It’s Getting Hot in Here Summary, Characters and Themes

It’s Getting Hot in Here by Jane Costello is a witty contemporary novel that explores the messy, beautiful chaos of midlife through the eyes of Lisa Darling, a busy 47-year-old mother balancing a demanding career, teenage children, and complicated relationships.

Against the backdrop of Manchester’s media scene, Lisa grapples with friendship, love, illness, and the relentless pressures of ‘having it all.’ With humor, emotional depth, and relatable honesty, the book delves into themes of personal reinvention, resilience, and the pursuit of happiness during life’s unpredictable middle years.

Summary

Lisa Darling is a woman in her late forties juggling the demands of her career, family, and personal life. As a Factual Entertainment Commissioner at a streaming company in Manchester, she is ambitious and hardworking, but constantly stretched thin by deadlines, office politics, and a challenging workplace environment.

At home, she faces the usual chaos of raising two sons—Jacob, the younger and more sentimental, and Leo, a surly teenager grappling with his own frustrations. Lisa’s ex-husband Brendan is distant and unreliable, adding to her load as she tries to parent alone.

Her best friend Rose, undergoing breast cancer treatment, is a central figure in Lisa’s life. Their friendship provides emotional support and candid moments of laughter and reflection.

Lisa’s life is a constant balancing act—managing her children’s needs, school events, and household upheavals while striving to maintain control at work and cope with the emotional toll of Rose’s illness.

The arrival of Zach Russo, Rose’s temporary replacement at the company, shakes up Lisa’s professional and personal spheres. Zach is confident, charismatic, and unapologetically direct—a sharp contrast to Lisa’s collaborative and careful approach.

Their initial encounters are marked by tension and rivalry, yet beneath the professional clashes, a subtle attraction begins to simmer. Zach’s own history of a painful divorce and career burnout adds layers to his character, making him more than just a workplace adversary.

Lisa’s internal struggles deepen as she confronts the myth of ‘having it all.’ She questions whether her sacrifices at work are worth the cost to her family life and personal happiness.

Moments of vulnerability surface as she juggles PTA politics, chaotic family dinners, and unexpected crises—like her younger son Jacob’s penchant for getting into trouble or Leo’s escalating behavioral issues at school.

Lisa attempts to create stability by instituting new family routines and striving to be more present with her children.

Her friendship with Rose is a source of warmth and grounding, especially as Rose’s health fluctuates with treatment side effects and hospital stays. These poignant episodes highlight themes of mortality, courage, and the value of true friendship.

Lisa also experiences moments of joy and renewal, like organizing community events and reconnecting with her parents, whose own imperfect relationship reminds her of the complexities of love and commitment.

A surprising opportunity arises when Lisa is offered a potential promotion that would require relocating to Los Angeles. This prospect forces her to reevaluate her priorities, stirring a mix of excitement, fear, and guilt.

She grapples with the idea of uprooting her children and leaving the familiar behind versus the possibility of growth and change.

Meanwhile, her relationship with Zach evolves, moving from wary professional rivals to companions sharing moments of emotional honesty and growing intimacy.

As Lisa navigates her career ambitions and personal life, she faces tough conversations—with her ex-husband Brendan about co-parenting, with her sons about their feelings, and with herself about what she truly wants from life.

The novel explores her journey toward self-acceptance, courage to embrace change, and willingness to open her heart despite past disappointments.

Throughout the story, the themes of reinvention, resilience, and the challenges of middle age are portrayed with humor, empathy, and authenticity.

Lisa’s story is one of finding balance amid chaos, learning to prioritize what truly matters, and discovering that it’s never too late to pursue happiness on one’s own terms.

Characters

Lisa Darling

Lisa Darling is the heart of the story, a 47-year-old mother balancing a demanding career, family responsibilities, and personal upheavals. She is portrayed as resilient and deeply committed but often stretched thin by the competing demands of motherhood, work, and self-care.

Lisa’s journey is one of self-discovery and gradual empowerment; she navigates the chaos of single parenthood while wrestling with the pressures of a high-profile job in the media industry. Her character embodies the modern woman’s struggle to “have it all,” revealing vulnerabilities related to aging, menopause, and loneliness.

Over the course of the story, Lisa transitions from feeling overwhelmed and trapped by circumstance to embracing a more authentic, balanced life. She learns to prioritize her own happiness without guilt.

Her relationships, especially with her children and close friends, are central to her development. These relationships reflect her growth in emotional maturity and self-awareness.

Zach Russo

Zach Russo emerges as both a professional rival and a potential romantic interest, adding complexity to Lisa’s life. Initially introduced as a confident, somewhat brusque figure from LA, Zach challenges Lisa at work with his no-nonsense attitude, creating tension.

As the story progresses, layers of his character are revealed: beneath the tough exterior lies a man grappling with his own emotional scars, including a recent divorce and career burnout. Zach’s guarded demeanor slowly softens in his interactions with Lisa, revealing a capacity for vulnerability and empathy.

His evolving relationship with Lisa moves from professional antagonism to mutual respect and eventually to emotional connection. This shift symbolizes the possibility of new beginnings even in midlife.

Zach serves as both a foil and a mirror to Lisa’s struggles, highlighting themes of healing, second chances, and the courage to embrace love again.

Rose

Rose is Lisa’s best friend and a key emotional anchor in the story. Facing breast cancer and the accompanying physical and emotional challenges, Rose represents resilience, vulnerability, and the power of friendship.

Her illness serves as a poignant counterpoint to Lisa’s busy life, forcing both women to confront mortality, fear, and the value of support networks. Rose’s candid conversations with Lisa provide moments of reflection and grounding.

Through Rose, themes of aging, illness, and female solidarity are explored with tenderness and humor. Her presence highlights the importance of authentic connection and the strength found in facing life’s uncertainties together.

Brendan

Brendan, Lisa’s ex-husband, is depicted as a somewhat unreliable and distant figure, whose lack of involvement complicates Lisa’s parenting responsibilities. While he occasionally attempts to engage more seriously, his inconsistent presence underscores the challenges of co-parenting after separation.

Brendan’s character is less developed compared to the others, but his interactions with Lisa expose the emotional labor she undertakes. They also highlight the ongoing negotiation of boundaries and expectations in post-divorce family dynamics.

Leo and Jacob

Lisa’s children, Leo and Jacob, are portrayed with realistic flaws and struggles that add depth to the family dynamic. Leo, the teenager, battles with anger and feelings of abandonment, reflecting the emotional impact of divorce and change on adolescents.

His occasional rebelliousness and school troubles create tension but also moments of growth and reconciliation. Jacob, the younger son, brings a lighter, more innocent energy, embodying the chaos and unpredictability of family life.

Both boys’ evolving relationships with their mother demonstrate Lisa’s attempts to balance discipline, affection, and understanding amidst her own challenges.

Themes

Midlife Identity Crisis and Societal Expectations on Women

Jane Costello explores the protagonist Lisa Darling’s struggle with the multifaceted identity crisis typical of many middle-aged women. Lisa’s journey transcends the cliché of “midlife crisis” by revealing how societal expectations—being a devoted mother, a high-achieving professional, a loyal friend, and a romantic partner—impose conflicting demands that fragment her sense of self.

Throughout the novel, Lisa wrestles with the performative nature of these roles, questioning where her authentic self lies beneath the layers of societal conditioning and personal compromise. This tension is heightened by her confrontation with aging, menopause, and the cultural invisibility often imposed on women in their late 40s.

The novel deftly critiques the myth of “having it all” by illustrating how external pressures can erode internal clarity, forcing Lisa to continuously renegotiate her identity rather than finding a stable, singular self.

The Intricacies of Female Friendship as a Source of Resilience Amidst Mortality and Emotional Turmoil

A powerful and less conventional theme in the book is the nuanced portrayal of female friendship as a sustaining force in the face of life’s fragility and uncertainty. 

Lisa’s relationship with Rose, who battles breast cancer, serves as a poignant exploration of how friendships can provide emotional anchorage during crises of mortality.

Their dynamic goes beyond mere support; it becomes a space for raw vulnerability, shared humor, and mutual empowerment. 

This theme delves into how friendships among women often act as a parallel family, offering acceptance and understanding that traditional roles or romantic relationships may fail to provide.

The presence of illness and recovery further layers this friendship with existential reflections, making it a tender meditation on life, death, and the courage to keep living fully.

Professional Autonomy and Recognition within a Male-Dominated Corporate Sphere

Costello’s novel also critically examines the challenge of asserting professional agency as a middle-aged woman in a competitive, male-dominated corporate environment. 

Lisa’s career at a UK streaming company becomes a microcosm for broader systemic issues—power struggles, gender biases, and the precarious balancing act women perform to maintain authority without being marginalized.

The professional rivalry and eventual mutual respect between Lisa and Zach encapsulate the complexities of navigating career advancement while managing gendered expectations and interpersonal dynamics. 

The story underscores the sacrifices and compromises women make in pursuit of professional validation, as well as the courage it takes to push against corporate inertia and claim one’s voice amidst implicit sexism and ageism.

The Ambiguous Pursuit of Reinvention and the Psychological Weight of Life Transitions

Throughout the novel, Lisa’s contemplation of a career move abroad acts as a symbol for the broader human desire to reinvent oneself amidst the unrelenting flow of time. This theme captures the paradox of seeking escape as both a liberating and destabilizing force.

The narrative probes the psychological weight that comes with the possibility of uprooting one’s life—not just practically, but emotionally and spiritually. It raises difficult questions about the nature of change: is it an act of genuine growth or an evasion of unresolved internal conflicts?

Lisa’s vacillation between ambition and attachment highlights how life transitions, especially in midlife, are fraught with ambiguity, fear, and hope. The novel invites readers to consider how reinvention requires both courage and a willingness to confront one’s fears about loss, identity, and belonging.

Navigating the Emotional and Ethical Complexities of Modern Motherhood in Fragmented Families

Finally, the novel offers a sophisticated exploration of motherhood within the context of divorce, absentee parenting, and blended family dynamics. Lisa’s parenting challenges are not romanticized; instead, they reflect the raw emotional labor involved in nurturing children while managing the fallout of fractured familial relationships.

The narrative does not shy away from depicting the guilt, frustration, and profound love intertwined in Lisa’s efforts to provide stability for her sons amid co-parenting struggles with Brendan. 

This theme underscores the ethical complexity of modern motherhood, where mothers must reconcile their own needs with the demands of raising emotionally resilient children in a world where traditional family structures have been disrupted.

It also highlights the intergenerational transmission of trauma and the ongoing negotiation of boundaries, forgiveness, and emotional honesty necessary for family healing.