4 out of 5 Stars
I’d like to thank Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This book is released on February 27th, so remember to check it out!!
“It’s an age-old story: woman meets man, man woos woman, woman spends her best years believing their love is the everlasting kind. The pair watches with teary eyes as their progeny take flight from their suburban nest, knowing they’ll return in times of crisis or when their laundry needs to be washed and folded. Woman embraces aging with hair dye and ample amounts of wine . Man faces his impending mortality by convincing himself that a younger woman is the answer to his waning energy and flagging libido. Certain their sparkling future is worth the collateral damage, the May–December duo ride into the sunset as our heroine stands in the shadows, stunned by this unexpected rewrite. Yes, mine is a tale as old as time. Beauty replaces the beast.”
When Maggie’s husband leaves her later later in life, she has to figure out once again who she is without him. How do you find yourself after decades of marriage when you’ve always been an “us” and never an “I”? How do you make people see you again as the person you were? How do you make people see you AT ALL??
“When had I ceased to be a human and metamorphosed into a windowpane? Maybe people had been looking right through me for years, and I was only now realizing it. Ladies and gentlemen, the Amazing Invisible Woman has been spotted!”
Now in her 50’s with grown children and a husband who no longer thinks he loves her she has to wonder, “Where was the bright-eyed girl who had dreamed of a happy nuclear family and actually lived to see her dream come true?”
So, Maggie decides to go on her Anniversary trip to Rome that was already booked to try to find herself as her own person again. Learning to put down the bottle and be her best self… or, at least the self that is recognizable once more.
“After seven months of numbing my worst feelings, I was ready to feel them, even the ones that made it seem like life was nothing but a big fat cosmic joke.”
This book is equal parts “Eat Pray Love” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary” all at once touching and funny. I loved the character of Maggie as she was written very real. She wasn’t perfect, but she was strong and she was weak all at the same time. It wasn’t a pretty transition from wife and mother to single woman again, and it wasn’t one of those books where she just fell into the arms of some hunky man who sweeps her off her feet and they live happily ever after. It’s messy and it’s up and down as we follow Maggie on this beautiful journey where she learns that you can always change your mind because “Life is nothing if not full of twists and turns.”
Woman Last Seen in her Thirties is Best Served With
A Negroni
Maggie’s trip to Rome inspired me to make a Negroni for this book, as she drinks them and I had never tried one.
*WARNING! When you purchase the Campari DO NOT OPEN IT UP AND TAKE A SWIG TO SEE WHAT IT TASTES LIKE!!*
Campari is VERY bitter, as I learned by doing exactly what I just warned you of above. I will warn you here. Wonderful in this cocktail… DISGUSTING on its own!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
- 1 1/2 ounces Campari
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- Orange slice or twist for garnish
Directions
- Pour the ingredients into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes.
- Stir well.
- Garnish with an orange.
- CHEERS!!
The BookWorm Drinketh 
Hah! You couldn’t resist the chance to use sweet vermouth, could you? LOL! The Negroni looks amazing. I can totally relate to your Campari story because the very first time I ever bought a bottle, it looked so pretty and ruby-red that I thought it had to taste equally lovely, so I did a healthy swig from the bottle. There was spit-out Campari all over my wall immediately after. However, when I went to Italy a few years ago, I was introduced to the spritzers that are made with either Aperol or Campari and grew to love them. Great post, as usual. You’ve inspired me to do more cocktail posts. I did a couple when I first started blogging – here are the links if you’re so inclined, and actually have one specific book-cocktail combination that I’ve been planning to do for awhile. So thank you!
https://foodinbooks.com/2016/05/08/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/
https://foodinbooks.com/2016/05/30/dont-look-now-by-daphne-dumaurier/
https://foodinbooks.com/2016/02/07/madeleines-ghost-by-robert-girardi/
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Ha ha!! You KNOW I couldn’t resist!! 😋😉 And I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought it must be super tasty! I’ll definitely check your posts out! Thanks for sending them 👍👍
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Hmmm…even though this isn’t a book that I would normally read, I have to admit that I would read it just for the character Maggie. She really sounds awesome. I like strong women characters, and it sounds like she is just that. Great review 😊
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She was pretty awesome. I don’t know if I could do what she did… A few decades married and off on her own? Going to Rome? Trying to live on her own? It would be pretty interesting!
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I want to read this and drink that drink, but without the spitting out bit 😀
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Ha ha!! All together it’s fantastic! Just don’t drink the Campari in its own. 😋
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This sounds like a great read for girls. I will hunt this down on Amazon.
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I’m glad there wasn’t a hunky love interest to save the day, Nicole. There are a lot of relationships that see to go through some sort of midlife crisis as priorities shift and people face what remains of their years. This sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for the recommendation. 🙂
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I love strong 💪 woman characters and I like the sound of this book! Fantabulous Review!😍
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You really nailed this review!! I, too, gave this book 4 stars. My review was rather succinct, but yours really clearly expressed what it was all about. Excellent!
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