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Anywhere but Here: The fun and escapist new novel about friendship and marriage, the perfect holiday read for summer
Not yet published
Expected 23 Jul 26'Lifts the lid on the challenges women face in midlife, from marriage to friendship to career. Full of wit and wisdom with one liners guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.' Sarah Breen
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Three friends at life-changing crossroads . . .
Living the presenting breakfast TV in Dublin and married to a man with a mega media career in the UK. But when she turns up in their London flat to surprise him for his birthday, it’s she who gets the surprise – a bad one.
In the business she always loved – journalism – but it’s dying on its feet. Meanwhile her house is falling apart, her romantic life is just as ramshackle and nasty flashbacks to her past are becoming more than just a nuisance.
The one who was sorted early - married a lovely man, had two gorgeous babies. But with a distant husband and teenage twins who think she’s tragic, nothing she believed about herself makes sense any more.
Matilda, Sadie and Jess take off to Donegal to do some serious soul-searching. But maybe the answers to their problems lie closer to home?
Anywhere But Here is a warm, hilarious and page-turning novel about finding out what makes you happy when you thought you had it all figured out.
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Three friends at life-changing crossroads . . .
Living the presenting breakfast TV in Dublin and married to a man with a mega media career in the UK. But when she turns up in their London flat to surprise him for his birthday, it’s she who gets the surprise – a bad one.
In the business she always loved – journalism – but it’s dying on its feet. Meanwhile her house is falling apart, her romantic life is just as ramshackle and nasty flashbacks to her past are becoming more than just a nuisance.
The one who was sorted early - married a lovely man, had two gorgeous babies. But with a distant husband and teenage twins who think she’s tragic, nothing she believed about herself makes sense any more.
Matilda, Sadie and Jess take off to Donegal to do some serious soul-searching. But maybe the answers to their problems lie closer to home?
Anywhere But Here is a warm, hilarious and page-turning novel about finding out what makes you happy when you thought you had it all figured out.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
"𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕? 𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆"
When was the last time you thought 'I wish I was anywhere but here'? I think that at least once a day but I mean the 'my life is falling apart', 'I don't recognise myself', 'where the hell is my life going' kind of I wish I was anywhere but here feeling?, this book is for everyone who has ever thought that, who wonders what if, who longs to just run away & forget all the 'what if's' that consume them.
Its a love letter to friendship, that real genuine, gritty friendship, the friends who will fight for & defend you in a heartbeat but also won't hesitate to call you out on your BS when needed, the friends who have seen at your worst & love you anyway.
I instantly feel in love with this book, it was so effortless to read with amazing, relatable characters, newlywed Matilda the stunning face of Irish day time TV, her sister in law Sadie, a long time journalist living the carefree single life, happiest with her dog & finally Jess a showbiz makeup artist who married young & is now facing into an empty nest. On the outside they are all living their best lives, but life is never that simple is it? When all of their personal lives come to a head for very different reasons they find themselves escaping to the stunning Donegal coast, in an effort to reset & find themselves again but can they be honest with their best friends & attempt the words we're all afraid to say, 'I'm not okay'
Vicki writes what she knows which I love, expect glamour, glitz, nods to showbiz, journalism & gossip but behind the glitz & glam is a powerful story about hurt, betrayal, hidden trauma & the cold hard truth behind putting on a brave face. It also shines a fantastic light on the power & healing behind simply talking; about your pain, thoughts & fears.
This is a fun, glamours read but with so much heart, depth & insights. Its a reminder that those that really matter will always love you for you and the secret to living your best life is to stop pretending you are.
*Thank you to the author & publisher for my advanced proof copy, all thoughts are my own.
When was the last time you thought 'I wish I was anywhere but here'? I think that at least once a day but I mean the 'my life is falling apart', 'I don't recognise myself', 'where the hell is my life going' kind of I wish I was anywhere but here feeling?, this book is for everyone who has ever thought that, who wonders what if, who longs to just run away & forget all the 'what if's' that consume them.
Its a love letter to friendship, that real genuine, gritty friendship, the friends who will fight for & defend you in a heartbeat but also won't hesitate to call you out on your BS when needed, the friends who have seen at your worst & love you anyway.
I instantly feel in love with this book, it was so effortless to read with amazing, relatable characters, newlywed Matilda the stunning face of Irish day time TV, her sister in law Sadie, a long time journalist living the carefree single life, happiest with her dog & finally Jess a showbiz makeup artist who married young & is now facing into an empty nest. On the outside they are all living their best lives, but life is never that simple is it? When all of their personal lives come to a head for very different reasons they find themselves escaping to the stunning Donegal coast, in an effort to reset & find themselves again but can they be honest with their best friends & attempt the words we're all afraid to say, 'I'm not okay'
Vicki writes what she knows which I love, expect glamour, glitz, nods to showbiz, journalism & gossip but behind the glitz & glam is a powerful story about hurt, betrayal, hidden trauma & the cold hard truth behind putting on a brave face. It also shines a fantastic light on the power & healing behind simply talking; about your pain, thoughts & fears.
This is a fun, glamours read but with so much heart, depth & insights. Its a reminder that those that really matter will always love you for you and the secret to living your best life is to stop pretending you are.
*Thank you to the author & publisher for my advanced proof copy, all thoughts are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars.
She has done it again and written another banger about female friendships, specifically middle aged female friendships.
They say write what you know and for all three of her books Vicki has pulled back the curtain on her past life a wee bit - showbiz, journalism and publishing. There are also little nods to real life showbiz stories too which add to the enjoyment for the reader but that is just the scrapping the surface of what is at the heart of these books.
The three protagonists and besties in this saga are Matilda - the face of Ireland's popular TV show Tea Break who clearly has it all, her sister in law Sadie - an old school journalist who wishes her life had a bit more in it other than a situationship and her dog and Jess - a makeup artist with the nuclear family about to become an empty nester. Everyone seeming like they are fine but everyone carrying their own emotional load that they haven't been honest with their best friends about or even themselves.
Beneath the glossy facade and the women's relatively unimaginable lives (to us mere mortals) there is always a deep and important theme in Vicki's writing. This particular story has a really powerful storyline about the incredible healing power of therapy. How life changing it can be to open up about your deepest, darkest thoughts and fears. How bottling up and suppressing emotions only leads to negative outcomes and that honesty, with yourself especially, is always the best policy.
Vicki writes really believable characters, even the ones that you don't seem to have much in common with on the face of it. She does that by delving deep into what makes people tick. It doesn't matter what job you have or how much money, it's who you are that truly matters and creates connection. A really enjoyable read. I'd love to know what happened to them - all hopefully they reappear in later stories as her best characters are prone to do. Sure Ireland is a small auld place ;-)
She has done it again and written another banger about female friendships, specifically middle aged female friendships.
They say write what you know and for all three of her books Vicki has pulled back the curtain on her past life a wee bit - showbiz, journalism and publishing. There are also little nods to real life showbiz stories too which add to the enjoyment for the reader but that is just the scrapping the surface of what is at the heart of these books.
The three protagonists and besties in this saga are Matilda - the face of Ireland's popular TV show Tea Break who clearly has it all, her sister in law Sadie - an old school journalist who wishes her life had a bit more in it other than a situationship and her dog and Jess - a makeup artist with the nuclear family about to become an empty nester. Everyone seeming like they are fine but everyone carrying their own emotional load that they haven't been honest with their best friends about or even themselves.
Beneath the glossy facade and the women's relatively unimaginable lives (to us mere mortals) there is always a deep and important theme in Vicki's writing. This particular story has a really powerful storyline about the incredible healing power of therapy. How life changing it can be to open up about your deepest, darkest thoughts and fears. How bottling up and suppressing emotions only leads to negative outcomes and that honesty, with yourself especially, is always the best policy.
