Inhale Exhale

February 17, 2026 /

Inhale Exhale ~ Nicole MacPherson

Michelle is a 55 year old mother of three, the owner of a busy yoga studio, and a committed divorcee. Committed because she has been divorced since before the birth of her youngest child, who now a teenager, and she hasn’t dated. She doesn’t want to date, she is busy and fulfilled and living the life she wants. Isn’t she?

I suspect that many of us have either read Inhale Exhale by now, as it is the debut novel of Cool Blogger extraordinaire Nicole, or we are waiting for it to arrive. So why not give you my standard review format, and then I can put some thoughts in the ‘spoiler’ section, and you can decide whether you want to read that or not. Because I have thoughts.

My review is that I really enjoyed this book! I liked getting to know Michelle and her daughter, Livvy. I liked a glimpse into what goes in to running a yoga studio (perhaps I should send a copy to my step mom, who owned a very successful yoga studio in Portland for decades before retiring a few years ago.) I liked the wordplay and the humor and the tension. I liked the dialogue. I liked it all. Highly recommended.

Let’s discuss in the comments. Be warned if you haven’t read yet!

Spoilers! Lots and lots of spoilers!

While I loved Michelle, I worried when she brought Steve home to meet her daughter on their second date. Did that freak anyone else out? I mean, it freaked Michelle out a bit, but she felt safe and went for it. And Steve was great, so whew, that all worked out!

I worried that Steve was too much like Paul, which of course is a big part of the plot. Paul, Livvy’s father, was never around when Livvy and her two (now adult) brothers were little, and when Livvy spends time at his house, he is never there and she ends up spending time with his new wife, Jessica, instead.

I wanted to slap Paul so damned hard for being excited and happy when Jessica gets pregnant, while he left his marriage to Michelle when she got pregnant with their third child. He is clearly going to be more involved with his new family than he was with his first one. So John Lennon of him.

Poor Livvy! She is absolutely thrown for a loop when Jessica gets pregnant. I thought for a bit that she was going to battle an eating disorder. Terrifying, and when she almost OD’d on pills, my heart broke for them all. I mean, I know Nicole, she was not going to kill off Livvy. But Michelle doesn’t know this!

And what about Paul and Steve? Paul is a workaholic who ignored his family, and is getting another chance with Jessica and the baby. Steve is a former workaholic (now retired) who ignored his family, and is hoping for another chance with Michelle and Livvy. He wants to do better, and I think he will, especially as he doesn’t have a job anymore to pull him away. Will Paul do better this time? Will Steve be able to repair his relationship with his daughter? Will he try?

If you are reading this section, I assume you have read the book and have thoughts as well. I loved how deftly Nicole dealt with these issues. How Michelle was not perfect and missed some red flags in her life. How close her relationship was with her kids and her sister. And the humor throughout made this book a joy to read.

28 Comments

  • Michelle G.

    February 17, 2026 at 4:40 pm Reply

    Yes to all of this! What a great review! I enjoyed the book so much and got so into the plot that I completely forgot that it was Nicole – our blogging friend Nicole – who had written it!
    Yes, I was very worried about Steve for several reasons. He had previously been like Paul! I also wanted to smack Paul. What a jerk! I absolutely loved Livvy, and it was like a punch in my gut when she attempted suicide. I had to just sit there looking out the window. Thankfully, Livvy was OK…but also not OK.
    I loved the humor in the book, too. It was a delight to read, and I’m so happy for Nicole! What a lovely first book. I hope she writes many more.

  • coco

    February 17, 2026 at 11:52 pm Reply

    I love your review J, reflects a lot of my worries. the biggest question I had is whether it’s possible for someone to change so radically at retirement age, to be trusted to finally values family. these values came from long long time, even from his own family, no? was his wife’s death big enough shock to make the change? In real life, it’s difficult to see such transformation, but maybe the book is meant to give us hope?
    and yes, I felt so bad for Livvy. when I got divorced, I hesitated the most due to its impact on my daughter. her wellbing has been my compass for the last 10 years.

    • K @ TS

      February 18, 2026 at 5:28 am Reply

      Great review! I also enjoyed the book. I have to admit, I did not really trust Steve and almost kind of wanted him to go his own way, even though I knew it would hurt Michelle at first. I also wish there was a tiny bit more after the pill incident as the book ended and I was not really ready for it. However, I am more plot driven and I know that you and Nicole like your character driven novels so I’m sure it’s a function of that.

