this novel apart is its refreshing blend of humor and heartache. Despite the weighty subject matter of financial fraud and betrayal, the narrative is infused with warmth and wit, making it a truly enjoyable read. Libby's journey from privileged suburban wife to down-and-out goat farm dweller is both humorous and poignant, and readers will find themselves rooting for her every step of the way.

EXCERPT: If Libby had known this would be the most traumatic day of her life, she would have dressed better. And eaten better too. Sort of like The Last Supper, but in reverse: all the enjoyment of the meal without the foreboding.
Because that's how trauma sometimes rolled. Out of a clear blue sky, without warning.
Well, there was an actual heavy thunderstorm that day, but still.
After it rolled in, every miniscule detail remained in her head, as though branded by a red-hot cattle iron. The sear of spilled milk on the stone kitchen bench. Ludo's jacket flung across the couch. Black clouds crowding the horizon, gathering pace and darkening as they careened in from the ocean. An open newspaper, its pages fluttering on the rooftop terrace before a powerful gust snatched and hoisted it over Bondi Beach towards the heads. A single blue feather, elegant and long, discarded from Miss Marple's tail. Ana's dirty kneepads dumped on the floor near the penthouse lift, right where you stepped when you got out. The clash of Ludo's Bruno Marrs ringtone with the violin sonata coming from Harrison's room. A single jar of Beechworth Goat's Cheese scraped clean and propped near the sink, ready for washing.
It was a bugger, because she had always loved Bruno Marrs, and now she couldn't listen to him at all.

ABOUT 'THE GOOD WOMAN'S GUIDE TO MAKING BETTER CHOICES': How well do you ever really know your husband? And how did Libby – a thoroughly decent straight one-eighty who's never even had a speeding ticket – end up with Ludo?

Loyal country girl Libby Popovic lives a golden life with her confident financier husband Ludo and their two children, Harrison and Ana. When Ludo is jailed for financial fraud, and her friends and family lose tens of thousands of dollars as a result, Libby feels agonizingly complicit for hosting the final investor pitch in their home. Matters go from atrocious to worse when her possessions and home are repossessed, Libby is sacked and a priceless family heirloom is wrecked. While camping out at the rural goat farm where she was raised, she's forced to re-evaluate her life choices.

MY THOUGHTS: A great beginning to this author's career!

Quirky, humorous and touching - how many of us have married only to discover, however many years later, that the man we married is nothing like we believed he was? And how many of us, like Libby, enjoyed our lives so didn't look too closely? Because, after all, what you don't know can't hurt you - can it?

I had fun with this light-hearted but touching story about a woman whose whole life implodes when her husband is jailed for fraud. And you know how, when one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong? It does. Libby slowly discovers strengths she never knew she had as disaster after disaster continues to rain down on her.

There is a brilliant cast of supporting characters - her children Ana and Harrison; her elderly friend Hazel and Hazel's parrot Miss Marple; her mother Maggie and her aunt Dido; Alexi the IT genius who loves to perform card tricks; and many more including a goat called Kim Kardashian.

I loved Libby's sense of moral justice, but it is Hazel who comes up with a brilliant plan to put matters right.

There is a small thread of romance, not unexpected, but it is only a minor player in the plot. It felt right.

A light, entertaining and enjoyable read.

⭐⭐⭐.7

#TheGoodWomansGuidetoMakingBetterChoices #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Liz Foster was born and raised in England. She has lived in Sydney since 1991. Following a career in marketing, she began writing creative fiction seven years ago – editing the fifty page Australian Tax Office guide was the tipping point. The Good Woman’s Guide to Making Better Choices is her first novel.

Liz is passionate about smart and heartfelt book club fiction - creating character driven, page-turning, uplifting stories in quirky Australian settings, with big themes that resonate.

When she’s not writing she’s peppering her family with questions about plot and character scenarios, listening to podcasts, reading out loud and boring the dog senseless.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Affirm Press via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices by Liz Foster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices by Liz Foster was published December 2023.

This book is such a quick and easy read and one that made me smile. And although it was somewhat predictable it was still a fun read adn had some great characters. I enjoyed Libby and the Australian setting and found the story interesting and fun but also it still had enough substance to make it relatable.

An overall good book for this new author and I look forward to seeing what comes next for her. 3 1/2 stars from me. Enjoyable, entertaining and fun.

Thank you NetGalley and Affirm Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

An easy read with a predictable plot. I enjoyed the Australian setting, particularly Libby's country home town of Beechworth and the delightful characters that resided there and look forward to this writers next offering.

A good debut novel with an engaging main character and a good story.

When Libby Popovic's husband, Ludo, goes to jail for fraud she loses everything. Left with two teenage children, no home and no money she moves back home to her mother and Aunty Dido's goat farm. Libby goes on to show what she is really made of as she navigates her way back to a good life for all of them.

This is a light, easy read with many quirky characters. Actually my one criticism is that there were maybe too many - if I was distracted for a moment I would suddenly find I was reading about someone whose name I did not recognise. A small issue though and probably as much my fault as the book's.

Altogether a good start for this author and I look forward to what she writes next.

Such a good read, I could not imagine going through what Libby went through. Would recommend to others!

Thanks to NetGalley and Affirm Press for letting me read this book for an honest review. I loved this book and finished it in less than 24 hours. How I felt for poor Libby when her husband ended up in jail and her life was thrown upside down and she basically had to start again, but how she blossomed through those moments. The characters of her two children Harrison and Ana played important side roles through the story, as did the location of her home town Beechworth. The story was an easy read and delightful.

