A bit of a grower this one, like the plants in the story, starts off as a seedling and grows stronger with time.

*The Invisible Women's Club* is a heartwarming story about two women finding friendship and purpose most unexpectedly. The story follows Janet, a seventy-something woman who prefers plants over people and pours all her energy into her cherished allotment. But when her quiet life is disrupted by developers threatening her plot, she’s forced to team up with Bev, a neighbor she initially wanted nothing to do with.

The unexpected friendship between Janet and Bev is both touching and funny. As they work together to save the allotments, they discover they have more in common than they realized, and their journey of finding their voices again is inspiring. This book strikes the perfect balance of humor, emotion, and personal growth, making it an uplifting and enjoyable read. Plus, I ended up learning quite a bit about gardening along the way!

I wasn't sure on this book when I first started reading, but quickly came to like the central characters of Janet & Bev. I liked the portrayal of female friendships, and their difficulties, like her relationship with Patrice at the allotment. When her saving grace, her allotment that has helped her to keep a routine is threatened Janet finds her voice and in turn helps Bev become a braver woman as well. I liked the realistic display of how women become invisible at a certain age in society and the parallel of the growth of plants and their strength too.

Firstly, thank you so much to the team at netgallery for letting me read this book. It was such a lovely read about loneliness

This is an uplifting story. The characters are well developed and mostly unlikeable. It is well paced. It celebrates women.

As women age, they may start to feel like they are losing control of their minds and bodies. They may struggle with memory loss, confusion, and forgetfulness, which can be both frustrating and scary. Meanwhile, their bodies may undergo a range of changes that make them feel less attractive or desirable than they once were. And to top it all off, many women feel like they are becoming invisible to the world around them.

But what if all of this anger and frustration is actually a powerful force? What if it's a sign that these women are tapping into a hidden reserve of strength that they didn't even know they had? This is the premise of a compelling story about the transformative power of friendship and community.

In this tale, we follow a group of women who are each struggling with their own challenges. Some are dealing with the loss of a loved one, others are struggling to find their place in the world, and still others are simply trying to come to terms with the aging process. But as they come together, they realize that their collective rage can be harnessed for good. They begin to support each other, to lift each other up, and to channel their anger and frustration into something positive.

The story is a testament to the power of human connection and resilience. It shows us that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope and that by coming together, we can overcome even the greatest challenges.

This is a gem from beginning to end. Paris has created a beautiful story which is written gorgeously.

Janet has stolen my heart. She is a wonderful character who has so many layers. Bev is the complete opposite- loud, pushy and outspoken. I love the contrast between the pair.

Paris has created characters which feel well known and familiar. I love that the friendships an communities have been key themes of this book. It’s been uplifting and unforgettable.

I became fully invested in Janet and really wanted the best for her. Janet is the definition of loneliness. However, she is forced to get to know others after threats on the allotment.

I loved the quirky characters that fill the pages of this gem. This is a unique read which has been completely enjoyable. I have devoured this book in just one sitting with no regrets. This is heartwarming, uplifting and wonderful.

I have no hesitation in recommending this gem to everyone. I’ve loved it from beginning to end.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The main character in this book is Janet Pimm, a rather prickly septuagenarian who lives a small life and feels more kinship with her plants in her allotment than with other people.

She sticks to a strict routine and does her best to avoid her neighbour Bev's attempts at friendship.

A series of events leads to her beloved allotment being threatened with closure, resulting in Janet and Bev making a road trip to try to help get things set right again.

Janet is fiercely independent and we learn a bit of her background history, where we find out she is incredibly intelligent but has been routinely overlooked and ignored (in her eyes). There is also a lost love and other tragic events which add a bittersweet flavour to her memories as she tries to retrace some of her steps from years ago.

The themes of loss, bereavement and wasted or lost opportunities are sensitively handled by the author and echo across other characters, as Janet starts to integrate more with her fellow allotmenteers and not self isolate so much.

There are lots of gardening references throughout as that's her first love and it was quite interesting to learn some of the medicinal properties of different plants.

By the end Janet is much less of the 'invisible woman' she feared she had become - a lovely story celebrating the strength of older women.

I loved this novel so much. The story follows an older woman called Janet, who lives for her beloved allotment. Her plants are all she has left in the world, all she cares about. When her sacred little plot is threatened by developers, Janet has to confront events in her past in order to move forward. In the process, she is befriended by Bev, a woman so different to her their friendship should be impossible. But the two women have more in common than they ever realised, and together they face the challenges before them. This book made me laugh so many times, but it also had me in tears, which for me is unusual, and the sign of a brilliant book. I also learned a surprising amount of botany - always a bonus!

