🌊📚 Not My Job Anymore by Margie Benedict was such a bold and emotional read. I loved that this story focused on a woman later in life finally deciding she deserves more than just surviving. Viola’s journey felt messy, raw, funny, and empowering all at once ❄️🌪️💙

The coastal winter setting was absolutely perfect and gave the whole story this cold, stormy atmosphere that matched all the emotions bubbling underneath. I especially loved the mix of dark humor, family drama, ghostly moments, and personal reinvention 🌊👻🏠 It made the story feel layered and impossible to put down.

Viola was such an interesting character because she was angry, grieving, vulnerable, and determined at the same time. Watching her slowly break away from the life everyone expected her to live was honestly my favorite part 🔥✨ Jackie also completely stole scenes for me because she brought so much chaos, fun, and energy to the story 🍷😂

What I liked most was how fearless this book felt. It explored aging, desire, betrayal, and freedom in a way that felt honest and refreshing. It was emotional but still witty and entertaining the entire time 💨📖🌊

Great title - it got my attention! I could identify with a lot from this novel. As a mom, wife, and woman close with her mother, the story resonated with me. I love how Benedict brought the characters to life. One moment I'd laugh, and the next I'd pause to take a breath and let what I had just read sink in more. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars for sure!

A great book about a middle age woman taking charge of her own life. You’ll find yourself cheering and crying. It’s a must read.

I am pleasantly surprised to have loved this. I think timing matters when it comes to books, because I happened to pick up Not My Job Anymore during what can only be described as a "quarter-life crisis," and it felt like exactly the book I needed.

From the very first page, the writing pulled me in. The prose is personal, reflective, and intimate. What I appreciated most was how authentic Viola's narration felt. The novel begins with the death of Viola's mother, but that's really only the first domino: what follows is a story about grief, family history, betrayal, divorce, identity, and the strange freedom that arrives afterwards. So, even if the flashbacks were brief, it was as if I was very connected with our main character. Her mother was not idealized. She was loving, but frustrating; overbearing, but sometimes supportive, and hurtful in different measures--much like many real mothers are. I found myself connecting deeply with those chapters.

In many ways, the emotional core of the book worked wonderfully for me. I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed and cried at the same time. There were passages that made me put the book down simply to sit with what I had just read. More than once, it reminded me to text my own mother.

Not My Job Anymore is a tender reminder that growing older is not the end of becoming who you are. This was one of the first novels I've read that genuinely eased some of my fears about aging. Spending time inside the mind of a 63-year-old woman was unexpectedly comforting; it doesn't pretend that getting old is easy, but it presents later life as something rich with memory, love, grief, humor, and possibilities.

I would especially recommend this to readers who enjoy empowering women's fiction, reflective family stories, and memoir-like narratives. Because the novel is so rooted in a woman's interior life, your enjoyment depends heavily on whether her reflections resonate with you personally.

I received an ARC of Not My Job Anymore thanks to the publisher through NetGalley and leave this review voluntarily.

Not My Job Anymore was a great self-discovery romance taking place later in life (following a 40 year marriage). I love how the relationship starts and how it develops. The tension between the characters is swoon-worthy. Even if you are not typically up for a older character romance (like me), this may still be for you because the self-discovery aspect makes it feel a bit younger in the best way.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy, after reading the synopsis on netgalley i knew i needed to request this book. Its my first Margie Benedict book pleased it stay it wont be my last, I really felt like i needed a palette cleanser after reading horrors and thrillers. This gladly did the job i needed as its a very realistic read.I also feel that some books are read at the right time in life so if you find yourself at a cross roads or approaching some form of change in your life, this book will help.

Viola has just lost her mother and although am not fond of reading sad stories i found this the absolute opposite as the sadness its there in the book, but it also gives a new chapter for Viola. This is quite refreshing and honest, Viola really re-evaluates everything in her life. I think the book has a deeper reflecting and it certainly makes you look closer at relationships with family.

