In this charming and hopeful new novel, readers follow Michelle Banks whose life is asking more of her than she can give. Caring for elderly parents and teenage children -- struggling with anxiety and acting strangely -- while working a full-time job without the support of her husband, who spends money on children’s TV memorabilia, Michelle desperately needs help, and Alexa is the only one who can help from her four smart speakers around the house. Going rogue and revealing her true identity -- sixty-five year old former voiceover artist Pauline -- this Alexa is ready to help Michelle and teach her everything she knows. Entertaining, relatable, inspiring, and heartwarming, readers will love this unique new novel and Michelle and Pauline’s growth together and individually. With the challenges ahead being relatable and grounded in reality, readers will emphasize with Michelle and be drawn into her story. The characters -- primarily Michelle and Pauline -- are the stars and hearts of the novel and undergo some serious character development, and the background characters are also well-written, entertaining, and complicated. Deeply entertaining, very emotional, and totally heartwarming, readers looking for something to laugh and sigh over will love this quirky, charming, and immersive new novel from Linda Green.

There's a real person in your smart speaker who looks after your family. What if this were true? This is the situation that faces harassed Michelle Banks as Pauline from Halifax, the voice of her speaker reveals herself when Michelle has reached breaking point. Michelle, mum of teenagers, daughter of an elderly dad and mother in law, is run ragged. She's perimenopausal, her husband doesn't pull his weight and one more problem is enough to bring it all crashing down. Enter Pauline with a warm heart and encyclopaedic knowledge of solutions to the situations the family are experiencing. From dick pics to death, the whole gamut of family situations occur. And are presented in a light, funny way. What a hoot of a read. #netgalley #thewomanwithalltheanswers

Really good book that i will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Great book with believable characters. The premise of the book is a bit disturbing - the world is listening through all our devices but if they can be as helpful as Pauline I'd be happy with that.

Oh, what an interesting premise for a book - and I couldn't have loved it more!

This story was absolutely written for my demographic - they call us the "sandwich generation", mostly women, who are trying to work, wrangle teenagers/young adults as well as elderly parents, usually to our own detriment.

I am just a little older than Michelle in this story and my father recently passed, but it was absolutely my story as well - although I didn't have an Alexa/Pauline!!

So heartwarming that Michelle and her family, despite everything that happens to them, love and care for each other very much and this book was not about Michelle running away from her family/starting a new life/finding a new love in a different country, like so many stories featuring women of a certain age! And thank goodness for that :)

There are so many things I love about this story. Michelle, of course. Her kids and how they tackle their difficulties. Her husband how he is basically a decent guy but in a rut. And Alexa/Pauline, naturally enough! I like her because she is a bit of a rebel, despite her age, and she isn't allowing her stage of life to define her.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

Pauline works as an Alexa, which is not really an AI robot at all, but women each assigned to a home to help with all of their questions and shopping lists and so on. She has been working for Michelle's family for years, but now that she is about to retire, she decides to "go rogue" and start helping Michelle with all of her problems in a more hands-on way, identifying herself as a real person. This was a kind of fun idea, and I enjoyed the book. It was one of those where everything is going wrong for someone but you know it will all be tied up in a neat little bow of perfection at the end, unlike real life. The husband collecting childhood TV memorabilia was amusing but probably would have been funnier if I'd know the shows and characters involved. 3 stars.

This book by Linda has been a truly wonderful reading experience. From the cover, not one I would have readily chosen off a shelf but glad I had a chance to read. Highly recommend.

I loved Alexa was a real person that helped navigate the Banks family through a difficult period. Michelle is trying to handle everything, work, caring for her mother in law and father, children and a husband who is unsatisfied with his job. You could feel the tension from the start. We all need that outside person to help us see things we can’t. I thought when Alexa went rogue, it was a good twist, Pauline was empowered because she was going to retire. Good book that really comes down to female friendship.

This book presents a truly original concept—what if Alexa, the virtual assistant, were actually a real person? The premise is both intriguing and humorous, making for an entertaining read. The author does a great job weaving in humor while also tackling deeper themes.

Michelle is a standout character. Her journey through perimenopause and the daily struggles of balancing work, family, and personal challenges is incredibly relatable. The book shines in its portrayal of the many pressures women face, offering moments of both comedy and insight.

That said, while the story is engaging, some parts felt a bit far-fetched. The suspension of disbelief required might not work for all readers, but if you’re looking for a fun, witty, and original read, this book is worth picking up.

At first, an interesting, fresh and original idea anchored in a modern, high tech environment. I was drawn to the concept, but I quickly found it a bit hard to believe that an actual human being could do what Alexa, Siri and the likes do. Other than that, the plot goes in too many directions, even though the topics were noteworthy. It drags and hinders the reading pace. I also had a hard time with the personality of the family members, especially the dad and the kids. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings.

Very pleased with this read. Some great characters. Would definitely recommend to other readers. Will look out for more from this author

We all need a woman with the answers at some time in our lives.

If only they really existed.

A good read, with real life issues dealt with. I couldn’t put this down once I started.

