A Moment on the Lips by J. Taylor

Why do people seek to limit their food intake? What is the best way to go about it? Body image is a serious issue, and eating disorders are no joke. How can a comedic author write about women who wish to lose weight without causing offence? J. Taylor’s funny and thoughtful debut novel tackles this emotional minefield with empathy and humour. A Moment on the Lips will appeal equally to those who wish to lose weight and to those who celebrate their curves.

The narrator is thirty year old Etta, a loving single mum and a hard-working, popular care home assistant. She rents a pretty cottage from a kindly landlord. Her charming grandad and his vivacious wife live nearby and are always available to help with child care. Sadly, in spite of being surrounded by affection and support Etta lacks self-confidence.

Etta Wilson has vowed to make a change. At five foot three and a size twenty, she’s had enough. Honestly, this has absolutely nothing to do with seeing her ex, Robert Ward, strolling around town, smitten with a new slim girlfriend.

Out of the blue, Etta and three others are invited to join a WhatsApp group set up by a colleague from the care home. This woman’s husband of thirty-one years has abandoned her, and she is reaching out for help to resist the urge to comfort eat. There is a sense of joy and release as one woman after another admits that she’d also like to lose weight.

So, Etta’s chucked the calorific cakes, thrown the takeaway in the bin and committed to cardio. She’s got nothing to lose - well apart from a lot of weight - but how hard can that be? Nearly impossible, it turns out. Etta soon realises she can’t do this alone. Thanks to her colleagues at the Elm Lodge Care Home, she won't have to.

What I love about this book is the strong bond that develops between the women in the WhatsApp group called A Moment on your Lips. They differ in age, personality and background, but they are united by a determination to take control of their lives. They start with planning menus together and taking it in turn to host group meals, but it’s not all about losing weight. While they exercise, track down an errant spouse, stand up for the elderly people in their care and share the delights of an uninhibited hen do, the women become firm friends.

The novel is written in first person from Etta’s point of view. Taylor’s relaxed, intimate narrative style draws the reader in and moves the action along at a fast pace. Trigger alert – if perfect grammar and syntax are essential to your reading enjoyment, A Moment on the Lips may not be for you. But I suggest you put down your red pen and go with the flow, because the story is hilarious.

Many thanks to J. Taylor for sending me an advance copy in return for an honest review.