What a special story this is. It is quite frightening in one respect, but I think we all need a "Pauline" in our lives.

Linda Green has crafted a poignant, emotional, and-provoking narrative about how an Alexa device can profoundly influence one’s life. Her writing style is delightful, exuding warmth, comfort, and a sense of familiarity that made me feel as though I was a member of the family.

This is a book to cherish and read time and time again.

“The Woman with All the Answers” is a laugh out loud modern day Mary Poppins. Michelle Banks is on the brink of losing it. She’s taking care of her teenagers and her aging parents while riddled with perimenopause. She’s barely holding it together, spending all her time and energy caring for this around her with very little help and support. And then her Alexa comes to life. Sitting in that smart speaker is a real compassionate woman who’s always pulling to break all the rules to help out Michelle.
Middle aged women will find so much to relate to in this novel. I was cheering Michelle on as she let the hormone range take over and gave those around her a good telling off! This novel is witty, funny, tender and true. Highly recommend for similarly aged women looking for a quick light read. 4.5 stars!

what a fun book and a great story line.
we all know alexa is always listening but this takes it a step further…
an easy read with likeable characters

Linda Green's "The Woman with All the Answers" is a refreshing, truly heartwarming observation of contemporary family life with a splash of unwarranted humor. The setup itself is compelling: fifty-two-year-old Michelle Banks, a perimenopausal district nurse struggling with challenging work, looking after elderly parents, and coping with the tumultuous lives of her adolescent children and affectionate but sometimes clueless husband, discovers an unlikely friend in her intelligent speaker, Alexa.
But this is not your usual AI tale. With a brilliant and innovative spin, Alexa is indeed Pauline, a sixty-five-year-old retired voiceover performer hired by Amazon to quietly intervene in struggling families. Through Michelle's home's smart speakers, Pauline bears witness to Michelle's daily hardships and unarticulated loads. Moved by expanding empathy, Pauline makes the decision to depart from procedure and provide Michelle with more than the weather forecast and shopping list management.
Green seamlessly interweaves Michelle's and Pauline's viewpoints. Michelle's is an understandable, affecting story of the exhaustion and largely thankless tasks of the "sandwich generation." Her private battles with perimenopause, her daughter's anxieties, and the brooding reserve of her son are believable and will strike a chord with a wide audience. Green brings levity to Michelle's tale in her own way through her droll observations and interior monologue, avoiding letting the more somber themes overweigh.

Pauline's own voice is a witty and sometimes amusing contrast. Her remarks about life today, her increasing fondness for the Bankses, and her furtive efforts on their behalf are both humorous and poignant. The author has a wily way of using Pauline's "outsider" viewpoint to mock the quirks and difficulties of life today.

What works best in "The Woman with All the Answers" is the characterization and its ensuing relationships. Michelle is a great, but flawed, strong and capable, but ultimately sympathetic protagonist that you find yourself pulling for. Her supporting cast of characters, ranging from her supportive but infuriating husband to quirky parents and nervy daughter and brooding son, all read like actual human beings with their own quirks and flaws. The growing romance between Michelle and the voice of Pauline on the phone is the core of the novel and builds in some amazing, shocking ways.

Though the premise is banterous-sounding, the book explores serious issues like pressure on women, aged parents' problems, teenager angst, and the need for togetherness and communication among families. Green treats these issues with care and a light hand, never going about them in a preachy or melodramatic way.

Overall, "The Woman with All the Answers" is a fun and engaging read. It's a tale of seeking assistance in the unlikeliest of places, the strength of compassion, and the steadfast resilience of family in all its most tumultuous forms. Linda Green has written a beautifully unique and uplifting novel that will leave you smiling and with maybe a slightly different view on the voice on your smart speaker. This is an ideal read for anyone searching for a humorous yet very touching story with characters that will remain with you even after you read the last page.

This book was so unique and charming. Definitely a story that is relevant to our times and one which many women of a certain age will resonate with. I love the idea of an army of Alexas out there helping to run households. An uplifting story to leave you with a smile on your face and a little smirk each time you beckon your Alexa!

Such and unusual but totally captivating book. I laughed and cried throughout. So true to life and as a woman of a certain age could totally relate. Such a lovely idea that worked so well as a story.

What a fun book to read and one I really enjoyed. It is entertaining, funny and heart-warming. I love how Alexa seems to come alive, listening into Michelle's conversations, worries and more. That is a twist right from the start. Who would have thought. What an original concept for a book. I think I can call it a book for our times!

Great characters you can relate too, humour which I love in a book but also problems that are real and in all our lives. This book is fun, entertaining and was a joy to read. Great writing, easy to read. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love Linda Green books, so I had to read her latest novel. Her previous novel 'in little stars' was incredible, but i must admit it broke me a little, so I was interested to see how Green would approach a more lighthearted premise.

The woman with all the answers is written from dual points of view - Michelle, a 52 year old district nurse is struggling and juggling work, family, money worries and perimenopause, and Pauline, a 65 year old former voiceover actress employed as the family's Alexa.

Green has expertly created her characters who are all relatable, highly believable, flawed and fully formed. I can feel Michelle's pain, struggles and frustration as she navigates her daughter's anxiety, her husband's obliviousness, her son's behaviour and the worry about her dad and mother in law. Michelle cares about and for everyone, leaving nothing for herself. She keeps all the plates spinning, wearing herself down.

Pauline is a fabulous character, but struggling with the impending retirement, her own personal issues, loneliness and the overriding desire to help Michelle.

