I have been in my lit fic era this summer. Woman on the Verge captures three very different experiences of motherhood, that all intertwine in the most unexpected way. It is HEAVY and unpredictable but also thought-provoking and somewhat humorous in places. It’s messy and honest with an ending I did not see coming!
Thank you to Kim Hooper, Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of this book.

4.5 STARS - Woman on the Verge is a roller coaster of a ride through the complicated feelings about motherhood and marriage. The story centres around three women - Nicole, Katrina and Rose - and through them, we witness their struggles with being a mom, societal expectations, gender inequities in family life, mental health, caring for aging parents and grief.

Well-narrated by a large cast and told from alternating POVs, readers may relate to many of the experiences. I didn't always like the characters or their choices, but through their unique voices and experiences, Hooper dives deeply into modern motherhood - the unattainable perfection of motherhood, maternal ambivalence and the many feelings and experiences in between.

This was a very interesting and poignant story ... but not always a comfortable read/listen as the author unapologetically shines a much-needed light on the good and sometimes stressful parts of motherhood.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Brilliance Audio for the complimentary eAudio that was loaned to me via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Amazon Publishing for my #gifted ARC and thank you Brilliance Publishing for the #gifted ALC! #BrilliancePublishing #BrillianceAudio #AmazonPublishingCreator #WomanOnTheVerge #KimHooper

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐨, 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐰, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Woman on the Verge was an emotional and intense read about motherhood and marriage and follows three women as they struggle to define themselves and all the expectations placed on them. This book was raw and accurately portrayed motherhood and also other themes of grief, identity loss, and mental health. I appreciated the authentic look at motherhood, and I enjoyed how the characters were developed. Nicole, Katrina, and Rose each had their own struggles and I thought the author did an excellent job with the character development with this book. With all that said, I definitely enjoyed this book and wish the ending was different than how things turned out.

🩵Multiple POV
🩵Character Driven
🩵Flawed Characters
🩵Motherhood
🩵Kindle Unlimited

🎧The audiobook was beautifully narrated by a talented cast, which included Dana Green, Abigail Reno, Jordan Claire McCraw, and Amanda Stribling. I thought each did an excellent job brining their characters to life and would definitely recommend this one on audio if you’re looking for a new audiobook! I really enjoyed my time listening to this one!

Posted on Goodreads on July 23, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 23, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 23, 2025
**-will post on designated date

I enjoyed the first 75% of the book, but the last 25% did not do it for me. I was excited to read a story about motherhood from a woman in the 30’s / 40’s while caring for aging parents as it is very relatable. The story followed three women while they figured out motherhood while finding themselves. I did not connect to any of the characters. There were times where the writing pulled me in and many times where I found my mind wandering. For some reason I could not figure out what was actually happening in the book. This was unfortunate because Hoopers previous book No Hiding in Boise was a rated highly for me. I really do love the cover though.

3.5 rounded up
Published July 1

"Women are told that they are biologically wired to mother, that they are naturally capable in a way men never could be. Which seems like a compliment, but is really a designation of duty. Yet, they are also told that they need guidance, that they must constantly study ways to be better at their 'natural' vocation.

Nicole has been railroaded into being a stay at home mother. The stress of being forced to manage all of the parenting duties multiplies when her father is diagnosed with a terminal illness.

This novel is a deep dive into the experience of mothering from various viewpoints. It's an often uncomfortable exploration of women of differing eras and the ways they deal with being subjugated by their parenting roles and experiences.

The narration was really well done by Dana Green; Abigail Reno; Jordan Claire McCraw; Amanda Stribling.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for an audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Woman on the Verge by Kim Hooper (book cover is in the image) takes on a journey with three women struggling with the challenges of motherhood. Dealing with the themes of family and gender roles, and meatal health, this book will be great for fans of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Jessica Guerrieri.

The cast of narrators made it easy to stay engaged and guaranteed that each character had a unique voice, enabling me to finish this book in one day.

Thank you @brilliancepublishing, @amazonpublishing / Lake Shore Publishing and @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Jul 01 2025

#BrilliancePublishing
#LakeShorePublishing
#WomanontheVerge
#KimHooper
#WomansFiction
#yarisbooknook
#NetGalley

This book tells the story of a woman who is struggling with being a wife and mother while her father is dying from a rare disease. The characters feel real and the emotions are strong. The ending has a surprising twist that makes the story even more meaningful. A touching and well-written book! Actual rating is four and a half stars. I'd recommend it to people who like books about women going through a hard time.

A raw, vulnerable and all too relatable look at the 'maternal abivalence' and the mental load placed on modern mothers by society and themselves as they struggle with sacrificing self for the sake of the children often at the cost of their own mental health.

Told from alternating POVs, this story follows three different women who all struggle with motherhood and whose lives we come to learn are intimately interconnected in shocking ways. The story also touches on aging parents and having to come to terms with a parent who gets diagnosed with a form of rapid onset chronic dementia (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - CJD).

Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like Lisa Genova and Ilona Bannister. I love reading stories about modern motherhood and mental health challenges and this latest by Kim Hooper is EXCELLENT!! Highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: infidelity, parental abandonment, death of a parent from dementia, dissociative identity disorder

Woman on the Verge follows three women in their paths to find themselves and navigate womanhood in the modern age. I will be honest-I do not see the hype here. I disliked all of the characters (especially Kyle, gag) and had a very difficult time not putting my book down and screaming into the abyss.

This one was not for me, apparently. I found the characters unrelatable, out of touch, and pretty awful. I have been hearing that a lot of people really loved the first 75-80% of the book and the ending really tanked it for them. I disagree-the whole thing was a slog.


thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advance access in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was great. I enjoyed the narrator's voice. The ending is not for everyone, but I really liked it. Audiobook narrator was great. She made the children sound very annoying, but realistic.

Woman on the Verge is a book that is full of honest emotions about life, marriage and motherhood. The story follows three women - Nicole, Katrina, and Rose each dealing with their own struggles. Nicole, the stay-at-home mom of toddlers is frustrated with her marriage, the loss of her job, and the responsibilities of her father's declining health. Katrina is seeking an escape and chooses desire over what is really going on in her day to day life. Rose is a mother in the 80's that recounts her experiences with motherhood and marriage in a secret diary. Hooper does not shy away from messy topics like identity loss, infidelity, mental health, and motherhood. It is full of twists and I loved how these women's lives intersect.
The full cast narration adds so much emotion and makes each character feel even more real.

This is my first book by Kim Hooper and I’m left almost speechless.

I’ve never related more to a character as I did to Nicole as a mom. The things she goes through and experienced were something that I think moms feel daily. Sometimes motherhood is monotonous and you’re left feeling empty.

This book was full of emotion and twists I didn’t see coming.

I already know I will keep thinking about this book. Thank you Netgalley for the ALC. The narrator was perfect and really relayed all the emotions of the characters.

WHAT were those last 20%

That was so disappointing what the hell. I'm conflicted between really having loved the first 80% and all the characters and absolutely hating the ending enough for my review to go from a high rating to 2 stars. I feel like this book doesn't know what it wants to be. It's upsetting, because the author could've written two great books and instead chose to write one messy, mediocre one.

Also, people in their 60s aren't elderly.

This book was not what I expected at all.
Hooper cracks open the guilt, joy, grief, contentment, annoyance, tenderness, worry, hope, and unbalanced perfection of motherhood.
I think even if you’re not a mom who has suffered from maternal ambivalence, there are piece every mother can relate to here.
I was prepared for the twists and I didn’t love Nicole, one of the POVs, but I did feel for her.
The hardest part of this read for me was her reactions to her husband. I felt like she was always so bitter without expressing why.
Anyway, this was an interesting read. Totally took me off guard. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

I requested this book through NetGalley, and I’ll admit that I couldn’t remember what this book was about when I started listening to it. Immediately, I could relate to Nicole since I’m in the thick of it with a three year old currently. Having dealt with PPA, I understand how difficult the transition to motherhood could be. I couldn’t imagine my life with more than one. As the story progressed, I was extremely immersed in this book. I rolled my eyes a few times since adultery isn’t something I condone. However, I needed to know what was going to happen. I was not disappointed. This book had a huge twist that I didn’t see coming. WOW! I was shocked. I feel like it takes a lot to get me with a twist. This one got me! I really enjoyed the way the complexities of womanhood and motherhood along with grief were discussed through the lives of Nicole, Katrina, and Rose. Being a mom can be hard. I think this book did a nice job shining a light on the spectrum of motherhood and some of the negative feelings and associations that can come with it. This is a raw book with emotion, desperation, and grief. If you want a feel-good novel about how motherhood is rainbows and sunshine, this is not for you. This novel may make you feel uncomfortable. This really was a great book that I know I’ll continue to think about. I listened to the audiobook, and all of the narrators were fantastic! They brought the story and characters to life. I enjoy when there are multiple narrators in a book with multiple points of view. Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for providing me with a copy to read and honestly review. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Wow. This book made me feel so seen as someone who is deep in the toddler trenches of motherhood. I related so much to the inner dialogue of Nicole, a stay at home mom struggling with her day to day routine with her two toddlers.

We get a glimpse of three women’s journeys after becoming mothers and soon come to realize they have more in common than we initially think.

As an empath and someone who suffered from PPD I could see why Nicole, Katrina and Rose made the decisions they made or felt certain ways. Although so many women wish to be mothers, there are those that struggle a lot with the identity shift, sacrifices and isolation that often comes along with motherhood and this book shows just that. This is not a book about the joys of motherhood but the inner dialogue of three women who are on the verge of making some very selfish decisions in the result of constantly sacrificing their own mental and physical health after having children.

This book may rub some people wrong if they have issues with adultery or are easily triggered by their own PPD. I encourage readers to push through as this book was not at all predictable, left me absolutely mind blown and the ending will help give you some closure on the decisions that Nicole and Katrina has made and may even turn out to be relatable for you as well.

The audiobook was absolutely amazing for this book and I highly recommend it so you can get the full experience of the plot twist in this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC and to Brilliance Publisher/Audio.

Just finished Woman on the Verge by Kim Hooper.

I’ll be honest—I was first drawn in by the pretty cover. I didn’t expect to relate much, since I don’t have kids. But oh my freaking god… what a ride. I started it yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning. I couldn’t stop.

At one point, my husband asked me to slow down so I could savor the book. But I couldn’t—I had to know what was going on. It’s that good.

I absolutely loved the chaotic and brutally honest FMC. Nicole reaffirmed why I don’t want kids—honestly, I don’t think I could handle the constant “Mommy, Mommy.” And the way Hooper describes Nicole’s father’s deterioration? It’s so vivid, so raw. I didn’t expect to be so pulled in, but it hit close—brought me back to when my own dad started fading when I was a kid. I really hope I don’t have to face that kind of loss again anytime soon.

As for Katrina—oh my god. I was happy for her, but I couldn’t stop worrying about what consequences might come next. Ones that couldn’t be undone.

I went in expecting a completely different book. What I got was so much better. The pacing is fast, the style is witty, and the story is full of humanity—grief, motherhood, love, identity. I was shocked by the ending, and it adds so much more depth to the book. It made me feel so lucky to have received the audiobook ARC.

The narration cast—Dana Green, Abigail Reno, Jordan Claire McCraw, and Amanda Stribling—did a phenomenal job. I was fully immersed—didn’t want to stop listening. This book reminded me exactly why I love reading: because sometimes, when it’s done this well, the book world becomes more real than anything else.

Thank you, NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and of course Kim Hooper. You made my weekend.

Highly, highly recommend. No joke—too good.

Woman on the Verge by Kim Hooper is one of those rare novels that burrows deep into your psyche and lingers long after the final page. I experienced this book both through my Kindle and the audiobook—and I’m so glad I did. The audio version, narrated by Dana Green, Abigail Reno, Jordan Claire McCraw, and Amanda Stribling, added incredible emotional depth. I absolutely love when audiobooks use multiple narrators for each main character—it makes the story feel so much more alive and personal.

This novel dives headfirst into some very heavy and often taboo topics—maternal ambivalence, infidelity, mental health, identity loss, and the suffocating expectations placed on women. These are the conversations we need to be having, and Kim Hooper doesn't shy away from the discomfort. She leans in.

We meet three women—Nicole, Katrina, and Rose—each at a breaking point. Nicole, a reluctant stay-at-home mom, is unraveling under the weight of domestic demands, a crumbling marriage, and her father’s declining health. Katrina, outwardly composed but inwardly restless, makes a daring choice in the name of desire, only to find herself at an unexpected crossroads. And Rose, trapped in the confines of 1980s motherhood, pours her inner turmoil into secret diary entries that crackle with longing.

Each of their stories is poignant, raw, and heartbreakingly real. And the way their lives eventually intersect? Absolutely brilliant and gut-wrenching.

Kim Hooper has written a fearless novel that doesn’t sugarcoat the complexities of womanhood, motherhood, or the private rebellions we all carry. This is not a "feel-good" book, but it's a feel-deep one. If you're looking for something that challenges you emotionally and intellectually—this is it.

Highly recommend, especially in audiobook format for the phenomenal narration. Five stars without hesitation.

Wow. After finishing I went back and read some reviews and was SHOCKED by the amount of people upset at the twist. Any mother, regardless of partner, will resonate with at least some of this book. The main character may seem like a Debbie downer or whiny but if you think that you’ve never been there. I think the author did a fantastic job of tackling this subject. The line about on the verge of insanity or bliss cut me to my core. Everything with our main characters mother really set the scene. However, I wanted more of that as well.

As someone who already has an irrational fear of prion disease, the plot line with her father was upsetting on all levels. I love seeing different portrayals on grief in literature and Woman on the Verge satisfied that craving. It is raw, it is unflinching and it is unapologetic. I’ve already recommended it to all of my favorite mothers. All of the narrators did an excellent job. There were a few times the audio seemed echoey or overlapped but I am certain that will be handled before the finished copy.

Nicole is married with two children and has a very complex relationship with her life. Upon news that her father is dying from a rare disease, she begins to split her time between her home in southern California and weekends in San Francisco where her father and now-caretaker step-mother live. While in San Francisco, she meets the too-good-to-be-true Elijah, a gorgeous sex adonis who anticipates her needs and says all the right things (only highlighting the failings of Nicole's husband). Nicole begins to feel herself caught between two lives: the one where she is unhappily married with no career and a dying father, and the other, where she can pretend to be single, childfree and in love with Elijah.

I was riveted by the first 80% or so of this book. I appreciated the raw and real challenges of modern motherhood [without feeling as heavy or enraging as so many books I've read on the subject in recent years like <i>Nightbitch, Liars, </i>or <i>Soldier Sailor</i> (though all books I liked)]. Also, as someone who lost my father very quickly from cancer two years ago, the representation of her father's decline, the strain on her step-mother as caretaker, and the whole experience of hospice and anticipatory grief was spot on, almost to an eerie degree.

But the last 20% or so of this book left me thinking this book didn't really know what kind of book it wanted to be. It was as if the desire to have a twist so unexpected outweighed the need for logic. As a result, the ending adversely impacted my perception of the book as a whole and left me wishing the book had done more to integrate the very interesting topics it was exploring before jumping the shark.

The audiobook was well done and the direction of the twist was handled in a very interesting way. Nicole's narrative was especially engaging in no small part to the narrator who did her voice.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.