I enjoyed Graffiti Girls, it follows four friends (in the present day and in their past) as they all deal with a different issue in their life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the 4 best friends were great characters. I found the writing style to be great and I liked the way it flipped between present day and back when they were younger. I liked each character’s personalities and whilst the book had something to say about womanhood it was also heartwarming. The ending was perfect as well and brought a close to the story perfectly.

Set in the Scottish town of Hamilton this is the story of Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan who have been best friends since school. When they were younger they couldn’t wait to see what lay ahead for them. Now in their forties they are fed up and feel like they are taken for granted. So they decide to do something about it and they start graffitiing prominent places in their hometown with feminist slogans. The Graffiti Girls are born and are taking no prisoners.

The story was very well written I thought and the characters were wonderfully developed and so very real, they almost felt like real people at times, not just characters.
The setting is descriptive and alluring.
It will hold your attention and draw you in, taking you on journey I wished didn’t end so soon!

Four friends have a bit of a moment, are in their 40s, have a career, family or the lifestyle they want. Or so they think. The women had big dreams when they were at school together, they discussed the things they wanted to achieve, but now as they look back they feel they are missing out on something. They have become unseen as such, they are not the young things of a few years ago, instead, they feel they are missing out.

The story is told from the perspective of each of the women, Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan, one starting a business, another is a librarian, one a divorcee and the other a stay-at-home mum. Not the glamorous lifestyle they envisioned, the big dreams a different memory and the future, well it doesn't look that bright. So, together they become the Graffiti Girls, they write slogans that are important to them and they gather some support.

While the story is about the women and their side-line, the graffiti is just that, a side-line to the story. This is a story about each of the women as individuals as well as part of their group. The author brings individual perspectives and at times these do tiptoe into being honest but with the best interests.

It is like a coming-of-age story for the women hitting mid-life, the realisation that as children grow up and leave home their own lives become stationary. Or that they have been doing the same thing week in and week out for years and are stuck in a rut. It makes the characters relatable. There are some interesting and fun moments, but also some serious, more personal or soul-searching ones as well.

This is a story that I enjoyed, it is one for readers who enjoy contemporary fiction and one that I would be happy to recommend.

When women hit a certain age they become invisible so when a group of friends turn 40 they decide to hit back at the patriarchy and graffiti empowering slogans around the town they live in.

A book about female friendship and finding your new voice as you mature. Empowering.

I have to admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get into this book, mainly to try and remember characters, but once there, I really enjoyed it. A story of four female friends in their forties, each of them dealing with ghosts of the past and whilst trying to monouver through the daily grind of modern life. Certainly a book to add to your tbr pile. Thanks netgalley and publishers for allowing me a copy of this book.

Forty and fabulous – but fading into the background and possibly the future … four friends have reached a stalemate in their lives and realise their talents are ignored and to a great extent wasted. A wild idea sets them free, awakens their independence at this milestone in their lives.
A fast read, a fun read, with plenty of ammunition to keep one’s attention. Plenty of ‘wake up’ calls for men, women, young and old. Bit of a predictable ending – but enjoyable and satisfying.

Amy, a 40-something plumber is angry. Called out to a job, she's refused entry and patronised because she's a woman and clearly knows nothing about plumbing. Irked by the blatant sexism, she calls together her best friends for a drink, because she has a plan.

Susan is a librarian with little confidence, doting on her 16 year old son who she does everything for. Teacher Lenore is a gym-bunny after being overweight and invisible as a teen. Frustrated that her ideas are ignored at work, her former partner left her for a younger woman, her solution is to bury herself in exercise and calorie counting. Glamorous Carole has a wealthy banker husband and 4 sons and her "work" is the home and the family. From the outside, she has it all, but incensed by the treatment of Amy, she examines her own life and finds something is lacking.

Living in the Scottish town of Hamilton where they all grew up and went to school, the 4 women share in Amy's anger, all feeling invisible, unfulfilled and under-appreciated. And so they meet up late at night and graffiti messages on the walls of the Miners Institute that had refused to allow Amy to do her job. And so starts the Graffiti Girls.

The novel then dives into the story of each of the women in turn - their growing up, their lives now, the injustices each have faced. For each of them, this small moment of rebellion ignites something big, forcing them to look at their lives and what has been making them unhappy, and make changes. Screaming about the injustices in spray paint somehow empowers them, and other women who read their words.

I loved this inspiring tale, how such different women have stuck by each other and back each other up always. The story is hilarious and sad in equal measure, but carries a message of hope. It's also empowering to see the women take back control of their lives, not just letting life happen to them, no longer accepting the cards they're dealt.

