Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson

 

Amanda is good at her job but going through menopause means that she isn't always at the top of her game. The company CEO wants to be more understanding and supportive so allows her to set up a support group to gather ideas for how the company could support its female employees. Through this group, five women find the encouragement and friendship they need to tackle the serious issues going on in their lives.

I've long been a fan of Milly Johnson, loving the slightly irreverent way in which she writes about women and many of the issues they have to manage in daily life. Same Time Next Week is in the same vein as we meet Amanda, Mel, Sky, Astrid and Erin. Some are complete strangers, and others have tentative connections, but what they are all lacking is strong female friends to turn to for help and advice. This is at odds with many of Milly Johnson's previous books where female friendship is at the heart of the story. However, mirroring what is becoming far more common in life, we learn that not everyone has close friends they can share personal issues with.

Amanda is the main character, she's in her mid-fifties, single and has a successful career. She's also trying to balance her life and work with looking after her aging mother. Menopause symptoms, an unsupportive GP, a misogynistic boss at work and a lazy half-brother all add to the pressure she is feeling. Many women can probably picture themselves in a similar situation, and understand the frustration of having nowhere to turn for help. 

A wide variety of issues are covered within the book, I am sure that some of them will resonate with readers; grief, unrequited love, lack of direction, and a cheating spouse. There is also a slightly darker element to the storyline with references to a serial killer, a historic crime that still looms large over one of the women.

There are no quick-fire solutions to many of the problems the women face, in fact, most of them are so cowed down that they seem prepared to leave everything to time and fate rather than decide for themselves. Luckily, meeting through the support group gives them a new perspective, and courage, to see a way through their respective problems. Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to see the whole picture and offer sage advice.

I found myself willing each of the women on as they found the determination to take a leap of faith and do what was right for them, regardless of what others would think. After all, if you don't take risks things will never change!

Author Details

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. Same Time Next Week is her twenty-second novel.

Milly’s writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances. She writes stories about ordinary women and the extraordinary things that happen in their ordinary lives.