Set in Hamilton, Scotland, it follows Amy, Carole, Lenore, and Susan who are lifelong friends tired of being dismissed. Instead of quietly accepting their place on the sidelines, they pick up spray cans and start making their voices heard, literally, through graffiti. What begins as an impulsive act of rebellion turns into something much bigger, forcing them to confront what they really want from life and how far they’re willing to go to claim it.

What I loved most about this book is how real it feels. Their lives and friendships are messy and complicated but full of warmth, the humour is sharp without trying too hard, and the story never falls into clichés about midlife reinvention. It’s about frustration, yes, but also about the power of solidarity and finding new ways to take up space.

If you’re looking for a quick, engaging read that doesn’t sugar coat the realities of getting older but still feels uplifting, this is well worth picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for the arc.

I related a lot to these characters being forty and fabulous myself. A great fast, fun read with plenty of attention grabbing scenes.

A fun, empowering read though the four heroines go through the gamut of male oppression and violence between them. The plots worked well together with hope and positivity left at the end of the book. I felt like the Scottishness came and went a bit - there were some lovely dialect words and idioms here and there and I'd have liked more than that, especially as you don't often get books written about places like Hamilton, and it's great it was set in a small town that's not often talked about. It's a shame a cat was put in just to die, which is something I don't like I'm afraid.

Light-hearted book of a group of wonen with spray cans who are tired of playing supportive, unappreciated roles to the men in their lives. Easy page turner - good holiday read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy

Pure escapism, this was an enjoyable read. Set in South Lanarkshire it was a joy to read a novel set in this area of Scotland. Each of the 4 main characters are flawed, but likeable.

An enjoyable read. The novel tracks the lives of four women in their forties and the way in which their relationships and work affect them. The story follows a decision they make to change their lives and 'make a difference'. The character-driven nature of the narrative is highly readable and is humorous and poignant in turns. The writer is adept at sustaining the interest of the reader. Recommended. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Four friend in their forties make their disgust at the patriarchy (in the form of their husbands, employers, toxic partners and random local louts) known by forming a group called the Graffiti Girls and spray painting their home town of Livingstone red, green, blue and yellow with feminist slogans. In doing so, each realises her own potential and their lives begin to change for the better. But can they avoid being caught?
I really enjoyed this book. The narrative was exciting and flowed seamlessly, switching between the viewpoints of the four main characters. Carol, Amy, Lenore and Susan. They are all empathetic, kind, compassionate women and their loyal friendship is the mainstay of the story. Their vulnerabilities make them sympathetic, despite their crimes - and really, what woman wouldn't be tempted to join them.?
I felt the message of winning against the oppressive patriarchy was somewhat overlaboured - the reader does get it without it having to be explained to them - but this was balanced by the wonderful writing. Elissa Soave brings a small Scottish town and and its community to life with sharp insight and dry Scottish wit.
I have previously read Ginger and Me, this author's debt novel. Graffiti Girls is her second novel and it doesn't disappoint. In Amy, Carol. Lenore and Susan, I feel I've made four friends for life.
A fun, feisty and feminist read!

Graffiti Girls by Elissa Soave is a timely book that celebrates female friendship while deftly skewering the everyday sexism encountered by women with humour, honesty and a lot of insight.
The book tells the stories of four women in their forties who have been friends for decades and are absolutely willing to go to bat for each other whenever one of them faces a problem. Each of the women leads very different lives and faces different problems and while they might not always understand exactly what another of their group is going through they are always willing to lend an ear and offer practical support and advice. When they decide to take a stand the Graffiti Girls are born and before long they see that so many of the other women in their town are going through the same problems. The graffiti goings on are really secondary to the wonderful characters that drive this story, each of the women feel very real and have such distinct voices and back stories that they really came to life on the page. It feels rare to have a book focussed on women of this age but I loved seeing them adapting to the changes in their lives and becoming stronger and more determined with the help of one another.
I really enjoyed this feel good empowering read and will be recommending it.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A great lighthearted book about friendship, insecurities, as well social injustices for women.
Now in their forties, all four women have different issues and together they decide to graffiti some venues of importance in their hometown of Hamilton.

I found this book to be refreshing. For me to read about a group of women in their 40s and how even though they’re friends they’re on different walks of life. I found myself resonate with a lot of their stories and they’re a group of gals I see myself befriending. It also shows that even at a mature age you’re constantly evolving, changing and learning.
I thought the book was well written and I liked the glimpses into each person’s past.
Definitely recommend.

I enjoyed Graffiti Girls, it follows four friends (in the present day and in their past) as they all deal with a different issue in their life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the 4 best friends were great characters. I found the writing style to be great and I liked the way it flipped between present day and back when they were younger. I liked each character’s personalities and whilst the book had something to say about womanhood it was also heartwarming. The ending was perfect as well and brought a close to the story perfectly.

