Such a heartwarming (and at times heartbreaking) story. I enjoyed the back and forth of the timeline that helped to explain how Missy grew to become the lonely lady she was, and how her thought process worked. Her imperfect marriage that wasn’t focused on love but rather just dedication to each other led to a lot of repressed emotions. When Leo got sick, she was further isolated, and didn’t feel worthy of anyone’s time. I enjoyed the development of the friendships she made, and how important they all became to each other. Later events (some involving a car) were emotional, but the resolution at the end made me feel like anything is possible - and that every one is deserving of living life to the fullest

This book looked to have so much promise for me at the start, as it was wonderful to read about Millicent (Missy) Carmichaelin who was cumming up to her 79th year of age. But with the fliping from present to the past, it quickly for me that it lost my focus and my interest.

I was not feeling an uplifting vibe from the story just regret and loneliness that I just could not continue to read to the end.

Saving Missy was a slow burn for me. It felt heavy at times, as it explores themes of life disappointment, loneliness, isolation and challenging relationships, I almost thought this book wasn't for me but Missy grew on me.

As I got to learn more about Missy and why she was the way she was, I developed more of a soft spot for her. I think what helped here is how Beth Morrey gradually chips away at Missy's harsh, negative voice and way. A joyful cast of characters burst into Missy's life and they gradually remould and shape her. Giving her permission to open her heart again, be apart of a generous community and find her way in the world again, at the ripe age of 79.

I loved how Morrey gave us flashbacks of Missy's youth. Pivotal moments that had shaped and defined her. I loved this dual character development - getting insight from the past about current day Missy, while the present story was also forcing Missy to get uncomfortable and grow and she entered a new season of her life.

There are some components in the last part of the book that truly moved me (and I may not be able to forgive the author for doing). All in all this book is a celebration of life and community and that you are always able to make change and find hope in life.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this complimentary e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Saving Missy is a poignant and heartwarming debut novel from Beth Morrey about ageing, loss, friendship, and forgiveness.

Seventy-nine year old Millicent ‘Missy’ Carmichael lives in a large, spartan home in central London. Her husband, Leo, is gone, her son, Alistair, his wife and her beloved grandson, Arthur, have emigrated to Australia, and she hasn’t spoken to her daughter, Melanie, in almost a year. Having devoted her life to her family, she now finds herself alone, and lonely, dwelling on the mistakes of her past, relieved only by a ‘sip’ of sherry.

“Sometimes the loneliness was overpowering. Not just the immediate loneliness of living in a huge house on my own, loved ones far away, but a more abstract, galactic isolation, like a leaking boat bobbing in open water, no anchor or land in sight.“

It’s an awkward encounter at the local park with a warm and friendly women named Sylvie, and Angela, a young, extroverted and opinionated woman with a young son, Otis, that begins to coax a reluctant Missy into the world, and a dog named Bob in need of a home who yanks her into it.

“So here we are: the old biddy, the single mother, the superhero and the adopted mongrel…”

Morrey’s portrait of Missy is well crafted and developed. Initially, Missy comes across as an unpleasant, judgemental, ‘fuddy-duddy’, but it becomes clear that her attitude is a result of her own insecurities, a touch of anxiety and depression, and a guilty secret that has festered for decades. Her reminisces appear to confirm that this has been a life long issue for her, and matters have only worsened as she has aged, and finally left with only her own thoughts for company.

“Perhaps I’d said something at the lunch that she objected to? She was very left-wing. Or perhaps it was something I hadn’t said? I had no witty anecdotes, knew none of the mutual acquaintances they’d discussed, and most of all I was so old, so jaundiced – who would want to be friends with me?”

The author successfully evokes a range of emotions for Missy, from dislike to pity to admiration as Missy begins to confront her past, and her future. Sylvia and Angela are both delightful in their own way, but it’s Bob that comes close to stealing the ‘show’.

“My Bobby, the dog I didn’t want, didn’t own, but who was truly mine in a way that no one else ever had been.”

Though I thought the pace was a little slow during the first half of the novel, and the storyline didn’t really offer any surprises, Saving Missy definitely has its charms.

An uplifting reminder of how vital connection and acceptance are to us all, the benefits of unconditional companionship and love from a pet, and that age is no barrier to enjoying either, Saving Missy is an engaging and thoughtful novel.

Saving Missy by Beth Morrey

I loved this book but it did take me a while to get into the story but once I was hooked, I could not put the book down.

Missy, she is 79 and is very much a loner but as I got to know her more, I fell in love with her and the two ladies she befriends Angela and Sylvie.

I found the story very enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to everyone.
I would like to thank Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book.

I wasn't sure that I would when I realised that the main character is a 79 year old woman.
I wasn't sure how I would connect with her or her story.
Oh, but I did. Saving Missy isn't just about a 79 year old woman, struggling to figure out what the next stage of her life should look like, it's a celebration of community and the kindness of others.

In this busy world it's very easy to cut yourself off from the wider community, and become isolated, even if you live in a big city. Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone, meet new people and try new things, and that's what Missy does. This book is a reminder that we need people in our lives, especially when we think that we don't.

There is also a very clever storyline that runs through the book, and a revelation at the end that I didn't see coming. For someone that reads a lot, it's always a pleasure to be surprised.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* What a truly beautiful book about the powerful redemption that comes with friendship and dog ownership. 'Saving Missy' is reminiscent of the wildly popular 'Eleanor Oliphant' by Gail Honeyman and 'The Cactus' by Sarah Haywood. If you enjoyed either (or both) of those books, then you are in for a treat. 'Saving Missy' focuses on the incredibly empty and lonely life of Millicent Carmichael. Missy to her friends... if she had any friends. Missy lives by herself in a sprawling old house and has little to fill her days. That is, until she meets Otis, Angela and Sylvie at the local park. Little does she know, her life will never be the same. Whilst the majority of the novel is set in the present, it is interspersed with scenes from her childhood and youth to build up the picture of how Missy became the woman she is today. A truly delightful book that I am so glad I read.

Saving Missy is a delightful, unique and heartbreaking story all in one that took me by surprise. It started a little slow for me but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down.

Missy is in her late 70’s, she lives at home by herself and is living a very lonely life and only leaves the house when absolutely necessary. She has basically given up all hope on life until one day she goes for a walk in the park and meets Sylvie and Angela and from there her life begins to take on new meaning and fulfilment.

I loved the supporting characters and the relationships and joy they bring to Missy’s life. I particularly enjoyed the reconciliation between Missy and her daughter.

Overall I really enjoyed this charming and very heartwarming story that although very sad at times was also very uplifting and I felt an incredible joy as Missy’s character develops and she finds herself again. Such a wonderful read which shows the incredible importance of friendship.

I want to thank HarpersCollins Australia and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to start by saying this is a quiet book, but I know that can mean the kiss of death sometimes Yet it is a quiet story, one that is so rich with character and history and women's lives. Having read a few "Gone Girl" clones I kept waiting for something dire to happen and it does, but not in the sense of death and murder and high drama. Rather Missy's life slowly unfolds before us in a way that can't fail to engage.
The loneliness of old age is something that I'm sure many people fear. Missy is hale and hearty in herself, so this is not a story about dementia at all. Rather it's a poignant story about isolation - self-imposed isolation - and the gradual drawing out of Missy via accidental friends, a dog and finally a real connection back to family (rather than distant emails and photos) and that is what drew me on in the novel.
At times the dives back into the past were a little irritating, but I began to see that they were all a part of why Missy is now so fearful of the world and so unwilling to let anyone in. After all, with a husband like Leo, what more could you need?
The saddest part is all the things that she missed out on, in her quest to keep Leo by her side. The story raises multiple questions about women who step back and support rather than claim their own limelight. Young women today may not understand or be interested, perhaps, and yet ultimately "Saving Missy" is still a story for all ages. "There but for the grace of God..." perhaps.
By halfway through, I stopped waiting for major drama and just thoroughly enjoyed the story of a woman who seems as real to me as my own older friends. Can't wait to recommend this to them all.

Not my normal genre but an entertaining read.

A very human tale. 78 year old Missy Carmichael is alone, missing her husband Leo, pining her beloved son and grandson who have moved to Australia, and estranged from her daughter. Circumstances result in her meeting some new people, and slowly she is coaxed back into the world.

A beautiful story of finding your way once your life as you know it changes. I loved Missy and her honesty, she had a though life with every one else coming first. Now in a long time she has to start doing things for her and finding where she fits in. My heart went out to her wishing she would find her happiness. A lovely story.

Missy is 79 years old and lives alone in the family home she lived in with her husband. He is now gone and so have her adult kids that they raised there. It no longer looks or feels like a home. It is now just a house. She is lonely. She is very alone. She is existing.

‘Such crushing silence. It seemed like my whole life had been a cacophony, a constant buzzing and background chatter, and then Leo went and there was suddenly total and absolute stillness. Stillness, and silence and space. What I’d supposedly craved all those years, and it was the worst, most cloying thing I’d ever experienced.’

After an encounter with the vivacious Angela and her son Otis, Missy reluctantly finds herself with a new friend. The circle begins to grow a little bit more with the addition of Sylvie and eventually the thing that truly gives her a reason to keep going every day, a lovely dog to care for called Bobby. All of a sudden MIssy feels less lonely. She wasn’t looking for any of this but it seemed to find her, filling places in her that were closed off.

The story flicks from the present and back into the past as we get glimpses into her marriage and childhood memories. After all, we are all products of our past and delving into Missy’s definitely gives context to the person she is today. As a wife and mother, she made a lot of sacrifices at the expense of her own personal happiness. She put everyone else first which often left her with feelings of resentment towards her husband. She never really pursued her own dreams. While her husband shined in the spotlight of his career success, she blended into the background, keeping everything at home on an even keel.

‘Mama would never have given up a career to run a household. She marched to the beat of her own drum, whereas I seeed to listen out for everyone else’s.’

To the outsider Missy is a bit off-hand and gruff. She is not easy to like but once people get to know her you will see past her stand off exterior and the true person she is. Her home now feels less lonely and her days are filled with things she looks forward to. She also begins to reflect on her relationship with her children and finds the courage to mend a few bridges.

Along the way we learn of the struggles she has with one of her children, things she kept from her husband and secrets he thought he kept from his intuitive wife. This is a story about sacrifice, friendship, love and laughter. And plenty of bottles of prosecco. The awakening of Missy and she reclaims the life she has left now. I have a couple of lovely friends who are in their 70’s so I could totally picture all the times these ladies shared a bottle of wine together.

This story was a highlight to the beginning of 2020 for me. A great reminder that you are never too old and it’s never too late to do new things.

‘If you really want something, you hang on.’

Millicent (Missy) Carmichael is nearing 79 years of age, lonely, and alone. Her son Alistair and grandson Arthur have just returned home to Australia, she doesn’t have much contact with her daughter Melanie. Missy had devoted her life to her husband Leo and her children. Now she has time on her hands, and nothing much to do. Alone in her home with memories, Missy decides to venture out to the park. A chance meeting (or two) changes Missy’s life.

Missy meets two women and a small boy. And gradually, her life changes. Missy discovers that she does not have to be alone, that others welcome her into their lives. But Missy feels guilty about something that happened a long time ago, and she’s also ignoring some practical concerns.

So how can Missy be saved? Meet a dog named Bobby, a kind and talented woman named Sylvie, Angela and her son Otis. Gradually Missy’s story unfolds: we learn of her past, of life with Leo, of the sacrifices she’s made. And in the present, we watch her reclaim life.

‘So here we are: the old biddy, the single mother, the superhero and the adopted mongrel, on our way to see my daughter marry her girlfriend.’’

This is Ms Morrey’s debut novel, and it touches on several of the issues that will become real for many of us as we age. ‘Never get old’, my later father-in-law used to say. Unfortunately, the alternative doesn’t appeal.

I enjoyed this novel, and while the ending was a little too neat it was still very satisfying.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I was, well am... a huge fan of UK author Anita Brookner. She wrote about loneliness and aloneness brilliantly. Poignantly.

Saving Missy by Beth Morrey is about certainly about loneliness. And aloneness. Two different things in my book. But it's also a lovely story about hope, kindness, generosity and fate... people arriving in our lives when we most need them.

Initially I thought this book may lean towards Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine or Britt-Marie Was Here. And it does - more so the latter - a little.

Missy (Millicent / Milly) is turning seventy-nine when we first meet her. She's estranged from her daughter over some recent conflict, we eventually learn more about. And her son has just returned to Australia with her much-adored grandson.

The book's written in first person from Missy's point of view, but also takes us back to what (initially) seem like anecdotes from her younger years, but (in reality) are turning points, giving us important context about the woman we meet now.

We have the opportunity to see how she met her husband Leo, who she misses greatly and understand the complexity and possible one-sidedness of their relationship. Including the fact Missy sacrificed much to not only 'catch' the man of her dreams, but keep him also.

Early in the book Missy comes across a couple of women who change her life. She's reticent as she realises she's not had many friends - her life being about her children and her husband - but at the same time obviously yearning for company or contact so she ultimately makes an effort. Nothing too overt, but reaches out anyway.

"So the day ended as miserably as it began. But I still felt it somewhere - that spark. The beginning of something. Or the end. Who knows?" p 17

It's terribly sad that Missy sees herself as old and useless. Like many who are ageing she's overly focussed on death notices and obituaries. I was very much reminded of Charlotte Wood's latest book, The Weekend, which centres around women in their mid 70s. They live their lives with more self-appointed purpose and far less alone than Missy who sees herself as a misfit - unacceptable to those around her.

Things change though with the arrival of Sylvie (about whom I would have liked to know more), Angela and her son Otis into her life. And even more so with Bobby - the dog she takes in grudgingly.

"Dogs are particularly demonstrative creatures, which was perhaps the reason why they had always made me uncomfortable. To be open with one's emotions, to reveal one's devotion so obviously, seemed reckless, as if inviting a knock-back." p 88

I've mentioned this book is about aloneness and loneliness, but it's also about relationships - those with family and friends and how they change over time. It's also about how we change over time, as a result of those relationships,  other experiences and our own revelations. And about how we come to understand our actions and are able to forgive ourselves (and others) rather than live with regret.

Now, Missy's home is akin to a museum to the past, pretty much untouched since she and Leo moved in in 50+ years earlier but when looking through the eyes of her new friends she realises it's bare and impersonal, despite having an attic full of family treasures and memories. It's served its purpose over the years though and Missy is agitated at the thought of not being able to remain there.

"I found myself thinking of families and oikos, an important concept in ancient Greece. It's not an easy idea to describe it as it can mean different things. A house or dwelling, but also the inhabitants. Home and hearth. The hearth part always interested me as I thought of oikos as kind of a rock - the rock on which a family was built. But how big a family did one need to achieve it? I didn't perceive anything lacking in Sylvie, whereas my loneliness, my emptiness, was a balloon that bellied and dragged me away. But when the house had been full of my husband and children I didn't notice, didn't appreciate my oikos. Or maybe I never had it at all. Perhaps the threads of my life were always loose, always out of my control, just waiting to slip out of reach." pp 45-46

This is a lovely book. Not as whimsical as I was expecting but instead offering something a little deeper; more poignant. It reminded me of an article I read recently suggesting we need a purpose - not necessarily some lofty world-saving / magic-creating goal, but something that ensures we feel valued and have a reason to get out of bed each day.

t had a slight Elenor oliphant vibe to it, but at least this one had happy moments!!!!! Then end did bring a tear to my eye, but I was hoping for a real good tear jerker. Not a bad start to the year!!

Saving Missy is a book that is going to talked about a lot in 2020. It is a fantastic debut novel and I look forward to seeing what Beth Morrey has for us next. This book was a slow burn for me, it took a while for me to become fully invested in the story and characters but once I was there it was hard to put down. It did make a change from the thrillers that I usually read and I really enjoyed it - even if it did make me cry!!

Saving Missy or Missy Saving... Whichever way you look at this story, it is about saving a soul, time, future, happiness of one person. It is about saving a person from lifetime of regrets. As they say, nothing can be as cruel as our own thoughts.
Missy (Millicent) lived her life. She was a mother and a wife. Once upon a time, she was Oxford student and librarian. Was she ever a friend? Was she ever herself? Was she ever happy?
In a word, Missy was miserable. She doubted her husband, she could not love her children, she hated everything and herself for losing herself to mediocre life she thought she deserved. By the age of 80 Missy found herself alone shut away from the whole world. Slowly she starts opening up: to neighbor, to foster dog, to opportunities. And life surprises her. Missy find friends. Friends help her. Dog loves her unconditionally. Missy even bridges relationship with her daughter. But every step forward ends up with ten steps back.
Missy does not want to admit even to herself that she thought wrong, that she was wrong...
Saving Missy is a heard-wrenching, tear-jerking story of an elderly lady that we all can identify with. I wanted to hit Missy many times, pull her in line, smack her, spill coffee on her. But I wanted to laugh and cry with her. I wanted to praise her and clap to her for her tiny achievements, for sorting out her 'attic' literary and figuratively speaking.

It took me a while to get into this book and I certainly had little sympathy in the beginning for Missy. All that changed however as the book progressed.

The story begins when we first meet Missy. She is 79 years old, her husband is gone, her son and family live in Australia and she has fallen out with her daughter. She is sad and lonely and not really coping. As events take over and her situation changes chapters from the past are introduced and we find out exactly how much she has to deal with.

By the end I was reaching for the tissues and I carried on thinking about Missy and her friends and relations for a long time after I had closed the book. This is a debut novel which is very well worth reading.

A delightful read where a lonely and depressed elderly lady, Missy Carmichael, goes for a walk and meets new people who rally around her and try to help her see the positives in life.


The emotions in this book were raw and heartful, which drew me in. I appreciated how many secondary characters helped progress the story, instead of just Missy leading the way through the story.


The dog pulled at my heart as well, and was an excellent addition to the storyline.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I rate this one 4/5.

(This review will feature on my blog on Jan 6, 2020!)

78 year old Millicent Carmichael is alone. Her husband, gone. Her daughter, estranged. Her son and grandson on the other side of the world. The news is full of obituaries. To escape the vastness of her now-empty home, she walks in the park, a solitary figure. She overhears a mother talking to her son about watching fish be stunned and transplanted, and decides to watch as well so she has something to write about to her grandson, little knowing how that one tiny moment will shock and transplant her own existence.

This is a stunning debut novel, full of warmth, heartache, vivid scenes and fabulous characters. It is, perhaps, a cautionary tale of losing one's identity in the trenches of early motherhood, but a tale of redemption, too, as Millicent (Missy) gains confidence, forgiveness, and a new lease on life. It's a tale of chance encounters, of opening your heart to new experiences, and the lie of first impressions. Most importantly, it's a tale of friends who are there through both the good times and the bad, who help you when you didn't know you needed saving, and never mind the age gap. It's a tale of friends who become family.

I laughed, I cried, I despaired with Missy, and rejoiced, too.

**I received an advance copy of this book from HarperCollins Australia and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.. **