The Midlife Edit: A Transformative Self-Help Journey for Women

by Gail McNeill

The midlife years are only the beginning - a transformational edit for your very best life.In 2019, Gail McNeill sold her cherished family home and moved to Portugal with just a few boxes of possessions. Soon after, the Covid pandemic enforced her isolation in a remote part of the world and sparked a cascade of introspection that led her to question every facet of her life, struggling to reconcile past choices with present reality. She started a journey of complete reinvention, from which she emerged physically, emotionally and spiritually transformed.Now better known to her hundreds of thousands of followers as @fiftysister, Gail shares her story of midlife metamorphosis to guide you step by step along your own path to reinvention. Showing that it's never too late to transform your life, The Midlife Edit will show you how to build a cocoon nourished by dietary, lifestyle and spiritual insights from which you can emerge transformed and re-energized, to make the absolute most of your middle years.Gail shows you how, by prioritizing self-care for just one year, you can unlock the secrets of health span, building strength and confidence for life, nourishing your body and your mind, and allowing you to enter this unique new phase of your life not diminished, but empowered.Let The Midlife Edit inspire you to invest in yourself, to imagine the life you truly desire - and to be seen, as you never have been before.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 24, 2024

Reviews

[Lauren Chase · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in the premise of this book, a midlife edit, but unfortunately it didn't deliver. It's like a giant infodump of a wide range of lifestyle and self-help topics (mindfulness, manifestation, swedish death cleaning, Marie Kondo, empty-nest syndrome, menopause, Blue Zones, intermittent fasting, self-compassion, journaling, breathing, positive thinking, etc.). I tried diving in but about a quarter of the way through it turned into a hard skim for me. The book is unecessarily wordy and lacks any organization or through line for the reader. Topics are scattered and repeated throughout which makes it hard to follow.

ARC from NetGalley

[Sarah Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve followed Gail for sometime and marvelled at how she gave up her life in the UK to follow her dream to live elsewhere in Europe settling in the Algarve documented on YT and IG. I’m her perfect demographic so this book should sing to me and compliment her social presence.

I was so excited to receive this book which I’d pre ordered. However, this book does not reflect the person I see in the videos; and I have to confess this bothers me. Is the person in the videos a character, the character of Gail playing the part of this seemingly having it-all, living-the-life-of-her-dreams, 50 something? Or is the writer of this book the real Gail; wordy and self-serving. Using 27000 words to say almost nothing when five would do just the same thing. It smacks of getting a book deal before deciding what the topic is then rushing around to make the word-count. I genuinely wanted it to be the former, but I can’t help thinking part of it might rest with the latter.

A punchy re-write would help, provided it comes from a place of authenticity, which I don’t feel it currently does.

[Aurora Briar Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book came out today, doing it via audiobook but finding it very difficult as Gail’s narration is so stunted and unnatural it’s very hard work. I’ll give it a bit longer but it may be going back for a return. Shame as I was expecting so much

16/10/24. Returned it to Audible, I couldn’t take anymore, it was messing with my mind lol. Got my credit refunded.

[Doti · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star because there’s no option for 0 stars!
Instagram Gail is great - followed her for a good while.
Author Gail needs an editor … the book is wordy, repetitive, patronising and mind numbingly boring.
‘With seven words he completely changed my attitude to nourishment. He said ‘eat what you need, not what you want’. ‘ That’s not seven words 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Sabine Kurth · Rating 1 out of 5]

War sehr enttäuscht von diesem Buch. Hab es am Ende nur noch durchgeblättert. Sehr redundant und nichts wirklich Neues: man soll sich bewegen, gesund ernähren, meditieren etc.

[Isabel Fontes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Midlife Edit is an honest and personal account of Gail McNeill’s midlife transformation. I appreciated her openness about the struggles she faced, especially during the pandemic, and the clear message that it’s never too late to change your life. There are helpful reminders here about prioritising self-care, taking control of your health, and finding a deeper sense of purpose.

That said, much of the content felt familiar – things we've read before in wellness and self-help books. Some of the advice was a little too general or repetitive, and I found myself wanting more depth, especially when it came to the practical steps of her journey.

Gail’s story is relatable and motivating, particularly for women navigating midlife changes. But while the book is uplifting and well-meaning, it didn’t quite offer anything new or particularly unique. A good starting point for those beginning their own reinvention journey, but perhaps not for seasoned readers of the genre.

[Deanne Ford · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Gail, she is an inspiration, but the book was a repetitive of every other book I've read re the issue of health etc. Sorry, but to me it was a money-grabbing scheme.

[Elaine J Bolton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t even get halfway through this book. Way too much information on pretty much every topic relating to health and wellbeing. It ended up reading like lists of things you should do. As I’ve read a lot of books on health and wellbeing there wasn’t really anything new to grab my attention and I got bored and gave up.

[Paola Franceschini · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I have not finished it yet, it so boring. I really liked Gail's instagram, but this book lacks structure and is not captivating at all. Just boring lists, and no interesting insights

[Jojo Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was not what I was expecting, as I was unsure how Gail would adapt her social media messaging and fun videos into text. I think I was expecting to find some get-fit-quick inspiration, maybe some recipes or shortcuts to feeling great and finding happiness.

Gail always seem so vibrant and full of energy and I want to feel that way too. I realised whilst reading this book that there are no shortcuts. It will take time and a whole lifestyle edit to let go of the old me and edit my life into something completely different.

I was expecting more personal information to be shared by Gail, however the book is described as a self help guide so I got what I paid for.

She asks you to commit to a year of self love and personal development, there's even a pledge which I felt was a very American thing to do, but by the end of the book I signed the pledge and decided to make changes.

There's lots of information relating to many topics, but the one that caught my eye was the Swedish death cleaning which I'd never heard of before. It's inspired me to declutter my house and let go of belongings which have indeed become a burden.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to question every aspect of their lifestyle or to open their mind and learn something new. I felt a bit overwhelmed with information in parts, but I realised how blinkered I've been in the way I live my life. It was nice to learn lots of new ideas, some of which I have put into practise already.

I am reading for a second time.

[Sarah (blissbubbley) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t aware of the author before reading this and I did like the book but it didn’t fit right with the content somehow. Seeing other reviews shows there is some distance between book and author.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this was an excellent self help book for women just entering perimenopause (mid 30's to mid 40's) - rather than women over 45.

It guides you into learning to listen to yourself, care for yourself and plan for a healthy, happy future as you age. The author provides a list of different technical tools to help with the planning process. She also sums up entire sections and chapters into quick, easy to read lists.

I have a few minor complaints - I found the repetitive nautical references annoying and I struggled with my perception of a disconnect between the author's somewhat privileged life (financially) and the average woman's life.

I feel that the information in the book book could have been disseminated in a more efficient manner - which would have shortened it up significantly (from 336 pages to 200 pages or so). Shortening the book would make it more "user friendly", which for me is crucial. I could pinpoint specific tips and re-read as needed if the book were shorter.

The world that we live in today is so fast-paced and full; there are a lot of somewhat unrealistic expectations for the average woman who works full time and juggles being a wife & mother while trying to care for herself, her friends and aging parents.

This book was a gentle reminder that I can't have it all, do it all and be all for everyone - unless I do it for myself first.

[Pamela Lilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - not what I was expecting
I’ve been following @FiftySister (Gail McNeill) on instagram for a while now, and I love her. She has some fantastic tips and tricks, and she’s very inspirational. I’ve been on a fitness campaign since giving up alcohol nearly 4 years ago and I felt akin to her, so I was so excited to start her first book. It wasn’t what I was expecting though, I found it a little too complex and in depth, there were too many complicated words and statistics and it went over my head in places. I felt like I was reading a college textbook at times. There was also a lot of repetitiveness when it came to symptoms, disorders and I felt like I was being lectured a little. I was expecting an entertaining, informative read. Even though there were some interesting pointers in and amongst, sadly it wasn’t the enjoyable and entertaining read I was expecting.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this, but it’s nothing like her Insta vibe.

It’s mostly a bunch of dot points, definitions and information, not the really personal account of her experiences that I was hoping for. It says inside the cover that Gail shares her story… but it’s just briefly touched on really.
Repetitive, same thing worded differently over and over on the same page. Repeated same sentence from the intro by page 4. There’s a typo on the back cover.
Didn’t engage me, got bored and found my mind wandering constantly.

She perhaps rates her “transformation” and “sacrifices” a bit too highly. A rich, privileged person who moves countries and cleans up her life to recover from her own self inflicted excesses.

I just see it as trying to cash in quickly on her online success, but it was executed poorly and not edited properly.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, I so badly wanted to love this book. I love following Gail on social media as she is spritely and funny and creative and easy to listen to. But this book was not those things. It was unnecessarily wordy, sentence structure was dull and tiresome, words and ideas were repetitive, facts were ordinary, and the book read like you were sitting in a lecture hall. (Was there an editor involved because that could have really helped.) There are good tidbits to pull from Gail's experience of transforming her life but this book was not the inspirational, exciting, uplifting read I had my sights set on.

[PJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a 48-year-old approaching midlife, I wanted this book to be informative and helpful.
The introduction is repetitive, including text that is duplicated in the first chapter.
The author lived in a 22-room "house" prior to her "edit". Not relatable to the majority of the population.
Anti-fatness is the first thing mentioned; anti-fatness, self-compassion, and meditation...in that order.
I was greatly disappointed in this book.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some things I really liked about this book - it’s positivity, its emphasis on also empowering and supporting others and it’s clear advice. It is an easy book to follow. Over chapters it started to feel a little repetitive but this did give emphasis to the benefits to be gained from embracing midlife.
#TheMidlifeEdit #NetGalley

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good messages in this book, but nothing new, and it doesn't need to be so long. There is nothing wrong with anything that was said, but unless you've been living under a rock for decades, you've probably heard everything before, numerous times. The number of really obvious statements got annoying after a while. I listened to this on Audible.

[Christy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book in one giant checklist of other peoples’ ideas and long-established practices. Did she use ChatGPT to write it? I tried to read it and just couldn’t. Who wants to read page after page of checklists? Wish I’d read the reviews first. So glad this is a library book and I didn’t buy it.