The three heroines of this novel have all passed the age of 50 and have, by taking care of their families, become invisible to the people in their families. They have become granted and now notice that they need to remedy this.

I found this book empowering, because it showed me, what I already knew, there is more to life than grocery shopping, cleaning the house and feeding the family.

A funny and emotional story of friends, family and relationships. I really enjoyed getting to know each character and I could identify with each of they in some way. Each character was well written and the only characters I didn't like were the husbands. The story was well paced and kept my interest through to the end. I liked the ending.

It is funny in parts, sad in parts, witty and thought provoking. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon on the settee.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

There was nothing particularly wrong with this book, it is perfectly fine but one that I would class as a 'holiday read' - fun while it lasts but nothing special, once it was finished it passed out of my mind,

Vaguely amusing in parts but to be honest I was bored halfway through

My Disclaimer:

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.

~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

What it’s about:

Sarah Long has put herself into the ranks of Jill Mansell, Patricia Sands, Connie Chappell, and Anita Hughes with her book Invisible Women. She takes Tessa, Harriet, and Sandra, who have been friends forever and are now all passed their 50th birthday, and challenges them to find something worthwhile within themselves. Each of them sees something a bit different. Sandra is still slim and active and has the youngest child among the women. She still sees herself as young and sexy. She also has a young builder working around her house. Her husband is depressed and is in counseling with a life counselor who seems to be helping him a lot.

Tessa feels a bit frumpy and has just sent her “baby” off to university. She’s been stalking her daughter on Facebook and runs into an old boyfriend of her own on there. He seems to be interested in getting together when he’s in town on business to talk over old times. Her husband goes off to his high-paying job each day with some snipe at her. Lately, he’s been doing it more and more. She prepares gourmet meals and he has always enjoyed them. Now he’s making remarks about how she’s overdoing it.

Harriet’s mother-in-law has always been healthy and independent, until this latest diagnosis. Now, she’s living downstairs and Harriet is her caretaker. She takes her to all her doctor appointments and waits on her hand and foot. Her husband gets up and goes to work each day and leaves it all to her to handle. Then one of their dogs dies and her husband wants to have a talk with her.

Each woman seems to be at something of a decision time or change of passage in their life. One where what they’ve been doing is no longer going to work and it may hurt or it may feel really good, depending on how you look at it or how the other person in the relationship feels about it.

The technical bits and pieces:

The characters were done quite well, especially Tessa, who I think really got the most coverage in the book. I liked her the best, too. Sandra’s story got the second most coverage it seemed, but it also seemed to be slipped into some cracks and into shadows. That may have been a perception, though, because I saw Sandra as sneaky. And then there was Harriet, who had small blocks of time to tell her story. Poor boring Harriet. She wasn’t, but she was made to seem to be.

The storyline was excellent. This isn’t an unusual storyline for Women’s Lit, in fact, it’s fairly common. It’s what the author does with it that makes the story. And Sarah Long had a wonderful time with it. She treated it like a new Christmas tree and decorated it in her own special way, made it her very own with excellent pacing and a tension that hung on to you right up until the very end.

So, if you don’t want any SPOILERS, this is where you STOP reading…

My Review: ✰✰✰✰✰

I usually enjoy this type of book about a group of women, but this one by Sarah Long was particularly good. I think the tension and pace of it really made it good. There was no dragging, no lag to it. It just kept moving along and telling its story and holding my attention right up until the end.

I found myself reacting to the characters, not the writing, which tells me the author did her job well. For instance, it wasn’t that I didn’t like the way Sandra was written, I didn’t like Sandra. She was sly and always had to have a man to play off of, even if it was her best friend’s husband or her daughter’s boyfriend. As long as it wasn’t her own husband. I was glad everything ended up falling apart at the end in all her relationships, even though it meant she got her man.