Voila makes some choices and they are bold, she wants to reinvent herself and knows that life is really too short, this was the part that i loved. The things and the people who she would once literally go to the end of the earth for were no longer serving her purpose. Voila has put herself last and finds herself constantly running around after everyone else. You can see the self neglect in Voila and she looks into the future and realises how the years have just gone by.

It was great going back in time to uncover the memories but the most real thing about this book is we can love our parents but also not serve to choice their path and not agree with everything or the decisions made. Its perfectly ok to put yourself first with your own ideas and trust the process. Voila felt as a child she had to fit onto what her parents wanted and it went against her own desires.

The painting in this book just really shows how she literally felt. But i found it energising and almost like i was cheering Viola on from the side lines. I love how this women can be 63 but doing exactly what she wants.

The author has done a perfect job with balancing the emotions of grief, family life, lost desires , and fresh starts. If you need to make the change then do it! Just what i needed to hear!

What an entertaining, funny, empowering read that I enjoyed reading from the start. With so much thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Riveting Reads Inc for the arc.

Great book! It was well written, engaging, and easy to follow. The author did an excellent job developing the story and characters. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to others.

Not My Job Anymore is a spectacular, deeply resonant self-discovery romance. It proves it is never too late to rewrite your own story. The book follows Viola, a woman in her sixties who takes control of her life after the collapse of a 40-year marriage.
Benedict is famous for writing about the power of second chances. Here, she tackles heavy, real-world themes with absolute grace. The narrative beautifully explores aging, complex mother-daughter dynamics, the grief of losing a parent, deception, and adultery. It dives deep into the realities of mothering adult children, navigating divorce, and entering the modern world of dating.
At its core, this novel is about the universal human need to be seen for who you truly are. Viola’s journey of changing careers and pursuing dormant dreams later in life is both inspiring and fiercely entertaining.

NOTE: Viola has a wonderfully sharp, sarcastic tone. If you do not appreciate sarcasm, this humour might not be for you. However, if you love a witty, cynical, and fiercely independent protagonist, you will absolutely adore her.

This is a beautiful, triumphant ride about a woman finally coming into her own. Highly recommended!

I absolutely love this book! As someone who is a child of a sandwich generation a.k.a. I have children that I’m taking care of an older parents, it really hit home with all of the things you have to do. I also felt the need to reinvent myself recently, so I understand where the main character is coming from. Just being able to enjoy my own time and not having to feel like I was being watched or being told what to do.

Let me open by saying this is a funny, sad, provocative, even startling story of a woman in grief and in rage. I loved it! When Viola Sagewood Bluff’s mother suddenly passes away, it’s only the first in a series of events that cause her to question her life, its path, and even her marriage. Upon news of her passing, Viola heads to her mum’s home in Massachussetts, leaving her husband home in California where he is writing a book. Now in her 60s, Viola is increasingly dissatisfied with the life she has made for herself, and as she grieves her mother’s death, she both recalls memories of time with her both good and bad, and carries on imaginary conversations with her. In preparing the home for eventual sale, Viola discovers a letter from her mother that completely upends her. The chapter is called “Mom’s Despicable Letter.” I won’t spoil the reveal, but I will say it’s shocking news, and Viola decides that after 40 years, she’s had enough of putting everyone else first. It’s time to make some changes, and once she starts she doesn’t stop! There was a time in my own past where that kind of thing happened, and I think author Benedict did a bang-up job of capturing the internal feelings of fury, despair, and thrill of starting over. Viola makes some rash decisions that are easy to defend as she is thousands of kilometres from home, but eventually it all comes crashing down around her. Along the way she pushes back against unreasonable demands, rediscovers her artistic talent and plays with the idea of dating again. The character development is authentic with natural-sounding dialogue, the icy East Coast setting is nicely detailed, and the plot is both realistic and enjoyable. My thanks to Riveting Reads for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251698099