Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines by Carol E. Wyer

‘Welcome to Facing 50 With Humour the blog that gives you laughter lines.’

What a fun book! This novel genuinely did have me laughing out loud numerous times. Some of the situations and some of the conversations really ring true, and made me chuckle. I really enjoyed it as a light read with some very fitting observations about modern life.

Written as a blog, with posts in chronological order, and with comments from fellow bloggers at the end of the posts. This is thus written in a chatty style, as would befit a diary style blog.

Amanda Wilson is facing her fiftieth birthday, has a penchant for wine and describes herself as ‘a very desperate housewife’, loyal but grumpy retired husband Phil is nevertheless somewhat of a bore at times, and son Tom has dropped out of University and arrived back in their home, making very little of a helpful contribution, but adding to the general mess of their lives.

Amanda comes across as a fundamentally happy, cheerful person, who nonetheless is experiencing rather a slump in her life. She wonders what is around the corner, and wishes her days were a little more exciting. Her relationship seems to have lost any spark that it had.

Then there is some online flirting with an ex from many years back which adds a degree of interest in Amanda’s mundane daily life and intrigue for the reader as to what might happen, but also anxiety for Amanda as to whether it is ever a good idea to try and revisit the past in this way or if it is best left as just happy memories.

She has complaints about her husband but never any real malice, and underlying this there is always the sense of a genuine love for him and a sense that beneath it all they are good together.

There were some scenes described that had me in stitches whilst reading; one in particular was Amanda’s adventures trying to buy a bottle of milk, another was her son Tom’s efforts at doing the Christmas food shopping, it is brilliant in the incompetence of his efforts and wonderful in the hilarity it produces.

In writing this book in the style of a blog, it feels very current, and also very easy to pick up and read a few pages. It leaves you wanting more and eager to read the next post. Carol E. Wyer successfully creates moments of real humour from the everyday.

A lovely, genuinely funny modern read of contemporary women’s fiction, this is an easy read that you could happily sit back with and pass a few hours in light hearted pleasure. I am looking forward to reading Surfing in Stilettos which is the new book from this author and which features Amanda and Phil once again. 

Reviewed by Lindsay Healy

You can visit the author's website here and follow her on twitter @carolewyer

Carol is part of loveahappyending 

Thank you to the author for kindly sending me this book to read and give an honest review.