Reviews

I thought this was a really fun book with a unique premise that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the plot - that it centered on 3 women in their 50s (and then 40s and then 50s again lol). I loved the separate storylines their lives each had and seeing the evolution of their friendship throughout. I thought the vehicle/device used for the time traveling was a little hokey, but with so many other nice things it was easy to overlook. I also noticed some minor plot

inconsistencies (and I wonder if that's a result of two writers and a book that does so much time-jumping, stylistically speaking?). That was sort of weird, but infrequent and small enough to also overlook.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the ending. Part of the reason I think this book works so well is that basically as soon as you start reading it and they go back in time, you expect them to choose to return to their normal lives and for the book to be a lesson about appreciating what you have or how things could always be worse or the grass isn't always greener, etc. but throughout the main part of the story, I always found myself flip flopping on whether I thought it seemed like they would go or stay. That and Jessie's storyline made this book hard to put down. Well done!

I really did enjoy this book despite some of the few small flaws.

Here are a few more pieces of info for those that care:

This book did contain some profanity/swearing throughout

Infertility is a central plot point

Content Warnings

rmarcin's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was just okay, in my opinion. 3 women go back in time to determine if they can live one year of their life over- and make their lives better.
Interesting concept, however, it never really grabbed me. Their lives were tedious, and they cried and moaned about their lives a lot.
#TheYearWeTurnedForty #LizFentonLisaSteinke

judithdcollins's review against another edition

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5.0

A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Contemporary authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, BFF’s in real life, return following their hit, The Status of All Things, with THE YEAR WE TURNED FORTY —an exploration (wild ride), turning back the clock, for some "time travel" and a little magical fantasy of, “what if.”

Mixed with humor, pop-culture, friendship, relationships and chick-lit domestic contemporary drama—a story of three California best friends, Gabriela, Jessie, and Claire.

Gabriela, Jessie, and Claire's birthdays fall within a few months of each other—Gabriela in late May, Claire in June, and Jessie in July—and they’d made a vow almost twenty years before, while sipping beers at a dive bar in Newport Beach-- to always celebrate together.

Each of the women have their own personal and professional issues. From infidelity, marriage, divorce, fertility, death, children and years spent building career, with motherhood put aside. Regrets, second chances, second guessing decisions, made over the years. Re-thinking their choices and if they had taken different paths, how would their lives be different.

The gals head to Vegas to celebrate their 50th birthday-- a chance at a do over, to go back 10 years. One year to change decisions, and hope for a better outcome--the second time around. Excited for a chance to change the course of their lives; however, maybe their decisions were not so bad, after all.

Mixed with wit, wisdom, charm, and life’s messiness—The power of female friendship, with Liz and Lisa’s own trademark-special entertaining style.

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