I’m pretty sure I just read a Hallmark movie. I’ve never seen a Hallmark movie but I’m convinced Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties is everything a Hallmark movie is made out of. A good woman has her life upended after a divorced, does some soul searching and realizes that the end of a marriage isn’t the end of her life, but the beginning of a new one. I can also say that this isn’t a particularly original plot for a movie or a book, but I didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it either.

The plot was something that thousands of books and movies had done before. That’s not a negative or anything, these stories work for a reason. There’s something about a woman picking herself up when the future she thought she knew disappears.

Maggie was a very human character. She was equal parts annoying and interesting. I did pity her a lot in the beginning, as you were supposed to and was rooting for her to get her shit together. I don’t like Adam. Hopefully, he wasn’t written so the reader could find it in their hearts to sympathize with him because I certainly didn’t. Dude was a dick. The logic of lying to your wife about an affair with a younger woman (who didn’t even exist!) so you could divorce is so fucked up. When he showed up after his heart surgery to ask for Maggie to take him back, I wish she would’ve shooed him off the porch with a broom. I have a genuine dislike for a man that doesn’t exist.

The writing wasn’t all that engaging. I didn’t experience any strong emotions from the writing and nothing really pulled me back in when I put my kindle down to do something else. The one thing that irked me slightly was the dialogue. Maybe I’m just a lowbrow hick from the hills of Queens but the way Maggie and almost all the characters spoke was unrealistic. There were several characters from all walks of life and different generations and yet they all had the same sort of tone and voice. An 80 yr old woman, a 54-year-old woman, and a 20-something woman should have pretty distinct voices. There wasn’t any of that in the book. It made the book flatter.

This would be a very good airport of long trip kind of book. There’s no chance of you bursting into giggles or tears in public, just a way to hold your attention when your flight gets canceled for the third time that night. I’d say give it a read. There’s nothing in here that you’ll regret.

This book is very relatable for any woman who has gone through a divorce and hasn’t quite been able to let go.

At first, I had a hard time reading this because my personality isn’t one to sit and wallow. Maggie has this image in her head of her marriage working out, and has completely convinced herself that her husband will realize what a mistake he’s made and come back to her. I get it—no one wants to think that someone doesn’t want them. BUT!!! I hate that she wasted all that time thinking about him.

From about chapter 8 on, I absolutely loved this and rooted for Maggie’s transformation into a confident, divorcee.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for advanced digital copy. A nice light read. Loved Maggie’s wit. I didn’t find her transformation that compelling or interesting in the vein of the main characters of The Copenhagen Aftair or Little French Bistro. A pleasant read.

This was a good read. Likable characters and a good storyline. The main character, Maggie, tended to ramble a bit in her thoughts. I found myself skimming over a paragraph here or there when she was just repeating the same stuff in a different way.
Like Life and Other Near Death Experiences, it starts out strong and funny, but when the protagonist gets introspective, it goes long.
BUT, I did become invested and really wanted to know how things turned out for Maggie and her family. I’m glad I read this and will absolutely recommend it to my fellow readers.

As a woman in her fifties, I totally indentified with this character. Hopefully, my life won’t be shook up in the same way Maggie’s was, but life is full of little earthquakes, it’s all in how we deal with them. And I hope that I’m as brave as Maggie when—and if--my earth is shook.

Not only is Maggie a character worth rooting for, she had a great supporting cast. Who wouldn’t want a fairy godmother like Jean? I loved the relationship Maggie had with her kids and her mother-in-law, Rose. And then there was Charlie…

Great writing, great story, great escape. This was my first Camille Pagan book but it definitely won’t be my last.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

A lightweight, forgettable tale of a woman in her early 50s who finds herself unexpectedly single. I found the plot and characters clichéd, and it often tries too hard to be clever (lots of quips, lots of pointless cultural references). I noted quite a few occasions when the wrong word was used. There was a huge amount of exposition, most of it irrelevant to the plot. I'm afraid this fell far short of the mark for me.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Netgalley and Camille Pagan for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This did not impact my opinion or review in any way.

Oh, boy.

So, I don't think I like Chick Lit. I know that's not a fair thing to say, and I hate the phrasing of the genre, as it's misleading and demeaning in a lot of ways. Most of the books I read and love are written and targeted toward women but have more literary depth, symbolism and style to them. But I felt this book fell into Chick Lit terrority, in the way that it subscribed to many stereotypes of women and pandered to those stereotypes.

Maggie Harris is a nervous woman, but has felt most secure in her marriage to her husband, Adam. That's until he leaves her for (what she thinks is) another woman. She is left empty and lost and spends much of her time wondering how she could win him back.

Then she still goes on a trip to Rome, solo even though it was originally planned to be an anniversary trip for her and her husband. Immediately, she is brought to life by an Italian man flirting with her.

That's the point where I decided to not finish this book. I can abide with a woman finding herself after a separation by discovering who she is as an individual after spending much of her life catering to others. But I can't deal with a woman desperate for male attention as a means for revitalization. I am accustomed to books with strong, badass female protagonists and this one fell profoundly short in that regard.

So, as you see at the top, I gave it 2/5 stars and I did not finish it. I've found that I have so many books I am looking so forward to reading and life is too short to spend reading a book you don't like.

I really enjoyed the novel "Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties", by Camille Pagán. Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author, for the early reading edition of this wonderful book. A heartfelt and sincere series of events and emotions experienced by a woman suddenly faced with divorce. It was inspiring and uplifting, despite the devastating circumstance. A very well written personal evolution, a true quality read.

This is a lighthearted yet sincere take on a scenario we see too often in society - a loving couple builds a life together only to divorce soon after their children become adults. Maggie is a protagonist we can all root for because she is our aunt, our mother, our neighbor, the woman we sit next to at book club, maybe she's even us.

While Maggie was very real, some of the other characters could have used more fleshing out. Instead, they read more like plot devices for Maggie's self-discovery. In fact, the whole book overall could have been more developed. I felt that two of the big events that most of the book led up to were glossed over and were unsatisfying, even though the ending was good and managed to avoid a cliche storyline while still ringing true.

I'm glad I read this book - it was enjoyable enough, but it didn't have the emotional gravity that I had hoped.

I devoured this book, Camille's writing is fantastic. I read this book during a road trip and despite the stormy weather, her writing kept me warm like a cozy blanket. Being a mom of three small children, this book stood out to me and had me reflecting myself throughout the book. I appreciated the raw, realistic feelings. Maggie is a unique character that is torn and I felt that is what I found endearing about her because she didn't jump the gun on things. I felt like I was reading Eat, Pray, Love during some moments of the book, which was fun too. Life can be chaotic, nervous changes, and within there can be some form of awakening. To some, this book may sound run of the mill or typical but I found it very real & raw, overly at times because it connected me as a reader. Thank you Camille for keeping womanhood and what I call "mommy life", at whatever age real. Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the E-copy ARC via Netgalley.

At first I worried this story - despite the clever title - might be cliche, a timeworn re-telling of how a woman finds her way after her husband leaves her. But thankfully I was pleasantly surprised and I thoroughly enjoyed traveling along this journey with Maggie. I like that she had a (buried but nonetheless genuine) career ambition and it was a pleasure to read about her interactions with her children and mother-in-law. Maggie tries to be a good person while not letting others walk all over her. The romance angle is strong too and I loved her decision at the end, which felt well thought out and deserved. Overall this is a charming and uplifting story. Women of all ages should enjoy it.

'Now there was a new woman staring back at me. And she wore the weary expression of a traveler who has lost sight of her destination.'

Women the world over often put themselves aside to care for others, even when they think they are far more progressive than their mother’s before them, that they will never become wallpaper in their own homes. Maybe it’s that unfamiliar person in the mirror who has as much blame as one’s beloved. After almost 30 years of marriage, an affair seems to be reason enough for Maggie’s husband Adam to walk out on their life. It’s a brutal lesson in the illusion of safety and a wake up call about just how estranged Maggie has come from the woman she once was.

“I told you, I’m not in love with you anymore.” The coldness of it, the exasperation because don’t long married couples fall in and out of love with one another til death do they part? How dare he decide he just wants a different life! Just who was this generic woman, with a generic name? How could her own children have seen this coming? One thing is certain, he isn’t coming back and her worry about all the things that could go wrong in life never accounted for something so ordinary as another woman. Adam’s own mother is on her side, but why wouldn’t she be when Maggie is more involved in her needs than her own son? His own mother knows this isn’t how love is supposed to be, so why doesn’t Adam? When hopes for a Thanksgiving reconciliation turns into too much shocking honesty, the anger Maggie needs to channel to get on with things rises.