      • J

        February 18, 2026 at 8:46 am Reply

        I would have been fine with Steve leaving, hopefully the fact that he no longer works will be enough for him to change his ways. At least he is aware of them, he told Michelle about them before the confrontation with his daughter. So he knows he is a work in progress.

    • J

      February 18, 2026 at 8:43 am Reply

      Thanks Coco! Yes, I am sure that Steve’s change will not be entirely smooth sailing. I see him getting involved elsewhere and Michelle needing to remind him of his new goals. However, perhaps the confrontation with his daughter will be enough. I do think people can change, if they really want to.

  • Elisabeth

    February 18, 2026 at 4:36 am Reply

    Great review, J.

    Nicole did a fabulous job writing this novel. I was sad that Steve was so much like Paul, but I feel like it also gives us hope that Paul MIGHT change down the line. What a shame for parents to miss the best years of their kids’ lives and only realize and regret that long after the kids are grown… Hindsight is obviously closer to 20/20 than the lived reality.

    Poor Livvy. Just the thought of being pulled between two locations like that, the feeling of being second-rate in Paul’s house… ugh. Hard stuff but also relatable.

    Nicole tackled BIG topics in the book. My only quibble, as she likely knew it would be, is language. But people talk differently from me and I appreciate she gave me an official warning 🙂

    • J

      February 18, 2026 at 8:48 am Reply

      LOL, I love that she gave you a warning about the language. I cannot imagine how crappy it must have felt for Livvy to be so ignored by her father. I hope he changes not just for his new family, but also for Livvy. It speaks to what a great job Nicole did that I think of these characters as having a future, and that I have hopes for them, right?

  • Margaret

    February 18, 2026 at 9:12 am Reply

    I was widowed at 56 after a long marriage, and never intended to date. Now here I am 7 years later and happy with John. It’s like I’ve had several (many?) different lives.

    • J

      February 18, 2026 at 9:21 am Reply

      Yes, I sometimes think if something happened to my marriage (death or divorce), I would skip it and be on my own. But never say never, right? My stepmom has been widowed 3 times…her first husband when she was 21 (Vietnam casualty), my dad when she was 70 (they were married for about 25 years), then her partner 6 years later, after a 2 1/2 year relationship. Unlike you, she never says she does not intend to date. She really likes being partnered and having a significant other with whom to do things, and is now in a relationship with a great guy. So resilient.

      How long did it take for you to be ready to try again?

  • Jenny

    February 18, 2026 at 11:23 am Reply

    OOOH! I’m one of those still waiting impatiently for my copy to arrive. I imagine I will love it, because I love Nicole’s writing on her blog. Hurry up, book!!!

  • Jacquie

    February 18, 2026 at 8:49 pm Reply

    I agree it was an excellent read with great character development. I liked the balance of serious issues with a mix of humour to offset the heavier moments. I particularly enjoyed the behind the scenes reality of running a yoga studio – dealing with staff who cancel last minute, scrambling to find replacements, cranky patrons etc. The chakras are not always in alignment LOL. Also, the ending of a book makes it or breaks it for me and I loved the last chapter of this book!

    • J

      February 19, 2026 at 9:29 am Reply

      You’re so right, the last chapters of a book are so important, and I loved the message of forgiveness, especially to ones self, that Nicole included. It was lovely.

  • Jenny

    February 24, 2026 at 5:26 am Reply

    I finished the book last night! My problem with Steve wasn’t that he was a former work-aholic- it seems like he regrets that choice and wants to change (well- he’s retired so he won’t be working anyway). The problem I had with him is, every time there’s a problem he just shuts down and doesn’t call for several days. That is NOT OKAY. That seems like something deeply ingrained in his character, that will carry through the relationship. I would have dumped him.

    • J

      February 24, 2026 at 8:43 pm Reply

      I wonder if there were a sequel, whether Steve would be kicked to the curb? I mean, forgiveness is big in this book, but of course Michelle doesn’t want to be unhappy either.

  • Anne

    March 4, 2026 at 12:46 pm Reply

    I was wondering if anyone else finished and thought, don’t we get more? I really wanted more of the story. I was really drawn in.

    I suspect we all filled in some blanks in our own minds, and it would be fascinating to know whether or how our ideas overlap. (And, of course, we can all hope for a sequel, too. :>)

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