#BookReview: Linda’s Midlife Crisis by Toni Pike @piketoni1

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a light read from a fellow author I haven’t read before, Toni Pike. I’ll have to check out her other books for sure >>>

book cover for Toni Pike's Linda's Midlife Crisis, showing a woman with arms spread on a beach with a seagull. Gives a free, joyful feel.About the Book:

Meet Linda Lockwood: fifty, fat, frumpy and bullied by her horrible husband Ron and the vile students and principal at the school where she teaches English. But her life is about to undergo a total transformation.

Linda suffers a breakdown after a traumatic classroom incident, and that brings out the worst in Ron and devious principal, Wayne Forsythe. Then she is rocked to discover her husband has a shocking secret.

With her own determination and the help of friends and family, she starts to turn her life around. Her own success might be the best revenge, but life still has some more surprises for Linda.

 

My Review:

🌟🌟🌟🌟

A light and entertaining read

I kept seeing this book around the web and had to pick up a copy.

“Fifty, frumpy, and a few extra kilos. That summarised Linda Lockwood in a few simple words that always seemed to whirl around in her head.” … from this opening line, we’re taken into the life of the main character, Linda, and her awful, awful husband. His character is so well drawn that you hate him and feel angry toward him. This takes skilful writing to pull off.

The pacing was steady, and the storyline straightforward with no plot turns or surprises, making this a light and entertaining read that takes the reader from A to B to C. After Linda’s nervous breakdown, the selfish husband had enough of the situation and left her, which actually worked out in her favour. From that point on, Linda set about turning her life around. She set a weight-loss goal and achieved it. Further, she sold the marital home after the divorce and moved to Canberra to be near her family, where more successes followed with work-related aims. A few bumps in the road would have enriched the reading experience for me, rather than things being so straightforward. However, this made for a relaxing read, and one perfect for the beach in summer.

Here are some lines that stood out for me …

“Every year, a little gloss had been wiped away and now only a dull, rusted undercoat was left.”

And …

“Love was so closely allied to hate and Linda found it hard to separate those two similar feelings.”

And …

“… you have nothing to prove to anyone. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t need anyone else because you have yourself.”

I loved the humour which threads throughout the narrative and the dialogue, and the human interactions that really come alive. Linda’s Midlife Crisis gets a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for rating purposes. If you enjoy a light read with a low-level romance alongside, definitely give this book a go!

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.


I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

22 Comments on “#BookReview: Linda’s Midlife Crisis by Toni Pike @piketoni1

  1. Great review, this one has been pushing its way to the top of my reading list.

  2. This book is waiting for me on my Kindle. Like you, Harmony, I kept seeing great reviews, and I am now adding yours to that list. I look forward to reading it. Congratulations to Toni!

  3. Hi Harmony, a lovely review of Toni’s book which I also enjoyed.

  4. Thank you so much, Harmony – what a wonderful review. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing it, and having this lovely post. I am over the moon, and will share it far and wide. Toni x

    • Yay! So delighted you love the review. That makes my day! Hugs your way, Toni 💕🙂