Book Review – What Women Want by Fanny Blake

Friends for life. Then he came along…

Bea, Kate and Ellen have always known that they can depend on each other, no matter what. But as each reaches a new phase in their life, their bond is put to the test.

Recently-divorced Bea’s job is in jeopardy as she grapples with a new boss and her power-hungry younger colleagues. At home she has to deal with a stroppy teenage son and the gaping hole left by her ex-husband. Feisty, impulsive and never one to give up, she throws herself back onto the dating scene. Her friends will hold her steady.

Stressed-out Kate contends with an empty nest now that her children have left home, a frantic pace at work as a GP and the growing realisation that her marriage has definitely lost its shine. Reliable, hard-working, how can she find the energy to keep going? At least her friends will lift her spirits.

Then Ellen, who has devoted herself to her two children and her small art gallery for the last ten years since her beloved husband died, falls head over heels in love with Oliver.

When Oliver forces Ellen to re-evaluate everything about herself and her future, so Bea and Kate are driven further away from their friend and from each other as they react differently to this unfamiliar stranger in their midst.

A novel about love and life and the issues that face women today as they try to decide what they want – and come to realise what they really need…

What Women Want is grown up ‘chick lit’ focusing on the loves, lives and friendships of Bea, Kate and Ellen. Between them, the three women cover many of the common relationship scenarios; Bea is divorced and has recently joined a dating agency to try to find the companionship she longs for; Ellen is widowed with two teenage children and isn’t really looking for love and Kate is happily(ish) married but experiencing ‘empty nest’ syndrome as her children have grown up and left home.

Initially, I was a little disappointed that the relationships that the three main characters had with the men in their lives seemed to fall into common and at times even slightly cliched categories ; Bea’s husband left her for a younger woman, Kate suspects her husband of having an affair and Ellen falls suddenly for a younger man, however, as the book progressed and the relationships came under scrutiny, the message was clear that first appearances aren’t always what they seem and I found myself draw into the lives of the three leading ladies, eager to find out what would happen next.

As the story unfolds, Ellen’s relationship with Oliver takes centre stage and has a profound effect on her relationships with her friends and children. It was this strand to the story and Oliver’s increasingly controlling behaviour that had me gripped, reading as quickly as I could to find out more about Oliver’s background and to see what sacrifices Ellen would make for love.

Despite the serious side to the story, there is a lovely subtle humour present throughout the book and the narrative flows nicely between events in the three friend’s lives. I liked very much that in addition to their relationships and families, all of the women had successful established careers and I particularly enjoyed the insights into the publishing industry that Bea’s job afforded.

This is Fanny Blake’s debut novel and an entertaining summer read. I found it both interesting and refreshing to read about characters at a later stage in their lives than most of the ‘chick lit’ or ‘women’s fiction’ books I’ve read recently. I’ll admit that I like to find common ground with the characters I read. It took me a little while to get into the story but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the friendship between Bea, Ellen and Kate is one that will be familiar to readers of all ages.

4/5

What Women Want is published on 14th April and I’d like to thank Katharina at Lucid for sending me a copy to review.