For me this was a great character read about the way different things impact women around middle age along with the weight of responsibility they bear whilst, certainly in Denise’s case, battling with menopause which is finally being normalised more in fiction. I didn’t especially like Thea but she was a good complex character who doesn’t take the easy route and Denise was extremely relatable in her central family role and constant guilt and worry. They aren’t an obvious match as friends but I think they met at a time when both needed something from the other and that worked well in the story. Whilst Thea’s story gradually became clear to an extent it was definitely Denise who evolved the most and it was eye opening to see her reflect on her life and reconsider many things, it was also interesting to get some of her husbands perspective and appreciate how unaware he really was! 7/10