What a lovely way to take yourself out of your life for a little while. A fabulous story of friendship and how the bond overcomes hurdles, likes and dislikes and comes out on top! A real holiday book, one for the beach!

Three long established best friends, Helen, Caro and Kay know and understand each other really well. However, when they all go on a girls holiday to Cyprus, things take an unusual turn. They discover things about each other that surprises them all, and the author dealt with this exceptionally well.

In the characters of all three women we can see aspects that we can either identify with, or know someone a bit like them. It is this ability to be able to identify with them that made this both an engaging and worthwhile book to read.

It is very much a character led novel which is driven ahead with excellent dialogue as well as wonderful descriptions. I would challenge anyone who, having read this, does not want to immediately jump on a plane and sit on a Cyprus beach.

The author excellently describes women of middle age and the feeling that there are still so many things that they each wanted to achieve, but have not been able to due to various responsibilities they have toward careers and families.

A fantastic read and one I will be purchasing as gifts for family members to read! This book was advertised as a modern day Shirley Valentine and I couldn’t think of a better description. Helen, Caro and Kay are all loveable, flaws and all, and such relatable characters. The story has a number of touching moments alongside some great comedy and warmth, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance books or cosy stories.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sometimes standing back from your life reveals things that surprise you. The three friends in this book all have dysfunctional lives, but seem to just go on living them....until they take a step away to Cyprus. I didnt warm to t he three at all and found them quite self absorbed.
However it was an enjoyable book to tread, and I thank NetGalley for a review copy.

Today I bring to you a delightful summer read that is sure to lift rhe mood.
@caryjhansson recently released, ᴀ ᴍɪᴅʟɪғᴇ ʜᴏʟɪᴅᴀʏ should be your next beach read! Thank you @netgalley for the digital arc.
Ⓜⓨ Ⓣⓗⓞⓤⓖⓗⓣⓢ:
ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴠᴇʀʏ ғᴇᴡ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴀɢᴏɴɪsᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴀᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴍɪᴅ ʟɪғᴇ ʜᴏʟɪᴅᴀʏ.
ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇʟʏ ᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ, ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs, ʜᴇʟᴇɴ, ᴄᴀʀᴏʟɪɴᴇ ᴀ ᴋᴀʏ sᴛᴇᴇʀ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴡɴᴇss ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪsᴛɪᴄ ᴀsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘs, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ᴘᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇsᴛ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴏʟɪᴅᴀʏɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴄʏᴘʀᴜs.
ʜᴇʟᴇɴᴀ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ʀᴀɴ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴅᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟᴇɴ ᴏғ ᴛʀᴏʏ ʀᴇғᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴄʟᴇᴠᴇʀʟʏ ɪɴᴄᴏʀᴘᴏʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴍɪʟᴀʀɪᴛɪᴇs ᴅʀᴀᴡɴ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢ. ʜᴇʀ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴀᴠᴇʜ, ᴀ ᴄʏᴘʀɪᴏᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀɪʟɪɴɢ ɪɴsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴏʀ ᴡᴀs sᴡᴇᴇᴛ.
ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ғɪɴᴅ ᴄᴀʀᴏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sʜᴀʟʟᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋᴀʏ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ sᴋᴇᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴᴛᴜɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜʀғᴀᴄᴇ, sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴘᴜsʜᴏᴠᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ sʜᴇᴅs ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴏɴ ɢᴀsʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ, ᴛᴏxɪᴄ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴍᴘᴀᴛʜʏ.
ᴘɪᴄᴋ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴀɢᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ, sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ғᴏʀ

I was intrigued by this story... a 50 year old woman, dissatisfied with her life, leaves for a getaway adventure with her girlfriends, and discovers something important about herself that leads her into her second half of life! That story is right up my alley!

Except it wasn't. The story had the right elements, but the main relationship in this book- the lifelong friendship between the 3 women- was painfully dysfunctional. They don't communicate about important things, they keep significant secrets from each other, they don't trust or support each other, they are judgemental and cruel to each other... It sucked dry any joy I might have felt from this book. I think it's telling that my favorite character in this book in the desk clerk at the hotel. Can we get a book about Marianne??

As always, your mileage may vary. I do appreciate the ARC that I received in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley,
#MidlifeHoliday

This is one of those books that you start reading and say, “I know this one.!”
As these women take on a holiday together, escaping their lives and reevaluating the lives they built, they use the time to bring forth confessions of how they really feel after all these years.
Missed chances of live, having kids, careers etc. come to light and in the end their honesty to each other and themselves comes forth and sets them all on a new path for their lives back home.

A fun, witty, emerging storyline that you see a glimpse of yourself in as you read along.

Thank you to NetGalley and all for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
This was such a fun read! A lot of great midlife issues are unpacked in this comical and witty book. It was fun, funny, exciting, a bit sad and totally relatable!

This is the story of three fifty-year-old women who are hitting slumps in their everyday lives. One has a selfish husband who takes her for granted, one is burned out from caring for a mentally challenged son and aging parents, and the only single woman is finding there is something missing from her glamorous globe-hopping career. The three ladies take off for Cypress where they find running away only makes problems follow. This was a funny story, full of heart and friendship. I loved the characters, especially the character of Helen who takes a while to realize how long she’s let her husband have fun while she keeps home and family together.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

A real favourite read of mine. It was beautifully written which some lovely characters. Funny, witty and touching which mad for a really good read. Fascinating characters and I enjoyed how their lived changed and how they found true happiness.

Loved this story and found in very well written! Love a book where I can travel to Cyprus and join the journey for a woman in midlife realize the truth of relationships, while finding herself.

A book about, life, love, friendship, adult life, families, drama, issues, needing to escape and growth. It is a well written book and enjoyable.

this book was so well written and real. people can definitely relate to it and i can not wait for the next books

Loved the character of Helen. Following the story of the 3 friends going through various crises of their lives made me smile. Each have their problems need the support of each other. A story of true friendships.

Helen and Kay needs a holiday. Caro leads an exciting single life but persuades her lifelong friends to join her on a weeks holiday to Cyprus. All is not what it seems for Caro who has a big secret and a real reason for taking the holiday. Life changes for the three women and will never be the same again.

Three friends. Midlife and a trip to cypress. A great summer read. You will really like this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the self-published author for an advanced copy of this book. This is a heartwarming, relatable, deeper-than-you'd-think book about a group of 3 friends approaching turning points in their lives. As the reality of reaching their milestone 50's sinks in, they each have decisions to make...will they take a path that they bypassed earlier in life, are they happy with the choices they've made, has life unfolded by process of drift rather than intentionality. They work through relationship difficulties and renew the best parts of themselves that had gone a bit dormant. I have to knock the score down to 3.5 though because the author used a cringeworthy classist and racist reference to refugees in a pejorative way - um, just don't do that. There are plenty of other ways to convey that a character's motives might be suspect that could be used instead. Overall, a fun read, especially for those of us of a certain age, but it would have been much more enjoyable without that flaw.

Wow loved this book thoroughly enjoyed this story following the lives of three fifty year old woman who are all being dragged down with family life so when one of them suggests a holiday they jump at the chance..Helen ,Kay and Caro are great characters who you can identify with and it's a great holiday read .I'm pleased there is a follow up so I can find out what eventually happens to them all and whether they will ever get back to normal life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was sent a copy of A Midlife Holiday by Cary J Hansson to read and review by NetGalley. This was a very enjoyable ‘holiday read’. A good set of characters – just like real long-term friends, all very different in personality and within their lives. It was great to have a set of protagonists that were all women of a certain age! This novel is apparently the first in a trilogy and I’m keen to catch up the ladies in the next episode.

Meet Helen, Caro and Kay. Women reaching their 50's acknowledging the emotional and physical changes women experience at menopause. Which is rarely acknowledged in fiction. Women who are warriors, each carrying a burden stoically.

As these three friends embark on a midlife holiday to Cyprus, secrets and lies are revealed. A steamy love affair begins. And a lot of sleep is caught up on.

I loved reading older female characters, it was truly refreshing. The writing was witty, it was warm and it felt real.

Can't wait for the next adventure with Helen, Caro and Kay.!