An irresistible hug in book form - the brilliant, escapist and completely relatable new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Milly Johnson

‘Warm, funny and moving. One to curl up with and devour’ Ruth Jones

Sandwich generation [noun] A generation of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible both for bringing up their own children and for the care of their ageing parents.

Shay Bastable is the woman in the middle. She is part of the sandwich generation - caring for her parents and her children, supporting her husband Bruce, holding them all together and caring for them as best she can.

Then the arrival of a large orange skip on her mother’s estate sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events which leads to the collapse of Shay’s world. She is forced to put herself first for a change.

But in order to move forward with her present, Shay needs to make sense of her past. And so she returns to the little village she grew up in, to uncover the truth about what happened to her when she was younger. And in doing so, she discovers that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to find the only way is up.

The perfect novel to curl up with, or to buy for the woman in the middle in your life.

Praise for The Woman in the Middle:
‘One of those novels that draws you in to its world and makes you wish you could be friends with Shay. So layered and textured and had me frequently shouting 'noooooo!!!’ when Shay was getting the rough deal yet again, bounced from pillar to post. A really good story that kept me wondering what was at the bottom of it all. A tantalizing juicy tale full of twists and turns that kept me gripped. Warm, funny and moving. One to curl up with and devour’ Ruth Jones

‘An unputdownable tale of redemption and hard-won wisdom, this is a book that speaks for us all wherever we are in our lives. Milly Johnson always delivers an absolutely cracking read’ Katie Fforde

‘The main characters are wise, loveable and so relatable. The humour is down to earth, the emotions are real and the storyline compelling. No one else writes quite like Milly and, with The Woman in the Middle, she has produced yet another winner’‘ Jill Mansell

'Written from the heart … honest, inspirational and great fun … I loved it’ Janie Millman

‘This book is delicious. As moreish as a freshly made sandwich, full of your favourite filling. It’s well worth the wait and joyous to bite into’ Jo Thomas

‘Immensely relatable, tender and wise; Milly’s magic sparkles from every page’ Cathy Bramley

‘A complex family drama with a big heart, a light touch and lots of surprises’ Veronica Henry

‘The perfect pick-me-up that you won’t be able to put down. I loved it’ Matt Dunn

‘Milly Johnson gets better and better with every novel she writes’S Magazine

'A heartwarming tale about loss, love and second chances, that many women will relate to’ The Sun

‘Warm and hugely relatable, this is a must-read’ Fabulous Magazine

‘This absorbing book reminds us to be honest and true to ourselves’ Woman’s Weekly

‘A brilliant read’ Bella

‘If you need a page-turner, then look no further… Emotional and heartwarming, it’s another gem from Johnson’ Heat

‘With Milly’s trademark warm wit and wisdom’ My Weekly Special