When beginning this book I was taken by the premise of an older woman actually becoming invisible was fun. Yes, as we age we are noticed less and less and this novel seemed to be ready to tackle the issue with humor. Unfortunately, it turned into a story of a woman trying all types of trendy self-help panaceas. I detest self-help books and found this becoming tedious and boring. It just was not for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this fresh take on women who feel invisible in the their lives and in society. Tilda first notices that she can't see her nose and then her little finger. When she goes to the doctor, she isn't taken seriously, attends a support group, but then finds a therapist who specializes in her condition, invisibility which ranges from feeling like you're not being seen to actually losing visual sight of body parts until the who body disappears. Tilda is 52 years old and has been divorced for several years. She has nearly always felt invisible and now it's happening physically. The turning point is when is meets a handsome man -- who is blind -- and starts seeing in a different way. This book touches on all the ways women feel invisible and how society treats women, with seriousness and humor, as well as how we as women need to first start accepting and loving ourselves. Enjoyable!

Within a few lines, I was totally immersed in Jane Tara's TILDA IS VISIBLE, a well-written novel about a disappearing woman -- a woman of a certain age and accomplishments, life experience, and relationships. I loved every moment of the revelations, realizations, the twists I never saw coming, but thoroughly enjoyed being in the consciousness of a woman who sees herself for the first time when she gradually disappears from view for everyone else. If this book is therapy wrapped in fiction, bring it on! I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

A thought provoking read on aging and womanhood. It gave me lots to think about and consider during and after reading .

♡ Thank you for the free ARC, Crown Publishing and author Jane Tara.

This book certainly found one of its intended readers! Oh my heart, I loved this story so much. I happen to be a woman of a certain age, so this book resonated deeply with me. If you are a woman not yet at midlife or have never felt passed over, I suggest tucking this title away for when you may need it down the road. As a former therapist, I loved how the author cleverly and lovingly approached subjects such as aging, relationships, mental health, and wellness. This is really a self-help book masquerading as a fictional story with a splash of magical realism. Pick this up if you enjoy pearls of wisdom, cheeky humor, mature characters, and sweet HEAs.

Tysm @prhaudio for the early listening copy and @crownpublishing for the early reading copy

“It started with her finger. It was not quite 9am when Tilda realized that the little finger on her right hand was missing.”

What an opening line to a book!

This was such a heartwarming read with a main character I grew to love and a cast of characters that are going to make you giggle and feel inspired.

I was immediately drawn into this story. Women age and the way that this was explored was so relatable and honestly just…funny! I think all of us at some point have struggled with what others think of us and the way that Tilda navigates that and what she learns about herself will really make you feel so encouraging.

I did an immersive read with this one and LOVED Caroline Lee’s narration! She really, really brought this story to life!

I loved Tilda’s friends, I loved the things Tilda tries to not be invisible, and I loved the message this book delivers! Definitely one you should read if you have ever felt invisible!

3.5 rounded down

Tilda is fifty-two years old when she suddenly realizes her little finger is missing. Well, it isn’t missing, but it isn’t… visible? At a visit to the doctor she’s diagnosed with invisibility, a disorder that is common among women her age, but rarely discussed. What follows is a magical realist story of Tilda’s journey to rediscover herself.

I enjoyed the characters, the humor, the tiny romance subplot, the female friendships, and the look at aging and women’s experience in society. I related to Tilda’s feelings of insignificance and thought the moment when she started to accept herself, wrinkles and all, was quite powerful.

That being said, at times this felt a little overt. The novel explores deeper themes and societal issues but could have done so subtly. A few too many scenes with meditation as the path to Tilda’s healing brought this to the forefront.

The bottom line: This had a lot of potential, but sometimes felt more like a self-help book or meditation advertisement than a novel. Other elements of it make me curious about the author’s other works and I could see myself enjoying them more.

Something weird happens to women around their 40th birthday. For me, I began noticing that my clothes fit differently (and it wasn't just because of the inevitable weight gain that mysteriously happened around this time too. It's more like things began...shifting. IYKYK), wrinkles popped up (seemingly out of nowhere), and skin started sagging.

But, as Jane Tara puts forth in her upcoming debut novel, the changes are just physical. Women seem to start to...disappear.

At first, Tilda notices that her pinky finger is gone. Then her ear, and eventually her neck. What is happening?

As she tries to figure the mystery out, she explores support groups (too depressing), therapy (meh at first, but eventually a win!), and meditation (this is Tilda's favorite).

While a lot of the book was just too woo woo for me (Sorry not sorry that yoga, meditation, silence retreats etc aren't for me), there are parts where I even chuckled out loud, and most importantly, I loved the use of metaphor employed by Tara that really proved the point that there is a massive shift that occurs for women in their 40s-50s that just isn't experienced by men.

I have yet to read The Husbands by Holly Gramazio yet, but I have a feeling the methods behind both stories are the same. Women are not **literally** disappearing, but they are. Who sees them once their bodies have changed, they're not busy raising children, and their "purpose" as society has dictated has ended?

This would make such a great discussion book among friends, and while I don't feel like I've completely disappeared (yet?), I do feel so much about this book.

Happy to include this title in the February edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

I picked this book up after I heard about it from the author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, which I loved even though it was not necessarily my kind of book/genre.

Tilda, in her 50s, wakes up one day and parts of her body are literally disappearing. She is diagnosed with invisibility and learns that that millions of women worldwide suffer from invisibility after the age of 40. And there is no cure.

So, I understand what the author was doing here, but it was too much and too over the top for me. I think I’m the target market for this book, but I barely got through it.

2.5 stars

This is a true story. I have lived it. I used to be listened to, asked questions of, walk in a bar and get served immediately, offered random help with all things--just to name a few things, but it all seems to be changing now that I have become a (young) senior citizen. Tilda becomes invisible is a book about a woman who is able to go from invisible to visible, by seeing herself as all she wants to be and can be. It gets 3 stars from me because it felt repetitive and needed shortening. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for the complementary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion, my own words and not coerced in any way.

Tilda has a successful business, two lovely daughters and good friends. But then she notices her pinky finger disappeared, and then her thumb. Her doctor tells her she has invisibility, an illness that plagues women beginning in their 40s, and there is no cure she will eventually be completely invisible. She seeks alternative therapy and finds someone who explains to her that the world can’t see her if she can’t see herself. Tilda spends time digging into her past and fighting with her inner voice so she can learn how she has sold herself short for years, and how to be kinder to herself going forward.

This one is hard to rate for me because while I loved it and the message, I had a few minor quibbles about it. It was reading really slowly for me (may have been my mood), but then I got the audiobook and I flew through it (listening when I was doing other things and reading when I could sit). I loved the narrator (I am also a sucker for an Australian accent so that certainly helped) she nailed the subtle humor of the book. Secondly, while I adored the message and thought it was done in a creative way, there were times I felt like the the themes were a bit heavy handed. That being said, I think all women around 40ish should read this one, it spoke to me and I really did love it. Some are saying All Fours is the perimenopausal manifesto - I think this one should be (and I enjoyed it more). This novels shows how women have been ignored forever by society (and we all know that) but it also, more importantly, teaches us to be kinder to ourselves and think about how our inner voice speaks.

4.25 stars

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I'm glad so many reviewers love this book, but unfortunately, "Tilda is Visible" was just an average reading experience for me. I really don't enjoy novels that ask a lot of questions. I felt like every sentence was a question which became irritating after a while. Also, this book would as a self-help book which I wasn't aware was in the synopsis because I like to go into book completely blind. I liked the metaphors for life and motherhood in this book, but overall, I just couldn't with Tilda and domestic troubles. Also, the tone was all over the place, it had this weird corny vibe that I didn't find appealing. It was just a s0-so read for me.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tilda, a woman in her 50s, starts becoming literally invisible.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK

Tilda Is Visible is equal parts hilarious and deeply thought-provoking. One day, Tilda looks down, and—much to her surprise—her pinky is gone. Soon after, she’s diagnosed with invisibility, a condition that tends to hit middle-aged women who’ve spent years being overlooked, dismissed, or just…not seen. There’s no known cure, but Tilda isn’t having that. She refuses to disappear without a fight.

Determined to reclaim herself, Tilda embarks on a journey of self-discovery, leaning on old friends and picking up some new ones along the way. She tries everything—self-pity, isolation, meditation, and eventually, self-love. Some moments broke my heart, while others had me laughing out loud. It’s all so relatable.

At its core, this book is about visibility—seeing ourselves, seeing others, and finding a community that truly sees us. So many women will connect with Tilda’s story, and that’s what makes it so special. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Reviews will be posted on Goodreads, BN.com, and Instagram @Nicki_Rachlin.

Tilda is Visible was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

Disconcertingly, Tilda’s pinky finger is missing. Not gone, but not visible. And not longe rafter Tilda is officially diagnosed with invisibility. A diagnosis common among when over 40. Slowly more of her starts slowly fading away.

She seeks help at a support group but finds it depressing. She does however find two new friends also dealing with invisibility.

At the behest of her ‘woo woo’ friend, Tilda tries meditation and therapy with a woman who was once invisible herself but is now impossible not to see. This journey takes Tilda on a deep dive of her past, how she talks to herself, how she sees the world, how she sees herself and what she wants.

As a 41 year old woman, wow this hits home. We often lose ourself in our roles and forget a who we really are. I appreciate the reminder to love myself as much as I do others.

Tilda is a sweet fable about aging women who let themselves become invisible by society. Tilda is disappearing - she has been diagnosed with invisibility - slowly losing herself and disappearing to those around her. But as the spiritual guide to whom our heroine turns for help says, "If you don't see yourself who else will?" - Tilda, left by her husband, ignored by bartenders, bored in her job, must learn to really see herself - and not just see herself but see the mid-life mid-career version of herself. The version that needed more than she got from ex, more than she gets from her job, more than she is willing to ask for from her mother, and more than she is willing to acknowledge to herself. Only then, will Tilda really be seen. Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the enjoyable DRC.

4.5 Stars

Equal parts humorous and thought-provoking, Tilda Is Visible follows Tilda as she looks down one day and sees her pinky missing, soon after being diagnosed with invisibility, an illness commonly seen in middle-aged women where they quite literally begin disappearing. There is no known cure, but causes include history of any kind of trauma, being overlooked, dismissed, generally not being seen.

Tilda refuses to believe there isn’t a cure. She doesn’t want to become invisible. As she begins on a journey of self-discovery, she leans on her friends, both old and new ones she finds along the way. She tries it all: self-pity, isolation, therapy, meditation, and self-love. There were times were my heart ached for Tilda and times where I was chortling along with her on this journey. So many were relatable moments.

I loved the overall theme of the book, the idea of seeing one’s self, of seeing others, and having a supportive community surround you. So many women will see themselves in Tilda and will appreciate the realness found in this book.

Wow. I think this book has actually changed my perception: of myself, of other people, of the world. And isn't that why we read? I will be gifting this book to a lot of people this year. This book is exactly the boost I needed.