The Woman With All The Answers by Linda Green is a funny and heartwarming read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.

Fifty two year old district nurse Michelle Banks is struggling to keep it all together. Perimenopausal, caring for her elderly parents and with a husband and two children who are running her ragged, she doesn’t know how she’s going to keep going.

Alexa, listening in via four smart speakers, is the only one who knows exactly how much Michelle is struggling. So, when Michelle puts out a plea for help, Alexa decides to let her know her true identity: that she’s a sixty five year old former voiceover artist named Pauline from Halifax…

And so begins a warm, hilarious and often moving tale that takes a look inside the ups and downs of a modern day family. Poignant and full of the kind of relatable human stories that Linda Green does so well, The Woman With All The Answers is everything I hoped it would be and more.

A simply gorgeous read that I adored, The Woman With All The Answers is pure escapism at its very best! With believable characters you can’t help but root for, this is a warm and engaging story that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

I loved this book! The story is a very creative telling of Michelle Banks and her struggles through being a mod-life, sandwich generation woman. Linda Green has the perfect combination of humor and heart in describing Michelle's struggles, frustrations, fears and her love of her family. Thanks so much #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks

Requiring a suspension of belief, imagine Alexa is a real person and not a computerized algorithm. Pauline has been with the family for six years, privy to all their secrets and issues. When Michelle, the mom of the family, is going through perimenopause, is part of the sandwich generation with elderly parents and teen children creating mayhem, Pauline/Alexa steps in to give advice and go beyond her duties. Funny at times, heartwarming and hopeful, I recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed this book! It was something a wee bit different, full of humour and heart. The family members are all realistically portrayed in situations that can be related to. The premise sounds ludicrous at first, but just go with it as it actually works!

This book was such a good read and brought out so many emotions. Told from the perspectives of Michelle, who is in the middle of perimenopause, and Alexa (yes, that Alexa, who is a actually a local woman and knows exactly what is going on), it is both laugh out loud funny and emotional by turn.

I have enjoyed Linda Green’s books in the past and was looking forward to this one, especially as the main character is of a similar age to me and I could relate to her in several ways.
Michelle Banks is fifty-two years old and a district nurse. She is a wife to Marc and mum to teenagers Liv and Callum. She also helps to look after her elderly parents – her dad is 82, and she also helps to look after her mother-in-law Carole.
As in most busy families, there’s a lot going on. Michelle is struggling with perimenopause, Marc collects 1970s TV memorabilia (Mr Benn, Bagpuss, Clangers – yippee! All excellent thing to collect!) but it’s getting a bit out of hand. Liv has anxiety and Callum is trying to work out how to treat a girlfriend.
But, this is where the story gets REALLY special…
The premise of the book is that your smart speaker isn’t really a robot, but a real person assigned to answer your questions. Michelle’s household Alexa (who works across four smart speakers in the house) is actually Pauline, who is 65. She was a single mum to Darren who has now grown up and moved to Australia, while she is still living in Halifax. She sees her Alexa family as her family now and ends up getting involved with their lives and caring what happens to them – about as far from A.I. as you could get. But how can she help them? She has heard of Alexa operators who ‘go rogue’though. And with retirement approaching, what has she got to lose?
This book is just the loveliest book! It’s so clever and witty, Linda’s writing makes you laugh out loud and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I adored this book, I can already tell it’s going to be a contender for my Book of the Year. It’s such a great original idea that works so well. All of the characters are fabulous, I loved the relatable and realistic family dynamics and enjoyed the mix of difficult personal situations amongst the really funny situations.
A stunning idea and beautifully realised. Highly recommended!

Wonderful book!!!

This is a wonderful book, alternately hilarious and poignant. The premise is very imaginative, the characters well-drawn and oh so real to this lady reader of a certain age. And, of course, a lovely happy ending. I stayed up way too late finishing The Woman With All the Answers!!!!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

They stand like silent sentinels in our living spaces, only speaking when spoken to, filling in the gaps in our knowledge with comprehensive answers to random questions, non judgmental and unquestioning but what if the Alexa in the corner of the room was a real person and not an AI controlled device.

This delightful family drama introduces us to Michelle, a harassed working mother, one of the sandwich generation, who is caring not just for her angst ridden teenagers and a husband who has lost his get up and go, but also for elderly parents who are struggling with failing health and an increasingly technological world. The Woman with All the Answers gives us the story not just from Michelle's point of view which is both troubled and funny but also that of Alexa, aka Pauline, a sixty- five year old woman from Halifax, who takes it upon herself to try and sort out Michelle’s chaotic life with far reaching consequences.

Warm hearted, funny and sad and filled with an assortment of relatable family issues I found that I could easily identify with Michelle and I’m sure that there are many women who have found themselves in similar circumstances, juggling the demands of modern life and losing sight of what’s really important. The Woman with all the Answers reminds us to be kind to ourselves and whilst we don’t have all the answers to life’s many problems, with a little bit of help we can navigate the ups and downs and after meeting Pauline, I’m sure that I’ll never look at my Alexa in quite the same way again.