3/5

The characters in this book infuriated me. Val and Joni's miscommunication felt like it could have been avoided, and I also could not stand Paul. Also felt like the paet with the daughter didn't make sense. I loved the idea of this book, but it felt sort of predictable.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a really difficult read. Heavy TW from the get go. What an odd time for me to pick this up, on the coattails of Quiet On Set. I was disturbed the whole time I was listening.

A domestic drama with topics of abuse and feminism. What felt like the main twist was given to the reader early on, but MC Joni is unaware. Once she found out it was anticlimactic and unemotional. The book follows Joni’s perspective, her frustration of living in a man-centered world, her unhappiness in her marriage, and grief over her earlier career short lived success (although she seems disinterested in actually working at this point). Joni has too much time on her hands and turns to alcohol and obsessing over a previous friend’s assault, making it all about her under the guise of worry/concern for the friend as the abuser is publicly outed by other victims. She is so focused on her own worries and frustrations that she never stops to think about other people. There was a twist towards the end that made me gasp-but besides providing a liiiittle more insight to her mental health/alcoholism, it really wasn’t a big part of the book.

I don’t know if it was just me or if it was the book, but I struggled to connect with the characters and storyline. With so many hard hitting and relevant topics I would have expected more of an emotional reaction at some point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 09 Apr 2024

Invisible Woman was such an interesting domestic suspense story. It ties many components together to deliver a story full of regret, secrets, grief, mental health issues, ME TOO, and chemical dependency.

About 75% into the book there was a surprise that shocked me, and I initially thought a content warning would have been beneficial, but then, if there is one, it would have ruined the surprise element for me. So, if you have triggers, make sure to review trigger warnings for this title.

I really liked how the perspective was from two women who had already lived so much life, and were living in the now with the choices of the past.

I listened to the audiobook, which was well done. My only wish would have been that the two POVs would have had their own narrators. I listened at 1.75x and 2x speed (depending on the moment) which is my normal audiobook listening speed.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced audio copy.

For the most part, I liked the story. Not a favorite but entertaining enough. Unfortunately, the narrator wasn’t my favorite. I just felt like it really dated Joni and that I may have liked this one better if I read it myself. 3.5 rounding up. Thanks for the chance to read this ALC!

An engaging premise, but personally could not click with the narrator. Still, a recommended title for collections where MeToo stories are popular.

This was a powerful novel grounded in the #MeToo movement of Hollywood and how everything will come to light and no one gets away without it being a mess

The narration *IMO* fell rather flat for me, it didn't feel like much switching of voices to understand who was talking or if it's changed scenes.

Joni Ackerman is a filmmaker, but she made the choice to focus on motherhood. 25 years fly by and we meet her in her kitchen, with an offer to make a special "female filmmakers of the 70s and 80s" ooof. Joni jokes with her husband about making the move to making TV shows, but he reiterates, TV is his world (as a high flying tv Exec) and her world is film

Joni is happily married to her husband where he works in the Hollywood industry, Joni used to also work but has since retired from the role of a filmmaker.

The news breaks out of a scandal of a big time producer is accused as sexual assault and rape and Joni knows her old friend from the 80's was a victim of this but said they weren't going to say anything (as it was like this during the time) but she gets back into contact with her friend to help her find her voice and tell her story, until she finds out another person was involved with her attack but she won't tell.

This had me completely hooked from the beginning. The writing is personable and relatable, Joni being an innately likable character. The dialogue is well structured as is the plotline. A fantastic story, very well written and highly recommended.

TW for rape. Nothing is described too deeply, the person raped isn't fully conscious and is the only teller of their story. There is also a off page death, but I don't want too much since it is a bit of a spoiler.

This book was very interesting, and speaks to the ways people (especially women) make themselves smaller so others can be larger. It's one of my first encounters with a truly unreliable narrator, and the depth of how they are unreliable is a very slow burn.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was well-written. I recommend it for folks who like women's stories that focus on reclaiming power, and also people who like revenge stories.

