In all honesty, the blurb for The Wife Who Got A Life (TWWGAL) doesn’t really read like a book I’d make an effort to reach for.

Cathy Collins is a mum on a mission – to change her life.

When her husband drops a midlife-crisis bombshell,
Cathy decides it’s time to take control.

No more laundry, teenage tantrums or housework.
After years of putting herself last, she’s going to be first for a change.

Cathy Collins is carving a new path, and nothing is going to get in her way…

It’s the kind of book I’d pick up in a waiting room of some sort, cast an eye over at a friend’s house, I’d find in the book swap area at work when I’d left the book I was wanting to read behind. Over the last few years after devouring years of ‘chick lit’ I have got a bit bored with what’s labelled ‘women’s fiction’ now as a lot of it felt like it didn’t relate to me and was a bit too frothy and full of happy endings for my liking, but thanks to Tracy Bloom and the Pigeonhole online book club I’ve realised I’ve been missing out a bit.

Cathy is in her late 40s, rapidly approaching perimenopause with two older teenage children, 2 very different sisters, a well-meaning but chronically useless husband and is utterly stuck in a rut. She is about as anti-setting-motivational-goals as you can get but chivvied into action by her vegan-yoga teaching-LA living health nut sister Lizzie buying her a journal for Christmas, she decides to write a secret list of things she’d like to change and see how she goes from there.

Let me tell you right now, Cathy is super annoying at times. She makes daft decisions, does silly things, complains about things she could very easily change, lets people walk all over her and essentially is the sole reason that her life descends into disarray, and because of this there were a few times when situations narrowly avoided descending into complete farce and I felt on the verge of not carrying on, but deep down, something in me that identified with Cathy carried me on. Then we start to get towards the middle of the book and amongst the chaos the emerging themes start become more sensitive, more touching, more poignant. The characters are all brilliantly drawn and importantly they felt real to me – their foibles and softer spots all wrapped up in brasher exteriors which is true of so many of us.

I think what made me really enjoy this book is that the characters and the situations felt so real. The arguing over who is going to change their elderly parents’ bedsheets and clean their toilet when they can’t manage it anymore; the family dynamics, the lack of communication between spouses that can so easily be resolved by just talking to each other – and of course representing and normalising the once taboo, yet emerging theme of peri/menopause in everyday life makes a refreshing change.

If you’re looking for a light, yet not fluffy book that deals with some difficult themes in a light-hearted, yet thoughtful way, you won’t go far wrong with The Wife Who Got A Life.

Brilliantly sharp and funny this book is a year in the life of Cathy. When she is gifted a motivational diary by her sister for Christmas and faced with the beginning of the menopause she sets herself 12 tasks to achieve by the end of the year.

I really enjoyed this book. I belly laughed my way through it shedding a few tears along the way. Special credit needs to be given to the "side" characters, in particular Robbie, who really add another layer to story.


Many thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this one.

This was an absolutely brilliant book! Loved it ! This book, written in a diary format tells Cathys story , Wife, mum, and general dogsbody. On receiving a motivational diary for Christmas from her “perfect” sister and having a husband who wants to make changes in his life ,she decides that she should make some changes in hers.
Some of these changes are extremely,controversial.
The book is beautifully written, lighthearted, funny and poignant at times .Characters are interesting, and the book draws the reader in . It’s a gem of a book and I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Tracy Bloom for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.
This was an easy book to read ,with some funny and some sad moments ,which I imagine will strike a chord with many women.
It was enjoyable but if I’m being honest I found it a bit formulaic ,almost like a tick sheet of everything that the author thought a woman in her late 40s would have to deal with in life.
Probably a good holiday read when we’re allowed to go on holiday again.

I really loved this book. It made me chuckle. It made me think that getting older may not be so bad. And it made me keep reading.

I loved the characters, and that we got to see them develop and better themselves, but also have the usual life hurdles along the way.

The writing is very witty, and I loved that. A lot of little jokes caught me off guard, and it was fun to read! The only reason I dropped a star is that there were a few LGBTQ+ jokes, such as what the letters stand for, and I just thought it was a bit insensitive.

When 48 yr old Cathy is given a ‘motivational diary’ for Christmas by her sister who lives the glamorous lifestyle in Los Angeles, she laughs about the gift with her friend. However when her husband announces that he is thinking of giving up his well paid consulting job to retrain as a teacher, Cathy is not sure she wants to go back to work full time (the children Freddie & Kirsty are teenagers now) and starts to apply some of the “motivational” thinking to herself. After years of putting herself last, she's going to put herself first for a change – Her goals might not be quite what her sister had in mind, but Cathy identifies something each month that she would like to achieve & the book follows Cathy through this transformative period in her life.
The book is easy to read and generally light hearted but touches on some serious subjects. I did like some aspects of Cathy as a character, though she was very stereotypical.
Overall, this was fairly amusing and I am sure that it will be enjoyed by many people who like the “chick lit” genre, but for me it’s a “meh” – I am getting a bit tired of these “comic look at middle aged life” books where the female character is shown to be incompetent & whining before finally standing up for herself to the surprise of her family who have treated her as a doormat for so long.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book #TheWifeWhoGotALife free via #NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and the author #TracyBloom for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.

My thanks to HarperCollins Fiction for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Wife Who Got a Life’ by Tracy Bloom in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed a few of her previous novels and approached her latest with confidence.

The wife in this story is Cathy Collins - a mum on a mission to change her life. In the opening chapter her sister had given her a ‘Motivational Diary’ for Christmas. Her response was initially to be insulted: “Why on earth did she think I needed a Motivational Dairy? She lives in California and passes her time mostly up to her neck in yoga poses and kale smoothies and somehow she thought this qualified her to tell me how to run my life.”

Still, Cathy relents and fills out a goal for every month such as ‘Ditch Cooking’ and ‘Get a Life Outside the Family - Preferably with ‘Young People’.
 
Meanwhile her husband, Mike, is having a midlife crises and her two kids are being angst-ridden teenagers. So amidst all this family drama, Cathy is determined to take back control.

This novel was a great pleasure to read. While mainly a comedy there are also some serious topics woven into the narrative. I certainly felt that it was full of warmth and insight and many, many laugh out loud moments.

Overall, an uplifting, entertaining novel.

If you are looking for a book to escape the monotony and drudge of work, grey skies, tired relationships and family squabbles, pick up The Wife Who Got a Life and enjoy the escapades of 48 year old Cathy, desperate to have something more than domesticity and a husband who is so full of himself he can't hear a word she says, or doesn't say. The book will have you in stitches. It is relatable, hilarious and full of witty dialogue that makes you groan and grin at the characters, all of whom have a major part to play in helping Cathy reach the goals she set herself one January.
The book is divided into months and covers an entire year, charting the highs and lows of motherhood, friendship, and love along with scares, devious plots, a knee in need of replacement and a family trip to California. There are serious issues which typically crop up in anyone's life and these add a sense of reality, worry and drama which can sometimes be overcome, and sometimes can't. But the beauty of Bloom's writing is that it is all carefully packaged in humour, so that as each layer is discarded, the prize at the end is life affirming and morale boosting.
Pass the parcel around your friends and acquaintances, family and colleagues and anyone you invite to the party. Gatecrashers also welcome! You will then discover the pleasure of living life to the full, whatever your age and be sharing the message that even in the most ordinary of lives, joy blooms.
Thanks goes to Tracy Bloom for sharing her latest book with early readers and to the Netgalley team for making it possible.

Cathy is 48 and married with two teenage children. Her sister gives her a motivational diary for Christmas so she decides that she will use it to make a note of monthly goals. Her husband is away on business a lot, her children seem to do as they please and her sisters seem to rely on her to look after their parents. I enjoyed this book, it was funny in places and sad too but I didn't really relate to it as much as other readers seem to have done. Maybe it is because I'm older than Cathy and have been there and done that as it were. Nevertheless it was an easy read.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Cathy is given a motivational diary for Christmas by her sister which she thinks is a waste of time. She fills it in with things she wants to achieve over the year. Her husband is in the middle of a midlife crisis and wants to change his career this makes Cathy look at her life and how she wants to change. She is fed up of doing all the household chores without any help. Will the diary help her to deal with all the problems she wants to achieve.

Another good book from Tracy.

When she's given a Motivational Diary for Christmas, Cathy Collins is insulted, but then she decides to set her own firm of goals. None are what her sister imagined, but gradually as the year progresses, Cathy finds a new lease of life and a sense of purpose again.

I really enjoyed The Wife Who Got a Life. It made me laugh, and at times cry, and it was a story I didn't want to put down. I think, for me, the best thing is that although Cathy and her husband aren't always seeing eye to eye, neither has an affair, or runs off with someone else. They're just like any other marriage, going through a rough patch.

Very refreshing and extremely enjoyable.

A good read – been there done that comes to mind. Cathy is fed up with her life, managing teenagers, husband who is away most weeks, doing all the jobs around the house and carrying on regardless – who else is going to do it. Out of the blue her husband decides he wants to change careers, giving up a good wage to retrain as a teacher and expecting Cathy to find a full time job as “it was her turn”. Cathy receives a motivational diary from her sister in California for Christmas which depressed her even more as she was exhausted after having done everything as usual for Christmas and feeling unappreciated. Having coffee with a neighbour she decides to write some goals which she was not sure she would follow. She starts with trying to make her son seen the sense in further education, help her daughter with her feelings for a boy not being reciprocated and dealing with her husband’s midlife crisis. Cathy starts to find herself. She dislikes cooking and is definitely not good at it so she employs a student from a local college who is training to be a chef to come in and batch cook for her. A win for her. She then decides that the menopause may be on the way so sorts out going on the pill to stop her periods early although that does not work as quickly as she would like and hopes the medication will alleviate mood swings. Then she tackles the husband. She brings up the household work when they were away at a works “do” and he takes this rather well and another tick for Cathy who works out turns for the mundane of running a house. There is still the issue about work. Cathy has found a job she loves working with young people and realises that she does not want to join the corporate world even though her husband’s mentor to help him change careers thinks she should reinvent herself. The story goes backwards and forwards in a lovely way. Cathy wading through drama after drama which includes a tragedy with a neighbour, a holiday in California, managing her sisters and parents but in the end life runs smoothly and everyone is happy. Cathy keeps the job she loves, her husband changes career but not in a cash crunching way and the children sort their lives out. All good and a fun book to read

A good read, though I can’t say I loved it as much as many others did. Some of the characters were a little annoying at times. I struggled to completely empathise with the lead character, though totally understood her frustrations over being taken for granted!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

I loved this book from the start. I could draw so many parallels to my life, which looking at it from the view of the writer, I now realise are quite absurd. I laughed so much while reading it in bed, my husband got really annoyed with me - which made me laugh even more. Such an uplifting book, more please!

When I read this book I was in the middle of a major reading slump. And by the end I was feeling much better and really enjoyed the book. So ta da..... that should tell you how good the book is. Review done. Job done. Boom!
But for those of you who like reviews to have a bit more information, here goes...... Cathy, our main character, has had enough. Enough of housework, enough of running around after her teenage kids, enough of cooking meals no one appreciates, and enough of being a housewife. She decides to spend the next year making changes that will improve her life and make sure she is putting herself first for a change. Cathy is a fantastic character, she is real, funny, and so relatable. I was literally laughing out loud at times. This was such an easy, light hearted and fun read that it was exactly what I needed to cheer me up. I'll definitely be reading more by this author in the future.

You know when you start reading a book and you think – this is a bit close to home?!?

Let me introduce you to Cathy Collins – she’s:

Late 40s – check
An accountant – check
Resident in the Birmingham area (well, close enough to go to her husband’s colleague’s house in Edgbaston – I’m assuming the nice bit, not the red light bit I lived in after my divorce in the late 90s) – check
One of three sisters, and one lives abroad – check
And for those of your not quite as spooked as me by this point – here is the blurb:

“Cathy Collins is a mum on a mission – to change her life.
When her husband drops a midlife-crisis bombshell,
Cathy decides it’s time to take control.
No more laundry, teenage tantrums or housework.
After years of putting herself last, she’s going to be first for a change.
Cathy Collins is carving a new path, and nothing is going to get in her way…
From No.1 bestselling author Tracy Bloom, The Wife Who Got a Life
perfectly captures the joyous chaos of family life.“

Cathy’s sister who lives in California, sends her a motivational journal in which to record her goals for the year. Initially Cathy is incredibly reticent – as she doesn’t want to write down goals like ‘learn Mandarin / bake your own bread’ etc to not achieve them and then feel even more fed up. But then she decides upon some monthly goals that she will try and achieve which are very much hers:

JANUARY – Write the list!

FEBRUARY – Ditch Periods

MARCH – Ditch Cooking

APRIL– Get a Life Outside the Family, preferably with ‘Young’ People

MAY – Secure My Son’s Future – i.e. Put a Rocket Up His Arse

JUNE – Teach My Daughter How to Not Get Screwed Over by Relationships

JULY – Reduce My Carbohydrate Footprint

AUGUST – Agree Who Will Clean Mum and Dad’s Toilet

SEPTEMBER – Make the Necessary Announcements about the Menopause

OCTOBER – Have the Really, Really Important Chat with My Husband

NOVEMBER – Fall in Love Again

DECEMBER – Dance with Hugh Jackman

I am so with Cathy on these goals!! The book follows each month as Cathy ticks off each goal in turn.

She used the pill to ditch her periods – I had an endometrial ablation.

She contacted the local catering college to get someone to come and assist with family cooking – I employed a friend to do our cooking (RIP Mrs Patmore – although I should add she’s not dead, just relocated to Cornwall!)

The book is so well written and laugh out loud funny. I loved the book – and Cathy – right from the start. I guess I was always going to be onto a winner having so much in common – but it was ace!!

I had a smile to myself every time The Mustard Factory trendy working space was mentioned – clearly not based upon The Custard Factory in Digbeth in Birmingham, nope, not at all!!!

The book made me laugh a lot (teenage parties / first love) but also have a huge lump in my throat (neighbour battling cancer) – I guess the roller coaster is what makes a book so great. The writing about life with teenagers is so true to life – as with the extended family / friends / book club / colleagues – it was really great.

A massive thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC – but I was slightly slack, due to an overload of books, and it was out at the end of April 2021 – so you can buy it immediately if you fancy it – and it’s only 99p on Amazon – result!

This book was utterly gorgeous and hilarious! I was hooked from the start!

Cathy is suitably unimpressed by her sister’s well-meant Christmas gift to her of a journal. She does not need to set goals or document her life-and who has time for that anyway! But as things start to get a bit overwhelming Cathy draws up a plan to make her life easier and, frankly, less annoying.

Cathy’s husband, seemingly in the midst of some kind of midlife crisis, declares he would like to completely change his career and so Cathy will need to return to full time work which is not quite in line with her new plan!

Loved this book-so relatable! 5 stars!

Light hearted and fun read. I love the dairy style writing and plot was very real. The story follows Cathy, who is a wife and mother and basically wants a little more in her life for herself. I felt connected to this character and really enjoyed following her.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Mike, who is Cathy Collins husband, is having a midlife crisis. So, she decides that now it’s time to put herself first instead of having to think about laundry, the tantrums of her teenage children or the housework.

For Christmas her sister gave her a motivational diary from her sister. So she starts to keep a record of her year in it.

The have two children, Freddie and Kirsty

It was a heart-warming book in which the characters were relatable.

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I will admit I don’t tend to reach for books about older women. I think mainly because in my head I’m still the girl who loves to read about young, child free women on adventures as that’s what I relate to. In actual fact - I found this very apt. It’s the story of Cathy who may or may not be approaching menopause & who is suddenly questioning her life, who she is, what she wants & where she’s going. It was laugh out loud funny, it was moved to tears sad & just a lovely, enjoyable story. Looking forward to reading more by Tracy Bloom!