Have you ever wondered what it would be like to break the law? Maybe you have, or do, regularly. I am absolutely a rule-follower though, and so even the thought brings me out in an anxiety rash. Thankfully I can live vicariously through books, and it was in this spirit I picked up Graffiti Girls from NetGalley. 

Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan went to high school together. Now in their 40s, they’re rapidly realising that they are being continually undervalued by - well, everyone, to be honest. Their partners, children, employers and customers take them for granted and they’re constantly hearing that their best years are behind them. 


Fuelled by the sting of one slight too many (and a few wines), the four embark on a covert campaign of graffiti vandalism around their hometown of Hamilton, scrawling feminist slogans on walls in the middle of the night. Soon their actions are a hot topic amongst media and locals - and while there is some condemnation, there is a rising tide of agreement and sympathy with their message. Maybe they’re not so past-it after all?


I lived just near Hamilton for some years, and being of exactly the same age range as the Graffiti Girls I could relate to so many of their experiences - if not me directly, from some of my friends. Life challenges across relationships, parenting, careers, and friendships are all covered here. If I were to have a small niggle it would be that occasionally some dialogue didn’t scan entirely authentically - I suspect due to over-zealous editing rather than the writer’s own voice. But it’s still recognisably Lanarkshire in location and vibes, complete with some d’nicely obscured local landmarks.

Many readers in their 40s and beyond will recognise the sense (fleeting or regular) that life is passing us by, or that early promise we may have displayed hasn’t quite come to fruition. We can all pinpoint missed opportunities, or wrong choices we’ve taken, and this book taps right into that.

There’s a lot of seemingly awful men in the book - though some unexpected outcomes kept my interest piqued - but few of them were irredeemable, and I felt that played well against the flawed heroines. I enjoyed the flashback scenes to the friends’ high school experiences - it really rounded out the characters and provided authenticity to their motivations and behaviours.


There’s so much to relate to in Graffiti Girls, whether you’re a rule follower or breaker. Now, where’s my spray paint?

Graffiti girls is an empowering read about women in their 40s who think their best days are behind them and realise that there’s a lot more in their lives still ahead. Best friends since school, the four women form a direct action group.to challenge the inequalities they see all around them.
I enjoyed reading it, there was an easy flow to the story telling and I enjoyed watching the women’s confidence and strength grow.

Was not quite I thought be based on the synopsis and the authors previous work but none the less this was a good read however it is not my usual type of book a bit too fluffy for my tastes which made the underlaying important messages get lost. I liked hearing about each if the characters individually though I felt they were really rather underdeveloped and lacked something. I enjoyed the setting having grown near up Hamilton but I felt the book over lacked proper Glasgow humour and dark wit. The ending was a real let down given the premise of the book tho it was a nice ending if you put aside the fact the full underlaying points I believe author wanted to get across . All in all despite its failing it was a quick fairly entertaining read but don’t expect a Ginger And Me it is very different.

A group of women who have been friends since school are feeling undervalued by society now that they've turned 40. I was excited to read this book as I loved Ginger and Me so much. It's brilliantly Scottish, witty and engaging. The women turn to expressing themselves through graffiti, causing some suspicion about who these new political activists are.