Witty, clever, hilarious at times.
Think four women in different stages in their lives whose paths cross in a retreat and chaos breaks (inner and external) lose afterwards.
The characters were well done, and the pacing was ideal.
I only wish the ending were longer and slightly different.
Emma was my favourite, and the dynamics between the characters work really well.

I went into Middle Rage expecting a light, humorous take on middle age — but what I got was something much deeper and more moving.

The story follows four women of very different ages — 20s, 30s, 50s, and 70s — who meet on a retreat that ends up being as emotionally intense as it is healing. As the novel unfolds, we learn about each woman’s past and the burdens they’ve been carrying, from personal loss to shame, regret, and unresolved pain. The retreat becomes a place where they begin to forgive themselves and rediscover their strength.

Rather than breezy comedy, Middle Rage offers a compassionate, layered look at womanhood, growth, and the power of connection across generations. It’s not what I expected, but I’m so glad I read it. A quietly powerful story that stays with you.

A humerous, laugh out loud story told via multiple points of view, about 3 different, but relatable women. They all have their burdens and their troubles to deal with, and are hoping a break at the wellness retreat with give them the rest, relaxation and the healing they so desperately need. They are under the instruction of the retreat leader, Clover, who also has her own troubles to deal with.
I read this book quickly over a night shift and finished wondering if there would be a sequel focusing on what happens next now that the retreat is over.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Middle Rage and it surpassed all of my expectations. Set at a “Divine Feminine” women’s retreat on Bodmin Moor, the stories of 3 women of different ages intersect over the length of the retreat, as they enter into activities like sound baths, meditation and wild swimming with varying degrees of cynicism.

Clover, who runs the retreats, is an enigmatic goddess-type woman of 22 who has a bigger back story of her own than anyone initially guesses. Maggie, aged 73 and recently widowed, is dealing with a tragedy in her past that she can’t move on from. Emma, a spiky 53-year old with teenagers at home, booked the retreat on a whim and doubts it can help her. And Fleur, who has been before and adores Clover and everything the Divine Feminine stands for, has a decision to make.

So far, so typical chick lit, but this book is much deeper. It’s very funny, but it feels like there’s real knowledge behind the descriptions of things like coercive control, the power of religion, and rage. The characters are all very believable and I began to really care about how their stories ended. Having done similar retreats (eg yoga) myself, the structure was bang on too, and nothing was jarring or seemed “off”. A great book that I’ll recommend widely.

Not everyone is happy talking about their feelings, or oversharing. Emma certainly isn't.

But with her daughter struggling, she needs to do something.

But she didn't think it would involve Bodmin Moor, two strangers and a pushy retreat leader called Clover...

Excellent

This story follows 3 women booked onto a wellbeing retreat to help them gain understanding on the issues in their life. There they meet Clover the retreat leader who has her own troubles from the past.
I did not expect to love this book as much as I did and was crying by the end. The stories were wholesome, relatable and so well written I completely fell for them all. The descriptions of the time at the retreat made me feel like I was going through it with them all. I loved the subtle ploy of motherhood woven into each and every narrative.
The ending is lovely and open and I feel that we were made to feel the women will be ok because of their engagement with the retreat. I appreciated that we didn’t have it all spelled out to us to tie things up.
If this is a debut novel I can’t wait to read what Mollie Kendrick does next. A big recommendation from me.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book - when I've not been reading it, I've been thinking about when I can next read it. I was gripped from the start; three women with very different personalities and unique traumas go on a retreat, and their secrets are slowly revealed. I love stories about broken people, that make you think and empathise and assess your own judgements and biases. This book did that - there were characters I disliked, and through hearing their story, I grew to understand them and realise they all deserve understanding and forgiveness. Felt the book was well written and plot was nicely developed. I appreciate any book that's from multiple perspectives where things are described differently based on how that person perceives them, based on their experiences and mood and judgement, and this was done really well for this setting.

The ending is slightly open, which I know it's controversial, but I like. Leaves you imagining what happens next, so you can give the character the ending you think they deserve.

I really enjoyed this book and read it really quickly over one day. It's a story of three women who go on a Wild Woman retreat lead by Clover. All of their stories unfold during the book giving you an insight into why they have chosen to attend the retreat.

Having been on similar retreats (without the naked dancing!) myself, I found the emotional roller coaster they find themselves on entirely believable. Each has their own personal tragedy they are dealing with and each is trying to cope in their own imperfect ways. As the layers are peeled away and we find out more of their stories I found myself empathising with all of them in different ways, not least Clover, the retreat leader, who has her own challenging story to reveal too.

I'd really like Mollie Kendrick to pick up these characters again so we can find out how they get on after the retreat. There is ambiguity in the ending as we aren't entirely sure what the next steps will be for some of them. I'd really like to know how they get on and see them flourish.

I laughed out loud at times and also felt the prick of tears at others, definitely recommend!

A darkly hilarious tale of 3 very different women who go to a wellness retreat to hopefully help them to heal emotionally. The retreat is run by Clover, a young woman who is dealing with some issues of her own. The stories of these 4 women unfold over the course of the weekend and each one of them was fascinating, and often laugh out loud funny. I didn’t want it to end and I would’ve loved to know what happened next in their lives as they left the security of the retreat. Hopefully there are plans for a sequel!

I’d been having a hard time and this book was the first time I’ve laughed out loud for bloody ages. There are parts of the story that covers coercive control and religious trauma which is something some people might appreciate being aware of. It’s well written with sensitivity and measured.

The story starts with 4 women, each chapter being told from one of their perspectives, with a range of ages, preparing for a retreat. Been there done that but definitely not this type of retreat which focuses on embracing the dark feminine. Some characters were more relatable but all their stories were interesting, there is a range of ages and different types of personalities. I do feel there is a full comedy book here and would love to read that, possibly just based during the retreat without the backstory added.

Once the retreat set up is finished, characters add their back stories. Within this section there was one character who had a long paragraph of uninterrupted monologue. I disliked this and on reflection that might be more about his character than a problem with the writing.

I read the book very quickly, even for me, when I picked it up I so struggled to put it down. I felt the ending to be rushed and wondered if another few chapters could have been added. Not so much to tell us what happened after the retreat because I liked that you could use your imagination, rather I would have liked the women’s relationships and the retreat to continue beyond the crisis for a bit longer. Maybe that shows how well the characters are written and how invested I was.

I will definitely look out for more novels from this author and while it looks like this is their first it does not feel like it.

Thank you to HQStories for providing this book for my consideration via NetGalley this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinions.