Woman on the Verge by Kim Hooper

I've never had kids but I can see that you must have a sense of humor to survive parenthood. Nicole's two little girls made me laugh so hard as they picked up on every single thing she didn't want them to hear and then would proceed to YELL the word in public, over and over. And kids sure are gross but I enjoyed reading about them from my safe spot on the other side of my Kindle.

At the same time, I could feel Nicole's frustration at thinking she was going to succeed at having a career she enjoyed while also co-parenting her two daughters with her husband. She was getting it done even if her husband did his co-parenting in a very oblivious, "huh? you didn't tell me to do that" manner, as if the only time he needed to do anything was if he was told to do it. A very teenager method of fatherhood, it seems.

Then Nicole loses her job and her husband is very happy to have a stay at home wife who can do all the chores and parenting (no more childcare costs!) while he continues on his merry way living life the same as always, nary a (child)care in the world or concern that his wife is imploding while trying to get her husband to understand just how incredibly unhappy she is with the arrangement and how much she is beginning to hate her husband.

Then things change again, Nicole's father, so very far away, is dying. Nicole gets to shed parental responsibilities while traveling back and forth to be with her father and she finds that she thrives on a new experience that she gets to experience every time she visits her father. The story explores how women can love their children but want to be away from them, may wish they could be away from them most of the time, maybe always?

There are three other women we hear from in this story and their views will give us an even wider POV. To say there are twists and turns in this book would be understating things. I came away from the story realizing how important it is to listen to mothers (and fathers). Not only do not all parents excel at parenting, some may need to be able to tell the truth about how they feel about being a parent. These women come together at some point and we can see a much clearer picture of the realities of motherhood.

I was able to read this book with DeAnn and Jayme and there is so much to discuss. At the last minute, I was also able to download the audiobook as a KU audiobook selection and the audiobook is a special experience due to things about the story. Reading or listening, both ways are a good way to experience the story.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I adored this book and it’s an extremely relatable read for any woman and any mother. A lustful affair, caretaking parents, a woman’s duties of being a mom, wanting to work, being a wife, and managing it all. As everything unfolded I started to make connections on how the plot may unfold. This is a book I could get lost in again and again.

Thank you @amazonpublishing and @kimhooperwrites for the free arc 💖.

🗓️Out tomorrow! 7/1/25

✨What it is about:
The novel explores the pressures and complexities of modern motherhood through the lives of three women: Nicole, Katrina, and Rose. ✨

💭My thoughts:
This is my first ARC as part of the Amazon Publishing Creator Program, and it was a super interesting read. It’s an emotionally honest look at what it really means to be a mother today, and what often gets lost in the process.
The story follows the messy, complicated lives of three very different women who are each, in their own way, struggling to hold onto a sense of self while juggling the overwhelming expectations of motherhood, marriage, and identity.
As a mother myself, I could relate to several moments in their lives, especially those early on, when everything feels like it’s changing all at once.
As mothers, we often give to everyone but ourselves. We’re exhausted, sometimes disconnected, and at times it even feels like we—the person we used to be—are disappearing. On the surface, we may seem like we’ve got it all together. But inside, there’s often a quiet restlessness. We try to do what’s expected, caught in the tension between being a “good mother” and simply being happy. We constantly question whether we’re doing enough, or the best we can.
Through the lives of these women, the novel highlights just how real and ongoing that struggle is: trying to be a whole person and a mother.
It was an engaging and insightful read, and though the ending definitely threw me for a loop, I really enjoyed this one.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
👩🏻‍🍼Character driven stories
👩🏻‍🍼Modern motherhood/parenting
👩🏻‍🍼Complex + flawed women characters
👩🏻‍🍼Multiple POVs
👩🏻‍🍼Unexpected endings

⚠️CW: Infidelity, parent with a terminal illness, death of a parent, abandonment, sexual content.

Kim Hooper has been one of my favorite authors since I read "People Who Knew Me" in 2017. I was so excited to get my hands on an early copy of Woman on the Verge and I could not put it down from start to finish. I had some struggles with this as it is very centered around the challenges of motherhood, which is not something I can relate to as a single woman, however, Hooper's writing is as beautiful as ever and the story kept me hooked.