A group of four women in their early 40s feel that their lives are out of control. Their lives haven't gone as planned. There are things that have torn them apart and other things that have torn them apart. They have all known each other since the good old school days but they have very different lives and its these differences that fascinate.
Hamilton is a small town in Scotland this adds to the overall feel of the story- feeling trapped in a small place and living somewhere where you no longer feel is home.
A bit Calendar Girls with added bite.

A lovely lighthearted story, around friendships and life in general. It was a nice, gentle read and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I was offered the chance to read The Graffiti Girls by Elessa Soave, I wasn’t sure if it was the type of book I would enjoy, but decided to give it a go. How glad am I that I read it. I enjoyed it so much. It is the story of four school friends, Amy, Carole, Susan and Lenore, who are now in their forties. They feel life is passing them by in a male dominated society, where they feel women do not have equal opportunity of the same promotion as men do. They rebel. You will have to read the story to find out how they try to solve this problem.
The story is told with humour and feeling. We learn about the everyday lives of these girls and their families. I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ publishers and Elessa Soave for an arc of this enjoyable story. I recommend you read it for yourself.

Set in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, the four main characters of the book (Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan) have been friends since school. Now in their early forties they are reconsidering their lives and particularly being taken for granted. by family and looked at in a different way by society as they age. After a particular incident the women turn to graffiti in a local public spot to get their message across. As they view the reaction of other women within their community the Graffiti Girls use this medium to post more comments. In a humorous way Soave looks at the attitude to women as they age and grapple with changes in family and society. You find yourself rooting for all four of them as they face their own challenges.

I hope Soave considers revisiting these ladies again in years to come, I'd like to see them deal with Menopause too!

The Graffiti Girls is set in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire which is just the next town to mine and where my daughter stays. It was interesting reading a book about an area you know a lot about.

This book follows four friends Carole, Amy, Lenore and Susan. They feel that life is passing them by and that men get the better end of everything. So they decide to become the Graffiti Girls.

This book was an enjoyable chic lit type book. That was all about women supporting women. It was an easy read and enjoyable.

Susan, Amy, Lenore and Carole have been friends since school, now in their 40s they are struggling with life, marriages and children. As an act of rebellion they decide to express their rage in an act of vandalism and so the graffiti girls are born. Their acts bring notoriety but through them the women are able to reflect on their lives and move forward.
Soave's first book was a great read and this is just as good. The rebellion is rather small scale and the endings for the women are rather predictable but the journey is great. There are some huge issues explored, not least sexual assault and the #metoo movement, but these are dealt with deftly and the streak of humour throughout is delightful.

An enjoyable light book which was fun to read. A group of school friends now in their early 40s are all in a bit of a rut perhaps realising the patriarchal society they are stuck in. Well developed characters the reader will surely know from their own lives plus the situations the women find themselves in. Set in a small town in Scotland, Hamilton, where the group have lived all their lives. A feelgood heartwarming story which is a little different.

3.5

This is definitely a feel-good book. If you're feeling a bit fed up with the way your life is going then I'd recommend this one.

Amy, Lenore, Susan and Carole have been friends since their school days. They still live in the small town and even though their lives have diverged they're still a support for each other.

But as Amy's plumbing business suffers because customers don't think a woman can be a plumber, Lenore struggles to get teenage son, Erasure, to take responsibility for himself, Carole is feeling like a dogsbody for her 4 boys and husband and Susan is passed over for promotion. They all feel that life is not just passing them by - its actively working against them. It's time to take charge.

And thus the Graffiti Girls are born. They want the rest of the town to know that it's women are sick and tired of being pushed around, abused, taken for granted and ignored. It's time to paint the town (or just bits of it) red or blue, maybe with a splash of dayglo green.

This novel manages to steer clear of being overly cute because of the characters. They're very likeable and engaging. This isn't a "we hate men" sort of book at all. Its just an entertaining book about women realising that they're capable of much more than they think.

Very readable and enjoyable. A great light read.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HQ for the advance review copy.

An enjoyable comforting read which follows four best friends as they age and find themselves in difficult situations. Very relatable and funny in places. You can’t beat friends who know you inside out to gang up on people making life difficult.

A group of four women over forty have been friends since childhood decided life has not been easy for them and have been taken for granted so they go on a rampage to graffiti their message to everyone getting the name of Graffiti Girls.
While they are trying to sort out their problems they manage to take control of their lives.
Some great characters and funny in places.
A great book on friendship.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Set in Hamilton, Scotland, it follows Amy, Carole, Lenore, and Susan who are lifelong friends tired of being dismissed. Instead of quietly accepting their place on the sidelines, they pick up spray cans and start making their voices heard, literally, through graffiti. What begins as an impulsive act of rebellion turns into something much bigger, forcing them to confront what they really want from life and how far they’re willing to go to claim it.

What I loved most about this book is how real it feels. Their lives and friendships are messy and complicated but full of warmth, the humour is sharp without trying too hard, and the story never falls into clichés about midlife reinvention. It’s about frustration, yes, but also about the power of solidarity and finding new ways to take up space.

If you’re looking for a quick, engaging read that doesn’t sugar coat the realities of getting older but still feels uplifting, this is well worth picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for the arc.

I related a lot to these characters being forty and fabulous myself. A great fast, fun read with plenty of attention grabbing scenes.

A fun, empowering read though the four heroines go through the gamut of male oppression and violence between them. The plots worked well together with hope and positivity left at the end of the book. I felt like the Scottishness came and went a bit - there were some lovely dialect words and idioms here and there and I'd have liked more than that, especially as you don't often get books written about places like Hamilton, and it's great it was set in a small town that's not often talked about. It's a shame a cat was put in just to die, which is something I don't like I'm afraid.

Light-hearted book of a group of wonen with spray cans who are tired of playing supportive, unappreciated roles to the men in their lives. Easy page turner - good holiday read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy

Pure escapism, this was an enjoyable read. Set in South Lanarkshire it was a joy to read a novel set in this area of Scotland. Each of the 4 main characters are flawed, but likeable.

An enjoyable read. The novel tracks the lives of four women in their forties and the way in which their relationships and work affect them. The story follows a decision they make to change their lives and 'make a difference'. The character-driven nature of the narrative is highly readable and is humorous and poignant in turns. The writer is adept at sustaining the interest of the reader. Recommended. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Four friend in their forties make their disgust at the patriarchy (in the form of their husbands, employers, toxic partners and random local louts) known by forming a group called the Graffiti Girls and spray painting their home town of Livingstone red, green, blue and yellow with feminist slogans. In doing so, each realises her own potential and their lives begin to change for the better. But can they avoid being caught?
I really enjoyed this book. The narrative was exciting and flowed seamlessly, switching between the viewpoints of the four main characters. Carol, Amy, Lenore and Susan. They are all empathetic, kind, compassionate women and their loyal friendship is the mainstay of the story. Their vulnerabilities make them sympathetic, despite their crimes - and really, what woman wouldn't be tempted to join them.?
I felt the message of winning against the oppressive patriarchy was somewhat overlaboured - the reader does get it without it having to be explained to them - but this was balanced by the wonderful writing. Elissa Soave brings a small Scottish town and and its community to life with sharp insight and dry Scottish wit.
I have previously read Ginger and Me, this author's debt novel. Graffiti Girls is her second novel and it doesn't disappoint. In Amy, Carol. Lenore and Susan, I feel I've made four friends for life.
A fun, feisty and feminist read!

Graffiti Girls by Elissa Soave is a timely book that celebrates female friendship while deftly skewering the everyday sexism encountered by women with humour, honesty and a lot of insight.
The book tells the stories of four women in their forties who have been friends for decades and are absolutely willing to go to bat for each other whenever one of them faces a problem. Each of the women leads very different lives and faces different problems and while they might not always understand exactly what another of their group is going through they are always willing to lend an ear and offer practical support and advice. When they decide to take a stand the Graffiti Girls are born and before long they see that so many of the other women in their town are going through the same problems. The graffiti goings on are really secondary to the wonderful characters that drive this story, each of the women feel very real and have such distinct voices and back stories that they really came to life on the page. It feels rare to have a book focussed on women of this age but I loved seeing them adapting to the changes in their lives and becoming stronger and more determined with the help of one another.
I really enjoyed this feel good empowering read and will be recommending it.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A great lighthearted book about friendship, insecurities, as well social injustices for women.
Now in their forties, all four women have different issues and together they decide to graffiti some venues of importance in their hometown of Hamilton.

I found this book to be refreshing. For me to read about a group of women in their 40s and how even though they’re friends they’re on different walks of life. I found myself resonate with a lot of their stories and they’re a group of gals I see myself befriending. It also shows that even at a mature age you’re constantly evolving, changing and learning.
I thought the book was well written and I liked the glimpses into each person’s past.
Definitely recommend.