I guess you could say I’m reviewing the entire Midlife Trilogy in one review, because I read the first two during my slight unplanned hiatus from blogging and their reviews wound up being really quick goodreads reviews. I didn’t do them justice, and that isn’t fair because this is a really wonderful series. All three books follow three friends: Helen, Caro and Kay. Each woman is unique to her own experiences, but they have a bond forged by almost a lifetime of shared history. The Midlife Trilogy begins with A Midlife Holiday, in which the three friends go together to Cyprus, each one simultaneously escaping the difficulties of their middle-aged existences and searching for some meaning in their monotonous but complicated lives. Some serious stuff happens, and then that brings us to the second book in the series, A Midlife Baby. That title probably perked you up, didn’t it? Things get even more complicated in this book and some serious shocks get thrown our way culminating in quite the cliff-hanger. In A Midlife Gamble, we find the quintessential final book. Suspense, raw emotion, and an explosive conclusion that’s really quite satisfying.

On the surface, these books give off the sweet “chick lit” vibe, but in all honestly they delve very deep into some intense subjects of female identity, friendship, romantic relationships, and mortality. There are resentments and deceptions, but their presence is less soap opera-y and more human and real. In fact, these women feel so real. They are the woman you see at the supermarket who looks a bit frumpy and spent and who doesn’t really smile from her eyes. They are the fashionable, perfectly coiffed woman in heels whose hard-edged business approach hides her true insecurities. And they are the one with the perfect life and the perfect family who is drowning on the inside beneath the things she never says.

Their friendship is sweet and complicated, and each book sort of serves the purpose of helping each woman find her voice, in the world and in their friendship. Boy, do things happen. Lots of things. It’s a fast paced, funny, delightful series and I never found myself getting bored. I could have hung out with these ladies forever. Even when they were selfish and cruel to one another, I still loved and rooted for them. The whole series is bursting with authenticity with just enough Stella getting her groove back fantasy to charm the hopeless romantic in us all. Pleasantly, though, that all takes a back seat and is merely the gateway to the women finding themselves and each other.

Honestly, the ending broke out of the authentic mold and drifted toward completely ludicrous and unlikely. Really, though, I can’t say that I mind. I loved the twists and surprises, no matter how unlikely they wound up being. This series just leaves me with a smile on my face, and sometimes that’s what I’m looking for. And it’s a great reminder as I get older to never give up on myself and never stop choosing my own happiness. Some days it’s really difficult for us women to advocate for ourselves, but it’s completely ok if we do. It really is.

Published May 17, 2023 by Hansson Publishing. ISBN 9798368921105. Runtime 9 hrs, 30 mins. Narrated by Lisa Armytage.