Vicki writes really believable characters, even the ones that you don't seem to have much in common with on the face of it. She does that by delving deep into what makes people tick. It doesn't matter what job you have or how much money, it's who you are that truly matters and creates connection. A really enjoyable read. I'd love to know what happened to them - all hopefully they reappear in later stories as her best characters are prone to do. Sure Ireland is a small auld place ;-)
May 27, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review Anywhere But Here by Vicki Notaro. I have given this book four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I definitely needed a little switch up in genre and I’m so glad I decided to read this book when I did. I was really impressed with Notaro’s writing and how believable her characters were! I love a book which you can relate to with certain characters are know that this book will be good for those who can relate. It was a breath of fresh air to read about three friends and the problems and decisions they were left to deal with. Although, it got a little dark in places, it was overall a light and easy read.
I really loved the three main characters and enjoyed reading about their different journeys through their mid-life crisis’. The only part that left me a little down in the dumps was when they mentioned Covid, as it brought me back to reality and I love delving into a book and having that distance from reality at times especially when it hits hard with universal pandemics and wars.
I hope to read more by Notaro in the future and thank you once again NetGalley for this opportunity.
I definitely needed a little switch up in genre and I’m so glad I decided to read this book when I did. I was really impressed with Notaro’s writing and how believable her characters were! I love a book which you can relate to with certain characters are know that this book will be good for those who can relate. It was a breath of fresh air to read about three friends and the problems and decisions they were left to deal with. Although, it got a little dark in places, it was overall a light and easy read.
I really loved the three main characters and enjoyed reading about their different journeys through their mid-life crisis’. The only part that left me a little down in the dumps was when they mentioned Covid, as it brought me back to reality and I love delving into a book and having that distance from reality at times especially when it hits hard with universal pandemics and wars.
I hope to read more by Notaro in the future and thank you once again NetGalley for this opportunity.
June 15, 2026
When life hits a wall simultaneously for all three friends Sadie, Matilda and Jess, we see them escape the Big Smoke for serenity, soul searching and full packed schedules.
We see the women navigate the housing crisis, redundancy, their biological clocks, marital issues and learning how to rebrand oneself.
This isn't your typical summer read, it's escapism with a dose of reality. Steamy affairs are from afar, and the wanderlust of sandy beaches are situated in Donegal. No big shocks, just grit, grime and getaways.
Only issue I had with this book really was that I had it as an ebook on my phone, which was less than ideal. (I know that sounds unappreciative) It took me a lot longer to get through it, but still kept me hooked enough to keep coming back for more!
We see the women navigate the housing crisis, redundancy, their biological clocks, marital issues and learning how to rebrand oneself.
This isn't your typical summer read, it's escapism with a dose of reality. Steamy affairs are from afar, and the wanderlust of sandy beaches are situated in Donegal. No big shocks, just grit, grime and getaways.
Only issue I had with this book really was that I had it as an ebook on my phone, which was less than ideal. (I know that sounds unappreciative) It took me a lot longer to get through it, but still kept me hooked enough to keep coming back for more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
I was quite apprehensive as I started this book, because even though I adore reading about female friendships, the ‘messy mid-30s mid-life crisis woman’ genre can feel a bit painful after a while.
I needn’t have worried though. I read this so quickly, the characters developed into lovable friends, and I really enjoyed the journeys that they took.
A light, easy read (with a couple of darker moments), one for a quick palette cleanser if you’re worried about where life might take you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing teams for this advanced copy in return for my unbiased review.
I was quite apprehensive as I started this book, because even though I adore reading about female friendships, the ‘messy mid-30s mid-life crisis woman’ genre can feel a bit painful after a while.
I needn’t have worried though. I read this so quickly, the characters developed into lovable friends, and I really enjoyed the journeys that they took.
A light, easy read (with a couple of darker moments), one for a quick palette cleanser if you’re worried about where life might take you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing teams for this advanced copy in return for my unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
what can i say its a great read for the summer about friends and friendships.....
what can i say its a great read for the summer about friends and friendships.....
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews