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.
About The Author
My Review
This book is about second chances, long-buried friendships, and the courage to start living boldly at any age. Newly divorced Lizzie Stevens decides she’s done being sensible and overlooked. When she reconnects with old friends Harriet and Anna, the trio impulsively set off on a rail adventure across Europe, determined to make up for lost time.
What follows is a joyful, chaotic journey packed with laughter, mishaps, and emotional reckonings. Beneath the humour, the novel thoughtfully explores the complexity of long-term friendships: old hurts resurface, nostalgia gets challenged, and the women must confront who they were versus who they’ve become. Lizzie is an especially endearing heroine, and watching her reclaim independence and confidence feels genuinely uplifting.
The European settings add breezy escapism, but the real heart of the story lies in the women themselves—their banter, vulnerability, and stubborn determination to embrace life fully. Warm, funny, and quietly empowering, this novel celebrates reinvention, friendship, and the thrill of saying yes to adventure when you least expect it.
My Rating
Link To Purchase
My Sanctuary 