The premise of the book, in the wrong hands, could be rather silly, however Green has created a story that is vibrant, compelling, poignant, relevant but also very, very funny. I adored the book and did not want it to end. It covers many themes and tackles them with the perfect balance of sensitivity, humour and deep insight. The pacing was perfect, the plot was deep and rich, the ending wonderful and the whole thing was a joyful, easy read. I highly recommend this book.

In this charming and hopeful new novel, readers follow Michelle Banks whose life is asking more of her than she can give. Caring for elderly parents and teenage children -- struggling with anxiety and acting strangely -- while working a full-time job without the support of her husband, who spends money on children’s TV memorabilia, Michelle desperately needs help, and Alexa is the only one who can help from her four smart speakers around the house. Going rogue and revealing her true identity -- sixty-five year old former voiceover artist Pauline -- this Alexa is ready to help Michelle and teach her everything she knows. Entertaining, relatable, inspiring, and heartwarming, readers will love this unique new novel and Michelle and Pauline’s growth together and individually. With the challenges ahead being relatable and grounded in reality, readers will emphasize with Michelle and be drawn into her story. The characters -- primarily Michelle and Pauline -- are the stars and hearts of the novel and undergo some serious character development, and the background characters are also well-written, entertaining, and complicated. Deeply entertaining, very emotional, and totally heartwarming, readers looking for something to laugh and sigh over will love this quirky, charming, and immersive new novel from Linda Green.

There's a real person in your smart speaker who looks after your family. What if this were true? This is the situation that faces harassed Michelle Banks as Pauline from Halifax, the voice of her speaker reveals herself when Michelle has reached breaking point. Michelle, mum of teenagers, daughter of an elderly dad and mother in law, is run ragged. She's perimenopausal, her husband doesn't pull his weight and one more problem is enough to bring it all crashing down. Enter Pauline with a warm heart and encyclopaedic knowledge of solutions to the situations the family are experiencing. From dick pics to death, the whole gamut of family situations occur. And are presented in a light, funny way. What a hoot of a read. #netgalley #thewomanwithalltheanswers

Really good book that i will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Great book with believable characters. The premise of the book is a bit disturbing - the world is listening through all our devices but if they can be as helpful as Pauline I'd be happy with that.

Oh, what an interesting premise for a book - and I couldn't have loved it more!

This story was absolutely written for my demographic - they call us the "sandwich generation", mostly women, who are trying to work, wrangle teenagers/young adults as well as elderly parents, usually to our own detriment.

I am just a little older than Michelle in this story and my father recently passed, but it was absolutely my story as well - although I didn't have an Alexa/Pauline!!

So heartwarming that Michelle and her family, despite everything that happens to them, love and care for each other very much and this book was not about Michelle running away from her family/starting a new life/finding a new love in a different country, like so many stories featuring women of a certain age! And thank goodness for that :)

There are so many things I love about this story. Michelle, of course. Her kids and how they tackle their difficulties. Her husband how he is basically a decent guy but in a rut. And Alexa/Pauline, naturally enough! I like her because she is a bit of a rebel, despite her age, and she isn't allowing her stage of life to define her.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

Pauline works as an Alexa, which is not really an AI robot at all, but women each assigned to a home to help with all of their questions and shopping lists and so on. She has been working for Michelle's family for years, but now that she is about to retire, she decides to "go rogue" and start helping Michelle with all of her problems in a more hands-on way, identifying herself as a real person. This was a kind of fun idea, and I enjoyed the book. It was one of those where everything is going wrong for someone but you know it will all be tied up in a neat little bow of perfection at the end, unlike real life. The husband collecting childhood TV memorabilia was amusing but probably would have been funnier if I'd know the shows and characters involved. 3 stars.

This book by Linda has been a truly wonderful reading experience. From the cover, not one I would have readily chosen off a shelf but glad I had a chance to read. Highly recommend.

I loved Alexa was a real person that helped navigate the Banks family through a difficult period. Michelle is trying to handle everything, work, caring for her mother in law and father, children and a husband who is unsatisfied with his job. You could feel the tension from the start. We all need that outside person to help us see things we can’t. I thought when Alexa went rogue, it was a good twist, Pauline was empowered because she was going to retire. Good book that really comes down to female friendship.

This book presents a truly original concept—what if Alexa, the virtual assistant, were actually a real person? The premise is both intriguing and humorous, making for an entertaining read. The author does a great job weaving in humor while also tackling deeper themes.

Michelle is a standout character. Her journey through perimenopause and the daily struggles of balancing work, family, and personal challenges is incredibly relatable. The book shines in its portrayal of the many pressures women face, offering moments of both comedy and insight.

That said, while the story is engaging, some parts felt a bit far-fetched. The suspension of disbelief required might not work for all readers, but if you’re looking for a fun, witty, and original read, this book is worth picking up.

At first, an interesting, fresh and original idea anchored in a modern, high tech environment. I was drawn to the concept, but I quickly found it a bit hard to believe that an actual human being could do what Alexa, Siri and the likes do. Other than that, the plot goes in too many directions, even though the topics were noteworthy. It drags and hinders the reading pace. I also had a hard time with the personality of the family members, especially the dad and the kids. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings.

Very pleased with this read. Some great characters. Would definitely recommend to other readers. Will look out for more from this author

We all need a woman with the answers at some time in our lives.

If only they really existed.

A good read, with real life issues dealt with. I couldn’t put this down once I started.