The book lacked an element of surprise for me and I dislike how the book just ends. I was curious to find out what would happen between the husband and the wife and would the relationship between the two woman continue despite the secret Shar kept. I did finish the book but was disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to preview this book. It turns out to be a tale of Toronto suburbia meets erotica. The three main adult characters are well portrayed. Eliza is happily married to Andrew with two young boys. She has her own career which is going well. Eliza's only "me" time is at the pool for two hours a week, where she meets Shar in the change room. The story is interesting and well written. The ending seemed rather abrupt, however, that was probably the author's intention. Recommended.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a recommendation from NetGalley. To be honest, this is not a genre I typically read so I was simply going to delete the email and move on, but after reading a glowing endorsement by Ami McKay (author of The Birth House, The Virgin Cure, and The Witches of New York), I decided to give it a chance. I was caught by surprise, Connelly's writing is really good—she captures the psyche of a middle-aged mother/wife/woman so well against a really cool setting (for those of us who are lucky enough to be based in and around Toronto).

Erotic. Truthful. Clever. Connelly begs the question: does anyone really have it all?

This book felt familiar and set apart as well. I enjoyed the story, and was left wanting more, for it to be tied up in a nice bow at the end. The story is relatable, while also interesting and a wee bit edgy. I recommend if you are looking for something new to read.

Eliza has a fairly typical marriage with Andrew. He is the absent minded mathematician and she is the never ceasing mother of two, housekeeper and successful business owner. So often her week was taking up with thinking about everyone else that she was left with two sacred mornings a week in which she went to the local community centre and swam in the small pool, a way of reminding herself of life and a time long past.
It is here at the community centre that Eliza meets Shar, a woman who is to have a profound impact on her steady life. Shar opens up a part of Eliza like an exotic perfumes flower, bringing a part of Eliza to life that she had suppressed for years.
Eliza is easy to identify with. The same treadmill of duty and responsibility will be familiar to many people. The predicament and the choices she made might not always seem correct, but the under current of the flow is instantly knowable. The prose is fragile as a bloom fully open to the elements, but is strong and in your face like the fragrance of lilac on a summer evening. Shar is that elusive thing, the free spirit with nothing tying her down. The relationship between Eliza and Shar is visceral and all consuming.
Strangely there is nothing delicate about this book. It is raw and it is extraordinarily explicit. It takes the reader through a journey that ends with a slap to the face, leaving you wanting more and being left unsatisfied in a very pleasurable way.

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read Karen Connelly's novel, The Change Room, in exchange for an honest review. First of all, I could not put the book down!!! Eliza, the main character is deeply rooted in her unbelievably busy life of marriage, two children, a thriving business, and a household with very limited time to her self. Her "alone' time is found at the community swimming pool where she encounters a woman she calls "the Amazon", who not only awakens the sexual desires she is missing in her otherwise fulfilled life, but forces her to look honestly at what it means to be honest, open and true to yourself. I could feel how torn she was between the passion she had created with her Amazon and the life she knew, still wanted and loved. While i immensely enjoyed the novel, I was somewhat irked at the ending as I wanted to know more.....

Sorry not my cup of tea, I could not finish it. Not posting public review.