This uplifting novel is beautifully written and narrated, with such warmth, and I loved the friendship between the women, the acceptance that each of them is different, but the bonds they have are strong and lasting. The audio is brilliantly read with everyone well characterised, and I couldn't stop listening once I started!

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and the published HQ for a digital advance copy of this novel.

What an. absolute breath of fresh air. The Graffiti Girls is heartwarming, funny, relatable and just a really lovely story I absolutely adored it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Four school friends now hitting their mid 40s. Life had not panned out the way they dreamt of.
Divorced and lonely. Single and angry, single parent with teenage son soon to leave the nest. Finally put upon mum to 4 boys and a husband working all hours.
Meeting up and taking action after a physical attack on one of the ladies.
Graffiti starts appearing round town. Gossip and attention lifts spirits and resolves to make changes.
Friendship and support is at the heart of this story. You will recognise yourself and your friends in the characters.
Enjoy their story, I did

Four women who have been friends since their schooldays are now in their forties and feeling discontented with their lives. Their mounting anger at injustices dished out to women spurs them on to make a statement, quite literally as they embark on a graffiti spree in their local town. Their joint feminist rage drives each of them to face their problems and take back control of their lives.
I liked the characters in this light-hearted and very relatable book, each of them different but with an unshakeable bond of friendship down the years which really leapt out of the page.

I wanted to like this but I found it terrible dull from the first paragraph and it didn't help that the book was hard to read on kindle. It's about four women sick of their lives who decide to become graffti artists and break the law.

I would request another book by her, though.

This is not the kind of book I would normally read however this was a brilliant uplifting novel which I really enjoyed.

I loved this book and read it in one go. Four women in their 40s, friends from school and all still living in Hamilton. Lenore, recently divorces, teaches at the school they all used to attend; Susan is a librarian, Carole is a full time stay at home mother and Amy has just started her own plumbing business. They all feel undervalued and forgotten, especially by society. Led by Amy they vent their frustrations.
Well written and engaging, I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the copy.

I loved all of the women in this book. Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan are great friends, I liked the way they bounced off each other.
It is an empowering read. Fair play to the characters and their propensity for graffiti.
This was an easy and important read. I started it this morning and I’ve just finished it.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
#GraffitiGirls #Netgalley

A novel about four forty something old school friends finding they are invisible and taken for granted. I liked the premise, however the bland opening bored me and there was little spark to retain my interest

I loved the characters of this book, they felt realised and relatable. The friendship was beautiful and offered humorous moments with true drive and rage filtered throughout.

I enjoyed this - it was a lightweight, mildly funny,, despite the issues raised. Four women who have been friends since schooldays are now around forty. Feeling invisible and having suffered various put-downs from men, they decide to fight back. Their chosen method is to spray slogans on the walls of public buildings. They call themselves the Graffiti Girls. It is not very effective and in the end, they pretty much carry on with their lives as before, with maybe a different attitude. No men are harmed in this novel.

A very funny book about women and opinions and lots of other things that they get up to in this unusual story. I enjoyed it very much. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Graffiti Girls by Elissa Soave is a vibrant and empowering story of four women reclaiming their voices and shaking off the expectations that society has placed on them. Amy, Carole, Lenore, and Susan have been friends since school, but now, in their forties, they find themselves overlooked, undervalued, and struggling to reconcile the lives they envisioned with their current reality. Tired of being taken for granted and dismissed, they decide it’s time to take action and fight back.

Fueled by a sense of feminist rage, Amy leads the group in a campaign of graffiti, scrawling bold feminist slogans across their hometown of Hamilton. What begins as an act of rebellion soon becomes a powerful declaration of their refusal to fade into the background. The Graffiti Girls are determined to be heard, to reclaim their identities, and to ignite a revolution—one wall at a time.

Soave’s writing is engaging and fluid, capturing the complexities of life in your forties with warmth and wit. The characters are relatable and full of depth, each grappling with their challenges but united by a shared desire for change. As we follow their journey, we become invested in their friendships, their struggles, and their triumphs. The diverse range of personalities and experiences ensures that each reader will find a character they connect with, whether it’s Amy’s bold leadership or Susan’s quiet determination.

Graffiti Girls is a joyous celebration of female empowerment, friendship, and the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Soave has crafted a heartwarming and inspiring story that is as much about embracing who you are as it is about challenging the status quo. For anyone looking for a story that balances humour, heart, and a call to action, this book is a must-read.

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