I have a love/hate feeling about this book. After I finished reading it, I gave a 3 star review but did not write what I thought about it. I let the book sit with me for a few days and here I am writing this but still unsure of what to do.

I find that this story is the most relatable to me book that I have read for a very long time. My parents are aging, I am in my late 50's, been through menopause, my daughters are adults (one recently had a baby) and I've been married to my best friend & understanding husband for 34 years. I'm past menopause but not so far that I don't remember the difficulties of it. I can remember and commiserate with Rocky, the mood-swings, the irritability, and at times, how hard it is to be positive at times and find enjoyment in life. It can be a hard stage to get through. 

I don't relate to the keeping of a secret from her husband for that many years! A secret he really should have been part from the start. On the other side of it, I feel that Rocky was suffering from some undiagnosed postpartum depression at the time or even just depression over all. 
I didn't think I understood Rocky but now I realize I do. I liked Rocky for the most part, I could imagine meeting her in real life. I could see her as a real person. I think that for a reader to like the main character there has to be some experience from actually living and experiencing that stage of a woman's life. 

At the end of this review, which helped me reflect on what I read, I am now able to say that I can give this book a solid 4 star rating. There were parts of the book that were just over the top, including too much pro-choice referencing (I'm pro-choice but a Canadian so the politics was just too much) and for that reason I can't do 5 stars.


This quote is so real for me:
"Life is a seesaw, and I am standing dead center, still and balanced: living kids on one side, living parents on the other. Nicky here with me at the fulcrum. Don’t move a muscle, I think. But I will, of course. You have to."