I've had this book for years, I still haven't, unfortunately, got to it, so this is a placeholder review to reduce my shelf for my own sanity, but will replace this if I ever get to the book

This book was just an okay read. Although there were a few twists in it the story overall was quite predictable and did not keep me interested.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

Lebensnah, voller Lachen und Tränen. Die Lektüre trifft den Nerv und mitten ins Herz.
Ein Buch, von denen man sich mehr wünscht im Leben.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book.
I heard great things about this but for me it was just an ok read. It was funny in places but not overly laughing out loud kind!
The main character Roberta dislikes everything - life, family, work, EVERYTHING. To top it all she is menopausal!
she receives a letter from her past which makes her think about changing things, to be a better person, mother, wife, . This is her story to do just that. Will her past indeed help shape a better future.
Witty and funny in places. Holiday reading maybe?

The M Word by Eileen Wharton.
The M word is a great read. A book to get lost in, a book that holds so much truth in it. It's a great story to follow, yet it's a story most women of a certain age will relate to.
It's fun, it's honest, thought provoking, it's a bloody great read.
Filled with Laugh out loud moments, just be careful where you are when you read this book, you may end up sat on bus with quite a lot of folk giving you funny looks like I did. On the plus side the lady next to me actually asked what I was reading, and she got off the bus with a piece of paper with the title and author to go buy the book. lol
'Roberta Gallbreath is middle aged and menopausal. She dislikes her children, detests her ex-husband and despises her colleagues.'
Now how many of us can this relate to, lol.... I thought Eileen had secretly been watching my life in parts of this book. Although as a mother I must say I don't dislike my child. lol.
Roberta is on a journey to find herself. A great and interesting character I loved following every bit of her journey. She's an amazing funny character, that seems to just say things as it is.
I'm thinking maybe dr's should give this book out to people who go to get their HRT tablets. Anyone going through the Menopause should read this. lol..

A great read that the author has managed to get it all just 'spot on'

I enjoyed the book and the relationship Roberta had with her own mother and her children. I would recommend it as being worth a read.

When we’re young, we tend to look ahead with excitement and optimism, planning out our happily ever after. But in The M Word by Eileen Wharton, a middle-aged woman is frustrated by all of the ways in which her life has been a disappointment—only to find that it’s about to take some big new twists.

Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

The m word by Eileen Wharton.
Roberta gets a call from her sister Felicity.  She says their mother is dying and only has days to live. So Roberta goes to see her mother in hospital. They have a talk and her mother tells her about some letters she wants her to have. Then she dies. When she gets home she starts reading the letters.
Omg an absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters.  I loved Roberta and her friend Tammy.  I loved how they spoke with each other. This was a refreshing change for me. I do hope there is more to come from Roberta.  5*.

I loved The M Word. Roberta, is such a loveable, funny character and I can not wait for the next installment.
This book is a laugh out loud, lighthearted book of a woman going through the Menopause, mid life crises and the mental stress of looking for love or is she?

This was a quick women’s fiction read. The main character Roberta, is not one that is easy to like to connect with because of her attitude towards everyone including her own children. I didn’t really like the beginning but as the character begins to understand how her mother treated her the way she did, it makes her self reflect on how she is treating her children and other people in her life and make a change. If you need a quick read about a woman understanding her mother’s past and then deciding wheather or not to continue on the path that her mother did with letters from the past, you will like this one.

I wasn't sure what to think of this book in the beginning. It seemed all over the place, but as I got into the book I enjoyed it. I liked the multiple timelines and the letters. This book was funny and had a bit of a mystery. I would recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Thank you so much to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for this absolutely fantastic book by Eileen Wharton.
Oh god where do I start. I adore Roberta and her rants and her hatred of everything. Her failed dips in the pool of relationships. It literally cracked me up reading about her escapades. The scenes in the Crown hotel absolutely first class. As a woman currently going through the menopause I totally identified with her, She tells it as it is and to hell with the consequences. However saying that deep deep down ,she has a heart of gold somewhere!!! The scenes where she reads her mothers letters really pulled at my heart strings and went someway to explain her mam and why she was the way she was. Beautifully written. Being set up in the Newcastle area I could picture the places described. If you want a laugh out loud but sometimes touching read pick up a copy and enjoy. Bloody marvellous.

I'm sure this book will find its target audience who will find it hilarious and will enjoy it a lot. Unfortunately the magic didn't work for me. I could not relate to the heroine - I simply didn't like her. I also found the funny voice a bit forced. The two parallel time frames should have been great. However, I didn't feel that the letters, the past events blend into the main storyline making a rich tapestry. So I feel disappointed because I had hoped for something entirely different. But, again, we are all different with different tastes and this book might well be a success with other readers.

I was extremely privileged to have been asked to be a Beta Reader for this book in it’s original incarnation in the middle of last year, so was happy for Eileen that she had a publisher for it, and also that it was one I deal with for blog tours so I could agree to be on this brilliant tour to promote the book.

The book isn’t one I would normally read but it did sound very interesting and funny when pitched to me last year that I thought I would give it a go. I’m glad I did as it had a lot of funny moments in it, but also some heartfelt ones which were well written.

The book follows Roberta as she writes in her diary, whilst also thinking she has hit the menopause. The humour which Roberta writes throughout her diary is extremely funny and makes you fall in love with her and hope that everything turns out ok in the end.