A trip to Italy is just the escape Maggie needs, to try to gather thoughts about her sinking life, but also to remember she is still a woman with needs, one to be desired. She makes a friend and her entire life changes course. Maggie creates a second life with the ruins of the old, dating again, working, healing and learning how to say no, even to Adam. Fate isn’t finished with her yet, the question is, does she still want what it’s ready to offer?

A novel about uncertainty, losing yourself, growing older, family and rebirth.

Publication Date: February 27, 2018

Lake Union Publishing

I have read other books by Camille Pagan and enjoy how she writes real characters. I really enjoyed Woman Last Seen In Her Thirties. At times it was heartbreaking, but in the end Maggie found herself and became a happy, vibrant, "seen" woman.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was a great and relatable story.

Fifty-three year old Maggie Halfmoon Harris is stunned when her husband comes home and says he's in love with another woman and wants a divorce. Who is she now with her children grown and her husband gone?

It's an oft-told story, but Camille Pagan tells it so well that it doesn't feel that way. This is the first book I've read by her and I'm definitely going to read more. The characters, especially Maggie, felt real and relatable.. Even Adam, Maggie's husband, had moments where he was likable or I felt sorry for him.

As Maggie struggles to find out who she is, she discovers that she can decide who she is and where she wants to be. Through a process of trial and error, she learns to find herself again.

An excellent read, that I stayed up a little too late to finish!

Camille pagan is a master of taking a seemingly overdone topic and making it not only seem new, but funny and thoughtprovoking all at once. This novel is no exception, and it is a lovely take on starting over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Maggie is 53 years old. Her husband is leaving her and is blaming it on a 30 year old woman he met. This is the story of her trying to figure out her life after the news.

I really loved Maggie. I was so impressed with her strength and how she navigated this hard time. Sure, there were a lot of moments where she fell apart, but it seemed like she always found a way to continue on. I loved all the characters in this book, even her husband Adam. I don't want to give too much of this away, but there were a lot of laughs and quirky moments.

My only criticism is that I wanted more! Some of the story lines felt a little short, and I wanted them expanded so the story would feel deeper.

Overall, a really great book, and Maggie is a fantastic character.

Maggie gets the shock of her life when her husband of over 30 years asks for a divorce. It gets worse when she discovers that the other woman he told her about exists, but they are not and have never been completely 'together'. At a loss Maggie takes the long planned trip to Italy herself and decides its time to create a life of her own. Maggie works hard to create a life that makes her truly happy. A story of finding yourself independent of family.

The story was very thought provoking. It is full of ups and downs and twists and turns. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would have done in the position. Would I have gone to Rome alone? Quit my job and moved to a new state? The author expertly describes Maggie’s experience. I was happy with her choices at the end and think she’s going to be ok!
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley for an honor review.

I received a copy of this awesome book from NetGalley. I have to thank them for allowing me to read such a good book.

It’s an age-old story: woman meets man, man woos woman, woman spends her best years believing their love is the everlasting kind.
Woman embraces aging with hair dye and ample amounts of wine. Man faces his impending mortality by convincing himself that a younger woman is the answer to his waning energy and flagging libido.

Those two parts at the beginning were perfect. Drew me right in to find out why...
I fell in love with this book. It was so heart touching. Sad in parts, funny in parts and many happy parts too. It had a bit of all the emotions that make for a good book.

I felt so bad for Maggie when her husband of 28 years decided he was no longer happy with her. But she went out and did things. She got a life. She experienced things and tried things she never would have if Adam had not of done what he did. I didn’t like him. I never felt sorry for him. Mid life crisis my butt. I don’t think it is ever ok to do what he did. But he paid and paid dearly. In my humble opinion he got off pretty light. But he did learn a vital lesson.

I loved how her children stood by her but still didn’t turn against their dad. Even though he sure didn’t set a good example of how a married man should behave. Rose was a gem. I cried reading about her, toward the end. It has to be hard to know you are forgetting the ones you love so dearly. I agree with her that it would be so much better if it would just happen real fast. The remembering then forgetting has to be hell on a person.

This was a very good book and really made me stop and think. What would I do in Maggie’s place. Probaby fall to pieces. I don’t know if I could be as strong as she finally got. I was very touched at how she handled things. How she ended up doing things. It was perfect. The ending was perfect. I honestly loved this book. It is a 5 star read...