A lovely story that kept me engrossed from beginning to the end. Warm, entertaining and very readable. Definitely recommended.

Loved this book as I have all others by Fiona Gibson. Very easy to read, totally believable characters. Lots of humour and some sadness. Thoroughly recommend for a nice relaxing read.

I really enjoyed this book, while I’m far from being an empty nester there were still plenty of aspects I found relatable and funny.

When the girls flee the nest, single mum, Nadia, has to get used to a very different way of life - but not as she's known it ,as the empty nest syndrome kicks in. A light hearted, enjoyable read written with both humour and insight. Very entertaining.

I was lucky enough to take part in a blog tour for The Mum Who Got Her Life Back, in which I shared an extract of the book. Although it does give you a flavour of the book, you definitely need to read it so see what a funny and full-of-heart book it is.

Fiona Gibson writes beautifully – I assume from experience – of a woman whose life of living with and looking after her children ends with a jolt, and then starts again with an even bigger jolt, almost shattering the tentative life the she has begun to build.

As a mum of youngish children, I can see this stage coming, but thankfully not for a while, as this book throws up a lot of questions about how we adapt our lives around others and how, as a mother, you’re suddenly not having to plan your daily life around that of your kids.

The beauty of the book and of Nadia is that she is so normal. Ok, she’s a talented illustrator and her ex-husband happens to be a famous film director, but she is so relatable that it’s not hard to wish the best for her and want to have a stern word with many of the people in her life.

Obviously, this wouldn’t be romantic fiction without Nadia and new partner Jack having ups, downs and various trials, but it’s not a spoiler to say it all comes good – which is exactly what you want on a crappy news day!

There's no beating around the bush here ...perfect title which says it all. An empty-nest mum funds love again in this tale of finding romance and a new relationship in her 50's. Likeable characters, especially her twins who both flew the nest to attend universities.

Funny in places, and if you are looking for sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, this book is not for you.

An easy read, though I found the middle a bit boring. Hence only 4 stars.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon for the chance to read and review.

While I have very young children, I find myself attracted more and more to mom-lit. I was excited when I was approved to receive an ARC for The Mum Who Got Her Life Back. An added bonus was this story took place in Glasgow, Scotland where my husband grew up.

Nadia is a new empty nester, who's twins have gone to university. She meets and begins dating Jack in a meet-cute that can only happen in the books or movies. Life is great, until real life moves back in and the families collide.

This book was a great relaxing read. What I would classify as a beach read - perfect for a nice relaxing vacation. I will be looking for more from Fiona Gibson after reading this!

This is a predictable romance with likeable characters and an easy flow to the story.
A good laugh in places and overall a easy read.

A funny light-hearted novel about a Mum called Lexi, who thinks she has her life back when her twin children go off to university. She meets a man she likes and they start to spend time together. Then her son returns unexpectedly from university and declares he is not going back. Add into the mix a jealous ex-husband, and the hero's teenage daughter, and what was simple is now very complicated.
Lexi and her new man have planned to go to Barcelona so she can do som e preparation for some travel guides she is going to illustrate, but after a falling out, she goes on her own with her son. They seem to want different things out of the holiday, and she meets a group of people at the Picasso Museum who take her out to dinner, then invite her to stop the night. In the meantime, the boyfriend has changed his mind and comes to Barcelona looking for her.
Chaos ensues, but eventually they make friends again, and the children go back to university, and she is free to develop her new relationship.
This is light hearted and well written, and makes you want to read on to know what happens in the end. The characters are well drawn, and the ending is well-rounded.

The Mum who got her life back is a brilliant, funny, family orientated book. Nadia is raising her children by herself with the help of her ex husband. She meets Jack, who works as a manager for a charity shop. Nadia 's children leave for uni, she enjoyes having her flat to herself and Jack. Her son decides to leave university and move back home, so whereally does that leave Nadia and Jack? Definitely recommend reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a fun lighthearted read which I very much enjoyed. The story is told from a few POV mainly Nadia and Jack. Nadia is an illustrator who has raised her twins as a single mum for over 11 years and the story starts after they have left for Uni so she is a new empty nester. She meets Jack in her local Lush shop just before Christmas, Jack is a single father and they fall in love. All is going well until the twins return for the summer and things become challenging for the new couple.

This is the first book I have read by Fiona Gibson but I will definitely be reading more as I loved the writing style and the characters were really likeable.

‘The Mum Who Got Her Life Back’ is a witty and warm read by Fiona, much like her previous books I’ve read. I am a huge fan of Fiona’s writing so when I seen she was writing a new book I just couldn’t wait to read it! I have my copy on Netgalley thanks to Avon however I also have purchased the paperback as I loved the colours of the cover.

We meet Nadia who has just helped set her twins off to different university’s leaving her in an empty nest which is clearly what she’s not used to, I am not at all surprised she is then feeling lonely. She then meets Jack in the most unorthodox way possible - but I will let you read about that but to me they certainly seem like a match made in heaven. I am a mother myself and although I can’t relate to having an empty nest I can relate to some of Nadia’s feelings. She is a stand out character for me because of this and the way she deals with whatever life throws at her 😊

Without giving much away Nadia and Jack face some challenging times, can they make their relationship a success? I found that even though there were some serious moments in this book I also found myself laughing out loud at parts as well. I adored all of the characters, apart from loving Nadia there’s also the volunteers in the charity shop that Jack manages who have lets just say unique personalities.

‘The Mum Who Got Her Life Back’ is about family, love, forging friendships and a journey of adaptation to life! ❤️ I was enthralled in this book from beginning to end and didn’t want it to end. I give ‘The Mum Who Got Her Life Back’ 5*/5* 😄

I’m heading into the potential empty nest time zone, and can already relate to many of the observations on parenting teenagers!!! This book was great...…. clever, realistic where it needed to be and ridiculous enough in other places to make you laugh. And couldn’t we all do with a lovely man like Jack, something of a patient saint! I’m sure you don’t have to be a mum of teenagers to enjoy this book, but if you are, you will definitely relate and laugh/cry/scream accordingly.

A really enjoyable read, that I think all mum's who have empty nest syndrome will enjoy and understand. A good few laughs and tears along the way. A really good read.

A book from Fiona Gibson is always a treat. She speaks from the heart, writes cleverly and makes you laugh with her wit and true to life honest observations. Being a HEN is years away for me, but her observations on parenting and identify made me feel comforted, made me giggle and also made me realise that things are just about okay, and maybe every parent feels like this!
This book was again one of her finest, and I sped through it with gusto. I won't say it's a light or easy read because I always feel that those words don't do justice to the clever, realistic characters woven into a story that you just can't help put dissolve into. Brilliant book!

I have read a few of this authors books and enjoyed them so was keen to start this one. It was such a lovely light hearted read. It was easy to read and made me laugh out loud a few times. Very well written with plenty of humour and great likeable characters. Highly recommended

The Mum who got her life back by Fiona Gibson was a hidden gem for me. I requested the arc on netgalley, because the synopsis sounded quite fun. But to be absolutely honest my expectation weren’t very high. But I fell for this story in the first couple of chapters and I devoured it.

I was drawn in by the title at first, because well I am a mom so books about motherhood always seem to speak to me at a certain level. Although Nadia’s world isn’t mine for quite some years to come. Nadia’s twins have left home to go to university and she is experiencing the empty nest syndrome. After years of taking care of her two children, suddenly there is time for herself and for a new man in her life.

Although I am in a completely different stage of parenthood I loved reading about this later stage of life. And I could still relate with all the worries and comical situations that being a parent brings with it. The story is told from two different pov’s, being Nadia and her romantic interest Jack. I absolutely adored both of the narratives. They are very on point and felt realistic. Reading their chapters felt almost like talking to a friend.
But what really drew me in was the writing style. I absolutely love the way Fiona Gibson tells this story. It is quirky, heartfelt, funny and at times a bit sad. The story flows along on a nice pace. It never drags or goes to fast. It was just perfect. And Fiona really knows how to bring a city to life. I loved the way Glasgow was portrayed in the story, but the way she brought Barcelona alive on the pages really blew me away.
The overall story was quite refreshing. A female lead from over 50 in a romantic setting is not something you see every day. And she is a lovely heroine for this story. A caring mother, but at the same time independent and not blind to her own happiness. Even in flashbacks you see that Nadia has always cherished her own desires and needs. I loved that aspect of Nadia and the overall story.

This story is everything it promises to be. It is heart-warming and romantic. It is funny, sometimes even laugh out loud funny. But at the same time it has some deeper and sadder story lines, that will give this story some extra depth. I had never read anything by Fiona Gibson before. But I will surely add other books by her hand to my to read list!

Review will be posted on 18 March 2019 on www.boekinwonderland.be

Although this book isn't all that relatable to me, the plot was enjoyable and easy to read. Perfect to curl up with at night before bed or to read in the bath. The protagonist is likeable and I found myself rooting for her, she's trying her best to hold everything together and that's admirable to read about. Her ex-husband is nice, which is interesting considering he is not the main love interest in the story, but he is selfish which makes me understand Nadia's decisions regarding him. The main love interest Jake, is lovely though, really kind and understanding and I loved the plot involving his daughter and the troubles he has with her mother's downward spiral. I especially like that she is an illustrator it adds a lot of depth to the character, as I always like a story when the protagonist has a creative background. My favourite part of this book is the characterisation though. Everyone has a story to tell and each plot ties together in a satisfying way. I imagine this book would be really relatable to mum's everywhere, especially mothers of university students.

How I love a book that does what it promises to do…….. make me warm inside and laugh out loud, including while I was shopping at the supermarket, walking through town and on public transport, as I listened to the story. This did both perfectly. I have giggled and snorted at the madcap things that happened between middle-aged Nadia and her lovely new man in her life Jack. They want to do what comes natural between any couple in love except Nadia’s 18-year-old twins return from University and back into the flat they all call home. It real makes for some pretty funny scenes.
I loved Nadia’s confidence in herself, with the side line of earning a little extra cash. I just wanted to shout you go girl at her. Nadia is portrayed perfectly at home. The mum that is there to pick up after everyone, cook, clean and be there when needed and dismissed as background noise when it comes to everything else. There were times that I wanted to shake some characters that were unintentionally hurtful to her, especially Alfie.
Jack is the loveliest man, what a perfect find while shopping. A scene that still makes me laugh. You know when you begin something that you get too far into and just can’t back out of it. Well the first meeting of Nadia and Jack is like that, just perfect reading! Along with all the funny stuff and heart pounding moments there are some sad story lines in the book too which leave someone with a couple of life lessons to think about.
If you want a funny, charming and good feel story then you just can’t go wrong with this. It captures family life, love and laughter. Absolutely loved it!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly

Nadia has just packed her twins off to uni and suddenly finds herself alone in her flat for the first time in years, with none of the chores to do associated with two growing demanding twins! So when she meets Jack in the charity shop that he runs the timing couldn't have been better to start a romance.............. until her son Alfie bails out of uni and comes back home!

Another lovely light reading book by this author, plenty of humour and good characters..... even if you want to throttle Alfie! Perfect beach read.