This is a first for me with this author and I will say it did not disappoint. As her controlling and verbally abusive husband is dying from a heart attack Willie realizes enough is enough and does nothing to help him. You’d think after having your husband die , the story would get really sad. But here’s the twist - her story gets so much better. After the death of her husband, Willie feels a sense of liberation and embarks on a journey with her high school friend. This journey is not easy as the decisions she’s made in the past threatens her future. It’s a story of standing your ground for yourself especially after giving up so many things for others. It is a wonderful quick read that you'll find yourself rooting for Willie.

Marriage is a contract, a covenant, and a commitment. Sometimes it's also chaos. It shapes you, trains you, and makes you who you are - at whatever point of marriage you find yourself.

When it's more exhausting than fulfilling, it's tempting to give up or wish it away. Willie lets Stan die instead of calling 911. She's had enough. Yet as she moves on, her new choices are shaped by her old life.

This story sings with the personal relationships that mold us, make us reflect on who we are and want to be, and the value of family.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved Willie finally putting herself first and loved it even more when all the women came together to support and protect eachother. I hope to have a loving and beautiful support system like Willie had with her best friend in the future.

This is a surprisingly empowering novel about a woman deciding she's had enough and choosing to live life on her own terms after her abusive husband has a heart attack. The author does a great job of portraying Willie as a character that is in some way relatable despite her circumstances being very different than most of ours would be. Her friendship with Roxanne is really special and I found myself thinking we all need a Roxanne at some point in our lives. Beautifully written this is a story that will stay with you.

Great story of a woman controlled in her marriage finding herself after her husband dies of a heart attack. She discovers many things about herself, how to support other women, and to live her life.

This book was great. The characters were enjoyable. The plot holds your attention. I would read another book by this author.

Worn down by life, 63-year-old Willie Copeland refuses to call 911 for her dying husband, Stan, launching herself into an unexpected coming-of-age journey.

Without Stan and his constant needs, Willie happily settles into single life. But when her son, Jonathan, expresses suspicion about that night, she runs away to Vancouver Island for a long overdue reunion with her wild high school best friend, Roxanne. Fuelled by her sudden freedom, Willie embraces a roaring, headlong journey into self-discovery. As good old-fashioned fun devolves into reckless and illegal behavior, Willie relishes in the power she has unlocked within herself. But when she finds herself holding another man’s life in her hands, she quickly realizes that she must confront the real reason behind her still-blistering rage—Jonathan. So, Willie must choose: does she reveal what really happened with Stan’s death, knowing it may cost her Jonathan as well as her newfound autonomy—or does she make what may be her final stand by speaking up for the women in her life … and herself?

I loved this story. Sometimes we can get so involved in caring for someone else that we totally forget our needs.

Willie has been whittled down into a mere twig of herself by her domineering husband and his demands on her time and energy.

When he suffers a heart attack one evening she doesn’t immediately call for help, seeing a glimpse of freedom.

Following his death she sets out to make big changes and embrace the life she wanted but couldn’t have.

Along the way she has to face the choices she made and how they impacted loved ones.

Thanks Books Go social, NetGalley and Nicole Brooks for the ARC of Watch what she can do

The premise of Willie and her late in life coming of age journey due to a life altering decision she makes (in more ways than one!) really did sound promising.

I wanted to love it so much for so many reasons… but. Something just fell flat. Just like coke left open too long, it just felt all fizzled out. And I have been struggling so hard to find something to say- and fail for the simple reason that I couldn’t resonate with Willie as a character at all.

I was drawn to this book by the summary but after reading not much of it, although I did finish it, I was sorely disappointed.

I support women’s rights and personally identify with the issues addressed in the book, but overall I found it overblown and trite. This book trots out every feminist trope and attaches them to the protagonist and every woman she encounters. I felt as though I had been hit over the head, repeatedly, by the “enlightenment” the protagonist experienced. Had the book taken place in the early twentieth century, it would have been relevant. Sadly, today, it’s not.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

I simply adored this book. We don't all come of age in our 20's. This is one of those beautiful later in life coming of age stories. Watching her learn how to actually live was beautiful.

“Watch What She Can Do” is a fun but thoughtful book written by Nicole Brooks. The hardest part of being an adult is being bound by others’ expectations. You often live for those people. For Willie Copeland, that was exactly what she was doing. Putting her nursing career aside to raise her children, Willie was stuck in an unhappy marriage, constantly putting the needs of her adult children first (including the very petulant Jonathan) and unable to do anything for herself, including traveling and visiting her closest friend, Roxanne. But when her husband has a heart attack, Willie makes a decision that will have ever-lasting implications. It leads to her joining her friend on an adventure that has many laugh out funny moments. What I appreciated most about this story was its focus on female empowerment and taking back what should have never been stolen from you in the first place.

Five stars.

Loved the premise and the book started off great- however it quickly devolved into a very hard to believe diatribe about how all men are awful human beings. Some of the experiences the main character has are absolutely impossible to believe. Very disappointing.