Set in the Scottish town of Hamilton this is the story of Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan who have been best friends since school. When they were younger they couldn’t wait to see what lay ahead for them. Now in their forties they are fed up and feel like they are taken for granted. So they decide to do something about it and they start graffitiing prominent places in their hometown with feminist slogans. The Graffiti Girls are born and are taking no prisoners.

The story was very well written I thought and the characters were wonderfully developed and so very real, they almost felt like real people at times, not just characters.
The setting is descriptive and alluring.
It will hold your attention and draw you in, taking you on journey I wished didn’t end so soon!

Four friends have a bit of a moment, are in their 40s, have a career, family or the lifestyle they want. Or so they think. The women had big dreams when they were at school together, they discussed the things they wanted to achieve, but now as they look back they feel they are missing out on something. They have become unseen as such, they are not the young things of a few years ago, instead, they feel they are missing out.

The story is told from the perspective of each of the women, Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan, one starting a business, another is a librarian, one a divorcee and the other a stay-at-home mum. Not the glamorous lifestyle they envisioned, the big dreams a different memory and the future, well it doesn't look that bright. So, together they become the Graffiti Girls, they write slogans that are important to them and they gather some support.

While the story is about the women and their side-line, the graffiti is just that, a side-line to the story. This is a story about each of the women as individuals as well as part of their group. The author brings individual perspectives and at times these do tiptoe into being honest but with the best interests.

It is like a coming-of-age story for the women hitting mid-life, the realisation that as children grow up and leave home their own lives become stationary. Or that they have been doing the same thing week in and week out for years and are stuck in a rut. It makes the characters relatable. There are some interesting and fun moments, but also some serious, more personal or soul-searching ones as well.

This is a story that I enjoyed, it is one for readers who enjoy contemporary fiction and one that I would be happy to recommend.

When women hit a certain age they become invisible so when a group of friends turn 40 they decide to hit back at the patriarchy and graffiti empowering slogans around the town they live in.

A book about female friendship and finding your new voice as you mature. Empowering.

I have to admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get into this book, mainly to try and remember characters, but once there, I really enjoyed it. A story of four female friends in their forties, each of them dealing with ghosts of the past and whilst trying to monouver through the daily grind of modern life. Certainly a book to add to your tbr pile. Thanks netgalley and publishers for allowing me a copy of this book.

Forty and fabulous – but fading into the background and possibly the future … four friends have reached a stalemate in their lives and realise their talents are ignored and to a great extent wasted. A wild idea sets them free, awakens their independence at this milestone in their lives.
A fast read, a fun read, with plenty of ammunition to keep one’s attention. Plenty of ‘wake up’ calls for men, women, young and old. Bit of a predictable ending – but enjoyable and satisfying.

Amy, a 40-something plumber is angry. Called out to a job, she's refused entry and patronised because she's a woman and clearly knows nothing about plumbing. Irked by the blatant sexism, she calls together her best friends for a drink, because she has a plan.

Susan is a librarian with little confidence, doting on her 16 year old son who she does everything for. Teacher Lenore is a gym-bunny after being overweight and invisible as a teen. Frustrated that her ideas are ignored at work, her former partner left her for a younger woman, her solution is to bury herself in exercise and calorie counting. Glamorous Carole has a wealthy banker husband and 4 sons and her "work" is the home and the family. From the outside, she has it all, but incensed by the treatment of Amy, she examines her own life and finds something is lacking.

Living in the Scottish town of Hamilton where they all grew up and went to school, the 4 women share in Amy's anger, all feeling invisible, unfulfilled and under-appreciated. And so they meet up late at night and graffiti messages on the walls of the Miners Institute that had refused to allow Amy to do her job. And so starts the Graffiti Girls.

The novel then dives into the story of each of the women in turn - their growing up, their lives now, the injustices each have faced. For each of them, this small moment of rebellion ignites something big, forcing them to look at their lives and what has been making them unhappy, and make changes. Screaming about the injustices in spray paint somehow empowers them, and other women who read their words.

I loved this inspiring tale, how such different women have stuck by each other and back each other up always. The story is hilarious and sad in equal measure, but carries a message of hope. It's also empowering to see the women take back control of their lives, not just letting life happen to them, no longer accepting the cards they're dealt.

This uplifting novel is beautifully written and narrated, with such warmth, and I loved the friendship between the women, the acceptance that each of them is different, but the bonds they have are strong and lasting. The audio is brilliantly read with everyone well characterised, and I couldn't stop listening once I started!

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and the published HQ for a digital advance copy of this novel.

What an. absolute breath of fresh air. The Graffiti Girls is heartwarming, funny, relatable and just a really lovely story I absolutely adored it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Four school friends now hitting their mid 40s. Life had not panned out the way they dreamt of.
Divorced and lonely. Single and angry, single parent with teenage son soon to leave the nest. Finally put upon mum to 4 boys and a husband working all hours.
Meeting up and taking action after a physical attack on one of the ladies.
Graffiti starts appearing round town. Gossip and attention lifts spirits and resolves to make changes.
Friendship and support is at the heart of this story. You will recognise yourself and your friends in the characters.
Enjoy their story, I did