What do you think?
Rate this book
Empty
They’re broke, bitter and not ready to give up without a fight.
Three middle-aged women, who have seen their carefully crafted lives take a precipitous financial plunge, forge an unlikely friendship while getting paid to take part in a clinical trial for a new menopause drug. The trio spends a month sequestered at a pharmaceutical testing facility that has all the charm of a nail salon inside a Walmart, and bond over their anger and disbelief that their only hope for some quick cash is leveraging the remaining estrogen they have lurking in their ovaries.
Each of these women has a recent story of their existence hurtling to hell. Maria had a career catastrophe so epic that googling her name is now painful. Cassie’s extreme vanity took an ugly turn and Julie’s husband didn’t just walk out on their marriage, he disappeared with all the money
Once they become roommates, this cadre of unlikely friends merge their talents to find Julie’s missing husband and her half of the “marital assets.” Maria has major accounting mojo, Julie has connections, and Cassie, a former soap opera actress, has acquired an assortment of shady skills during her Hollywood tenure.
As they plot, scheme, and embark on an adventure to find an AWOL spouse, they learn how to fight back against a world they believe deems them old and insignificant and in the process, discover that fifty is when life gets fun, especially when you can get even.
Three middle-aged women, who have seen their carefully crafted lives take a precipitous financial plunge, forge an unlikely friendship while getting paid to take part in a clinical trial for a new menopause drug. The trio spends a month sequestered at a pharmaceutical testing facility that has all the charm of a nail salon inside a Walmart, and bond over their anger and disbelief that their only hope for some quick cash is leveraging the remaining estrogen they have lurking in their ovaries.
Each of these women has a recent story of their existence hurtling to hell. Maria had a career catastrophe so epic that googling her name is now painful. Cassie’s extreme vanity took an ugly turn and Julie’s husband didn’t just walk out on their marriage, he disappeared with all the money
Once they become roommates, this cadre of unlikely friends merge their talents to find Julie’s missing husband and her half of the “marital assets.” Maria has major accounting mojo, Julie has connections, and Cassie, a former soap opera actress, has acquired an assortment of shady skills during her Hollywood tenure.
As they plot, scheme, and embark on an adventure to find an AWOL spouse, they learn how to fight back against a world they believe deems them old and insignificant and in the process, discover that fifty is when life gets fun, especially when you can get even.
270 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2022
66 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Sherry Kuehl
5 books16 followersSherry Kuehl writes the popular blog Snarky in the Suburbs (www.snarkyinthesuburbs.com) that was optioned by ABC for film and television.
She’s the author of three books: Empty, Snarky in the Suburbs Back to School and Snarky in the Suburbs Trouble in Texas.
Sherry (aka Snarky) can also be seen on morning television dispensing “21st century advice with an attitude” with her “Dear Snarky” segments and she has a weekly column in the Kansas City Star that features her unique take on life.
Sherry’s background is in broadcast journalism. She’s an award-winning producer, journalist and author having worked for various television stations in Texas, CNN, The Wall Street Journal Report, Public Television and other news media outlets.
She’s the author of three books: Empty, Snarky in the Suburbs Back to School and Snarky in the Suburbs Trouble in Texas.
Sherry (aka Snarky) can also be seen on morning television dispensing “21st century advice with an attitude” with her “Dear Snarky” segments and she has a weekly column in the Kansas City Star that features her unique take on life.
Sherry’s background is in broadcast journalism. She’s an award-winning producer, journalist and author having worked for various television stations in Texas, CNN, The Wall Street Journal Report, Public Television and other news media outlets.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 13, 2025
I really enjoyed Empty by Sherry Kuehl. This book is sharp, funny, and surprisingly suspenseful, with characters that feel real and deeply relatable.
Three middle aged women meet while participating in a paid medical study for menopausal women. What begins as a financial necessity quickly turns into an unlikely friendship. Julie is reeling after her husband disappears with all their money. Maria is a brilliant numbers person whose career imploded after a corporate scandal she did not cause. Cassie, a former soap opera actress, is down on her luck after a disastrous cosmetic procedure. Each woman brings a different strength to the table, and together they decide they are done being underestimated.
As they work to track down Julie’s missing husband and reclaim what is rightfully hers, the story becomes both clever and empowering. The humor is sharp without being cruel, the pacing kept me turning pages, and the friendships felt earned and genuine.
Empty is a great read for anyone who enjoys smart women’s fiction, strong female characters, and stories about reinvention and refusing to fade quietly into the background. I laughed, I raced through chapters, and I was genuinely rooting for these women the entire time.
Highly recommended.
Three middle aged women meet while participating in a paid medical study for menopausal women. What begins as a financial necessity quickly turns into an unlikely friendship. Julie is reeling after her husband disappears with all their money. Maria is a brilliant numbers person whose career imploded after a corporate scandal she did not cause. Cassie, a former soap opera actress, is down on her luck after a disastrous cosmetic procedure. Each woman brings a different strength to the table, and together they decide they are done being underestimated.
As they work to track down Julie’s missing husband and reclaim what is rightfully hers, the story becomes both clever and empowering. The humor is sharp without being cruel, the pacing kept me turning pages, and the friendships felt earned and genuine.
Empty is a great read for anyone who enjoys smart women’s fiction, strong female characters, and stories about reinvention and refusing to fade quietly into the background. I laughed, I raced through chapters, and I was genuinely rooting for these women the entire time.
Highly recommended.