Liz Foster, The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices, Affirm Press, December 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

With its strong beginning The Good Woman’s Guide to Making Better Choices promises much. What could be more attractive than a penthouse with a view to Bondi Beach as a setting? However, as the lift to the penthouse rises after Libby answers the intercom and invites its occupants, one showing a police badge, into her life this scene is shattered. Ludo, her husband, ends the prologue with an apology.
Chapter 1 leaves the Bondi penthouse behind with a return to the past in rural Victoria. Here, Foster regales the reader with some lovely comedy - Kim Kardashian being told to hurry? Residing in an abode with an old five bar gate and a gravel drive? The goat farm introduces Maggie and Ana, Libby’s mother and daughter, her aunt Dido, together with the mention of friend Hazel and her parrot Miss Marple. The visit to the farm recalls Libby’s happy childhood with her brother Evan and their mother. The absence of a father has had little impact on their lives with their mother and aunt, friend Jake, the goats and the business.
Then, the idyllic past becomes the fraught present. Libby’s son, Harrison, has had a childhood as a gifted music student. However, hostility to the classical music his parents encourage is a marked comparison with the carefree life of his sister and her skateboarding, and his mother’s past. Evan and his wife’s longing to have children and their reliance on expensive IVF becomes a point of conflict with Libby after Maggie gives the siblings $20,000 each. Financial issues become a source of conflict between Ludo, his business partner, Libby and their friends and neighbours.

With all the appearance of a simple story in which the country and city are juxtaposed to the advantage of the country, Foster reveals her cleverness as she depicts a more complex picture of both. The country and city lives of the characters are described well, the story line for each is interesting and the resolution is satisfying. The earlier writing is lively and has some comic moments. However, I felt that the work leading up to the resolution was a little less engaging. I also wonder about the title and its relevance to what becomes less social commentary on the choices Libby makes than a romantic story. There is nothing wrong with a story in which problems are resolved to the advantage of the characters who have created sympathy, but the title appeared to offer something more.

Libby Popovic looks to have a perfect life, she lives in a luxury apartment with views of Bondi Bay, with her husband Ludo, teenage son Harrison and daughter Ava who’s a tomboy. Ludo is a financial advisor, he runs the company with his business partner Maya Labovitz, and they’re always coming up with ideas of how to make money and looking for investors.

Libby is shocked when the police arrive at their apartment, they want to speak to Ludo, he’s jailed for financial fraud, and her friends and family lose money as a result. Libby feels so guilty, she hosted the final investor pitch in their home, not that she knew it was a scam and now the apartment and all of their possessions have been repossessed.

Libby goes to stay with her mum Maggie and aunty Dido in Victoria, they have a goat farm and make award winning cheese. Libby grew up in Beechwood, she's used to living in the country, Ava loves it as well and Harrison seems a bit preoccupied and that’s to be expected considering what’s happened.

I received a digital copy of The Good Woman’s Guide to Making Better Choices by Liz Foster from Affirm Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A thought provoking and at times hilarious and very relatable narrative about the main character Libby having complete faith in her husband of twenty years, like many women she let him handle the finances, she trusts him and it's a big mistake.


The other characters in the book are wonderful and quirky, Libby’s friend Hazel and her parrot Miss. Maple, aunty Dido, Alexi, Jake, mum Maggie, Rocky and the goats. Libby doesn’t require the finer things in life, she already has what she needs, her family, friends, and morals.

A coming to your senses story, Libby is a likeable character, she's strong, resilient and many readers will relate to the overall theme of the narrative, which is Libby taking off her rose coloured glasses, righting wrongs, looking at life and what she want's from a different perspective and four stars from me.

"The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices" by Liz Foster is a masterful exploration of the intricacies of life, trust, and self-discovery. Through the lens of the protagonist, Libby Popovic, Foster weaves a complex narrative that takes readers on an emotional journey filled with ups and downs, humor, and profound reflections.

At the outset, we are introduced to Libby, a seemingly ordinary woman living a charmed life with her husband, Ludo, and their two children. The contrast between her unassuming persona and the shocking revelation of Ludo's financial fraud arrest creates an immediate sense of suspense. Libby's guilt and inner turmoil as a result of her unwitting involvement in the investor pitch that led to financial disaster are palpable. This conflict catalyzes a deeper exploration of her character and a reflection on the choices she's made.

Foster's writing shines in the way she infuses humor and wit into this otherwise dire situation. The inclusion of goat's cheese and Libby's return to the rural goat farm where she was raised adds a unique charm to the narrative. These seemingly quirky elements provide both comic relief and a sense of groundedness, creating a world that is both relatable and enchanting.

One of the novel's standout features is the character development. Libby's transformation from a sheltered and seemingly naive woman to a resilient and empowered individual is both heartwarming and inspiring. Readers will find themselves rooting for her as she navigates the tumultuous aftermath of her husband's actions, and as she rediscovers her own agency and sense of self.

What makes "The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices" so resonant is its ability to provoke deep self-reflection in readers. It compels us to ponder the choices we make in life, the unpredictability of the future, and the strength of the human spirit when faced with adversity. Foster's writing is engaging, evocative, and heartfelt, making the novel a compelling read for anyone who appreciates a blend of humor, drama, and self-discovery.

This book is not merely a story; it's a contemplation of life's twists and turns, and the way we respond to them. It's a testament to the power of reinvention and the resilience of the human spirit. Liz Foster's "The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices" is an excellent choice for those seeking a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned.

I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.