I really like Tessa. She was usually upbeat and fixing something that sounded delicious to feed someone she loved. She worried about her son and daughter and hadn’t quite totally settled into being an empty nester yet. She put up with her husband’s snide remarks with more patience than I would. Then, when John finds her on Facebook and wants to get together for lunch while he’s in London, she figures, why not? Now, that “why not” has a lot of guilt tucked into it because married women aren’t supposed to get together with old boyfriends. When John’s trip gets canceled and lunch turns into dinner at a fancy resort, it becomes an even guiltier secret. Now there are real lies involved. But she gets caught up in the whole thing and one thing leads to another until she has to stop and think about it. She makes her decision about what is important to her, her family or John. She asked herself the real questions. The practical questions about what her life would be like. How would she see her children? How would they view what she was doing? And she asked herself what was really important to her. And who she really loved.

It was no surprise when Tessa made her decision. You knew her values already. She wasn’t Sandra. Tessa’s family was her center. It’s what she valued most. Her husband, Matt, was who she loved. And she needed to be close to her children. It was the way she faced her husband and dealt with the situation that was so amazing. He had a few surprises of his own, too. It was a really eye-opening conversation.

And don’t forget Harriet. Yes, even she has her moment and her reward. Totally out of nowhere, but her husband, Sam, is a quiet one. But apparently he, too, appreciates what a good wife is worth over the years. So in the end, they all got what would make them the happiest. And you know how much I love a happy ending!

1078 wc

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers, Bonnier Zaffre for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Imogen from Bonnier Zaffre for allowing me to be part of the Blog Tour.

Three women – Tess, Sandra and Harriett – who have all reached the big 5-0. They are married, happily or so they thought. The children have flown from the nest, off to University, it’s just them and their husbands. Reaching this important milestone in life has made them all re-evaluate their lives and take stock as to what could have been. Their husbands obviously don’t take any notice of them emotionally and all of these women are being left feeling that should have more in life. One day an old flame gets in touch with Tess on Facebook. She finds herself in the Arrivals lounge of Heathrow Airport waiting for him to come off the flight from New York. Will he still be the man of her dreams or will meeting him just bring a whole load of trouble!

This is a funny and emotional story of friends, family and relationships. They all have had nothing for themselves over the past how-ever-many years, and perhaps it has become routine for them to look after everyone, tend to everyone else’s needs and not do anything for yourself. Reaching this important milestone in life has had all three screaming ‘What about me!!!’ It had so many bits that I could relate to (although I’m not 50 yet, I’ll have you know!) and you can totally appreciate what they are feeling. The writing is so funny and I’ve found myself laughing out loud so many times! I think my favourite thing is Tess stalking her daughter, who has left to go to University, on Facebook and finding that she is getting up to all sorts while she is away from home – I think I would be exactly like this, in fact it’s so true it’s scary!

Thankfully, I have a few more years before I reach the big 5-0, but I’ve no doubt when I get there I will take stock of my life and re-evaluate what I’ve done with my life (just like I did when I reached 40….30….20)!! I have to say though, I hope I’m not like these three women! It’s obviously important when you have a husband and children (no matter how old they are) to devote some of your time to them….but not all your time! Surely you should be able to also have your own hobbies and interests rather than doing everything for everyone else! The story was obviously based on the fact that these three women have, for all their married lives, put everyone else’s wishes and feelings before their own. I’m hoping my life would be different to that!

If you’re of a certain age (like myself!) then this is a great read to compare your lives with these women! If you’re younger than a certain age (I wish!) then this is a great read to see what your life could be like…..and start to make plans to change it!!

Five Stars!

This was a fun story about women who are my contemporaries, living the life. I enjoyed each and every one of them!!!

Good book about friendship and some of the things that are dealt with during their friendship. It also incorporates their family in this story. Some of the family members left a lot to be desired. The book overall was good. I really enjoyed it. Book will send you through a variety of emotions. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this book in return for my honest review.

One day, as I was feeling so downtrodden and incredibly invisible, I decided to find myself a new book to get stuck into. After less than a minutes worth of searching, a book appeared on my screen which couldn't have been more apt if it had tried; Invisible Women. Coincidence or match made in heaven? I'm going to go with the latter! I really was in a funk of a mood, so to find a book which seemed to fit the bill with how I was feeling right at that very moment, I just knew I had to read it.

So I did.

