She wanted a change. But will a girls’ trip to the Mediterranean recapture her joy?

Helen Winters worries the walls are closing in. With her children grown and her selfish husband absent on her fiftieth birthday, she regrets not taking the exciting paths she dreamed about in her youth. So when a well-meaning gift reveals a depressing image of her future, she takes a leap of faith and jets off to Cyprus with two lifelong friends.

Basking in the glorious sunshine and crystal-blue waters while enjoying the attention of handsome European men, Helen starts to feel truly alive. But her best friend isn’t in Cyprus for the sunshine, and when Helen learns the true reason, tensions threaten their lifelong bond and she fears nothing will ever be the same again.

Can she shake off years of disappointment and claim well-deserved happiness?

A Midlife Holiday is the affirming first tale in the Midlife Trilogy women’s fiction series. If you like vivacious heroines, relatable humor, and reawakenings of the spirit, then you’ll love Cary J Hansson’s nuanced take on aging with style.

Well-Written & Entertaining!

I have a real fondness for novels about female friendships, especially the ones which have lasted through a decade or more – and this one fits the bill perfectly.

Helen Williams has reached the milestone of her fiftieth birthday and she feels quite deflated; her selfish husband has abandoned her, putting himself first as always. Life is getting to her and the walls are closing in – but at least she has a birthday lunch with her friends to look forward to. However, that occasion adds to her depression and when offered the chance of a week in Cyprus, Helen starts packing. Meeting a local and finding out there is more to life than the rut she has settled into, she begins to flourish but the discovery that one of her friends has an ulterior motive for this week’s travel shocks her and she reacts badly with criticism instead of support. Can the three women revive their friendship?

After reading several crime novels, this one was like a breath of fresh air! I may be a decade-plus older than Helen, but I could quite easily understand her frustration with life. Who would want a husband like hers? Her story is all too common and the author handles it all beautifully with a well-written and entertaining novel! I was rooting for Helen all the way through but wasn’t exactly sure where it was heading until the end. Tremendously enjoyable and well worth a read. I have certainly added Cary Hansson to my ‘must watch’ list and will be looking out for the remaining books in this trilogy. Definitely worth a look and, for me, 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: women’s fiction

• Format: ebook, paperback
• Size: 265 pages
• Publisher: Hansson Publishing
• Publication Date: 17 May 2022
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com
• https://play.google.com
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com
• https://www.foyles.co.uk
• https://www.kobo.com
• https://www.waterstones.com
• https://www.amazon.co.uk

Author Details

I’m a fifty something mum of three, an ex-dancer, actress, waitress, cleaner, TV presenter, double-glazing sales rep, fax machine operator (what’s a fax machine?) You name it and I’ve cleaned it, served it, sent it or sold it. After years of globe-trotting and messing about, I settled down to a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, got a First Class degree and promptly moved to Sweden to start my own mid-life adventure. I swim in the Baltic sea year round, paddleboard under midnight suns and have learned to sail.
I’ve been writing for ten years. Stories about ordinary people, living lives of extraordinary courage and indestructible humour. I can promise only two things: no knights in shining armour and no flying cars. My heroines save themselves, as in the end we all must do.

• Website: https://www.caryjhansson.com
• Twitter: @JohanssonCary
• Instagram: @caryjhansson