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A review by beate251
Hot Not Bothered by Harper Ford
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC.
"I’m Heidi Hobbes. And I’m fresh out of f**ks."
Heidi is a busy 52 year old divorced mother of two daughters, working in a mind-numbing admin job in Oxford. She is deep in the throes of peri-menopause which doesn't just mean hot flushes but also now and then uncontrollable rage. When management send a deeply unhelpful and patronising email round about support for menopausal women by letting them buy overpriced desk fans, she lets rip in a glorious, expletive-laden 'reply all'. She doesn't mean to actually send it but somehow it finds its way into every inbox in the company. Luckily, instead of getting fired she is tasked with starting a support group for menopausal women. At the same time she reconnects with two guys from her past, Luke and Nate, prior to an upcoming 30 year school reunion.
The tone of the book is light-hearted and extremely funny, but
it is at its strongest when it tackles the problems of the five women in the Menopause Group (the M&M's), their physical but also mental issues including horrible husbands, judgy parents and loneliness. Menopause and its symptoms are discussed at length - symptoms which are more encompassing than many people realise. The problems with access to and understanding from doctors and nurses are also very realistically portrayed.
I'm 53 myself, with many menopausal symptoms and this book felt like it was written for me. I could relate so hard with those overlooked and raging women who had to fight for every little bit of HRT.
The side characters are fantastic and round the story off with interesting friends, funny family and an enigmatic cat.
I didn't care much about the second chances love triangle though, with a third-act breakup that makes no sense whatsoever. The school reunion party was a hoot though!
Altogether this is a fresh, entertaining and searingly honest account of navigating life when your hormones are all over the shop, you can't remember the word for cauliflower and have put the lamb in the dishwasher instead of the oven. When you get digestive issues and pertaining to that develop anxiety and a fear of travel. When you look in the mirror and find yourself completely unattractive. There is a strong sense of female bonding, friendship and empowerment in this story - the morale is you can and should accept help because you're all in it together.
I have put the author's other novel "Divorced Not Dead" on my library list, and if it's anything like this, I know I will enjoy it immensely.
"I’m Heidi Hobbes. And I’m fresh out of f**ks."
Heidi is a busy 52 year old divorced mother of two daughters, working in a mind-numbing admin job in Oxford. She is deep in the throes of peri-menopause which doesn't just mean hot flushes but also now and then uncontrollable rage. When management send a deeply unhelpful and patronising email round about support for menopausal women by letting them buy overpriced desk fans, she lets rip in a glorious, expletive-laden 'reply all'. She doesn't mean to actually send it but somehow it finds its way into every inbox in the company. Luckily, instead of getting fired she is tasked with starting a support group for menopausal women. At the same time she reconnects with two guys from her past, Luke and Nate, prior to an upcoming 30 year school reunion.
The tone of the book is light-hearted and extremely funny, but
it is at its strongest when it tackles the problems of the five women in the Menopause Group (the M&M's), their physical but also mental issues including horrible husbands, judgy parents and loneliness. Menopause and its symptoms are discussed at length - symptoms which are more encompassing than many people realise. The problems with access to and understanding from doctors and nurses are also very realistically portrayed.
I'm 53 myself, with many menopausal symptoms and this book felt like it was written for me. I could relate so hard with those overlooked and raging women who had to fight for every little bit of HRT.
The side characters are fantastic and round the story off with interesting friends, funny family and an enigmatic cat.
I didn't care much about the second chances love triangle though, with a third-act breakup that makes no sense whatsoever. The school reunion party was a hoot though!
Altogether this is a fresh, entertaining and searingly honest account of navigating life when your hormones are all over the shop, you can't remember the word for cauliflower and have put the lamb in the dishwasher instead of the oven. When you get digestive issues and pertaining to that develop anxiety and a fear of travel. When you look in the mirror and find yourself completely unattractive. There is a strong sense of female bonding, friendship and empowerment in this story - the morale is you can and should accept help because you're all in it together.
I have put the author's other novel "Divorced Not Dead" on my library list, and if it's anything like this, I know I will enjoy it immensely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting