Middle Ageish
Starting Over
by Shirley Goldberg

Sunny Chanel’s life is taking its final dive when her French husband of twenty something years forgets their anniversary. So she leave Paris returning to Connecticut to family and friends. Going back to college at fifty is no easy task living reasonably frugally she eventually starts getting very low on funds so encouraged by friends seeks a divorce and then delves into the world of online dating and her confidence takes a battering.

A reasonable fast moving book until about the middle when it slows considerably and then loses momentum. Unfortunarely after having started with such promise the story just seems to fizzle out. A bit if a disappointing read in the end. 3.5/5

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A quirky and fun read with a relatable MC and good writing.
An OK read.

Middle Ageish is a cute read by Shirley Goldberg where we meet Sunny Chanel whose anniversary is skipped on her husband's calendar, but a colonoscopy is quickly added. This seems to put the 'icing on the cake" for their marriage. She shows him divorce papers and immediately says "see ya"!. Sunny moves into a cheap apartment and her friends convince her to try online dating. It's been 23 years since her last date and things sure have changed. She finally decides to try it because she wants to have fun, be adventurous and just talk to someone. A phone call one evening, from a man she cant forget, with an unexpected request, causes her to make a quick turn as she is trying to reinvent herself. Read this book to find out what that request is, Find out as she does that online dating at 50 is a whole different world.

I loved the premise here. Romance is a genre that primarily focuses on the under 30 crowd, so it's always nice to see characters finding love in their 40s and 50s. I had high hopes for this book, but it just feel kind of flat. My biggest complaint was that it drug quite a bit in the middle. I found myself skimming a lot because I just wasn't invested in what was happening. I'm not mad that I spent time reading this one, but it isn't a book I will feel a need to reread.

3.5 stars

Sunny's husband forgot their anniversary. He just can't seem to muster up any joy for their marriage anymore. Then comes the dreaded 'talk' where he just wants to separate. Sunny packs up her stuff from Paris and moves back to the US. Leaving her friends and everything behind.

Once back in America Sunny has to start over. She is living with a group of co-ed's and returning to school. Her and a friend decide to have a little contest about who can date at least 25 dudes from the internet.


We get to go on that journey with Sunny. I LOVE this part. I did the internet dating thing years and years ago and I met some weird asses. One of them took me to lunch and proceeded to tell me how his mom loved him WAYYYY too much. I had the waitress help me sneak out.


It was a pretty fun read. I liked Sunny. She is around my age so I could kinda relate to her but one thing is GIRLFRIEND!! Do not meet these guys at the drop of the hat wherever. There is some strange people on the internets. (Nevermind that I met my husband there)


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

I didn't hate this book neither did I love it - it was just meh in my opinion

Too many dates and not enough action, I found myself bored & just skimming pages

Shirley Goldberg is a new author to me and I really enjoyed her story and her writing style! I will be reading more by her in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Despite all the high star ratings for this book, this one was not for me. While Sunny’s trials and tribulations into the world of modern dating was entertaining, I got bored with the continual introspection. I actually had a difficult time sympathizing with Sunny as I found her a bit on the whiny side. Note: Some readers likened Sunny to Bridget Jones. Maybe that should have been a clue since I was not a fan of Bridget Jones. In my defense, I signed up for the ARC before reviews were published. DNF.

Middle Age-ish is a sweet and comical trip thru the crazy that is midlife on-line dating – what could go wrong? Our practical middle age heroine Sunny ends a 23 year marriage and life in Paris then heads back to the states to start her newly single life. She takes on the adventure of an on-line dating warrior. I love that she has great girlfriends that add support and encouragement along with their on-line dating strategies. I was getting a more mature “Sex in the City” vibe with her friendships which was super fun for the midlife ladies.

Sunny agrees to a challenge of 25 meetups. Her co-challenger is a newly divorced girlfriend as well – who ends up with a first meet winner. Sunny’s various dates are categorized and summed up in numbers. “You’ve reduced your meets to numbers?” “What’s the point in names? I’m not seeing any of these guys again, and you just get confused.” There are a few of these guys that we get to know: Frank, Donald, Noah, and Luke all have various meetup connections and relationship ups and downs.

We get a comical look at the dating obstacle course that is finding the perfect midlife connection. Sunny works thru her divorce, completion of her teaching degree and buying a new home all while navigating these dating difficulties. She falls in “infatuation” for one guy and it ends badly – sending her to therapy on the advice of one of her early meetup candidates. Sunny eventually finds her “one” and comfortably settles down with her happily ever after.

This book starts off a little “stiff” in terms of Sunny and her ex’s reasons for divorce. It almost turned me off from the book – but hang in there! I am so glad that I continued to finish the story. After having completed the book – I appreciate that we did not get dragged thru a nasty divorce and Ms. Goldberg spent more time on all the hi-jinks of midlife dating apps. Middle Ageish is an entertaining romantic comedy with lots of charm and lovely characters that we need in our midlife world.

I received a free copy of this book from the author thru Netgalley in return for an honest review.

If you like books featuring strong female characters who take control of their lives, this is a great choice. Even better, I think, for having an older protagonist with life experience and the confidence to speak up. Sunny is a great character - funny, brave, sensitive - and the author gives her dialogue which perfectly suits her. The story itself is funny and well paced but I suspect Sunny will be the big appeal for many readers.

Sunny Chanel appears to have it all. A handsome French husband Laurent, a beautiful home in a coveted area of Paris, a great job and plenty of friends. But in her heart, she knows that all isn't as rosy as it seems. She's tired of the way Laurent has grown so cold and uncaring, even forgetting their 23rd wedding anniversary. So she's only mildly surprised when he tells her that they should spend some time apart for a while. He would like to reassess his life.

