I loved Elissa's previous book, Ginger and Me, and was delighted to listen to her latest audiobook, Graffiti Girls. The book was brilliantly narrated by Angela Ness.
The story follows four women in their early forties who have been best friends since school. They have each reached a point where they reflect on their lives, and something isn't quite right. The women are not taken seriously, passed over for promotion, judged by appearances, expected to do the lion's share of the work at home and receive no credit and generally get treated as inferior to, and by, men.
The friends decide that they have had enough and that their voices need to be heard, hence their plan to take matters into their own hands and they become the Graffiti Girls.
This story follows the four magnificent and likeable women, Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan who each have different lives but are bonded by their friendship. A truly beautiful book about friendship and issues facing women in our society. Although the book deals with many serious issues, there are many moments of lightness and laughter. A great read, highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publishers for an audiobook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed spending time with The Graffiti Girls, also known as good friends Susan, Amy, Lenore and Carole.

I thought the author chose a really good way of telling her story and allowing her readers to get to know her characters. There’s a set-up chapter and a final chapter and in between, each long section focusses on one of the women and the issues she has faced but also includes the other three in the narrative. Gradually we come to know each character and find out what particular struggles they face in life. I’ll let you find out for yourself what they are, as finding out is part of the enjoyment of the book.

There’s a strong focus on friendship in the book with the four women having been best friends since school. Now in their forties, as is the way of things, the friendships have ebbed and flowed depending on life events but they have a lot of history and shared experiences. It was great to read about how supportive they were of each other but the author doesn’t shy away from the niggles and challenges that even close friendships face.

The book raises a lot of serious issues through the experiences of the women and I’m sure many readers will recognise the casual everyday sexism the women encounter. Whether that’s being valued simply for their looks, being paid less than male colleagues, being expected to do everything around the house or being the victim of unwanted attention or worse, we see that there is still a long way to go before there will be anything like gender equality. I was cheering the women on as they went about their campaign to raise awareness of the problems although, like Susan, I would be a little uneasy about the way the went about it!

What I particularly liked about this book is that the graffitied slogans really raised awareness of the issues and got the local community talking. But it also changed the lives of all of the women as they began to stand up for themselves and realise that they deserved more in life.

A most entertaining read: feisty, funny and warm with a powerful message for women everywhere. Hooray for the Graffiti Girls!

Having read 'Ginger and Me' by Elissa Soave I was delighted to have an opportunity to listen to her latest offering. Whilst I don't think Grafitti Girls hit the heights of her previous book it was still a very entertaining read.
The book centres around a group of female friends re-uniting in mid-life and channelling their female rage to challenge the inequalities they and other women were each experiencing in different ways.
Funny, sharp, relateable and very well narrated.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this recommended book.

Fun, heartwarming and uplifting. Packed with love, compassion and a sprinkling of feminist rage. Well written and narrated.

Friends Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan have known each other since school. Now in their early forties, although they remain close their lives have taken different paths. They each have cause to reflect on how their lives are turning out, and feel rather short-changed.

Spurred on by acts of misogyny and the patriarchy, they decide they will not be silenced any longer, and embark on a clandestine project to make their voices heard by writing their message where it can't be ignored.

A lovely flowing writing style and a varied cast of likeable and familiar characters, whose lives and relationships we become invested in as they navigate and embrace their new place in life.

Well written and very well narrated. I wasn't entirely sold on the premise of the story but it doesn't detract overall. A lovely tale of long lived friendships.

Having absolutely loved Ginger and Me by the author I practically broke a nail in my rush to request Graffiti Girls, and I wasn’t disappointment,

In what feels like a rarity, I could relate to every one of this group of old friends in one way or another, each of them brought something I knew to the table. I really loved the premise of a group of old friends reuniting to put the world to rights. Dripping with the feminine rage and rejection that this wonan over 40 knows well, the graffiti girls are sending a message to all others like them in their area, and further afield when they hit the news, in the fight against misogyny, of being overlooked and undervalued, yet among all of this the author has managed to keep the story funny, relevant and really warm. I was reminded a lot of Shari Low’s character building, within the women, Elissa Soave also drops in a lot of memories and places in a Low type style.

Sharp, funny, relatable. 3.75 🌟

The audio narration by Angela Ness was excellent 🎧

Huge thanks to Harper Collins Audio UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

This is a group of people I could see myself getting along with very well.
Friends since forever each now with their own set of life circumstances that come with its own issues.
Ready to fight a good fight for women. 😁

The narrator does an excellent job, the whole book just flows.
Some very good topics handled, all of them very relevant, but done well, that it highlights them, without feeling like they're drilling them into you.
Soave has just made it from "interested in" to "autobuy author" for me.