Invisible Woman is the story of how a woman who puts her career second for the chance to propel her husbands career and also for a chance to have a family. As Joni looks back over her career as a film director and screen writer she realizes it was not all fair and square, and she begins to really resent the sacrifices she has made for her husbands work. She also reconnects with an old friend from her early working days and tries to get her to come forward with a truth that happened at a party years ago. They never told anyone what really happened at the wild party and Joni now thinks it's time the truth came out. Val is not so sure and when Val is found attacked in an alley one night when she was supposed to be meeting Joni, Joni really starts looking in to what or who could have done such a terrible thing. What she finds in the end doesn't surprise her. This was an interesting read full of star studded names and a bit of Hollywood glamour. I really liked the ending. The narrator was very good for the audiobook I listened to. Four stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to read/listen to an ARC version of this audiobook.

Invisible Woman was an interesting and topical thriller that looks at female friendships, how the film industry treats women, and how women's careers can take a backseat to their husband's once it's time for them to start a family. Joni was an up and coming filmmaker in the 80s and 90s, but once it was time to start a family with her husband Paul, she let his television career bloom while she took care of the kids. In the present day, a scandal has unfolded surrounding someone Paul used to work with, which results in Joni reaching out to her old friend and the star of her film Val, who left acting behind after an incident involving the same man. Joni tries to unravel what happened in the past while also contending with her own unhappiness in her life and career. The book takes a lot of inspiration from Patricia Highsmith's work, which was quite fun, although it didn't go as in-depth with the character development as Highsmith was known to do. There was also a bit of a weird twist about 3/4 of the way through that didn't seem to add a whole lot and felt like it came out of nowhere. That being said, the book was enjoyable, the narrator of the audiobook did a decent job, and the topics covered are important ones to talk about.

Title: Dive into the Mystery: "Invisible Woman" by Katia Lief

"Invisible Woman" by Katia Lief is an absolute thrill ride that grabs your attention right from the start. With its secrets, betrayals, and a protagonist who's anything but ordinary, this book keeps you hooked until the very end.

Meet Rachel Lazarus, our leading lady who's dealing with more drama than she ever imagined. Just when she thinks she knows her husband inside out, she discovers he's been living a double life. Talk about a game-changer!

Lief's storytelling is like a magnet, drawing you deeper into Rachel's world with every page. You'll find yourself rooting for Rachel as she uncovers the truth about her husband's shady dealings, and let me tell you, it's one wild journey.

I really enjoyed the exploration of identity and resilience. Rachel's quest for truth is empowering and inspiring, making you want to stand up and cheer for her every step of the way.

Lief's writing keeps you guessing, with twists and turns that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. From the captivating beginning to the pulse-pounding finale, "Invisible Woman" delivers the suspense in spades.

So, if you're in the mood for a gripping read that'll keep you guessing until the very end, look no further than "Invisible Woman." Katia Lief has crafted a heart-pounding thriller that'll leave you craving more.

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook! I enjoyed the flow of this book, it could be how I enjoyed the narration. This type of domestic thriller might be one of the few types of domestic thrillers I actually enjoy. The main character was slightly unreliable but not enough to completely detract from the storyline.

Invisible Woman is a wholly relatable, endearing story of the sacrifices many women make for their families and perfectly captures the pride and contentment of having done so with the juxtaposition of the deep feelings of longing, lost time, and listlessness as we age. While it initially is slow-moving, the pacing of this story picks up and becomes masterful.

I loved this book! I’m a huge Patricia Highsmith fan and the way her work was woven into the text was delightful. This book eulogizes a successful career lost and sacrificed for children, with a little murderous twist. Pertinent to our current climate, it’s a good read with unapologetic name dropping (no veiled references here; Jennifer Aniston is attending house parties with the protagonist by the second chapter) and fun for anyone who likes what I call “showbiz mysteries”.

The premise of this book is what initially interested me, but the execution didn’t live up to my expectations. I did not feel connected to the characters, which made me feel disconnected from the story. It felt quite slow and never really picked up. One of the big surprise “twists” felt random and a bit silly to me. Overall very underwhelming as a whole.

Very good narrator. Story held my attention. Main character is a filmmaker who marries and becomes just her husband’s wife. She finds out later that he sabotaged her efforts to succeed. Long buried secrets come to light when the Me Too Movement comes into play. Ending left me with some questions, though

I am a sucker for anything related to Hollywood and this was no exception. Such an interesting take on the #metoo movement and what getting blacklisted in the industry can do. There is truly nothing better than reading about a woman who takes vengeance on being treated wrongly. Genuinely was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Super fast paced.

"Have you ever watched someone suffer in silence, it's awful."

This is a novel that shines a light on the depravity of Hollywood bigwigs and shows another angle on the MeToo movement but with a new spin to the story.

This was a pretty solid premise with dramatic twists and some thoughtful insights but the audio was lacking emotion in areas where it felt necessary. I tried hard to not let the audio affect how I felt about the story but it really does change it when it’s not quite up to expectations. If you’d like to read a different take on MeToo and female film makers this might be a good fit but I wouldn’t recommend the audio route.

Thanks to Dreamscape Audio for the alc via Netgalley!

I loved this story. I am into my "women of a certain age" era. Any book where a woman starts to realize the men in their life is not who they thought they were, where a woman starts to be enraged and seek vengeance is a book I want to read.

This book is the best kind of #metoo story about Hollywood and being black listed. It illustrates what it is like to wait decades later to report and speak up. It is about friendship and motherhood. It is about women who behave properly but are still punished.

Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Media! I loved Invisible Woman by Katia Lief!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel to read in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite books in any genre are books about film. That alone drew me to this story, but the book itself kept me drawn in. Invisible Woman was a quick and interesting read. The book equivalent of the perfect 90 minute movie. It was well paced, which kept me turning pages. Heavier on the thriller side of mystery/thriller - there weren't too many surprises in this novel but I enjoyed it all the same. The book itself is seated firmly in the 4 star realm for me, but the ending had me at 4.5. This is a great read for film buffs and fans of Patricia Highsmith.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Have you ever watched someone suffer in silence, it's awful."

In the character driven psychological thriller Invisible Woman by cleverly twisty thriller author Katia Lief a long suffering wife and her highly guarded secret are about to be let out.

After 25 years, pioneering film director, Joni is ready to resume her career now that she's an empty nester. But an industry scandal ala Harvey Weinstein, breaks and, as women accuse a well known film producer of sexual assault, Joni know it's time for her and once best friend Val to tell their story about this evil man. What Joni doesn't know is Val knows more about that night than she ever told Joni.

Voice actress (and singer/songwriter) Carrington MacDuffie is Joni. Her grief, frustration and well understood anger permeates throughout the audiobook. This writer has crafted a quiet thriller with literary prose that sneaks up on you like years of a marriage where you finally see you are not invisible anymore.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Timely. Interesting. Occasionally heart-wrenching. Could very possibly believe this could happen—from start to finish. Enjoyed how the main character started out pushing against her life as the titular Invisible Woman then discovered she could use it to her advantage.

Upon reading the description of this book about estranged best friends keeping a secret, the "me too" movement, feminism, murder, etc, I was all ears. The book really focused on Joni's struggles in her marriage, friendship with Val, past filmmaking career, and motherhood. I did enjoy going through that internal battle with Joni; however, I do wish we had more of Val's perspective during the telling of this story because her situation and conflict was really the reason why everything happened the way it did. I think it would have been beneficial to have dual POV's between Val and Joni, and even maybe Paul as well. I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, which left me not being able to sink into the story as much as I wanted to and found myself having to backtrack in the audiobook as I found myself not consuming what I was hearing. I found myself missing a lot of reasoning on why Joni was feeling the way she was even though the events were told to the reader, we really didn't get the full meat of what, how, and why. I will say, I did not expect the couple of twists when they happened, which I always enjoy as a reader. I think that Invisible Woman was an okay read overall, but it just did not end up being the book for me.

Captivating. Nail biting. Emotional. Such a fun listen! I had this on to help with a slow work day and spent most of it trying to guess the next big reveal. Lots of twists and turns, well worth a listen

Joan is married to Paul and gave up a flourishing career to raise their two daughters and they recently moved to New York when the news hits that a Weinstein type character in Hollywood has been outed as a rapist and a sexual assaulter and all the women say it was him and another man but memories are too fuzzy to know who the other man is. The story is way too familiar to Joan because the same man did it to her friend Val who ultimately left Hollywood to be a drama teacher in Philadelphia and although she hasn’t spoke to her recently she reaches out to her something they’ll fiercely rejects and even gets her husband to intercede telling Joane to leave Val alone she wants nothing to do with that. But when something happens to Val and Joan is called a person of interest her husband Paul can only see how it affects him it seems the only thing he is worried about is his big party at the castle they now call home. Being alone so much Joanne can’t help but to get caught up in her problems and her issues even drinking to dull the pain but in the end Joan will become an example of why Helen Ready wrote the song I am woman hear me roar if you don’t know that song you should look for it on Spotify and although it wasn’t one of my favorites it is totally what I thought of while listening to this book. I thought the narrator had a very nice voice I really liked her voice and I found the book entertaining it is a book that says so much about society today and it’s one I ultimately enjoyed I did find some parts stilted and boring but for the most part it was totally entertaining. I want to thank Dreamscape media for my free arc via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Novels are allowed a max total of one extraordinary circumstance and/or coincidence. This otherwise promising book well exceeded that limit.


Review copy provided by publisher.

“Invisible Woman” is a mashup of a feminist literary fiction & a psychological thriller. It’s thought provoking, exciting, and a little heart breaking.

In this story, Joni’s screenwriting career is nearly non-existent while her husband Paul’s career as a film producer is skyrocketing. Someone in their social circle is caught up in a scandal centered around the “Me Too” movement in Hollywood, and Joni becomes wrapped up in trying to put the pieces of the story together. Simultaneously, she fills her lonely days with reading Highsmith novels and begins having trouble separating her life from the murderous themes in the stories she’s reading.

This novel examines many complex aspects of womanhood and motherhood, and gender dynamics in the film industry all while taking you on a wild a mysterious ride. My only critiques are that certain elements of the plot felt predictable which made it less of a “page turner”, and some of the characters actions seemed illogical & frustrating. But overall, this was a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for granting me access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The name of this book is perfect. So many women have given up their careers to be the primary caregivers for their children and partners that they do in fact become invisible. Joni was a success in her own right in the film industry, but gave up everything to be the best mother and supportive wife she could be. When they relocate from her beloved home she is not happy, but plays the dutiful wife, while her discontent grows. When some heinous secrets come to light, one being that her powerful husband has made sure to put a kibosh on any projects she may have wanted, she see red, but then finds out another truly despicable truth about him and she knows she has some difficult, but necessary decisions to make for herself and the rest of her life. Getting even comes in so many forms, some legal and some not so much. When all is said and done, she does in fact get her life back, reconnect with her former BFF and unexpectedly exacts the perfect revenge. Dark, creepy and very surprising, but she gets her life back. The ending was surprising to me and that doesn’t happen too often. An enjoyable, but dark listen with good narration. I will certainly be own the lookout for more from this author.