Book Review - The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson - #HolidayReading Summer 2022

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Woman in the Middle

Author: Milly Johnson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 14th October 2021

Rating: 4 Stars

The emotional, uplifting and completely relatable new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Milly Johnson.

 

Shay Bastable is the woman in the middle. She is part of the sandwich generation – caring for her parents and her children, supporting her husband Bruce, holding them all together and caring for them as best she can.

 

Then the arrival of a large orange skip on her mother’s estate sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events which leads to the collapse of Shay’s world. She is forced to put herself first for a change.

 

But in order to move forward with her present, Shay needs to make sense of her past. And so she returns to the little village she grew up in, to uncover the truth about what happened to her when she was younger. And in doing so, she discovers that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to find the only way is up.

Starting off with a sandwich analogy for how Shay feels, this book goes from strength to strength with its great looks at marriage, mental health, family, and a whole lot more too. 

There are so many interwoven threads especially within Shay's family that it may seem daunting at first to follow, but once you get your head in the game, and are engrossed between the pages, it all comes together incredibly well.

I am reluctant to say too much as it really is a book best read  with no prior knowledge, just go into it with an open mind and be prepared to be dazzled by Milly Johnson's storytelling prowess about just an ordinary typical family and the life they lead. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.