Willie has been whittled down into a mere twig of herself by her domineering husband and his demands on her time and energy.

When he suffers a heart attack one evening she doesn’t immediately call for help, seeing a glimpse of freedom.

Following his death she sets out to make big changes and embrace the life she wanted but couldn’t have.

Along the way she has to face the choices she made and how they impacted loved ones.

Thanks Books Go social, NetGalley and Nicole Brooks for the ARC of Watch what she can do

The premise of Willie and her late in life coming of age journey due to a life altering decision she makes (in more ways than one!) really did sound promising.

I wanted to love it so much for so many reasons… but. Something just fell flat. Just like coke left open too long, it just felt all fizzled out. And I have been struggling so hard to find something to say- and fail for the simple reason that I couldn’t resonate with Willie as a character at all.

I was drawn to this book by the summary but after reading not much of it, although I did finish it, I was sorely disappointed.

I support women’s rights and personally identify with the issues addressed in the book, but overall I found it overblown and trite. This book trots out every feminist trope and attaches them to the protagonist and every woman she encounters. I felt as though I had been hit over the head, repeatedly, by the “enlightenment” the protagonist experienced. Had the book taken place in the early twentieth century, it would have been relevant. Sadly, today, it’s not.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

I simply adored this book. We don't all come of age in our 20's. This is one of those beautiful later in life coming of age stories. Watching her learn how to actually live was beautiful.

“Watch What She Can Do” is a fun but thoughtful book written by Nicole Brooks. The hardest part of being an adult is being bound by others’ expectations. You often live for those people. For Willie Copeland, that was exactly what she was doing. Putting her nursing career aside to raise her children, Willie was stuck in an unhappy marriage, constantly putting the needs of her adult children first (including the very petulant Jonathan) and unable to do anything for herself, including traveling and visiting her closest friend, Roxanne. But when her husband has a heart attack, Willie makes a decision that will have ever-lasting implications. It leads to her joining her friend on an adventure that has many laugh out funny moments. What I appreciated most about this story was its focus on female empowerment and taking back what should have never been stolen from you in the first place.

Five stars.

Loved the premise and the book started off great- however it quickly devolved into a very hard to believe diatribe about how all men are awful human beings. Some of the experiences the main character has are absolutely impossible to believe. Very disappointing.