Nice enjoyable read. Good plot . It was easy to read. Interesting. Not the most exciting of books but nice all the same

This book started well but I found that it became boring. The ending was predictable and took fat too long to reach. The main character Viv, started to irritate and needed a good talking to! Well written but could have been a third shorter

I started to read this but dont think I'm the target audience. I think it's great that there are books like this out there for middle aged readers who can identify but for me in my 20s it didnt land and I felt the main character was a bit moany and whiny and I couldn't get on.

I ended up not finishing this book as I couldn't relate and I only read books that truly grip me.

Thank you for providing me with an arc.

Warm, funny and a great story about when life doesn't turn our quite how you expected it to yet refusing to let it get you down. I really enjoyed this book, the characters are brilliantly written, likeable and most of all relateable. Everyone needs a Viv in their life.

This was an enjoyable read. What I liked the most was the realness of Viv’s situation. It was kind of a refreshing change to read this storyline, and while I’m at a different place in life than Viv, I really felt I could relate to her and what she was going through. I liked the plot and character development, and would definitely read more by the author.

I lived this book, loved viv the main character, could really relate to her. It’s hard growing older, but this book and it’s warm hearted ending had me gripped. Loved to see the cheating male lose out and really enjoyed the quirky sub characters. Every women of 40 needs to read this book.

I love Fiona Gibson's books! This story is the typical story of a middle-aged woman who has lost herself due to marriage and motherhood and reinvents herself after her husband leaves her for another woman. A fun, well-written, pleasurable read with a story that flows... A seemingly simple story that will definitely make you think!

3.5* Where was the Scottishness of this otherwise good book? Entirely missing!

So this is the second tale I've read in the space of a week that takes place in Glasgow, one of the poorer (generally) parts of the UK, and yet all we get to see/hear about is what comes across as fairly privileged people. That's a bit of a side whinge, actually, but I can't help think that both tales lost authenticity by not making any of their numerous characters seem authentically Scottish. I mean, in most novels where a lead/character is from another country, authors tend to throw in the odd bit of dialogue in that language, but here there wasn't so much as an 'och', rather disappointingly.

But, the tale drew me in, after I considered DNF'ing it about 10% in, as I have too much in common with the female lead, Viv. I think the author timed Viv's husband's dastardly deed at the right moment, with just the right number of hints and not an infodump, that I went off on a tangent and imagined a LOL tale of a woman scorned, and began to feel rather smug in anticipation. Nope, it wasn't, as it turned out, but it was a very decent tale of a woman finding herself and her backbone, realising that life with hubby wasn't and hadn't been all bliss, but that she wasn't unhappy that it had come to an end, as she'd gained her two children from it. The author's way of making me care about Viv, Izzy and Viv's friends, drew me into the tale, despite this genre not really being my thing.

The tale did have a side story happening, which wasn't the most interesting or the clearest, but at the same time, it added warmth and community spirit and friendships and relationships spawned from people spending time together when wanting to do so and also when united for a common goal.

This was a nice intro to this author, and I would read more.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Avon Books UK, for my reading pleasure.

The book started of well, then dwindled off but came back to life again. Viv reminded me of what a friend went through, the trials, tribulations and the effects of a husband leaving you. Well written and humorous in places and at times quite relatable

Viv is a 52 year old menopausal mother of two (the author made fair weather about the menopause). She has a 20 year old son and a 7 year old daughter. When her successful husband has an affair and her unfulfilling job takes a turn for the worse she is thrust into the world to find herself, all the while trying to maintain stability for her daughter.

It was a bit of a slow burn for me. The reinvention took too long to start as did the romance. It was also deeper and longer than I expected from the cover (don’t judge a book etc …). Still there were some incredibly funny and relatable moments and overall I enjoyed it. #lastbookof2019

I started out of reading this book but about halfway I found myself skimming the pages to the end. I had not real reseason, just that the story was not grabbing my interest enough to want to read word for word. Viv was doing her best with what was given to her at this stage of her life.

This is absolutely hilarious and extremely uplifting.
I haven't been able to put this one down and adore the plot, the characters and the author.
This is such a cute little book and I have found myself laughing out loud on a number of occasions. This is a great read which you don't have to put any concentration into. As a reader, you can just sit and enjoy the story unfolding.
This is not my first read by this author, I definitely couldn't wait to get stuck into it though. The writer makes it easy to become lost in the story and this is definitely my favourite so far.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This tale of a menopausal woman who re-invents herself after her husband leaves her for a more glamorous woman is well-written and full of warmth and humour. Viv has some lovely friends from different backgrounds who rally round when Andy leaves the marital home. Daughter Izzy is delightful. Must read more by Fiona Gibson.

I thoroughly enjoyed this warm and funny entertaining book. It was a refreshing change to have the main character, Viv, middle-aged and experiencing the menopause. All the characters were just like people we all come across in real life and totally real with real problems and dilemmas. Some wonderfully hilarious observations so the book just flowed and I reached the end before I was ready, wanting more. I've enjoyed Fiona Gibson's writing in the past and this book certainly lived up to expectations.

The title of 'When Life Gives You Lemons' caught my attention and I'm delighted that I read this book. While not my usual genre, it is the perfect 'feelgood' novel and one that I raced through in one sitting.
The protaganist Viv is facing the menopause while realising that her beloved (and love-rat) husband Andy, is having an affair and about to abandon her and their witty seven year old daughter, Izzy,
While some aspects of the plot are plausible - the storyline re the menopause and Viv's confused feeling's towards Andy, the rest of the story meanders into the fairytale territory. However, this is part of the charm - the reader believes that the tale will have the requisite 'happy ending' but with some characters ready to throw a spammer in the works, we cannot be sure until the very end.
Suspend your belief, sit back and laugh and absolutely enjoy this hilarious story of one woman's battle against hot flushes, fashion and an errant husband!!
I received a free copy of this book from Avon via Netgalley in return for a honest review.

I do not often read a Fiona Gibson book, but when I do I always want to read more of her. The best part of this one is the characterization. Viv looks like someone I could be friends with, while her husband is not so much creepy as plain stupid. Stupid to leave Viv and throw away the best thing in life he had. I also liked Rose, Viv's boss, because she is hard working and deep down a very nice woman - although she is good in hiding it. And Izzy! An adorable seven-year old if there ever was one.
The story is not very unique or complicated so I just let myself go with the flow of the book and before I knew it it was finished. I was left with a pleasant feeling and in a way, some new insights.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

I have been enjoying Fiona Gibson's clever comedies for some years now but I didn't think this one was quite up to her usual standard. I thought it took a while to get going, only really holding my attention from about halfway through. If this had been my first time reading one of her books I don't know that I would have finished it. There didn't seem to be as much emphasis on the children as in her other books and I think it needed a couple of nasty yummy mummy types. The characters were almost too nice, it needed someone the reader could hate.
Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Cute. Maybe a bit slow the first half, but it was pretty sweet after that. I liked Viv, and her friends, her daughter and her cooking show, the evil kid neighbour. A nice story about getting yourself up again, stronger.

I don't usually read books with mc a lot older than me. It's about not relating a lot to them, maybe it's just because I really hadn't given these books a chance. I know I'm not going through menopause and I don't have kids, but it was nice seeing this strong woman being fragile but at the same time doing something to be her best self, for her and her daughter.

Marriages can end, but you are still you, you have to move on and change your life as you knew it. It must be super hard, and Viv, even with the down moments, the menopausal symptoms, started living her life for the first time in first person: not as someone's wife in charge of accommodating a fragile male ego, and being extra patient with a husband that was really awful to her.

People change, and I liked how this journey was portrayed here. The hope, the positivity, it was great.

A funny, sweet read with relatable characters. I felt like I could have been BFFs with the characters in this book. Such a fun great read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Viv is the mother to a 22 year old and a 5 year old, while she dreams of having her own midlife crisis. It seems that her husband has beaten her to it. He is having an affair with a leaves her for a younger woman. This is Viv's journey of self discovery, which is hilarious and heartbreaking.