*The Naughty Girls Book Club by Sophie Hart

5 Giggly and Heartwarming stars*****

The author of this book clearly had a good time playing on the whole Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon... and, I loved it! I remember all of the little whispers from my friends when that series came out. More than once I had friends asking as discreetly as possible... "Have you read those books??" (wink wink) LOL I even had some friends reading it in secret and hiding it from their husbands. But, who are we kidding... they loved it too. No doubt there were happy husbands all over the world because of that naughty series.
Anyway... back to the book...
This story takes place in England... so, you'll need to put on your British hat for this story. I love any and all books that take place in the UK because I used to live there, so this book already had a head start in the I heart you department.
Estelle needs to drum up business for her café so she decides to start a book club. What started out as a serious book club quickly turned into an opportunity for everyone to read... "that book"... you know, just to see what all of the fuss is about. Sound familiar?? I'm talking to all of you FSOG peeps out there... :)
The fun part of the story for me were the variety of characters we meet in this book club.
**Estelle is forty something divorcee with a son and works a full time job managing the cafe on her own. No time for romance!
**Then we have Rose, now retired and having trouble re-connecting with her husband after 40 yrs of marriage.
**Next is Rebecca, contently married but she and her husband have fallen into a routine and she misses the way things were when they first got married.
**Next is Gracie... single, young, with a taste for 50's style and very much a feminist.
**Last on the list is Reggie... LOL... the young graduate student who decides to join the group to do research on how literature has an effect on the community. I'm pretty sure he did not expect to be reading erotica... but oddly enough he seemed to benefit from it all in the end. So, three cheers to Reggie for his bravery!
After a failed attempt at reading serious literature, they all decide to take a leap of faith and read a very popular erotica novel called "Ten Sweet Lessons". It was really funny listening to them discuss this book. Whether you are young or old or a man, everyone has an opinion and they all sounded very familiar. "It was great... It was awful... I hate the heroine... Is that what women want??" Sound familiar??
Reading a modern erotica tale inspired them to select books that were considered controversial and erotic in the past so they could compare them to the modern version they had just read.
By reading and discussing these novels as a group they began to grow closer as friends. Pretty soon they were all lending out their words of wisdom and support to each other as they each decide to challenge themselves to take the brave step forward to improving their intimate lives. This book is mostly about the bonds of friendship and how they empowered each other to take those brave steps toward re-igniting the passion missing in their lives.
I love how we got an opportunity to see how each of these individuals from young to old, all dealing with levels of intimacy at the different stages of life. Yes, all people crave it from young to old. Do we ever stop wanting to be wanted? Nope... we don't.
My favorite scenes were with Rebecca and her husband Tony... Rebecca was the most inspired of all of the individuals in the group. And, she and her husband got up to some silly and fun naughty times. Pink handcuffs, chocolate body paint, sexy lingerie... yep, they were having fun. I loved watching their marriage bloom back to life.
This is a heartwarming story that will appeal strongest to us older ladies who have been around the block and know how it feels to find yourself stuck in a relationship rut. It takes a little work to get un-stuck and that is where I think erotica plays an important role. We need something to give us that inspiration... men have their stuff... we have ours! And, it's all okay if it empowers you to keep your marriage/relationship active and fulfilling.
This is not a book to read if you're looking for hot and steamy sex scenes... but, definitely one to pick up if you like stories that are focused on friendship, change and taking those brave steps forward to improving your life. I laughed, smiled and giggled all the way through and it left me feeling good at the end for all of these characters. So glad I picked this one up... :)

ARC was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss

A quaint suburb. A quiet little book club. A very naughty reading list.

When Estelle sets up a book group in order to increase custom to her struggling cafe, what follows is more mind-blowing than she could have ever imagined...

As the first book club meeting flounders, Estelle suggests a spot of erotica to spice things up.

Inspired by their naughty novels, this group of shy suburban readers shake off their inhibitions and soon discover that their own lives can be just as scandalous...