Janet Pimm has a small, quiet life. This is the story of how it changed.
Rejected by the National Trust, fearing the loss of her beloved allotment Janet takes action.
I loved this story of love and friendship and of the power of women who don’t think they can make a difference.

Really enjoyed this well paced story about Janet as she fights to save her precious allotment and her neighbour Bev who tries to befriend her. Lots of gardening references especially on the medicinal properties of certain plants, which was very informative especially in relation to menopause symptoms. Lots of really engaging characters, clever exploring of the parallels between allotments growing food during the war and now feeding people in need during times of austerity and the Greenham common protests mention. A wonderful celebration of the strength of women.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second novel that I've read by Helen Paris, and I enjoyed both. I found this one slightly hard to get into initially, as the main character (Janet) is rather a difficult and awkward soul, and her habit of reciting reams of knowledge about plants a little disconcerting (though the information about the properties of the herbs and plants was interesting).

However I felt a great deal of sympathy for Janet - she'd worked at GCHQ and was clearly intelligent and resourceful, but at the same time largely ignored and "unseen" by the world at large - or so she thinks. When trouble strikes, she reluctantly teams up with her loud and lively neighbour Bev, and they embark on a road trip in search of assistance from a former GCHQ colleague.

Janet is also seeking to retrace her steps from years ago, when she made a decision that affected the rest of her life and who she became. There are many threads of sadness in this novel - bereavement, losses of various kinds, and simply a feeling of having wasted opportunities by "keeping to one's place". However - without giving anything away - Janet finds herself being "reborn" as the heroine of the hour, and her days as an "invisible woman" are superceded by a much brighter future.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

The Invisible Women’s Club by Helen Paris is an uplifting novel by Helen Paris.

At 72 years of age, Janet Pimm feels both invisible and useless, her only respite
the sense of purpose she feels while tending her beloved allotment. But when the alleged discovery of an invasive weed by the local council threatens the existence of the garden community, Janet finally insists on being seen.

Janet presents initially as quite an abrasive character, but as the story develops, so too does sympathy and understanding for the elderly woman who is burdened by regret, loss, and loneliness. Her garden, where she grows mainly medicinal and herbal plants of which she has an encyclopaedic knowledge, serves as a refuge, and it’s imminent destruction is the motivation she needs to face her past, and change her future.

To prove the connection between the threat to Seaview Allotments, an unscrupulous new councillor and a property developer Janet calls on an old friend, and finds herself making new ones, including her neighbour Bev. I adored Bev, Janet’s vocal, menopausal neighbour, from the outset. I empathised with her experience, and I admired her enthusiasm for her cause. Bev proves to be a good influence on Janet, and I really enjoyed the friendship the two formed as they shared adventure, and confidences.

As well as addressing the all too often dismissive attitudes to older women, Paris explores themes of connection, community spirit, and redemption. Though there are many poignant moments in the story, there is also plenty of humour. I particularly enjoyed Janet’s blunt assessments, and Bev’s proclamations.

With its thoughtful character portrayal and empowering messages, The Invisible Women’s Club is an engaging novel.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down.

It is uplifting and heart warming and I cannot recommend it enough. This was the perfect holiday read. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Invisible Women’s Club is a truly delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed Paris’ previous book Lost Property and once again she has written a book full of engaging characters and a story that manages to tug at your heartstrings whilst giving you plenty of chuckles along the way.

72 year old Janet is a bit of an introvert. She rebuffs all her neighbour Bev’s attempts at friendliness and prefers to spend time at her beloved allotment. But even there she struggles to fit in - her allotment is somewhat different to everyone else’s and her attempts to connect with her fellow allotment owners invariably backfire.

But it is when the council threatens to close the allotments due to the presence of knotweed that Janet’s life takes a major turn - she forms an unexpected friendship with Bev, she begins to makes connections and after a lifetime full of challenges she begins to find her own voice.

As a woman of a certain age, there was plenty to relate to in this book - and as a non-gardener there was also plenty new to me as I learnt about the medicinal properties of plants. With a supporting cast of endearing characters and a generous sprinkling of humour, this is a book that reminds us all its never too late - and that the power of community is a remarkable thing. A true delight!

