Don't Bother To Dress Up

Another book about a woman of a certain age. Her life is completely turned around when her husband asks to meet for lunch . He tells her he has met his soulmate , and it isn't her. Lizzie's life descends into chaos. Her husband, unbeknown to her, has run up lots of debts. Fortunately her children and sister are pretty savvy and give her lots of advice about damage limitation. Reading about William, you ask yourself why she was married to him, at all or for so long. Rather than a man in a midlife crisis, he seems like a complete control freak and to have little business acumen, though he has started his own company.
The next period in Lizzie's life is spent in her daughters spare room , sometimes doing 2 jobs on top of her own job to make ends meet , She eventually moves out . The timeline moves quite quickly as she starts internet dating, her parents become ill and need more care and she has problems both at work and in her living situation. On the whole well written, some funny moments, some sad . I sometimes had the feeling that Lizzie could be too naive and at other times she came across as a strong , independent woman. Descriptions are very good and the book is interesting and easy to read. The ending ? well still not sure about it .... Read it yourself and maybe you will see what I mean
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Witty account of a midlife woman reclaiming herself. "Don't Bother To Dress Up" is an enjoyable read, loosely based on author Maly Sayle's own experiences. The book also offers an insight into caring for a parent with dementia. We don't see enough women of a certain age in fiction so thank you to Sayle for flying our flag high!

Highly entertaining story of a women on the cusp of divorce. Delightful story with marvelous insights into family and friends relationships, including her Mom's dementia. .Tons of humor and heart. Great women's fiction!
I'm sure it will be a best seller!

Thank you to Troubadour Publishing Limited and #NetGalley for giving me an ARC of #DontBotherToDressUp by Mary Sayle in exchange for an honest review.
3***
Lizzie is a wife, mother of three and a hardworking fundraiser for a charity. Out of the blue she learns that her husband is leaving her for a twenty something year old Polish masseuse. She soon learns that her husband is in severe financial difficulty and with her being guarantor to all of his loans the only option available to her is to sell her home and move in to her daughter's spare room.
Along the way we learn that Lizzie's parents are very poorly with her mum being eventually diagnosed with Vascular Dementia. Will Lizzie be able to rebuild her shattered life and remain caring for her parents?
This was a very nice read, although fairly slow to start with. When the novel progressed to Lizzie's Mum's diagnosis and the struggle that her and her sister had with caring for her parent's (including her dad who had suffered strokes that resulted in him not being able to communicate verbally) it definitely pulled on the heart strings.
There were some definite laugh out loud moments, especially when Lizzie's daughter signed her up to online dating which resulted in some disastrous dates, including one at a naturalist party (but it was okay because she got to keep her underwear on!).
Overall I did enjoy this novel and finished it in a day (and with a 6 year old vying for my attention that is some going!)

Thank you to Net Galley and Troubador Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book of a woman coming into her own, after her husband suddenly leaves her after decades of marriage. Like most of us, at a certain age, we're also dealing with grown children and aging parents. This book made me laugh, and I enjoyed it as a light read. I didn't love the ending, and that's the main reason for a 3. If I could give it 3.5, I would have.

A fantastic book. Funny with that slight level of discomfort which comes with the joke being just a little too close to a painful truth. The characters are well developed and the relationships between them stunningly vivid, especially across the generations. A touch of Marian Keyes if I had to find a comparison but, really, Maly Sayle stands alone.

Lizzie is in her 50's. The years where she should be leading towards retirement with her husband of 35 years until he hits her with very unexpected news. It's one blow after another & when she thinks it couldn't get worse, it does.
I loved Lizzie. So much goes on when you are in your 50's, husbands, children, parents & job all want your attention & juggling becomes a new skill. I'm there at the moment with the added grandchildren! I enjoyed the writing & it kept me gripped & I read it in two sittings. My only complaint was, it finished too soon. I want more of Lizzie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. for this copy of Don't Bother To Dress Up by Maly Sayle.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The plot was fairly interesting, although it was not much different from many other Women's Fiction books out there. A married woman wronged by her long time husband, her life falls apart and, over the course of the book, she puts it back together. Even saying that I still found the plot engaging enough to keep reading. It was also a fast read, which is a plus, at least for me.

My biggest complaint is that the pacing of the plot was way too fast, with no emotion behind it. Things happen in the main character's life and she describes these major events in the same tone as she describes a trip to the grocery store. I just couldn't make a connection to any of the characters, which is a big detraction for me.

For fans of women's fiction this is a fine, quick read for a long weekend.

Lizzie is the main character and my goodness her world collapses when her husband leaves her for a polish masseuse. Lizzie living in a room in her grown up daughter flat. The kids take on bits of responsibility for her and ensure that her life continues. This book is such a joy and very much of our time. Lizzie and her sister watch over their aged parents too. Without going into detail, the story is brilliant, it made me laugh out loud and brought a year to my eyes. A great read thoroughly recommended. 9.5/10

WOW! This book was hilarious with a touch of sadness. I loved Lizzie, wanted to do physical harm to her worthless husband and seems like he did her a favor by leaving. I really enjoyed this book and have given the title to family and friends so they will buy and read it. Thank you for the chance to read this title

I truly enjoyed this book from the offset.
Lizzie is a lady in her 50's. As she nears her retirement age, her husband of 35 years drops a bombshell that really knocks her, and when Lizzie thinks life can't possibly get any worse, she has even more thrown in her path.
I really did connect with Lizzie in this story. I found her character to be endearing, likeable and truly unique.
The authors writing style is fabulous and really captivates you from the start. I found myself well and truly invested in Lizzie and how her story would end.
An enjoyable, heart warming read.

I really liked Lizzie as a character, I felt she got more likeable as the story went on.
Throughout the book she dealt with her cheating husband, living with her daughter, her mum who suffers with dementia and her dad who communicates by writing down all while juggling a full time job and attempting online dating.
I struggled with the last few chapters of the book as for me it felt a bit rushed, especially with ym.
Overall this was a nice, easy read and would still recommend it.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy in return for my honest review.

I've really struggled with this book. There was certainly chaos and some laughter but overall I just found it terribly depressing.

I believe the book is partly based on the author's own real life experiences and at times that came through, as the detail was so real it had to be taken from real life. That for me was the problem, it was just too real. If you have ever met or cared for someone with dementia you may wish to read about it in a book covering the subject but not in what purports to be a laugh a minute novel.

Lizzie has been married for 34 years when her husband leaves her for a younger woman in a very harsh and brutal way. I did enjoy some of the revenge she exacted, but most of it came over as a long moan about her circumstances. Justified moans I agree, but just boring and unsettling to read about.

Meanwhile her Mother's behaviour becomes erratic and it was obvious what her diagnosis would sadly turn out to be. Some of the events that are described made me want to cry rather than laugh out loud. Once Lizzie began online dating things got a little more comedic.

Overall I found the writing style to be a little long winded and brusque. Almost like pages from a diary.