Very light easy reading.
I was ill when I read this, it was not in any way taxing. Not really my sort of novel, I felt all of the questions had ben asked before. Marriage, friendship, love, betrayal and being unfulfilled as a woman.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hansson Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I am the target audience for this novel. I turned 50 at the beginning of this year. It was refreshing to read about women of my age (often forgotten in the fictional world!) and much of the story rang true to me. It is a story about emerging and finding yourself again after dedicating your life to marriage, children, family and work.

I was expecting a light, beach read, and this was delivered, but it actually went somewhere I wasn't expecting and has a number of ethical and moral dilemmas at its' heart. The friendship between our three main characters felt real and believable. It was a fun read, in parts funny and infuriating.

I would recommend for fans of Marian Keyes, and for those looking a for a fun summer read.

Helen is turning 50 and has a moment of reckoning. She has dedicated her life to everyone and truly never taken a moment to put herself first. The kids are grown and have their own lives and she is married to an incredibly egomaniacal selfish man-child. Well, she has finally had enough and she just won’t take anymore! She is for the first time ever putting herself first and figures out that she’s a terrific woman who deserves more. She deserves to be happy, to feel loved, to be appreciated and that she matters. I found myself wanting all of that for her and more. Its a lovely, humorous, sad, emotional read that was the first in what will be a trilogy. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

When Helen’s best friend Caro invites her and their other best friend Kay to Cypress it’s perfect timing her husband of 30 years missed her 50th birthday and then called her own said birthday and burided her for not answering the phone the night before when he reach the summit on Everest. All she wants is fun in the sun with her two best friends and may be a wink or two from a hot guy, but when she finds out Caro brought him there with ulterior motives she isn’t happy at all. Will she let this ruin their friendship or at the very least the time in Cyprus? Let me just say I wasn’t expecting the book to go where it did at all. I thought it was something underhanded and/or a betrayal I really enjoyed the book and thought it was funny, sad but mostly interesting I enjoyed this writers style and fast pace chapters and can’t wait to read more by her in the future. I received this book from Net Galley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

I knew I would love this book from the first line. Helen, Caro and Kay are all lifelong friends and Helen's turning 50 so what do you do when your life seems to be so unsatisfying?

You get drunk with your friends, be honest about your unhappy life and go on a midlife holiday to Cyrus!

I adored Helen and her honesty about her marriage, her children and her role in life and how hard it was to like where she was. I wanted more hotel antics from the ladies while Lawrence was climbing Everest.

I loved so much of this book. The middle got a bit muddy but overall, I adored all the characters.

Well done.

This would make a great book club pick. This novel is about three middle-aged long-time friends who travel to Cyprus on a vacation together to get away from their problems, reconnect with each other, and take stock of where they are in their lives and where they want to go. Each woman has particular things they are struggling with, and the reader will be able to relate to at least something these women are going through, be it deciding whether to an unhappy marriage, dealing with “the change of life”, regrets over not having children and perhaps it being too late, taking care of an autistic grown up child, dealing with aging parents, etc. The issues touched upon will resonate with readers, and the relationship between the women is well-drawn and realistically-portrayed.

I loved this book. I was expecting it to be just liked a lot of ‘ female friends get together’ books….. but no it was so much better.

This about three university friends who are now in their 50’s. Helen is married with two older children and a Husband who takes her for granted and just goes off and does his own thing without a thought for her. Kay is a divorced working Mother of an Autistic older child and looking after ageing parents, one who has Dementia. Caro is a high power career woman who hasn’t any children or partner.

They come together for a night out and Caro wants them to come with her on a holiday she has booked to Cyprus. After a few problems sorting this out they all go.

This is a turning point in all their lives and each have different things happen whilst there. None of what you may think when starting the book!

A lovely tale of friendship that as in real life has it’s ups and downs.
Look forward to the next one out late 2022.

Great book, and an ideal holiday read, the characters draw you in from the begining as they are like people we all know which is comforting, definitely recommending to friends!

I knew I would love 'A Midlife Holiday' from the opening line! I haven't devoured a book in one sitting for a long time but I literally could not put this down. This is the first in a trilogy and I cannot WAIT to read the next instalment. It shouldn't be so rare (or refreshing) to read about the lives of middle-aged women, but it is. Cary J Hansson handles her subject matter with authenticity. She illustrates perfectly why menopause is often referred to as "the change" as, over the years, everything alters - our opinions, our bodies, our friendships, our willingness to make ourselves smaller/quieter/compliant. The book is funny, brutally honest and so, so relatable. I loved it. Highly recommend!

