You’re never too old for an adventure!

Synopsis

It’s never too late to sail a new course…

When retired Jill Parker wins an all-expenses paid Mediterranean cruise for two she is thrilled! At 63 life in retirement has got a little bit bland for Jill and this might be just the holiday she and husband Eddy need to get the sparks back in their marriage.

But when Eddy admits he would much prefer to build his patio and look through the latest DIY magazine, Jill is left with only one other option – her sister Diana.

Diana has become rather reclusive since her husband, Caspar died, but perhaps this is the push she needs to bring some excitement back into her life, too?

Could this trip be just what both sisters need to reconnect and chart a new path for their futures?

Excited to be exploring new horizons and catching up, the sisters soon discover that not everything is smooth sailing on board. And as they enjoy cocktails together at sundown, they discover that they are both actually a little all at sea…

Praise for Maddie Please:

‘Sea, sunshine, romance and fabulous characters; Maddie’s light touch and sense of fun will lift your spirits!’ Bestselling author Judy Leigh

‘Witty, warm and simply wonderful.’ Bestselling author Sarah Bennett

‘For a book that’s as cheering and restorative as a long lunch with your very best friend, Maddie Please is the author you need to know!’ Bestselling author Chris Manby

‘Genuine and life-affirming…a wonderful, light-hearted novel about how it is never too late to find happiness.’ Bestselling author Kitty Wilson

My review

When Jill picks up the phone, she never expected to be the winner of an all – expenses paid mediterranean cruise for two. As her husband Eddy is more eager to work on their patio, and he suggests to take Jill’s sister Diana with her, Jill thinks it’s a great idea. Especially as Diana has become rather reclusive after becoming a widow. Once boarded, it’s clear that everyone remembers Diana’s husband Caspar, as he has been the captain on several cruises. And that also plays in the sisters’ advantage as now everyone wants to please Caspar’s wife. But on the trip Diana realises that there is more to her than just ‘being Caspar’s wife’ and she even opens up to Jill, about how her marriage has been. With the two sisters reconnecting, they also start to enjoy the experience of a lifetime. An experience that neither of them will ever forget, even after having put their feet back on solid ground, for more than just one reason.

I always enjoy reading stories about people older than myself, going on adventures I would like to do myself. I know, being in my thirties means I can do so many of them, but while I still have to find the courage to go on such adventures, I enjoy reading about them.

The book already starts on a hilarious note, at least for me, as Jill finds herself winning a cruise without even trying! Just Jill being Jill is enough for the whole adventure to start.

Now, even if I knew beforehand that it would be a journey with the two sisters, I was a bit disappointed in Eddy, because who on earth would prefer to work on their patio instead of going on an all – paid holiday? That made me fear that there was something wrong in the marriage of Jill and Eddy. But I also knew that if that were to be the case, the situation would be mentioned somewhere during the cruise.

Eddy not going, meant luckily for us that Diana enters the scene. Being single, in my thirties, I cannot even imagine how it feels to be a widow. But Diana truly is affected by losing er husband, and it pained me to see how lonely and reclusive Diana has become.

It was also clear rather quickly that her being married to Caspar the real Diana somehow got lost.

It was lovely to see the sibling reconnecting, even at ‘their age’. While I am still now very close with my own brother, I know that not all siblings have the same relationship, but also that their own lives can take a different direction. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any love anymore.

And sibling together on a holiday, well, that for sure is a recipe for many adventures! 😊

Jill and Diana are for sure very different, and see things differently. But the two causing havoc (involuntary most of the times!) for sure put several smiles on my face.

And being ‘limited’ on a cruise ship together (with the exclusion of their excursions), is also the perfect chance for the sisters to get closer again, and open up to each other about their lives and what happens behind closed doors.

Because especially in Diana’s case, she doesn’t always showed and shows what turmoil she was and is in.

In that matter, it was great to see the real Diana resurface again, casting away the cloak of ‘just being Caspar’s wife’, but being the magnificent woman she is. And seeing her opening up, doing even things that shocked me (in a good way!) was amazing!

I truly enjoyed reading this book, about two women finding each other again, ready for a new adventure, bringing many insights not only in their own lives, but also in each other’s lives. And I liked how even on a cruise ship you can meet people that in one way or another can change your life. But mostly I liked how age truly is just a number, and that no one is ever too old to have an adventure!

Maddie Please may have written about people twice my age, but I never felt that age difference. She ‘just’ wrote a story about siblings on a journey together, bringing them together again and have the experience of a lifetime, having gained many insights when they put their feet back on shore once again!