Even before I had had time to settle myself into the storyline, the book had already thrown me a curveball which left me somewhat curious and somewhat impatient. I wanted to know what the monkeys was going on but seeing as the question mark loomed at the very start, I knew that I had a long wait to find out what was happening. Three women, three very different lives, yet all three ladies have one big thing in common; they are all about to hit the big FIVE-OH. Now, I've always known the age of mid-life crisis' to be 40 (no offence to anyone 40 or over, just what I've seen about!). To see a storyline focus on the age of fifty and the realistic issues that could crop up at that time, well, it was like a little breath of fresh air and an eye-opener all in one go!

Sandra, Tess and Harriett have all reached the times in their lives where their children have flown the nest, they release that they can't stop defying gravity for much longer and they think about all of the things that they SHOULD have done. No, no, no, I don't mean going on a family vacation to a different country, or eating different food in a restaurant when your staple is always fish, chips and mushy peas. No. Things for them. Things that would make themselves happier, boost their confidence or actually make them feel....visible?

Whilst it may seem all to easy to just go and do things for yourself, when you have husbands like Tessa, Sandra and Harriett's, the only thing that you're likely to do for yourself is....er.....

Oh, my, god. All three men were absolute PIGS! One husband is like the spokesperson for selfishness and gluttony, another husband seems to have gotten muck in his eyes and forgets that his wife is indeed his wife, and not his maid, and the third one seems to have had his own issues but is now hell-bent on using the 'woe is me' card. Even.in.the.aftermath. Man flu doesn't seem as bad now when you compare it to those three!!

There were times where I found the book to be a little slow, but, I actually think the storyline needed those slow moments to make the realism of the three situations more evident. Sarah Long hasn't made all of the storyline bubbly, optimistic and cosy; she has made a lot of it modern, realistic and bulshy. I felt really sorry for one of the ladies as they were treated like absolute shizzmanizzle and I found myself getting rather irate. I say 'rather', I think I may have shouted at the book once or twice. I hope we weren't meant to like the husbands in this book, because I can assure you that I did not!

'Invisible Women' is very cleverly written, witty and the underlying message throughout the storyline is a very important one. I was really hopeful that all three women would manage to find their callings in life, their happiness and their reason to keep going. At times I was urging them to just go for it but as an outsider, it was easy for me to sit here and say that.

Sarah Long is very witty in her dialogue and knows how to keep her readers enthralled by her words. Whilst 'Invisible Women' didn't blow me away, it really was the tonic I needed when I felt low myself. Lots of giggles, powerful friendships and bucketfuls of determination, this book will really keep your attention from start to finish.

Thank you Bonnier Zaffre.

INVISIBLE WOMEN by Sarah Long is an entertaining read about three friends who have grown into middle age together as they start to seriously question their own happiness. Tess, Harriet, and Sandra are all married, some with children who no longer need them for everything, and all with husbands who either see them as a nuisance or simply don't see them at all. Tired of feeling redundant in their own lives, Tessa and Sandra in particular, begin to take risks and revel in that all-too-fleeting feeling of excitement and need, while Harriet seems to have found a new career as a carer for her mother-in-law. But is the grass always greener on the other side? And how far will they go to make themselves seen?

INVISIBLE WOMEN by Sarah Long is an unusual read for me as there were so many things that I loved about this story - the characters' loving friendship together, the banter, and the fabulous settings throughout - yet there were parts of the story that irritated me. Like the husbands, for example, with Tessa's husband being the worst offender. Matt is so rude and condescending and he really got my back up - I couldn't understand why Tessa let him away with so much. Harriet is such a soft, caring character and her ending in the story left me a little flat as I felt it didn't explain why her husband had treated so coldly. But even though there were parts of the story that didn't win me over, it still didn't take away from the overall narrative of the book which I really enjoyed. INVISIBLE WOMEN by Sarah Long is an emotional tale of love, friendship, and taking control of your life, and is sure to make you giggle at some point.

I received a free copy of the book from Zaffre Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Invisible Women is a women’s fiction novel by Sarah Long. It stars three best friends named Sandra, Tessa and Harriet who have been together for as long they can remember. They have seen each other go through plenty of important life events such as first crushes, finding jobs, and even finding husbands. Now that they are all turning 50, they are at a point in their life where they should settling down. But each woman carries her own secret that makes her realize that instead of taking care of everyone else around them, they should be taking care of themselves. Sandra, Tessa and Harriet all go through their complex life and their relationships to husbands only to realize what it is truly important: taking care of themselves.

Invisible Women perfectly captures the voice of the 50 year old woman who is longing for so much more than what she is given. The major characters, Sandra, Tessa and Harriet have their faults but they, overall, are good people with good intentions. All of them do some crazy things that can seem borderline at times, but I don’t think they mean to go overboard. They have all given up a lot to make the people around them happy, and I myself was happy to see them come to this realization. I love the fact that this book does not convey a constantly happy tone. It almost seems bitter at points, which works well with the characters and the situations they are going through. All of these women have their roadblocks which really set them back. I won’t spoil the ending, but it is a hit and it overall made me really enjoy this book.

I liked this book a lot. Sarah Long is a talented writer, as seen through the setup of this book. It is written well, organized nicely, and all of the characters are rounded out. The only characters I really did not like were the husbands- which, you were not supposed to like them at all- and I think Long did a great job of showing what it is like to feel trapped within a marriage. I think without the great writing of this book it could have easily turned into something it is not, but luckily, this story has the ability to reach women and understand them. This book was not only fun, but it also taught an important lesson to women: it is okay to be who you are. I recommend this book to any woman, especially woman around the age of 40-60. This book helps you understand that as a human being, you have the right to explore who you are and who you want to be.

Three women Tess, Sandra and Harriet, who have been friends forever, are at a crossroads in their lives - the big 5-0 makes people take stock and they are all dissatisfied in some way with their lot, from children leaving for uni to caring for ailing mother in laws!

Then out of the blue Tess gets a message from an old flame - was he the one that got away - and surely she cannot get on a flight to New York to meet up with him - can she!

A good story I liked all of the female characters but the husbands......why hadn't they kicked them all out years ago they didn't deserve house room!

Bit different from my usual thrillers, chillers etc but I need to read a lighter funny book every now and then, and this was it for me.As a 50 + woman I can identify with the characters and I enjoyed it.It kept me interested and was a perfect easy read.Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

As a 50 something woman myself I expected to love this book as it's the story of 3 women who are old friends and have reached the stage in life when they're beginning to find themselves 'invisible' for many different reasons. There were some funny and poignant moments but I was looking for more depth and an empathy with the main characters that I rarely felt and which left me slightly disappointed.

Three women at a time in their lives where they should be happy, settled, and looking forward to a shared future with their husbands. Not happening in INVISIBLE WOMAN.
I requested this book through Netgalley because the premise sounded like it was just up my alley - especially because I'm in the same age group at Tessa, Sandra, and Harriet, the three protagonists. Unfortunately, the only thing I had in common with them was my age.
The women in this book are all at a crossroads - physically, chronologically, and emotionally. One is dealing with a disinterested husband, hell bent on making money, one is dealing with the after effects of her husband's mental breakdown, and one is treated like a servant by her husband as she caters to his every need and that of his dying mother's. How they each handle the situations they find themselves in was the crux of the story - and where I disconnected. I don't want to spoil what happens for those who will read this - and many will, because it is a well written book - so I'll leave it there.
While the female characters were all fully developed and sympathetic, I had a great deal of difficulty with their husbands, who seemed to be more caricatures of husbands. In truth, I would have left anyone of the husbands if I were married to him, instead of staying the course like these women did. But that's me.
Sarah Long is an excellent, astute, and emotionally tuned-in writer. This book delves into a series of topics that any writer would have difficulty writing about - ageism, mental health, dying, emotional adultery. She deals with each effectively and thoroughly and with humor.

I wanted to like this book, but I really found it to be more depressing than entertaining. As a stay at home mother, I certainly hope that I don't end up like any of the women in this book once my children go to college. I just kept on wanting to yell at them to get a hobby or go volunteer somewhere. Their husbands were horrible as well! It was very unclear to me why these women continued to be put down in such a manner. All in all, it was only an okay book.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.