Well-written but slow-moving, I wanted this to be a more thoughtful ‘She Said’ in literary form, but instead it was a story that managed to feel really quiet and low-stakes… despite the murder. I wanted to like this more than I did, unfortunately.

Premise - in the era of #MeToo a woman finds a secret she’s kept for her former best friend return to haunt her.

It’s a vigilante justice/woman driven mad by horrible husband story, with a bit of (off page) female friendship and alliance thrown in. I didn’t really connect with the protagonist, who felt removed to me - aw, this poor rich wife who willingly turns a blind eye to her husband’s true character and then mopes about getting wasted… not incredibly empathetic.

The epilogue twist wasn’t really a twist, either, it was so obvious.

Still, the author can certainly craft a lovely sentence so the book deserves its 3 stars.

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: literary
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: no
✨ Recommended For: fans of very introspective literary fiction who can root for a Karen

💕 Characters: 2/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 2/4
💕 Pacing: 2/5
💕 Unputdownability: 1/5
💕 Enjoyment: 3/5
💕 Book Cover: 4/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Atlantic Press, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joni and her friend Val were working in the film industry decades ago when Val was raped by someone she knew at a party. Val chose to keep it a secret and Joni agreed. They both married, had children and careers. Joni looks Val up on Facebook after the rapist is being accused by other women to encourage Val to speak up. From there other secrets start to unravel Joni’s carefully curated life and put Val in the position to decide whether or not to come forward.

As most women over 50 will tell you, we truly are invisible. So much so that it’s often comical. I really hope this novel gets the attention it deserves. So many stories written about women of “a certain age,” write the women as caricatures and wacky grandmother types instead of authentically as this author has. If you were a woman in the 80’s trying to get ahead and navigate the male dominated workforce, this is for you. I like reading about people of all ages, but I’m always so pleased to read an author who writes my age of woman so well. I thought it was a unique and well done #MeToo story. Choosing Carrington MacDuffie as the narrator was perfect casting. She was brilliant and added to my enjoyment of the story. I also enjoyed the references to Patricia Highsmith throughout the story.

I'm just not sure about this book... It was well-written and a fine story, but there was just no suspense or mystery about it. The book STARTS with her casually thinking about killing her husband (but like, as a joke, haha, but seriously though) and then everything else is just her confirming suspicions that the reader has already come to a conclusion on. It's a fine enough book, but it just fell flat for me.

Invisible Woman by Katia Lief is an interesting listen, similar to other books that have sprung since the "me too" movement. I found the story which mostly centered around Joni Ackerman, a has-been movie producer who is married to Paul, a successful television producer, intriguing. Although fictional, the story is a stark reminder that men have held and will hold women back.

Joni is a mother of two and is forced to follow her husband to NYC when he opens a television studio in the Big Apple. Most of the book is a build-up to their "coming out" party in the big city. Joni is having a hard time connecting with this new city and feels extremely lonely. She is not able to come up with any new production ideas and she misses her daughter immensely. She is in a loveless marriage and often questions leaving Paul and moving back to California.

After scandal breaks, Joni reconnects with her college roommate, whom she has not seen in years. This sudden connection spurs a series of events that leaves everyone spiraling.

Carrington MacDuffie does an excellent job narrating the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscapes Media for the advanced audio listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.