November 26, 2022
This book was such a fun read! I laughed out loud so many times. The characters are hilarious and pathetic and you can't help but sympathize with and root for them in their crazy schemes. The dialogue is great--so many pithy truths, hilarious comments; be careful not to drink or eat while reading, or you might end up spitting it all over laughing at something unexpectedly.
The ONLY reason that I didn't give this 5 stars is that the editing on the Kindle version I read was absolutely atrocious. The punctuation, specifically lack of commas and quotation marks in the wrong places, sometimes made the dialogue tricky to follow. If it weren't for that, this book would have been amazing. I think it would make a great movie.
The ONLY reason that I didn't give this 5 stars is that the editing on the Kindle version I read was absolutely atrocious. The punctuation, specifically lack of commas and quotation marks in the wrong places, sometimes made the dialogue tricky to follow. If it weren't for that, this book would have been amazing. I think it would make a great movie.
April 29, 2023
What a read!
I wasn't sure where this story was heading, but it took me by storm by chapter five. I was hooked. These women are so different from each other, and how they met at a medical testing facility, and how that turned into a bonding friendship just floored me and kept me reading into the wee hours. I recommend this book to those of you who like adventure that seems crazy but believable at the same time. A good mix of fun, drama, fear, and a good dose of revenge.
I wasn't sure where this story was heading, but it took me by storm by chapter five. I was hooked. These women are so different from each other, and how they met at a medical testing facility, and how that turned into a bonding friendship just floored me and kept me reading into the wee hours. I recommend this book to those of you who like adventure that seems crazy but believable at the same time. A good mix of fun, drama, fear, and a good dose of revenge.
June 1, 2024
So Much Fun!
"Empty" is great on so many levels! It's easy to read, entertaining, and smart. Sherry captured the beauty of girl power and women's friendships. Three unlikely compadres combine forces to seek out an errant husband and instead find themselves. This is one of my new favorites and a perfect easy read.
"Empty" is great on so many levels! It's easy to read, entertaining, and smart. Sherry captured the beauty of girl power and women's friendships. Three unlikely compadres combine forces to seek out an errant husband and instead find themselves. This is one of my new favorites and a perfect easy read.
February 21, 2023
Great story of women joining forces.
Loved the diversity of the characters and how they joined together to make a bad situation better for someone they knew for a month. Genius plan and I laughed because I can see this happening in real life.
Loved the diversity of the characters and how they joined together to make a bad situation better for someone they knew for a month. Genius plan and I laughed because I can see this happening in real life.
November 15, 2023
Excellent read
Delightful and insightful, it delves into real life tragedy, love, hate, friends and enemies. It is funny as well as poignant while being one of those books you can't put down.
Delightful and insightful, it delves into real life tragedy, love, hate, friends and enemies. It is funny as well as poignant while being one of those books you can't put down.
October 9, 2024
Empty
What a delightful book. It was fun to take three women who met during a drug test that was a month long, pooling their money earned from the test and helping right a wrong. The adventures were exceptionally
What a delightful book. It was fun to take three women who met during a drug test that was a month long, pooling their money earned from the test and helping right a wrong. The adventures were exceptionally
June 1, 2022
Just wow
This was recommended to me by another author I follow. It was so good. I don't know how Sherry Kugel could get all the twists and turns figured out. But it was great!
This was recommended to me by another author I follow. It was so good. I don't know how Sherry Kugel could get all the twists and turns figured out. But it was great!
October 31, 2022
I loved this book!
I literally laughed out loud whilst reading it. Truly that funny and relatable. Cannot wait for more work from this author!
I literally laughed out loud whilst reading it. Truly that funny and relatable. Cannot wait for more work from this author!
November 19, 2022
What a great funny book. Her dumb husband left her and took all the money.
November 21, 2022
Great read
I started reading this book while on vacation and had to finish it! The characters really appealed to me, being of a certain age myself. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed every minute. Would highly recommend.
I started reading this book while on vacation and had to finish it! The characters really appealed to me, being of a certain age myself. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed every minute. Would highly recommend.
March 13, 2024
Fun read. Three women that each have their own problems get together to help one of them recover the money that her husband has stolen and left her completely broke.
January 14, 2026
GREAT READ
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lots of giggles. My favorite character was Cassie. The story really makes you think its totally possible
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lots of giggles. My favorite character was Cassie. The story really makes you think its totally possible
May 29, 2024
You only think you have problems?Julie, Maria and Cassie meet in the month-long inpatient clinical trial for a new menopause drug because they are that broke and desperate. Main character, Julie, has been fleeced by her soon to be ex-husband and is determined to get her money back. But was he working alone? With the help of her new, very different friends, she makes a plan! This is super fun read (like all of Sherry’s books are!) and I wanted to jump into that book and help them! Very satisfying ending and I can’t wait for her next book!
August 23, 2025
Oh, I was onboard with this tale. Three women meet in a drug testing facility and go on to exact revenge on a missing husband. Great characters. Fun read.
November 20, 2023
great story
A wonderful, empowering story of the power older women friends, who are wronged and together right those wrongs, while building true friendships.
A wonderful, empowering story of the power older women friends, who are wronged and together right those wrongs, while building true friendships.
February 20, 2024
enjoyed Empty
I loved the characters. I loved watching them deal with their crazy situations! But mostly I loved watching them bond.
I loved the characters. I loved watching them deal with their crazy situations! But mostly I loved watching them bond.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews