women find themselves asking every now and again, and one Cat O'Connor finds herself asking many a time during the nights she spends drinking wine with best friends Germaine, Mary and Jozette as they each share their horror stories about men. After all declaring that it would be fantastic to share a house together without men, Germaine decides to do something about it and rents a house in the countryside for six months. Cat is reluctant at first to do it, until she finds out her lover, Hugh, is married with a pregnant wife and ends up out of a job, and she realises that she needs to get away. So Germaine, Cat and Mary set off for Lyme Regis along with three other women destined to spend six months sans men.
The plot of Why Do We Have To Live With Men? is one of the uniquest I've ever come across and I think Bernadette Strachan pulled it off with aplomb. Each of the women - Germaine, Mary, Cat, Lucy, Antonia, and Sarge - have their reasons for giving up men and for a little while, as they all settle into the house and life without men, all goes well. There's home-cooked food on the table, the chores are done in an orderly fashion (thanks to Sarge) and there are no towels or anything left anywhere except the bathroom. Of course, such happiness and what not doesn't last forever and it's interesting to see how the women split up into their small groups and how the relationships develop. We also have the addition of two extra women as the book progress, Beulah, an elderly lady, as well as Jozette, Cat, Mary and Germy's friend. It's an interesting mix of people and it was interesting to learn their reasons for being there via Germy's group therapy.
Of all the characters Cat is probably our main character as a page doesn't pass without her in it, but each of the women make their own impact on the book. I liked Cat, but I didn't love her. I found her fixation with Hugh annoying despite the fact he lied to her and had a pregnant wife. I wanted to hit her over the head and give her a shake to make her wake up and smell the coffee. Apart from that, though, she was a great character and she definitely helped to keep the group centered. Mary, Jozette and Germy were all great, too. There were moments when I didn't like Mary, in particular at the end of the book, but on the whole she was OK. Jozette and Germy, as I said, were great and the dynamic of the four was a great one. As for Lucy, Antonia, Sarge and Beulah, I found them all incredibly interesting. Beulah was by far my favourite, she was a fully grown woman but seemed so, so vulnerable and I really admired her. I thought Lucy was the most interesting, she was snipe-y and short with everyone but there was more to her than meets the eye. The same could be said for Antonia but for completely different reasons. She really surprised me, did Antonia. As for Sarge, I was rather bemused by her. Despite so many different characters to keep up with I found it incredibly easy as they were all so different from each other!
I thought Why Do We Have To Live With Men? was very well written. Berndette, as I've said, has a very distinct writing style and it definitely sets her apart from a lot of Chick Lit writers. She's a great story-teller and I could barely put the book down. As well as making all of the female characters real, she also carried that on with Dave, the female pig! I've never gotten so attached to a fictional pig before! Despite the book being about a group of women, there is some romance which I thought was very well done and introducing Will the vet was great as he seemed like a fantastic character. Bernadette covers many topics throughout the book, most of them quite hard-hitting, and the book really made an impression of me. I did have a few niggles, Cat's obsession with Hugh, and I did think there could have been an Epilogue at the end set a year in the future to let us know how everyone had gotten on. There's definite sequel potential if Bernadette ever wanted to go down that route. I hugely recommend Why Do We Have To Live With Men?, it's one that will have women everywhere nodding their heads in agreement.
I've previously read two books by Bernadette Strachan - Handbags and Halos and Diamonds and Daisies - and I thoroughly enjoyed both books. I thought Bernadette had a very distinctive writing style and I looked forward to getting myself the rest of her novels. When I received a proof copy of her latest book Why Do We Have To Live With Men? I was intrigued because the plot line was something I had never heard of before. So one weekend, I decided it was exactly what I wanted to read and I was pleased with the read I got.
The question 'why do we have to live with men?' is probably one a lot of women find themselves asking every now and again, and one Cat O'Connor finds herself asking many a time during the nights she spends drinking wine with best friends Germaine, Mary and Jozette as they each share their horror stories about men. After all declaring that it would be fantastic to share a house together without men, Germaine decides to do something about it and rents a house in the countryside for six months. Cat is reluctant at first to do it, until she finds out her lover, Hugh, is married with a pregnant wife and ends up out of a job, and she realises that she needs to get away. So Germaine, Cat and Mary set off for Lyme Regis along with three other women destined to spend six months sans men.
The plot of Why Do We Have To Live With Men? is one of the uniquest I've ever come across and I think Bernadette Strachan pulled it off with aplomb. Each of the women - Germaine, Mary, Cat, Lucy, Antonia, and Sarge - have their reasons for giving up men and for a little while, as they all settle into the house and life without men, all goes well. There's home-cooked food on the table, the chores are done in an orderly fashion (thanks to Sarge) and there are no towels or anything left anywhere except the bathroom. Of course, such happiness and what not doesn't last forever and it's interesting to see how the women split up into their small groups and how the relationships develop. We also have the addition of two extra women as the book progress, Beulah, an elderly lady, as well as Jozette, Cat, Mary and Germy's friend. It's an interesting mix of people and it was interesting to learn their reasons for being there via Germy's group therapy.
Of all the characters Cat is probably our main character as a page doesn't pass without her in it, but each of the women make their own impact on the book. I liked Cat, but I didn't love her. I found her fixation with Hugh annoying despite the fact he lied to her and had a pregnant wife. I wanted to hit her over the head and give her a shake to make her wake up and smell the coffee. Apart from that, though, she was a great character and she definitely helped to keep the group centered. Mary, Jozette and Germy were all great, too. There were moments when I didn't like Mary, in particular at the end of the book, but on the whole she was OK. Jozette and Germy, as I said, were great and the dynamic of the four was a great one. As for Lucy, Antonia, Sarge and Beulah, I found them all incredibly interesting. Beulah was by far my favourite, she was a fully grown woman but seemed so, so vulnerable and I really admired her. I thought Lucy was the most interesting, she was snipe-y and short with everyone but there was more to her than meets the eye. The same could be said for Antonia but for completely different reasons. She really surprised me, did Antonia. As for Sarge, I was rather bemused by her. Despite so many different characters to keep up with I found it incredibly easy as they were all so different from each other!
I thought Why Do We Have To Live With Men? was very well written. Berndette, as I've said, has a very distinct writing style and it definitely sets her apart from a lot of Chick Lit writers. She's a great story-teller and I could barely put the book down. As well as making all of the female characters real, she also carried that on with Dave, the female pig! I've never gotten so attached to a fictional pig before! Despite the book being about a group of women, there is some romance which I thought was very well done and introducing Will the vet was great as he seemed like a fantastic character. Bernadette covers many topics throughout the book, most of them quite hard-hitting, and the book really made an impression of me. I did have a few niggles, Cat's obsession with Hugh, and I did think there could have been an Epilogue at the end set a year in the future to let us know how everyone had gotten on. There's definite sequel potential if Bernadette ever wanted to go down that route. I hugely recommend Why Do We Have To Live With Men?, it's one that will have women everywhere nodding their heads in agreement.
April 17, 2019
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Found it in an Op Shop and bought it in spite of its title, rather than because of it. Well written with great character development, I devoured it and resented having to stop reading to talk to people! Highly recommended.
November 7, 2022
Great holiday read
October 17, 2023
Very entertaining!
January 29, 2024
This book frustrated me. It took till chapter 10 to get into it but I felt like I wanted more at the end.
February 9, 2025
4.5 crying rn
June 14, 2025
Light read with a somewhat predictable ending on all counts.
Each character personifies a reason a woman may choose to live without a man.
Each character personifies a reason a woman may choose to live without a man.
October 28, 2010
Cat O’Connor didn’t quite expect her life to go the way it has. She works for an advertising agency, but is having an affair with one of her married bosses, and no one else knows about it. However, when things become public at work, Cat ends up with the rough end of the stick and finds herself with a loose end. When Cat’s friend Germaine decides she is going to open a women only commune, Cat is originally horrified but soon comes around to the idea. The women move out to a dilapidated old house, and start to get to know each other day by day. How are the women going to find it without men around for 6 whole months? Not only that, but Cat has to contend with a big family drama in the middle of it all. Is a house full of women just a problem waiting to happen, or will it be a better time that they all expected?!
This is the second of Bernadette Strachan’s books I have read, and since I really enjoyed her previous novel How To Lose A Husband and Gain A Life, I was really hopeful for this being a good read as well. I think the cover of this book is really striking, it has had a redesign since the original cover was released, and was made brighter and all the better for it I think. It is definitely a cover which would make me look at it twice in a shop, and therefore I think will be popular with fans of the genre. It’s quite a good chunk of a book, and therefore something to get your teeth into.
I have to be honest and say I did find the book was a little hard to get into for me. I don’t know exactly what it was because the characters are good enough, and certainly interesting enough to keep the book moving along, but I just found I really had to force myself to pick the book up and read it rather than being desperate to pick it up every spare moment I got. The book begins with Cat happy in her job, in a relationship (of sorts) with Hugh and happy with her friends Germaine, Jozette and Mary. It took a little while to get going and get to a point where the commune becomes a reality in the book, but it did set up the back story for the need of the commune. I just found the pace of the first part of the book was a little slow, and I wasn’t immediately gripped, but I kept going as I hoped it would pick up.
Luckily, I think it did. It didn’t quite get to the level of enjoyment of her previous book for me, I did still find it a bit of a chore to pick up at times because I wasn’t completely absorbed by the book, but it was still a good enough read to keep me interested once I had picked it up. One little problem I had was once the group of women moved into the commune, there were a few new characters to get to know, and I often found myself forgetting which was which, and I had to flick and back and forth to keep up for a little while which was a pain. The character of Sarge was just really annoying even though she was perhaps meant to be funny, and I couldn’t warm to Lucy because she felt really cold.
For me, one of the best stories of the book followed one of the women of the commune, Antonia. I don’t want to give away what happens and what Antonia’s issue is as it’s interesting to see it become uncovered throughout the book as it progresses, but it was well handled by Strachan, and delicately done considering the subject matter as well. I also liked the exploration into Lucy’s personal life which is something you don’t see very often in chick lit these days, so Strachan really has tried to fill the book with a lot of relevant issues. Perhaps that is the problem I had with the book – it went from being very slow paced to being filled with a lot and it was just a little too much for me to be getting on with which was a shame. The best by far though was Beulah’s tale, which had my eyes well up on occasion, it was really emotional and the highlight of the book, it was a shock when it was revealed.
However, I do have to admit that I did struggle with this book at times which was a real shame because I was really hoping I would thoroughly enjoy it as I loved her previous novel. I would still recommend it for people who enjoy Bernadette Strachan’s books because it is still a good read with a well written story that moves at a good pace, and there are some good bits in it, but I just felt it hard to get into in the beginning, and then found a little too much was going on at the end. Also, for a book that is supposed to be about how we live without men, they do pop up quite a bit! Anyway, it wasn’t as good as I had hoped for, but it was still a read that kept me entertained and therefore it deserves its 3 stars.
This is the second of Bernadette Strachan’s books I have read, and since I really enjoyed her previous novel How To Lose A Husband and Gain A Life, I was really hopeful for this being a good read as well. I think the cover of this book is really striking, it has had a redesign since the original cover was released, and was made brighter and all the better for it I think. It is definitely a cover which would make me look at it twice in a shop, and therefore I think will be popular with fans of the genre. It’s quite a good chunk of a book, and therefore something to get your teeth into.
I have to be honest and say I did find the book was a little hard to get into for me. I don’t know exactly what it was because the characters are good enough, and certainly interesting enough to keep the book moving along, but I just found I really had to force myself to pick the book up and read it rather than being desperate to pick it up every spare moment I got. The book begins with Cat happy in her job, in a relationship (of sorts) with Hugh and happy with her friends Germaine, Jozette and Mary. It took a little while to get going and get to a point where the commune becomes a reality in the book, but it did set up the back story for the need of the commune. I just found the pace of the first part of the book was a little slow, and I wasn’t immediately gripped, but I kept going as I hoped it would pick up.
Luckily, I think it did. It didn’t quite get to the level of enjoyment of her previous book for me, I did still find it a bit of a chore to pick up at times because I wasn’t completely absorbed by the book, but it was still a good enough read to keep me interested once I had picked it up. One little problem I had was once the group of women moved into the commune, there were a few new characters to get to know, and I often found myself forgetting which was which, and I had to flick and back and forth to keep up for a little while which was a pain. The character of Sarge was just really annoying even though she was perhaps meant to be funny, and I couldn’t warm to Lucy because she felt really cold.
For me, one of the best stories of the book followed one of the women of the commune, Antonia. I don’t want to give away what happens and what Antonia’s issue is as it’s interesting to see it become uncovered throughout the book as it progresses, but it was well handled by Strachan, and delicately done considering the subject matter as well. I also liked the exploration into Lucy’s personal life which is something you don’t see very often in chick lit these days, so Strachan really has tried to fill the book with a lot of relevant issues. Perhaps that is the problem I had with the book – it went from being very slow paced to being filled with a lot and it was just a little too much for me to be getting on with which was a shame. The best by far though was Beulah’s tale, which had my eyes well up on occasion, it was really emotional and the highlight of the book, it was a shock when it was revealed.
However, I do have to admit that I did struggle with this book at times which was a real shame because I was really hoping I would thoroughly enjoy it as I loved her previous novel. I would still recommend it for people who enjoy Bernadette Strachan’s books because it is still a good read with a well written story that moves at a good pace, and there are some good bits in it, but I just felt it hard to get into in the beginning, and then found a little too much was going on at the end. Also, for a book that is supposed to be about how we live without men, they do pop up quite a bit! Anyway, it wasn’t as good as I had hoped for, but it was still a read that kept me entertained and therefore it deserves its 3 stars.
March 2, 2011
So maybe four is a bit of a high rating. But this was good chick lit--kind of laugh out loud, deep down in your belly kind of chick lit. There was even some serious stuff happening there (yeah, I was surprised too!) The title is abominable...I don't know which PR person at the publisher's came up with that one. It's enough to turn you off the book itself. But rest assured, it is worth cracking open the cover of this one. Yes, the characters are stereotypes...Germaine is the leader of the feminist retreat (really), while Sarge (the woman always dressed in camouflage) is supposed to be the group's resident lesbian. Although there are no men allowed on the property, the women spend the whole six months talking about them, thinking about them, and even chasing after them (this wouldn't be chick-lit if they didn't). But underneath all of this, there are some serious issues addressed in these women's lives...and while the ending is predictable (this is chick-lit after all), everything is still left open-ended and ultimately unresolved. And for some, there are no happy endings. Perhaps this is just a little more like life that most books in this genre.
September 5, 2014
8 women gathered together in a commune at a suburban area, all sharing one common thing: they all want to escape from life's normalcy; and to prove that women do not need men in their lives. However, the book explores much deeper than that - about empathy, courage, secrets. (No, there are no b*tchy catfights.)
Instead of focusing on romance like other chick lits, this book focuses on each of the characters' life story and how their personalities shape the 6 months in the commune. Each of them are so vastly different that they would not ever have the chance to meet except in this bizarre opportunity. They are all so charming in their own quirky way, and often times surprise you as you get to know them better, I honestly wish to befriend all of them!
The book is witty but dotted with valuable lessons for readers as well. Worth a read :)
Instead of focusing on romance like other chick lits, this book focuses on each of the characters' life story and how their personalities shape the 6 months in the commune. Each of them are so vastly different that they would not ever have the chance to meet except in this bizarre opportunity. They are all so charming in their own quirky way, and often times surprise you as you get to know them better, I honestly wish to befriend all of them!
The book is witty but dotted with valuable lessons for readers as well. Worth a read :)
October 4, 2016
I've read this book three times now, so I must like it. The title is quite appealing for a start. The trouble is, I read it, put it down somewhere and pick it up again a couple of years later and really can't remember much of what it's about. It's an entertaining read, with engaging characters, largely set in a feminist commune. It begins with Cat O'Connor who wants to dump her pointless relationship with a senior work colleague. She drops out of the rat race, with her three best friends and a few others, into a six month experiment in rural living - with NO men!
As novels set in communes go, it's remarkably un-dysfunctional and maybe a little too romantic, a bit more grit might help and the ending isn't overly feminist. Ultimately a bit disappointing, but the journey is fun. I probably will read it again.
As novels set in communes go, it's remarkably un-dysfunctional and maybe a little too romantic, a bit more grit might help and the ending isn't overly feminist. Ultimately a bit disappointing, but the journey is fun. I probably will read it again.
April 1, 2016
I found this book to be thoroughly predictable, and not the laugh out loud chick lit I had anticipated from reading a review in a women's magazine. The characters, including Cat, were nothing special and the book is littered with cliches throughout, which dampen the overall prowess of the book.
I got about halfway through the book waiting for something to happen that would pick the story up and grab my attention. Unfortunately there is no OMG moments to be had here. I do not usually write book reviews without at least a nod to a positive; however, I cannot recall a chapter in this book that entertained me.
I got about halfway through the book waiting for something to happen that would pick the story up and grab my attention. Unfortunately there is no OMG moments to be had here. I do not usually write book reviews without at least a nod to a positive; however, I cannot recall a chapter in this book that entertained me.
August 17, 2012
I would have liked this better if some of the characters weren't so irritating. Also if their social experiment had been executed better. For a group that "didn't have a leader or any hierarchy" there was certainly a pecking order and one who was definitely in charge, the fact that she broke the rules wasn't surprising since it was so predictable.
That being said, I found myself able to relate to most of the characters, one or two in particular and it made me want to put taking part in such an "experiment" back on my bucket list.
That being said, I found myself able to relate to most of the characters, one or two in particular and it made me want to put taking part in such an "experiment" back on my bucket list.
July 19, 2012
Bernadette Strachan is one of my all-time favourites. She's so naturally funny: jokes and asides and observations pop up in every single sentence it feels like. And she does a swoon-worthy hero too, which I always like. In this book she really hits on the head all those gross, frustrating things men do. So the female characters decide to set up a man-free commune. Except life isn't as pianless as they'd think when it's ladies only...
February 9, 2015
I gave up on finishing this book. I can't find anything interesting and I regret buying this book because of the fancy cover and title. I was looking forward for funny chic lit read and thought this book was as good as its reviews.
From the beginning the story was uninteresting but I kept on going for the highlight of the story and it was nowhere to be found. It just got more boring and the points are scattered everywhere.
From the beginning the story was uninteresting but I kept on going for the highlight of the story and it was nowhere to be found. It just got more boring and the points are scattered everywhere.
November 2, 2011
This was recommended in Good Reading Magazine so I thought I would try it. Was a bit dubious at the beginning but got really hooked. She brought the characters to life with warts and all and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A bunch of disparate women brought together to share their lives for 6 months. The time-out to take stock of where they were in their lives.
November 8, 2013
Didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did, especially with such a woeful title. A delightful read about second beginnings when a group of women, all at various crisis points in their lives, rent out a ramshackle farmhouse for 6 months, ghost and all. Quite funny in parts, there were a few laugh out loud moments, but it also tackled serious issues.
September 18, 2011
This ended up being one of my best reads for 2011 despite the fact that it took me six months to start reading it as it was a gift and I didn't like the title! I am so lucky that my husband did buy it for me or I would never have discovered how fantastic this author is.
January 2, 2012
Wasn't sure if I would like this book - title was rather off putting, but it turned out to be a great read. A little slow to get started but by the end I was really drawn into it,liked the range of characters represented.
July 28, 2014
Awesome!! I highly recommend this to every woman who's doubting about their relationships. It will definitely tell you that a bit of distance won't harm you if you really love a person.
I love the story line, as well as the playful words used by the author! :D
I love the story line, as well as the playful words used by the author! :D
noway-josé
March 6, 2014Given that this title has excluded half the population, it will also exclude those who are quite happily hunkered down in a loving heterosexual relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2012
Quite funny at times, chick lit book, easy to read and unputdownable.
February 23, 2012
I felt it was too much of everything .... couldn't even get past half of it and after a while i gave up on finishing it
November 26, 2012
Quite a good read would defo recommend it; sweet and encouraging.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews