Capturing the ups and downs of married life and parenting whilst trying to find some space for oneself may be a well -worn theme in women’s fiction, but when it is as entertaining as this, who cares? Tracy Bloom is an author new to me, but I am delighted to find another writer of feel-good observational comedy who is as perceptive and droll as Gill Sims in her ‘Why Mummy Drinks’’ series. Women of a certain age will find this particular foray into family sitcom drama especially relatable.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Wife Who Got A Life.

Cathy is a really relatable character, a woman in her 40s, married with teenage kids, and in a bit of a slump.

The menopause is looming, her husband is on the cusp of a midlife crisis and after a gift from her sister, Cathy starts to change not only her mindset but her life! 

I really like Tracy Bloom's writing style and her ability to just draw the reader in. 

There's some real laugh out loud moments in this story - fish finger gate and that t-shirt SUPPORT SEX WORKERS to name but a few! 

But there are some incredibly sad and heartbreaking moments too and I found myself holding back tears several times. 

I really felt connected to Cathy's friends and their intertwined lives, I cared about them and that's testament to Tracy's fantastic writing to bring these characters alive in your mind. 

The Wife Who Got A Life covers some big deep topics: cancer, friendships, relationships, sibling rivalry, depression, and grief.

However, it isn't all doom and gloom and serious, far from it, this book has light and shade. 

I want to join Cathy's book club and the surprise she has for them all at Christmas just sounded amazing!

The family trip over to see her sister and Cathy and the kids getting drunk on champagne and her sister ending up in the pool in that white dress was just hilarious. 

Towards the end of my maternity leave, I had the infamous "chat" with my husband, and much like Cathy, it changed my life. 

The Wife Who Got A Life is a great book that shows you the importance of good communication in a relationship, the power of friendship, the ups and downs of parenting teenagers, and above all else that you're never too old to grab life by the horns!

I was invited by Harper Collins to read the ARC - an author I hadn't read before and not my usual 'go-to' kind of read. But sharing an age bracket with the main character made me curious and I enjoyed this.

Cathy's husband drops a new year bombshell about wanting to change career. His mid-life crisis forces Cathy to take stock of life as it is and to reassess relationships with family and friends ... as well as make some choices about what is important about work. Rather than a mid-life crisis, this is more like a mid-life review as she sets out to turn life around.

It's a worthwhile read for those of us in a similar life stage who could maybe just do with a gentle prod to do our own review of friends, family and work to find out what really matters to us.

I was sent this as a preview and was unsure if it would grab my attention but it was just what I needed to read.. lighthearted, for the most part, funny and quite inspirational. Definitely going to add Tracy Bloom to my list of authors!
The plot involves a mum/wife keeping a diary to change some things in her life she’s unhappy with. The other characters are likeable and identifiable; the book itself is refreshing to read.

A nice, easy read about a 40 something wife and mother who gets a motivational diary from her sister and decides to change her life. Cathy is funny and relatable, and her relationships with her son and daughter are funny and relevant. I enjoyed reading this one!

I so enjoyed this book. It was about feminism but in such a normal and subtle way. Not woke or hard pushed. How a wife gives up her life and dreams to look after the family which she is fine with.... until she realises that as they are growing up and will soon leave home she needs to do something for her. Not just anything but the right thing, with no idea what that is but she knows what she doesn't want.. After setting herself seemingly innocuous challenges for each month she works through them to amazing results. Happy wife = happy life. Everyone in the family benefits from this fantastic woman finding happiness within herself. A jolly good read.

I loved this book, which made me laugh out loud more than once. The book dealt with sad issues sensitively and was very relatable. It was a much-needed uplifting, feelgood read that I would heartily recommend.

This is my first Tracy Bloom book and really enjoyed it! it's a story of a women trying to juggle too much in life like most women I know. Trying to keep everyone happy but being at the bottom of the pile for ourselves. After receiving a motivational diary from her sister as Christmas present, Cathy Collins goes on a mission and decides to get her life in order. Had so many mixed emotions reading this book, mostly funny but also touching on the everyday lives of all of us and what we go through

'Perhaps dancing should be obligatory at funerals,' said Louise. 'It's so life-affirming. Why is it you get to a certain age and you stop dancing?I really miss it'

Never stop dancing!

I love it! I could not be more in love with it. It starts off a bit depressing as many Januarys do. Cathy’s life is far from perfect, and she has a lot she would like to change about her life when she discovers, at the age of 48, that is actually unhappy with her life. Having been a working-from-home mum for the majority of her almost grown up children’s lives while her husband gets to travel for work, Cathy decides it’s time to shake things up.

This book touches on pretty much every topic. It touches on the troubles of being a working mother; how it feels to be an unappreciated mother, daughter, wife, and sister; the struggles of bringing up hormonal teenagers in their gen z glory; grief, depression, and more. And it manages to do it in a sensitive, uplifting way.

This is the first Tracy Bloom book I have read and I think this author has a real talent for wit, and generally capturing the mood. I would recommend this novel to anyone in need of a laugh, a light read, or anyone who is looking for heart-warming next read.

The wife who got a life is a lovely, laugh out loud novel whose main protagonist achieves what many of us forty-something mum's wives aspire to do - 'Get a life!'

Cathy is a stay at home mum of two teenagers - Freddie and Kirsty and wife to Mike - an executive consultant. She is gifted a motivational diary by her sister Lizzy which she is expected to fill in at the beginning of the new year.
The novel is shaped around Cathy's goals for the month and each chapter brings tales of hilarity, love and at times sadness.
Without giving the plot away - Cathy finally breaks free of the chains of domesticity and each chapter literally had me smiling.

Cathy does everything for her family. She gave up her job when her husband Mike's was better than hers and she just worked part-time doing people's books. Her sister Lizzy in America sends her a motivational diary which completely changes her life.

This book made me laugh out loud at times and cry at others. I empathised with Cathy from the start, the sullen children, the husband with a mid life crisis and the feeling that she needed more in her life. I liked the gradual change in her, not everything coming together all at once. I could relate to the guilt poured on her by her mother, and being reminded how her elder sister had done so well. The book club was so true to life I felt it was one I was already in. There were times during the read that I felt a bit frustrated with Cathy. But I can forgive this book anything for Tanias’ speech. Heartbreaking, heartfelt and so relevant in these strange times. A really enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I just love books by Tracy Bloom. This book was very funny and relatable. Cathy is a 48 year old mother of 2 teens and a wife. Mike,her husband, has a successful career, but he is getting fed up of being away from home a lot, so he decides to change jobs. Cathy's sister giver her a diary for Christmas and Cathy decides to set a challenge per month. Will she achieve them? I highly recommend this book to anyone, who is juggling career, motherhood and being a wife. Great read!

I don't normally read this style of book, but couldn't put this down!

Light, refreshing and funny - the story of Cathy, middle aged mum of two whose life is about to be jiggled about a bit. While she finds herself a job in a relaxed office, her husband is making his own plans about introducing her back to the world of corporate finance while he embarks on a whole new career...

A go to read if you just want a bit of light-hearted humour.

I bloody loved this book! This is not my first by Tracey Bloom so I felt honoured to be selected to review this advance read copy on netgally and it did not disappoint. Cathy is on the cusp of the menopause and after receiving a motivational diary as a gift from her perfect sister Lizzy she sets some rather unconventional goals. The characters in this book are brilliant and the plot plucks the heartstrings and resonates on so many levels. A great read.

Even Better Than I Expected... Makes You Laugh From The Start 🤣

Starts with Cathys take on a family tree, ie relation and brief through Cathys eyes (not your normal family tree 😂). Written in diaryish form, as her sister brought her a motivational diary for Christmas. Her husband Mike decides he wants to make changes in life, set goals etc which triggers thoughts maybe Cathy should be looking at doing something for herself at last. Setting her own motivational goals, a little different to what her sister would've expected, but aims for each month Cathy would like to achieve.

The Wife Who Got A Life is one of those reads that's lighthearted, then you find you're laughing out loud, but also touches on serious subjects.

Harshness of life, encourages Cathy to take stock of her life and moves to what she would like rather than follows on its current mundane path. A fab read which you don't want to put down. Look forward to the next...

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Sometimes what you need is a nice uplifting feel good read and this is certainly the book for you. Loved it.

This book was so different to what i normally read but i must admit i really enjoyed it.I found it a lighthearted,funny read and will be reading it again.5*

I loved this book a lot. I would happily re-read it a million times over as it is just too good. Cathy is a wife and mother, she has to do everything around the house as no one else is going to do it. I am sure a lot of women will be able to relate I know I did and I only have a husband. It is hilarious so much so I could not stop laughing through out. I think the fish finger scenario really had me in stitches. You need to read it for yourself. Her husband has a midlife crisis and Cathy decides she needs to take control of her life. A book that you really do not want to miss out on. I did feel sorry for Cathy at times but I could sympathise with her. Tracy Bloom is an addictive author. I can't wait to read her next one.

Another lighthearted funny totally relatable read from Tracy! The wife who got a life totally appealed to me being a 51 year old wife with grown up children, so many parallels with family dynamics, career choices, menopause and relationship issues! Cathy is so down to earth at this junction in her life juggling teenage children and their needs, ageing parents, a struggling relationship,and a sense that there’s more to life than this! With the help of a motivational diary, a book club, good friends, sisters and a dog walking friend Changes are brought about and a new happy medium achieved. Fun feisty and funny!
Thank you net galley for this early read.