May 22, 2026 – My Sanctuary

Old Girls Go Off The Rails By Maddie Please

A one way ticket to misadventure! 🚂🎟️💼

When Lizzie Stevens was eighteen, life took a wrong turn. While her best friends Harriet and Anna went interrailing across Europe, Lizzie stayed behind—shunted into a dusty bank job and a sensible life that never quite got back on track.

Now sixty-four, freshly divorced from terminally dull Freddie and wondering how she ended up here, Lizzie is unexpectedly reunited with the friends who left her behind. This time, she’s not missing the train.

Their plan? A gloriously reckless rail adventure across Europe. The women are older, allegedly wiser, and considerably less flexible—but their bags are packed and they’re ready to depart.

Yet once the train pulls out of Worcester, it’s clear this journey won’t be smooth. Old secrets derail fond memories, Harriet and Anna barely tolerate each other, and Lizzie discovers the trip she idolised for decades wasn’t quite first-class.

As they rattle from city to city – Paris to Venice before embarking on a cruise along the Croatian coast – the old girls are fuelled by laughter and questionable decisions. And Lizzie begins to realise it’s never too late to change direction—and that the best adventures are the ones without a timetable.

A new dawn, and a new day…
All they have to do is choose to leave the past behind.

Bernadette O’Brien walked away from a husband who cheated on her throughout her whole marriage. Today is the day that she’ll decide between protecting her new life or risking it all for another shot at happiness.

Marge Drummond knows that now is the time to share a hidden truth with her daughter Estelle. But can she bring herself to admit the mistake that’s made her daughter’s whole life a lie?

Amber Collins is finally ready to embrace a new romance after a divorce that broke her heart. Will she find the love she deserves or are her hopes and dreams about to come crashing down to earth?

Three women, three tangled webs of love and betrayal… When all the secrets come out, who will still believe in love at the end of the day?

About The Author

My Review

This is a beautifully balanced novel—bittersweet, funny, and quietly hopeful all at once. Known for her 24-hour ensemble stories, Low once again proves how deftly she can capture life’s turning points, and this instalment feels especially poignant in its exploration of love, loss, and unfinished conversations.

At the emotional core is Marge, a widow whose failing heart forces her to reflect on her life and, most importantly, her relationship with her daughter, Estelle. Through tender flashbacks, we see Marge as a young woman finding her feet, falling in love with Ian, and sharing a secret that binds them even more closely—one Estelle has never known. These scenes are deeply affecting and add warmth and depth to the present-day narrative.

Alongside Marge are Bernadette, a compassionate nurse reassessing her own worth after years of disappointment, and Amber, whose storyline blends humour with regret and the possibility of change. Their lives intersect over a snowy February day in Glasgow, told in Low’s trademark time-segmented style.

More emotional than some of Low’s previous “Day” novels, this is still uplifting, comforting, and deeply relatable.

My Rating