Laughed at this book from the start I really enjoyed it well written would recommend it 100% I love how it shows what they go through and mind if the characters

This book was wonderful. I was invested in all of the characters stories, both individually and how they came together. The book was easy to read and totally unputdownable. It was so refreshing to read a book from a single point of view; and it was so well written that I felt like I still understood how the other characters were feeling. The story was full of life’s ups and downs with real relatable characters. I would definitely recommend.

Cathy is fed up with being the unrecognised glue that seems to be only one Holding her Family together. So she makes a list of changes she wants to make for each month of the year. Then she sets out to achieve them, resulting in changes for everyone. Some of them have unexpected results, and we get to live the journey as it unfolds.

It’s the start of a new year and Cathy’s sister Lizzie has given Cathy a motivational diary for Christmas. Lizzie is Cathy’s older sister and lives in LA enjoying a privileged life. She thinks Cathy’s life is getting a bit staid and could do with livening up and kindly encourages Cathy to set some goals that are all about Cathy and not Cathy’s role as mum, cook and bottlewasher.

Even though the thought of taking up running a marathon as Lizzie suggests is far too extreme, Cathy does get to thinking that maybe her life isn’t all that fulfilling and also dreads the thought that the menopause is looming on the horizon.

While Cathy is tackling her goals list month by month, her husband Mike is busy having his own midlife crisis. He’s got himself a life coach. Not only has this wonder woman persuaded Cathy’s husband that ditching his well paid consultancy job in order to go back to Uni and train to be a teacher is a good idea, she also suggests Cathy could go back to her old career in corporate finance full time in order to support the family while Mike becomes a student again.

It’s a tale of midlife, when we question what life is really about and am I doing what I really want to do? In Cathy’s quest to rid herself of some of life’s irritations and stop her husband from sending her back into a workplace she would really like to avoid there are some hilarious situations that Cathy finds herself in. This book had me laughing out loud most of the way through with some brilliant characters both within the Collins family and outside of it. Cathy has some wonderful friends and there are more poignant moments in the book as well as lots of humour.

I’m sure it’s a narrative that women of a certain age with teenage children preparing to leave the nest and having been in a relationship for more years than they care to remember will completely identify with. A five star read that I absolutely loved.

This was such a lighthearted story, it did have some sad parts but i must say that i spent more time laughing out loud while reading than anything else! I found Cathy to be a very relatable character and saw myself in a lot of the things she said and did!

Highly recommend!

If you are looking for a fun, laugh out loud but also captivating read then this is for you!
We meet Cathy a 48 year old married mum of two. Her sister who lives in beautiful USA doing yoga, having pool party's etc buys her a motivational book which she can put in Aims for the coming year. At first she's annoyed but month by month she starts to put herself first....by the end of the year so much has changed. Great book. Definitely recommend!

An uplifting read of a middle aged wife approaching the menopause and taking her life into her own hands by setting personal goals to achieve during the year.

Cathy Collins’ goals are not the usually big hard to achieve goals like running marathons and jumping from planes. Cathy set herself goals that to realize would make her truly happy and appreciate life for what it is. A lighthearted, comedic read which sets the notion that life goals do not have to be all big and fantastic acts.

This was not my usual genre of reading, so at the start I was unsure if this book was for me. However, the story of Cathy, approaching menopause, having difficult relationships with her husband, children and siblings had me hooked. One of her sisters gives her a motivational diary and she finally decided to set herself some goals, albeit unconventional. The different characters all add to the enjoyment of this book. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to pre-read.

This book was a blend of 'laugh out loud 'humour and quite sad and touching in places too. As a result I found myself laughing and crying too before I finished it and I really enjoyed the book from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to being able to read more by this author in the future. Highly recommended read

A fun and lighthearted read. I would imagine many people would find this relatable. I enjoyed the way this book is set out, the style of writing and the character of Cathy was likeable and funny. A great way to brighten up your day during these strange times

Oh my, reading this book made me think someone had been spying on certain aspects of my life, but then again that is the beauty of a book like this. So many women will read it, and something from it will resonate with them.
So, we have our heroine, Cathy Collins, late forties, about to hit menopause, but not too sure, teenage children hitting their own milestones, a husband who might just be having his middle-aged crisis, wanting to leave his great job, to chuck it all in, to teach.
This leaves Cathy wondering how they will manage, financially, since she only does a little extra work on the side, and anyway, who's going to employ someone like her, a middle-aged woman, whose CV will consist of cooking awful dishes, cleaning her house constantly, and collating the receipts of a couple of local businesses. Oh, and cleaning her parents' loo!
On top of that, her high flying older sister in the US sends here a motivational diary for Christmas, and despite all her misgivings, she decides to add a few goals to it.
Peppered with fantastically humorous episodes, as well as much more serious issues, The Wife Who Got A Life, is a brilliant read, and the cast of characters are a joy too. From Cathy's family, to the book club ladies who are a support system in themselves, as well as the gang at The Mustard Factory, you are in for a great ride, as well as a great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t believe how relatable I found this, we make our role within the family and things just carry on that way, there were plenty moments of familiarity certainly! I really liked the diary style, it told events in a concise but humorous manner although there were two other characters who had serious stories mentioned throughout too so it does show a balance of life. It tackles a lot of female issues head on and it’s good to know that your worries and frustrations are so universal even if not widely discussed. Her family were great, you really can’t predict teenagers and definitely can’t predict parents and the sisterly WhatsApp worked great too. This is definitely great for more than a few giggles and actually nice to come across such an engaging character.

an easy light hearted read that i throughly enjoyed i found the main character at times to be annoying but i grew to love her and rooted for her and her journey

A sweet, funny book about a woman resetting her life and finding happiness in all the right ways. I am very envious of Robbie - we all need a Robbie. And we could all lose the DSR. Very enjoyable read and would definitely recommend.

Loved this book! Hits all the emotions and the characters are so well written. Very funny in places too. Perfect light read.

I had hoped that this book would be light-hearted fun, but I found it increasingly irritating. The story just piles cliche upon stereotype, and sadly the protagonist isn't likeable enough to overcome this. Cathy is a childish moaner, who seems incapable of thinking of anyone much apart from herself. The characters are all unlike anyone I have ever met. The low point for me came when she decided she wanted to sort out her son's career, and her daughter's love life! In 2021! I was happy to finish this book and won't be reading anything by Tracy Bloom again.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of The Wife Who Got a Life, I loved it! Women's fiction that has mature characters who are actually three dimensional; situations that are actually believable and a story line that can actually make you laugh out loud but can also make you cry. I rationed myself because I didn't want it to end.

This is the type of book that at first seems to be annoying and fluffy but gets better as the story goes on. Anyone who has ever tried to juggle children, siblings and ageing parents whilst trying to hang onto some semblance of romance in a marriage will see parts of their life in this . Kathy, whose main job has been bringing up the children and keeping house whilst Mike her husband spends a good deal of time travelling for his job decides to sort out her life one New Year. She plans it out and then Mike drops a big midlife crisis bombshell. Kathy decides to go ahead anyway and sort out everyones life , I laughed out loud at times and groaned at others . A great escape from the news and world at the moment. Perfect reading for holidays when we can go again

This style of book is not normally something that i would be interested in reading but i thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very light hearted and had so many funny laugh out loud bits. Really enjoyed the style of writing.

I loved this book. I have nothing negative to say about it. An easy read, with a humorous tone. Cathy's great. This is, in the main, an upbeat book. There are some sad parts, realistic parts too, but it was something I looked forward to reading each day. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.