🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Thank you @netgalley for this copy.

I absoloutley loved this book it's about a woman called Viv who is in her early 50s with a husband son who now doesn't live at home in his early 20s and an 8 year old daughter called izzy.
She thinks her live is ok just rolling along until she discovers her husband has been cheating. On her he promises he is now longer seeing this woman then all of a sudden says he's leaving.

And her life seems stuck in a job she doesn't really like, going through the menopause. What else is she going to do.with her life.

But suddenly things get exciting after chatting to her friend penny and her son who has arrived from new Zealand.

Maybe life isn't so bad after all with lots of laughter along the way. A really enjoyable read

I absolutely adore Fiona's work and I have read every book that she has released to date. When I heard that Fiona was due to release another book called 'When Life Gives You Lemons', I read the synopsis and I just knew that I had to grab a copy of the book as soon as possible. It sounded just like the funny and light hearted read that I so desperately needed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'When Life Gives You Lemons' but more about that in a bit.
I took to the character of Viv from the first time I met her and by the time I got to the third of the way through the book I had begun to think of her as a friend. She's the sort of woman I could imagine having a good bitching session with over a few glasses of wine or a few glasses of gin. Viv is a lovely lady, who at the start of the book is married to a man called Andy and they have two children together. Their youngest child came as something of a surprise and Viv didn't expect to be the mother of a young child a the same time as going through the menopause. Viv is sent a curveball in the form of her husband admitting that he has been having an affair. Initially Viv becomes obsessed with the other woman but eventually Viv decides to make a go of their marriage. Andy has other ideas though. It was at this point that I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to chase after Andy with a pair of blunt and rusty scissors to remove a certain part of his anatomy. After a little period of time, Viv realises that she needs to get out there and create a new life along the way, whilst having fun and lots of laughter. Viv is aided and abetted by her slightly eccentric but totally lovely friend Penny.
Oh my word, 'When Life Gives You Lemons' was just the tonic I needed, at a time when I was feeling a bit low and in need of a feel good and fun read. In all honesty I haven't laughed as much during a book as I laughed whilst reading this book. On several occasions, I found myself randomly chuckling at something I had read, which attracted some funny looks from the other passengers on the bus I was travelling on at the time. I found it nigh on impossible to put this book down. The book wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. The book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I just wasn't willing to break. The pages of the book turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out whether or not Viv managed to create a new and better life for herself, steadily grew and grew. I had everything crossed that Viv would find the happiness that she so deserved.
'When Life Gives You Lemons' is superbly written but then I think that to be true of all of Fiona's books. Fiona has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draws you into the story. She creates kick ass, strong female lead characters and sends them on a journey of discovery. There's lots of drama, humour and lots of fun along the way. Reading 'When Life Gives You Lemons' felt more like a chat between friends rather than me reading a book. Fiona uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I felt as though I was part of the story myself.
Reading 'When Life Gives You Lemons' was a pleasure and I enjoyed every single second of it. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Fiona's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I feel a bit meh about this book. For Viv being in her fifties, her voice sounded more like she was a petulant teenager. I just didn't understand some of her actions. I also don't know a lot about menopause personally but I have seen my mother go through it and her experience compared to Viv's was just so...different, and not in a good sense. I'm not saying that menopause isn't different for everyone but rather that I wish it would have been more...expanded on in a way?
The pacing in the beginning was also very slow and dragged a few times, but it thankfully picked up towards the latter half of the book.
I just think this story wasn't for me and that's okay.
I did enjoy the writing style overall though and wouldn't be opposed to reading another book by the author.

Thank you to net gallery for a copy of this ebook in return for an honest review.
When life gives you lemons is not a book I imagine was aimed to be read by my age group (32). I found it really difficult to build a relationship with the main character ( liv is a 50 something year old mother of two who’s husband leaves her all while she struggles through the battle of menopause), I also felt the story was slow to unfold but obvious which direction it was heading.
While I have read other books by the author and loved them, this one just didn’t hook me into it, I found myself pushing myself to read rather than my usual read at every opportunity. There are parts of the story that are funny and I didn’t catch myself having a little giggle but these were few and far between.

It is a story of Viv-Vivianne, a mother of two children, Izzy and Spencer. Viv is in her early 50's and is in her menopausal phase. She feels disgusted about herself. To make it worse, her husband Andy, has changed. Andy makes Viv feels worse. Later, Viv figures something out about her husband. Then, she dives into depression and more anxieties. What happens next? She figures things out and successfully tackle the problem one by one.
.
This book is written in four parts; before, after, moving on, and the show. The story takes place in Glasgow (A city I want to live in. I'm so glad I read about Glasgow from this book). In this book, we read about Viv's story of moving on and overcoming struggles. We can learn so many things from her story, not only from her but all of the characters in this book. Also, this book is easy to read and entertaining. This book is funny, easy-reading, and witty. The pace is fast and the plot is interesting. I feel like I can't put my phone down. Moreover, the narration is so good I can feel the characters and the story. All in all, I like this book so much! Thank you for writing this book! :)

What a warm and wonderful book this was to really pull you into the heart of the story and entertain and delight. I felt that the writing welcomed me in like an old friend and allowed me to quietly sit on the sidelines and watch the characters reflect and grow.

Speaking of characters, this book provided so many fascinating creations I began to lose count. But Viv was the perfect leading lady to take centre stage in this story....from taking charge of one lonely pube on her bosses toilet seat halfway across the world to organising a triumphant fashion show in honour of her friend Penny, she showed that she could take on the world. A cheating husband and menopausal hit flushes were a mere side distraction for our super hero who took her life back and created her own unique lemonade.

This book truly has something for everyone. It's warm and witty with a colourful set of characters that will leave you wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem of a read and I know you will too.

This is a solid read about a woman who’s essentially experiencing a midlife crisis in both wild and silly ways. I loved reading about Viv finding her voice and herself among the whirlwind of twists that life threw her and I absolutely adored her quirky neighbor. This book was good, but I think I struggled to relate to any of the characters, so it was just a personal preference issue with connecting. It’s written very well and everything else is great. 😊

I think When Life Gives You Lemons was a super fun, quirky read! Viv's husband is cheating on her, and this story is about how she finds out, recovers, and the rediscovers herself and her life. I think it's probably more fun for people who are closer in age/life experience to the main character than I was, but it's definitely still enjoyable for all. The main character's resilience and spunk made this entertaining, and the whole book had a hopeful feel, which I really enjoyed!

Viv is fifty with a 22 yr old boy and a five year old girl. She is going through the menopause, drowning in sweat every night, putting on weight and feeling a bit yuk about herself. She can't understand why her husband Andy won't give her any advice considering he's a doctor who specializes in hormones, he only complains about her night sweats.
It all becomes clear when she reads a message on his phone, he's having an affair. Andy is a man who doesn't really know what he wants apart from having his cake and eating it too..
Viv is working at a job she is bored with and with no hope of promotion it only adds to her unhappiness.
Thankfully she has good friends and works on a voluntary protect for the museum where one of her friends work. Is this the start of Viv getting her life back?
I have read all of Fiona Gibson's books and enjoyed every one of them. It's lovely to read a book that deal with everyday issues. I've laughed and I've shed a tear while reading them.
Each character in this book merits a book of their own they are all so interesting. I would love to know if Penny and her Girl Friday shops were based on any particular shops in Glasgow in the seventies.

What a treat!

At first I thought this would be another hackneyed husband leaves wife, hard times ensue, wife makes recovery, The End, type of read. Ho hum ...
But No! This was so much more--witty, real, and enormously enjoyable!
Beginning with 'The Before,' where a menopausal Viv bemoaning the little extras this gift adds to life whilst husband Andy is being as helpful as an ostrich with its head in the sand, the scene is set for a whirlwind read. It doesn't take any keen insight to know the story for Viv was sashaying downhill. When she discovers that husband Andy has been having an affair, the downhill turns into a descent of avalanche type proportions.
And so begins Viv's road to recovery. Sure it's an uphill struggle but it's littered with dabs of absolute hilarity, dashes of kindness and occasional doses of drunken reflection.
Things at work (and work is whole other example of Viv's stoicism), seem to have reached a rather lowering plateau. Viv takes on a rather exciting challenge, approaching the local natural history museum with the idea of an exhibition centred around a local fashion icon of the seventies, Viv's older, outrageous friend Penny --The Friday Girl.
Now all Viv has to do is to encourage her friend Penny, who was the brand's owner/designer to give the show the go ahead. Did I mention the help she receives from Penny's son Nick?
A riot of a story, showcasing a woman in her fifties and her community of support, an ordinary mom who eventually fights back and makes lemonade!
Bravo!

An Avon Books ARC via NetGalley

This book was not what I expected. The main character acted as if she was not grown and that irritated me a lot hence I couldn't go through with this book. I had reached about 10% into the book and the dnf'ed it. This book really felt to childish for my liking.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Viv is in her early 50's, going through menopause, raising a 8 year old daughter (also has a 22 year old son), and finds out her husband is cheating on her. She's been married for 25 years (to a doctor no less!) who could care less about her menopause symptoms - no sympathy whatsoever (jerk!). This book follows her story dealing with all of the above, including working full time at a dull, dead end job....but thank goodness she has her friends to get through it all. As a woman in her 40's, I related to Viv and her anguish. It's hard being a mom, wife, holding down a full-time job, and taking care of the family.
I love the way Fiona Gibson writes; her characters are always believable and relateable. This book was funny, poignant, and a joy to read.

Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC.
#whenlifegivesyoulemons

What a lovely book. Viv is a wife going through the menopause with an unsupportive husband. She is trying to juggle home, work and family. Her son has left the nest but they have a 7 year daughter born when Viv was in her forties. With so many plates in the air she feels lost but throws herself into everything. Her job is not what she had hoped to spend her life doing as when younger she worked as a stage manager in a theatre, a job she loved. Her current job is as a PA to a demanding woman. Then the bombshell. She relies on her friends for childcare and chats especially from a lady in her small circle of friends. Penny. Her unsupportive husband leaves home for another woman and then, of course, decides he has made a mistake. The story winds it way through Viv’s complicated life and she finds a project which is both fulfilling and leads her to helping out a museum which is struggling financially. With the help of her friends she gets the project up and running and this also leads to a new chapter in her life without her husband. The story is charming and I love a happy ending

I absolutely adored this book.

Witty and entertaining, it's the perfect feel good read.

I will certainly be reading more books from this author.

Full review to come on my blog in due course.

A fun but yet serious book about what happens when a mid-life crisis hits - often the husband in a marriage, and how the wife deals with it.
Especially difficult when you have a late and unplanned child at Primary School and you are not a young mother ...
And then you have a boss who seems incapable of doing anything at all for herself - she takes the concept of personal assistant just a tad too far... personal can be too personal you know?
Viv is capable of more, and wants to do more but life seems to have been stacked against her - until she finds that her husband leaving her brings out her strong side and she makes that elusive lemonade.
I enjoyed reading this book. Fiona always gives you a good giggle whilst making some serious points about how women are capable of so much more than they appear to others. Required reading for wives who leave far too much to husbands - or alternatively, let husbands do far too much. It's fine to put yourself front and centre from time to time girls...

Big 🌟🌟🌟🌟 for this book!

I have received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Going into this book I didn't think it would be easy following a story of Viv, a 52 year old divorcee because there is a gap of 2 full decades between us.
I am really glad I read it though. :)

As predicted it was really difficult getting into the story, finding out about her husband's affair and living as an older single lady. It seemed boring during the first part of the book.

Fortunately, everything changed after that and I was connected with the storyline itself and I found it bizzare. :)

The writing and not awfully long chapter are really a great thing. Writing is simple, yet every sentence follows the previous extraordinarily in regards to the storyline and you can clearly see the path of Vivian and her thought and how she herself is changing.

I loved the fact that the author introduced just as many characters as she needed without throwing the full attention to them and rather making them a great compas, à décision making help for Vivian.

I had a feeling that the author knew, even before starting the novel, how many characters are in the book, their names and their roles in the story. And if she didn't cudos to her!

They are all wonderfully depicted, and described and they all present a very significant determinator in the plot.

The best thing in the book is how well it all is presented in the end, in a beautiful bow full of emotions and lovely, warm ideas.

I always love books that tell us a story about women finding their way in past and present and overcoming the anxiety.

Going through the story you are so engrossed in the happenings and the interaction of the characters that you don't have to think about the end and what will happen when you reach it.

But then when you get there there is a smile on your face, and you are happy for all the bad and good things happening in life and once again the words of my mum come to mind - life stories of the 'ordinary' people are the ones that make the best novels. :)

As a conclusion - this isn't your usual rom-com, coming to some great conclusion book.

It is a book that throrougly explores the ideas of loneliness, of interaction with interesting and less interesting people in our life as well as finding your way in life or coming back to it no matter what age.

It's definitely the warmest book I have read in a longest time. :)

Title : When Life Gives You Lemons
Author : Fiona Gibson
Publication date : 5 March 2020

Blurb :Sometimes life can be bittersweet . . .

Between tending to the whims of her seven-year-old and the demands of her boss, Viv barely gets a moment to herself. It’s not quite the life she wanted, but she hasn’t run screaming for the hills yet.

But then Viv’s husband Andy makes his mid-life crisis her problem. He’s having an affair with his (infuriatingly age-appropriate) colleague, a woman who – unlike Viv – doesn’t put on weight when she so much as glances at a cream cake.

Viv suddenly finds herself single, with zero desire to mingle. Should she be mourning the end of life as she knows it, or could this be the perfect chance to put herself first?

When life gives you lemons, lemonade just won’t cut it. Bring on the gin!

A fun and light story. The story starts with a middle aged couple, Andy and Viv. Viv is undergoing through her middle age crisis of menopause. On top of that, her marriage is on the verge of breaking. Then one day, she comes to know about the affair of her husband. She finds herself in great crisis but then she fights and tries regain control over her life.

This story was fun to read. I appreciate the author's way of writing about the critical situation of breaking of a marriage. She has succeeded in writing this part in a lighter way but also showed seriousness of the situation when the story demanded it.

The story was simple but at some of the places, I found it couldn't hold my interest for long. The story lacked that sparking intriguing factor for me but still it was enjoyable. Although I wanted to take a break in between the chapters, still I wanted to know what will happen in Viv's life.

I didn't feel too connected to the characters and it is maybe because I haven't reached that age yet. Still, it was a lovely time reading it.

A fairly predictable and easy read.

Viv is an easy character to get along with and the storyline plods along at a good pace. Didn't keep me up at night needing to find out how it ends.

Perfect for the poolside while you're in holiday.

This was a quick, fun read! This was my first read from Fiona Gibson, and I really enjoyed it. Viv is a newly-single (and menopausal) woman who doesn't let her cheating husband get her down, and she embarks on a path of self-discovery, hot flashes and all!

I found the first half of the book to be a bit slow. I think it picked up toward the second half. It was a cute story about a woman going through many life changes all at once, how she copes and moves on with the help of some good friends. I didn't find myself unable to put it down. While I like the characters, I didn't find the story to be very unique. Overall, I thought it was a good story, it just lacked that spark that makes a story unforgettable.