Some of the funniest bits of the book involved Roberta going on dates and hooking up with people on social media and tinder for blind dates, with the expected results. The way these are written imply to me how well Eileen has done her research on this, I’m guessing a lot of it is from people’s personal experiences as they are very funny and plausible from what people have told me.

I am really glad that I took a chance on this book as I loved it and can highly recommend it to everyone.

This book wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. It had a great concept and plot with a good character development but it wasn’t that engaging to me. It started out funny but then I just didn't "feel" it was going anywhere. Maybe it's just me? Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel was an absolute hoot! OMG...I laughed out loud SO many times and it's been a LONG time since I read a book that did that. This is so hilarious

If you need a book to lift the spirits then look no further. Any woman that is menopausal, peri-menopausal middle-aged or even just female will crack up and relate so much to the very real characters in this fun novel.

This does not let up on the humour from the get-go. No mushy bits here, just quick wit and very funny outbursts and plot. I was hooked from page one and read this over a few hours. I was actually laughing out loud much to the amusement of my two cats. I could relate SO much being 46 and menopausal and a woman! The author has really just tapped into real people, real characters that are incredibly likable and you end up feeling like you have a new friend at the end of the book with the main character.

This is very sparky writing, quick-witted and sharp. It doesn't miss a beat and is a perfect summer read. There are some interesting threads running through the book that collide at the end, I didn't expect the few shocks and surprises, they were an added bonus. One of the best books I have read this year in this genre and it has found its place in my Longlist of Top Reads of 2018! 5 huge stars from me. Honestly - do yourself a favour, grab this book, your favourite tipple, a comfy seat and just enjoy.

5☆ Kept Me Smiling

The M Word is a heart warming, witty yet fun read, it kept me smiling just what I've needed the last few days.

Eileen has written a Compelling quick read that kept me turning pages and giggling the whole way through.

The story is written in Roberta's voice.
After her mother passes away she leaves her daughter a pile of letters.
As Roberta starts to read the letters she starts to uncover secrets of her mother's past.

I loved the letter writing. It was mixed with Roberta's diary which really showed her vulnerable side.
I also adored getting to know her mother, the letters were fascinating and I found myself turning pages to discover more.

The M Word, has a good dose of humour, Mystery, intrigue, the characters are witty and relatable.
The story is engaging and draws you in.
I highly recommend this adorable book.

It is rare to find a book so difficult to put down outside of the thriller genre but I had no difficulty at all in reading this cracking little book in one sitting. It is so funny that I couldn't contain my laughter and I felt as if I was completely attuned to Eileen Wharton's prosecco-style humour (sparkling and dry, get it?).

In fact, I felt as if Eileen Wharton knew me personally as I recognised so much of myself in the book; does the 'M' in The M Word perhaps stand for Michelle? I couldn't believe that both Roberta and I have an office bitch mug and anyone who knows me will have heard me referring to 'meat' sausages as being made of hooves and @rseholes, which is pretty much how hotdogs are described in this book. So it was with tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks that I read most of The M Word, but life isn't always a comedy so Roberta also has many of the ups and downs of every day life to deal with.

Roberta is such a fabulous character; she is so honest and outspoken that you can't help but immediately love her. It's quite sad at the beginning when Roberta finds out that her mother, Alice, is dying but when she visits her for the final time it is clear from their constant sniping at each other that they don't have a traditional mother/daughter relationship. With her dying breath, Alice drops a bombshell and tells Roberta that the letters will explain everything. As we read these heartbreaking letters with Roberta, we learn a lot more about Alice and why she was never able to show Roberta how much she loved her.

When her husband, Andy aka Knobhead, ran off with Terri-Ann from Thomas Cook, Roberta is encouraged by her hilarious friend, Tammy, to try internet dating. This had my kindle shaking with laughter as Roberta went on one disastrous date after another in her attempt to show her boss, Mick the dick, that she could get a hot date for the company ball. Roberta has no idea that when Mick asked her if she was taking a date to the ball, he was hoping she'd say no so he could go with her. Awwwwww. I had my fingers crossed for those two as Mick is completely smitten with Roberta but she's too insecure to see it.

I could write so much more about this book as I think it's brilliant; it is perfectly balanced with seriousness and humour and also contains a variant of my favourite Geordie word ever: claggy (meaning sticky). I loved the witty hashtags sprinkled throughout, like #sickasachip and #datingdisaster which you could imagine Roberta using on social media if she's one of those people who document every minutiae of their lives online #asifanyoneisinterested. I will also never look at a bottle stopper in the same way ever again...and again it reminded me of a funny day in my life when one of my colleagues in a design business asked me if I though his sculpture looked like a 'bottle stopper'. He didn't say bottle stopper, but if you read The M Word you'll know what I mean! I didn't even know what it was! #shelteredlife

I abso-blooming-lutely recommend The M Word: it's fresh, honest and filled to the brim with sparkling dry humour. It's so good I definitely want to read it again!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy. 4.5*

Roberta is a mouthy ballsy sarcastic menopausal mother of 3 adult children. Roberta visits her mother just before she dies and is told to read the letters. She then discovers a whole heap of long buried family secrets which explains her cold and mean tongued mother.

Roberta meanwhile is dipping her toe into online dating and the descriptions of these dates had me laughing out loud. The rollercoaster of her life is hilarious and her dirty mouth and sarcastic manner get her into a whole heap of trouble. I loved her brutal honesty and her dysfunctional relationships with just about everybody including her children. She does not make it easy for people to like her never mind love her.

I look forward to the next in the series!