The Woman with All the Answers, a review by Joanna

I’ve been resisting requesting ARCs lately, but was seduced by this title, and tickled by the idea of a human Alexa – not something I’ve ever had, but friends seem to use it all the time. While not as funny as I was expecting, I loved this story of a woman of my age getting her life back on track thanks to an unlikely ally.

Michelle Banks is an overworked mother of two teenagers, who is struggling to balance full time work as a district nurse with caring for elderly parents and reigning in her feckless husband’s online spending. Typical of the Gen X “sandwich generation”, she’s already lost herself, but when perimenopause hits, she’s starting to lose control. Pauline, the ex-actress masquerading as the family’s Alexa, decides enough is enough and it’s time to do more than just manage their shopping lists…

While I’m spared the trials of both teenagers (cats are so much easier) and parents (having migrated to the other side of the world long ago) I could relate to Michelle’s battles to manage her life on broken sleep and with little help from Him Indoors… The chapters alternate between Pauline/Alexa and Michelle’s perspectives, which worked well, and dealt with apparently common issues like adolescent sexting, online scamming, and access to appropriate medical help, as well as losing a parent. It was poignant but ultimately uplifting, and I would recommend it to anyone who is or knows a middle-aged woman. Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. The Woman with All the Answers is available now.