Oh my! Finished this last night and needed time to recover. I was left a sobbing, snotty mess by the end. A five star read. Rachel is a woman of our time. S.E Lynes doesn’t just examine what it is like to be menopausal in the 21st century, she explores motherhood, friendship, trust, self awareness and delves deep into the psyche of what it is that makes us human (and female). There are layers upon layers in this story and it will take me days to work through them. You can’t ask more from an author, for them to take you on a journey with the story and then leave you with the echoes and reverberations of that experience for hours and days afterwards - it is the best of feasts.
Rachel is struggling with that feeling so many of us recognise, of becoming invisible. She has been married to Mark for more years than she cares to remember and has two children, a best friend, a dog and a life. As she begins to realise she is no longer part of that life, she slowly unravels and we do too with her, as she tries to work out what is real and what isn’t. Hyper aware, sensitive to the world around her as well as her immediate family, Rachel feels everything, it is as if she is peeling off the layers of her skin and we watch her become more and more vulnerable to the very fears she is trying to protect herself from.
I am continually surprised by this author and her work. This isn’t just a psychological thriller, it is so much more. An aspect I am beginning to look for in Lynes work is her nods to artists and writers she admires - the sly nod to Virginia Woolf in this is subtle but delicately and beautifully handled.
This is a novel of a writer reaching her maturity as an author with grace, depth and mastery.

Amazing, wonderful and the best yet !!!
I am totally and completely blown away at just how clever and compelling this latest book by the incredibly talented Susie Lynes is and I loved, loved, loved it !!
So I have read every single book by this author and each and every one of them has been completely different but this one oh boy it’s unique, thrilling, compulsive and my favourite of all her books so far.
It’s impossible to describe this read it’s sad, funny but most of all it a captivating story of a middle aged woman Rachel who feels invisible and oh what a superb character she is.
The story is told mainly from Rachel’s point of view whilst being interviewed interspersed with other interviews of friends and family by the police but to say more would spoil this wonderful and brilliantly well crafted book with one hell of a shock ending, but this is no surprise because this author sure knows how to write a heck of a great story.
So Susie Lynes you did it again you captivated me with yet another fabulous read and so many thanks for that it deserves all the praise I can give and I’m sure this will be a massive hit for you.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Even though I guessed the major twist, this book was still compelling enough to keep me reading. It was a slow-starter for me, but I gradually became drawn into Rachel's world. I think it went a twist too far at the end, but it's still a very good book.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read quite a few books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them all. While this one started off a bit slow, it picked up and there were many twists and turns that kept me interested until the very end. Can’t wait to read the next one.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.
This book is superb. From the very beginning the author sucks you up and doesn't spit you out until the very last page. I was left gobsmacked !
The story is told from Rachels point of view. She takes you on a intriguing and sometimes quite disturbing journey after being questioned whether she killed somebody.
The characters were well developed and it's great when you can sympathise with their story. I think sometimes all women, mothers and wives can understand how Rachel felt when she realises shes 'invisible' to everyone around her .
Such a great read but then I knew it would be because I've read 'Mother' and ' Valentina' also by S E Lynes

Phew! I can breathe again! What a thought provoking and gripping read from S E Lynes. Rachel Edwards has been married to Mark for 27 years. They have two children Kieron who is at university studying art and Katie who is taking a gap year. At Katie’s 19th birthday party at their home, Rachel goes to their kitchen to make a cup of tea and realises she’s invisible - the teens are totally oblivious to her presence. She’s past her prime, heads no longer turn, she no longer young and so has become a member of the many unseen. Her husband doesn’t see her either and she’s struggling to cope with Katie’s moods and first instinct to anger. She feels a drudge, a skivvy as they put upon her and leave all household chores to her and it’s grinding her down. Her friend Lisa is concerned about her and when young, blonde, slim and divorced Ingrid moves into the neighbourhood she feels her years and surplus pounds weighing her down. Rachel is also very concerned and hyper aware of the rise in violent crime and every morning she checks the news online to see the latest tragedy especially with knife crime. She prints off the many articles and keeps a folder of all the incidents. She feels deep empathy with the victims and families and she wishes to gather evidence to present to her MP to achieve some positive change. Rachel begins to lose time, suffering something like a fugue and then becomes convinced that she is responsible for some crimes in their area and hands herself in. The story is mostly told by Rachel and is interspersed with police interviews.

This is such an astute, well observed and extremely relevant book which raises so many issues especially regarding the unseen such as the elderly and the homeless. It also highlights the inequality of aging in that men become silver foxes while there are a variety of unflattering descriptions of older women. It also raises issues with the staggering rise in knife crime in the UK with a focus on the rage and anger that accompanies it and questions where all that hate comes from. Rachel’s file is not a passive thing, it’s objective is to achieve something positive.

Rachel’s loss of time is a very intriguing aspect of the story. In her case it appears to be menopausal which is another subject that the author raises as its one that is either the butt of a joke (a hot flush is no laughing matter, trust me) or it makes people feel uncomfortable and so is ignored and swept under the carpet. There are some excellent descriptions of how Rachel feels, her nothingness, the burden she carries and her psychosis.

The book is extremely well written, the plot is surprising and it’s thoughtful with touches of humour. Rachel is darkly funny and very likeable and in fact I’d say she’s admirable. There are plenty of twists and turns, there’s intrigue and it’s totally enthralling. The revelations pile up towards the end and there are some very unexpected shocks. There are many interlinked themes such as loss, grief and guilt that makes for a very powerful read. Overall, an easy 5 stars for me. I couldn’t put it down and I’m still reflecting on some of the issues and I truly hope that it will make me take more notice of those that go under the radar. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Rachel has done something awful. In her menopausal hormonal state she has killed people and got away with it until now. Feeling a failure as a wife to Mark, a mother to Katie and Kieron and a friend to Lisa, it’s time to face the facts she has murdered people as no one can see her. She really believes that she is unworthy of love and relationships and not a soul can see what she is doing.
I had no clue what this was about but I requested this as I’m a huge fan of Susie’s work. Her books are always well written and emotive and this one was just spectacular. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow a book that grabbed me from the first pages.I was so involved the characters came alive.The story had so many twists and turns an authorI will be grabbing all her books.#netgalley#bookouture

This one was a slow burn at times but I thought the character development was great and I didn’t see the twist coming on the last few pages!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC.
Another fantastic read by S.E. Lynes, she's fast becoming one of my favorite authors.
Rachael is being investigated for several murders. She's a middle-aged woman who suffers from a nasty case of menopause which has made her feel invisible. No longer the pretty girl who all the boys were after, she's in a depressing marriage with a husband who pays no attention to her, a beloved son in college whom she misses terribly and a daughter who is only interested in social media and has a bad attitude. Rachael suffers from extreme loneliness and has taken to lengthy walks with her dog, talking to strangers for comfort.
This book really resonated with me; Rachel's inner thoughts are so timely and the opinions she expresses to herself are spot on. The rage, the empathy for others, the nightmares and hot flashes are driving her mad and I, having gone through that phase of life myself (but thankfully not as bad!), was rooting for her all the way. It's sad, but interspersed with some funny scenes. It was impossible to put the book down. The author writes beautifully and her characters are so well drawn, you are totally immersed in them. Great book which I recommend highly.

I don't usually like books where woman of a certain age are described as frumpy, to have let themselves go, to have lost themselves in the process of bringing up their family. I take offence - being of that certain age myself. However I did stick with this book and I'm so glad I did because this is not your usual menopausal story and Rachel has a great sense of humour below her black thoughts.
The book starts with Rachel being interviewed and convinced she has done something terrible.
This is the older Rachel who earns for her younger self that could turn heads when she walked into a room and whose husband adored her. Now she believes she is invisible, taken for granted, downtrodden and that her husband is having an affair. At this point I would have just thought not the same old steryotype.
But Rachel thinks that now she's invisible she can do anything, including murder, because no-one sees her.
This is where the story gets interesting. Add to the mix a number of interesting characters and the suspense mounts.
I particularly enjoyed the humour which lightened up an otherwise very sad story.

I love this genre of books. What a great book. Would definitely recommend to it others I no. Great work will look out for this author again

I have always liked anything by S. E. Lynes!

This book - about a woman in a little more than a midlife crisis, is hauntingly entertaining - and full of surprises..

Rachel feels "invisible" to all of her friends and family. She goes on walks with her dog, Archie, and these walks lengthen. But does anyone notice? And... does she only walk her dog? After all, Rachel is "invisible".

We see what Rachel (and her friends and family) confide to the police )and what they do not care to confide). A story chock full of page-turning adventures!

Recommend!!!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for another great S.E. Lynes read.

Rachel is in a room being questioned about whether she has killed someone. She tells her story, how she went from being the centre of attention to feeling completely invisible. This is a great book with an original, clever plot and interesting characters. It was the first book I've read by this author and makes me want to read more. Recommended!

You know when you pick up a book and can't put it down because it has you gripped, and you read in bed until your eyes are closing and the book keeps falling from your grasp. Then you wake up at 3.30am and think I can't sleep because I am thinking about that book so I might as well finish it? Well this is one of those books!

Susie Lynes your observation of people is brilliant, the characters are relatable to and well drawn. The plot is original and up to the minute.

What a fantastic book! It is going straight into the number one slot for my ten best reads this year.

Highly recommended!

What a ride!! Would highly recommend this book!! Total 5 stars. I don't want to say too much of what goes on in this book. The author did such a fantastic job writing this. Good from beginning to the very last page. Sad to be finished as book hangover now. (That's a great thing) Can't wait for the next book.


Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an early release of this book.

I'm not sure I can put into words how good this book is. It follows Rachel, a middle-aged woman struggling with the menopause and feeling invisible to those around her. There is so much more to it than that but I would recommend going into the story as blind as possible.

Although from near the start you learn that Rachel is accused of committing horrendous attacks, it is impossible not to root for her. The book really tugs at the heartstrings and the characters are all wonderfully developed so it is hard not to get sucked in. I devoured this book as I was desperate to see how it all came together.

Rachel was a very relatable character, I'm sure all readers can recognise the feeling of being underappreciated, hopefully not to the same extent! Neighbour Ingrid was written brilliantly as the one you love to hate and Rachel's family members were flawed but believable.

I would 100% recommend this book. Its not a fast-paced thriller with loads of twists but nor should it be.