N. B.
A more comprehensive review has been published in the July edition of South Asia magazine. Print copies are available and here is the web link:
http://www.southasia.com.pk/2022/06/29/a-midlife-holiday/

Read this whilst on holiday myself.
A really heartwarming read that really resonated with me. The plot and characters are perfect as a holiday read

A really good poolside read! I think it will appeal to a certain demographic and I definitely fit into that. The three lead characters were relateable, interesting and developed enough to engage with them. The back stories were ones with which you could empathise. The setting was well described and easy to visualise. Thank you #netgalley - this was worth reading.

I chose this book based on its title because I can relate to coming to that 50-year-old milestone and re-evaluating your life. I appreciated the role good friends can have in your life over years and years. I loved Helen's story of life, family a not-so-satisfying marriage and the need to rediscover yourself and what you want out of life. I also enjoyed Kay and her backstory of always being a caretaker and having a special needs son who will always need caring, but I felt like I didn't get enough of her voice during the holiday. Where did her thoughts go? As for Caro, I pictured her younger even though they were all the same age, and I loved her characterization of being career-minded and a perfectionist, but I couldn't figure out if she was happy or sad about why she went to Cypress to begin with and why she would tell one friend why she was there but not the other. Why did she care so much of what other people thought. Surely but that age and the decision she was making it shouldn't have mattered. The tension between her and Helen seemed unnecessary. And what was up with Caro and Helen's husband? Did Lawrence make advances toward her over the years and she responded? Or it felt good to get his attention because Lawrence was the kind of guy she wish she were married to? I didn't understand the undertones. It was unclear. Over all the characters were well developed, I loved Kaveh and what he represented, but the tying together of the all their stories fell short.

Helen, Caro and Kay have been friends since college. At 50 Helen feels the need for a change and when invited to Cyprus by Caro she persuades Kay to join them on a well deserved break. Each have their issues to work through and cracks appear in the bonds of their friendship. Secrets have been kept which threaten the fabric of their relationship.

This is a thought provoking story about women at the mid point of their lives evaluating what they have accomplished and what they want to happen. I am interested to see where the author takes the three women.

There were lighter moments and I await part two of their journey with much anticipation.

A book about 3 lifelong friends in their middle age that I hoped to enjoy but sadly I didn't. It was all over the place as I think the author was trying to fit too many things in. It has the potential to be a good read but it wasnt for me, sorry.

A really enjoyable read!. I didn't want to put it down - thought provoking, making you think about how easily your life goals (as a woman) can be swept under the carpet because of other peoples expectations of you.

I adored this book! This was a very relatable book about friendship and relationships. As a woman, this hits on all the different life experiences that we have and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

With thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy read that I felt lacked punch. It played up to the stereotypes of menopausal women and not in a good way. As a woman just hitting perimenopause I found a lot of this quite disheartening. One woman decides to "find herself" another decides to have a baby and the third, probably the best character is simply a side bar. I understand that this is the first in a trilogy and I'm not sure I'll be reading the rest of them.

A laugh out loud, classic comedy that tickled my ribs and split my sides.

A heart warming look at getting older, ever so gracefully and not settling for anything less than pure happiness.

This book is up there with my favourites for the summer, the perfect beach and holiday read that you will not want to end.

I spent a perfect two days on a sun drenched island living vicariously through Helen.

Thoroughly enjoyed, 5 stars from me.

A Midlife Holiday by Cary J Hansson was just a delicious read. Relatable, with humour and pathos aplenty. The three main characters Helen, Kay and Caroline were believable and larger than life. As a bonus, Marianne and Kaveh just lifted and enhanced the storyline. A little bit of Shirley Valentine indeed. Loved it. Five shiny stars and can’t wait for the next one

Initially the book starts by following Helen, who feels that she gave so much of her life to others that she has lost her identity. I'm sure many women with caring responsibilities can relate to this on some level.

The second half of the book followed the ladies on holiday with a good ending, which was more interesting and engrossing.

I really wanted to like this book and I know this is the first book by the author, so I didn't want to be critical. However for me something was missing from this book. Due to lack of character development and portraying them so negatively I didnt like the characters. I also didn't understand the friendship as they spoke about each other negatively and weren't supportive! I felt they were friends you could do without in your life! However I am glad I stuck with the book as the second half was a better read.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.