Sunny decides to move back to her parents' home in Connecticut and start a new life. But when she' calls her parents to give them the news, they excitedly tell her that they sold the house and are moving to Florida. They are tired of the cold winters.

Undaunted, she moves back and leases an apartment with three other girls who are looking for a roommate. And she goes back to school, hoping to become a certified French language teacher. Both of those changes in themselves are challenging for any age, but especially for 50-something Sunny.

With her friend Isabelle's encouragement, she decides to try online dating. Goldberg does an excellent job of putting us in Sunny's shoes and giving us a taste of dating in the 50s. And as the old adage goes, you need to kiss many frogs before you find your prince. So Sunny dates all types of men, many of them having their own baggage. But through those experiences she grows and becomes a better version of herself. Then one of the first men she dated comes back into her life, after ghosting her for months after their first date. They immediately have the same connection, but Sunny fears he will disappear again.

This is an entertaining book that had me thinking about life in the 50s. We think we will have it all figured out and settled by the time we're in our 50s. We think we will be confident and self assured, but this book shows that even in middle age, we are hardly settled and we certainly have more to learn about ourselves and our lives. I think this is a great book, especially for anyone in their 50s who is wondering if there is more to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Wild Rose Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an unbiased review.

A great middle age romance!

A wonderful perspective of romance after a mid-life crisis. A completely fresh perspective on online dating. I enjoyed the mixture of good wit and romance.
I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved the premise of this book -- a middle aged woman starting over in the world of online dating. There were some very funny moments in this book and the descriptions of the food were drool-worthy. However, I found that the main character didn't act./think like a 50 year old which was very disappointing. The book also dragged quite a bit and I was anxious to something (anything!) to happen. I also found some of the sub-plots didn't add to the story and were underdeveloped and/or unresolved. So, overall the book had some issues for me, but it also had a lot of good points.

DNF. I found myself forcing to continue to read. I couldn’t finish the book.


****************************I received an ARC from NetGalley**************************************************

Sunny Chanel lives in Paris. She's fifty years old and just when she tells her french husband the "we need to talk" old request, he delivers the "I want a separation" infamous answer.
After doing some brief thinking, she moves back to New Haven, trying to get some of her old life back but only with a few upgrades. One of them being getting her teaching degree.
It's then when she agrees trying online dating on a bet, and life starts moving on. But moving on can, along with some happiness, bring a lot of frustration as well.
I liked the premise of this book, and it didn't disappoint me once I read it. Somehow, Sunny turns out to be a very well developed character. The pace is good and the author worked the epilogue nicely.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book funny and was so pleased that I got to read this book.

It tells the story of Sunny who has been married to her husband for 25 years in Paris when they decide to separate so she come back to the USA and get her degree so she can teach.

It about her and her friend Dana who decide to do online dating and the first one who gets to 25 dates will be treated to a trip to New York by the loser.

It tells you what men she meets wondering if she will find the one, I won't spoil it for people they need to read this for themselves.

I would recommend reading this book and would I read it again yes I would.

It took emotional strength for Sunny to emerge from her stagnated marriage with Laurent and reinvent herself in New Haven. She relied on friends for support during the transition but most importantly, she started listening to what she wanted and deserved. Dating that many men is tough as each are bringing baggage as well as different personalities but at the end, she found her person. A man completely besotted with her.

Sunny Chanel's marriage is crumbling down around her shoulders and the last straw is her husband forgetting their anniversary. She calls it quits and leaves Paris for New Haven. She finds a cheap room to rent and decides to complete her degree. Her husband promises to take care of her financially but when her bank accounts dwindle down to nothing, she seeks a divorce lawyer's advice. With the nudging of her friends, she dives into online dating. Dating is more like negotiating world treaties than fun. Her friends encourage her to keep trying and to write down her experiences. The more dates she goes on, Sunny wonders if finding love is worth all the humiliation. Will Sunny be able to navigate her new life as a divorcee or will she be single forever?

Middle Ageish is a compelling look at seasoned dating and all the pitfalls that happen. Shirley Goldberg creates a modern-day Bridget Jones heroine who finds life a little too overwhelming. Sunny does have an overall positive attitude which carries the plot. The plot, on the other hand, confused me. The beginning was emotional and moved at a good pace but when it reached the middle of the story, it slowed to a crawl. Even the characters stagnated. The ending was a little surprising and not what I expected. I'm not 100% sure what the point of this book is. My honest opinion is it would've worked better as a nonfiction dating book. Fans of Cadance Bushnell, Helen Fielding and Sophia Kinsella will love this romantic women's fiction.

My Rating: 4 stars

I took a step outside of my usual genres because I'd heard about and was intrigued by this book. Thank goodness I've been happily married for 26 years. I fear I wouldn't survive today's online dating. That said, I have someone close to me who has been through this. Let me tell you, this story may be fiction, but knowing what I do through this person, it can all be true.
Middle Ageish is at times funny, at times poignant, at times heart-wrenching, but at all times interesting and entertaining. I love Sunny. She is smart, funny, strong, yet vulnerable. Even when her sometimes snarky mind is mean (she is a bit judgy with weight), you can't help rooting for her.
The men she meets you think can't be for real, but they are. The situations far fetched? Nope. Ms. Goldberg seems to know what she's talking about.
I love the world-building and the food descriptions will have your mouth watering.
When she finally gives sweet Luke a second chance, you'll be rooting for both of them.

A light read that started off with a lot of promise but fizzled out toward the end. There were a lot of secondary storylines that went nowhere. I wouldn’t purchase this book but would get from the library.