Invisible Woman written by Katia Lief and narrated by Carrington MacDuffie is a powerful novel grounded in the "Me Too" movement of Hollywood and how skeletons in the closet alwys come out and wreak havoc and mayhem when they do

I really enjoyed Carrington MacDuffies narration of this book, switching and changing through scenes with elegance and skilled oration. A powerful performance

Joni Ackerman is a filmmaker, but she made the choice to focus on motherhood. 25 years fly by and we meet her in her kitchen, with an offer to make a special "female filmmakers of the 70s and 80s" ooof. Joni jokes with her husband about making the move to making TV shows, but he reiterates, TV is his world (as a high flying tv Exec) and her world is film

The news breaks of a scandal in Hollywood, a big time producer is accused of SA and this is far, far too close to home. Joni has a secret, a secret that has driven a wedge between her and her best friend, a secret related to the scandal that they promised they would never talk about, after all, the 80s and 90s were a different time, a time when rape was considered more of an occupational hazard that would be ignored than a brutal crime

Complicated enough, but who was the mysterious man who was with the attacker?

An outstanding piece that had me completely hooked from the beginning. The writing is personable and relatable, Joni being an innately likable character. The dialogue is well structured as is the plotline. A fantastic story, very well written and highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Katia Lief and narrator Carrington MacDuffie for this outstanding ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

After being smashed under patriarchy, all women want to be is visible. But there are moments, they will be perfectly fine being invisible especially if it is to take toxic men down. It’s okay play distraught wife, careful mother, and somber woman game.

Joni was all ears when women started speaking against her husband’s best friend/her best friend’s rapist. Finally women found courage to speak up. She thought her friend could do same. Now there was more chance for her to be taken seriously. But her friend was reluctant. Joni took this very personally. While she was looking for ways to make Val speak up, she started to realize someone was trying to hard to shut Joni and Val down. She was suspicious of someone but could it be?!

While I don’t encourage violence when people can be tamed by prisons, I liked the feminist fight in this book. I liked how women used men’s diminishing views on them against them

I received a copy of the audiobook to provide an honest review.
The narrator, Carrington MacDuffie, did a great job narrating the cast of this audiobook. She kept the story flowing & engaging.

A suspense-filled drama taking place in Hollywood; centered around filmmaker Joni Ackerman. The story focuses around the “Me Too” movement and explores how SA & r*pe affect marriages and friendships. I really grew to like and care about the two main characters of the book. I felt a sense of woman empowerment throughout the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and finished it in one day!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc of this book.

Oooh I loved this dark, twisty story about the bonds of female friendship, loyalty and the way a horrible rape incident in college comes back to haunt their adult lives when accusations start to fly in the present.

Told in alternating perspectives as Joni and Val reflect on their lives in college working on indie films versus the way their lives changed as they became wives and mothers. There was a bit of everything in this domestic drama including secrets, suspense and strong female main characters!

Great on audio and highly recommended! I look forward to reading more from this author!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

⭐⭐⭐
Invisible Woman by Katia Lief, an audiobook narrated by Carrington MacDuffie is strange and different... For some strange reason, I struggle to connect with this story! Around 20% into this book I still didn't have a clue what was going on. In some way, this book felt all over the place. The events felt so much apart! Like they were through in just for the sake of it. And the Alex reveal... what is that about? I struggled to connect with any of the characters, which is sad because the premise sounded so interesting.

Carrington MacDuffie did truly fantastic narration! It was hard to believe there was just one narrator! True talent! I believe it helped me get through this book!

Joni Ackerman’s decision to raise children, 25 years ago made her give up her filmmaker career. She was one of the few women to break into the all-male Hollywood club of feature film directors. As we can guess there were some dark secrets in the past. Joni is ready to talk but not everyone thinks the same... Someone is happy to keep all secrets hidden...

Unfortunately, I felt like this book wasn't for me.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this copy.

definitely woman’s fiction, well written and the narrator for this was great! The title really speaks to what kind of book this is. There is a secret within the film industry and everyone knows about it. Joni eventually wants to reconnect with her friend Val and regarding what happened in the past she wants to speak out about what happened and after years, secrets are coming unfurled and the troubles of that in Joni and Val’s past. This is exactly what the summary is for sure, a literary woman’s thriller and it’s the first one I dipped my toe in and I liked it a lot, it’s very interesting to me. Highly recommend!

I loved the "gentle" thriller that this book was for me. I wasn't on the edge of my seat but I couldn't put it down, either. I found the storyline about Alex a bit out of nowhere and not necessary to the plot but overall, I loved the book.

well, you want a book where nothing really happens, then this is for you. It had potential. I enjoyed the #metoo potential. But the thriller part never really came, and the stuff with the daughter felt like an after thought.

Katia Lief writes a thoughtful character driven exploration of women, marriage, motherhood, friendship, of women becoming invisible as they get getting older, disturbing secrets, class, the #MeToo movement, and the documentation of a life unravelling. I listened to the audio, a psychological suspense drama beautifully and grippingly narrated by Carrington MacDuffie, holding my attention with ease. Early in her career, Joni Ackerman became a successful, award-winning film director and writer, but she gave it all up to to become a mother to 2 children when she married Paul, a producer whose career and industry power simply grew.

With her children now grown up, the couple have moved from California to the hustle and bustle of New York, where Paul is set to celebrate his career and move to the city. This leaves Joni lonely whilst she tries to pick up her career, resentful at the price she has paid for her marriage and family, beginning to turn to the demon drink, her marriage beginning to splinter with the increasing distance between her and Paul. Then a sexual assault scandal explodes, involving one of Paul's long time friends and a producer. This brings to the forefront of Joni's mind what happened in the past to Val at the hands of the same producer. Joni he now reconnects with Val, trying now to push her to step up, to come forward and bring it all out in the open.

However, Val is reluctant, its a complicated, painful and thorny issue with all the consequent and unavoidable repercussions. The flawed Joni's chaotic life begins to spiral out of her control, what is real and what is delusional? There is plentiful social commentary, intrigue, references to Patricial Highsmith's unsettling stories, and surprising twists and turns in Lief's well plotted and brilliantly written novel that touches on such important themes This is not a long read, and I can definitely recommend the wonderful audio. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for an ALC.

A story of friendship and a mild thriller, Invisible Woman is an intriguing tale of a female filmmaker who has been overshadowed by her husband’s Hollywood accolades. Joni, the main character, is thrown into the past when a high profile “me too” story comes to light and she remembers what happened to her college best friend, Val.

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book because I initially thought it was more mother focused than “me too.” I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I felt invested in the story and the empathy I felt for the difficulty of Joni’s situation. Katia Lief’s story-telling was enjoyable and I look forward to reading her future works!

I think the narration by Carrington MacDuffie was stellar and her voice was really enjoyable to listen to for this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Katia Lief for the ALC of this audiobook!

I found myself quickly immersed in this story.
Two friends, one tragic event and secret between them, and then it’s exposed that other women experienced the same thing … coming out years after they had lost touch.

I love stories of women supporting women. That’s what this was, written in the time period of “me too.”
It didn’t feel quite like a thriller as much as a fiction novel but there were a few things I didn’t see coming but I figured out the plot line early on but it did not distract away from the overall story.

I enjoyed the ending. I felt like 95% of the loose strings were wrapped up and would recommend to a friend. The audiobook narrator was great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Publication set for April 9, 2024

This book took me by surprise. I'd never heard of it, but the combination of the title and cover were enough to reel me in. It's a quietly tense story, a kind that I don't normally consider a page-turner, but it gripped me from start to end. I'd describe this as a literary thriller, and though I've only read two before, I'm quickly realizing they're some of my favorites. I did find the 3rd act a bit predictable and would've liked to see it go another way, but that disappointment wasn't big enough to deduct a start.