If you're looking for something inspiring, heart-warming, and powerful, this book will end your search. This story made me laugh to tears, moved me and made me fall in love with the two main characters, Janet and Bev. A beautifully written story that touches on all the critical problems of the modern world and does it in a way that can delight and change the perspective and gives a lot of room for thinking. This is a book that can lift your mood in a flash. The adventures of Janet and Bev were so captivating to me from the very beginning that it was with real sadness that I finished this unique book. I demand a continuation of this extraordinary friendship of the most different characters and their subsequent adventures.

I absolutely loved this book. Ignore and marginalise older women at your peril. Especially if you are a dodgy local councillor. Janet Pimm is the wrong side of seventy and has lived her life by the family motto of not getting above yourself. She is the kind of woman who always colours within the lines and always uses a regular pencil. There is literally no colour in her life. Janet lives according to a rigid timetable and has as few social interactions as humanly possible. Each day she goes to her beloved allotment. Her passion is evergreens and she know the medicinal properties of each plant. She does her very best to ignore her fellow allotment holders. Her neighbour Bev keeps leaving her notes and flyers for events that she may want to attend. Janet DOES NOT want to attend anything and ever more DOES NOT want to attend anything with Bev. Suddenly everything changes, Janet's beloved allotments are under threat when Japanese knotweed is discovered. Is it the end of all that she holds dear. Cue Bev who comes to the rescue. Follow their adventures, discover how life has turned Janet into a cardboard cut of a person. And what her transform. Helen Paris has written a lovely book about older women. The menopause gets a mention and is the cause of much hilarity. I positively choked on my coffee with Bev's quip about the liquorice sweets she stole at a birthday party as a child. This is an interesting and fun read as we see Janet life unfurl like one of her beloved and cherished plants. I can heartily recommend this novel. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC. All views are definitely my own. And as a middle aged woman, disagree with me at your peril!

Cosy and heartwarming

Janet is lonely. Stuck in her ways, not sure how to connect with people and a bit of a grouch, Janet spends her days tending to her allotment. Janet is smart, detail-oriented and determined, not that she sees herself that way.

Her neighbour Bev is Friendly and… persistent. A real people person, Bev is sick of how the world is treating her as invisible now she’s middle aged and menopausal.

Janet has missed Bev’s attempts to connect, and she’s missed that Bev is also totally brilliant (albeit in a completely different way to Janet).

When Janet’s precious allotment comes under threat from greedy developers, Janet sets out to save it. Her path crosses with Bev and they go on an unexpected journey.

Such a lovely book about community, loneliness and life after ‘the change’. Touches on some bigger themes such as gentrification and societal expectations of women, making it a great pick for book clubs.

I could also see this being a delightful holiday read for anyone starting their Christmas shopping early.

Pick up this book up if: you enjoyed Libby Page’s The Lido.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing story.

This book began a little slowly and I was wondering if I had made a mistake to read it. I decided to keep reading and I am so glad I did because I would have missed one heck of a story.

Janet is retired and lives alone, she loves the plants at her allotment more than anything. She doesn't need anyone she thinks, least of all her neighbour Bev. Bev appears to be making Janet a charity case by offering her help and looking out for her which Janet definitely doesn't need. All that changes when Janet decides to take a trip to Windermere to seek help to save her beloved allotment being bulldozed.

Whilst Janet is waiting for the bus to the train station Bev offers her a lift. It was really from the moment that Janet got into Bev's car that this book changed for me. I couldn't put it down. As Bev unlocked Janet's character on the journey, it also unlocked the book for me. There was so much to Janet that had lain hidden for years.

With wonderful descriptions of plants and their traits and uses, the book is not only a story about invisible women but a delight to read. The ensuing camaraderie at the allotments and the cloak and dagger exploits of Janet were wonderful as were the straight talking delights of Bev. Janet and Bev become two unstoppable forces with a trail of minor crimes and a rage against the establishment. I would love to read a follow up book.

Fabulous!

Now retired after an interesting career, Janet Pimm’s life revolves around her allotment garden. She is lonely, but has her plants. The local council has other ideas about the allotments. This is Janet’s second chance in life to stand tall and proud, bold, she can do this, can’t she?

The first few pages were a bit of a slow burner for me, but I am so glad I continued. What a fabulous book!
I adored Janet Pimm, and Beverley,
Full of references to plants, which I found to be very enlightening and informative, a mine of information. I shall have to try some of these in my cooking.
It’s a book of love, hope, positivity, funny too, it had me laughing out loud.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.