Cover Image: The Woman Who Took a Chance

The Woman Who Took a Chance

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Member Reviews

The story
Jen is a 50 year old flight attendant on a budget airline. When the airline closes and her job becomes redundant, her grown up daughter Hannah urges her to try online dating now that she has time for a relationship. Jen is good friends with Hannah’s father Rod, but the two have never been a couple. Will Jen find someone to invite to share her luxury Greek Island holiday prize she needs to take before it expires?

My thoughts
Jen’s dating escapades form a significant portion of this story, but they are tempered with her starting to run, looking after her elderly mother and making the most of her night time supermarket job. There are parts of this story that had me laughing out loud, as despite Jen’s sober situation, there are moments of hilarity. I loved how she takes stock even when things are going pear-shaped and finds the bright side of life. I loved her honesty and willingness to have a caring relationship with Rob. It’s a goodie for me. ❤️

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what a wonderful book i love Fiona Gibson so thank you for the opportunity to review. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher

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Such a sweet book and had me hooked instantly. I can’t say much without giving away the ending..but something was fairly obviously, but that’s great because you wanted it to happen!
While Jen’s disastrous dates make you laugh out loud, you want her to be happy and want her to keep going. She’s a fantastic character.
I’d happily read more with her if a follow up ever happened.

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Jen loves her job as a flight attendant but after many years she is made redundant and while trying to find another job she spends more time with her mother who is becoming difficult and starting to get dementia.
Jen’s daughter Hanna encourages Jen to take an interest in online dating.
I enjoyed how the story progressed and the way the characters were portrayed. There was a lot of humorous situations as Jen tried to find a romantic interest.
This was a romantic comedy about relationships, online dating and families.

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If you like romance books with a bit of humour, then this book is for you.

Jen is a single mother with a grown up daughter. When the airline she works for makes her redundant she realises she now has time for dating. But the modern way, takes some getting used to.
Some dating mishaps and misunderstandings ensue as Jen tries to find a man to take to Santorini.

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As I read this highly entertaining book, I couldn't help but think that author Fiona Gibson has written a coming-of=age story for women of a certain age.
The main character, Jen, is a relatable and sympathetic woman - especially for those of us who are close in age to her - whose challenges, both current and in flashbacks, ring true even as they sometimes make the reader cringe. She weathers being laid off from her job, the decline of her mother's faculties, and the world of dating both on line and off, with grace and humour, and following her journey is both fun and at times informative.
Gibson writes in such a way that the reader is invested in Jen's relationships and wants to keep turning the pages to the very end.
I'm thankful to #NetGalley for providing an ARC of this fun book!

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars!
So this was my first read by Fiona Gibson and I really enjoyed it! I'm 27 and yet felt greatly represented by Jen's feelings and fears when it came to her online dating journey.
This book gave me laughs and gave me feels. Jen's experiences are some we can all relate to and the characters she dates...we've all been there!
Grab this book if you're looking to brighten up a grey sunday afternoon with a cup of coffee!

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What to say about this book... It was probably not the best fit for me.

The story follows Jen, who after 30 years of being a flight attendant is now jobless after her airline goes out of business. She then has to navigate a new world of both finding a job and dating at 50. The story overall was uplifting as Jen never gave up but I found the pace to be a bit slow at times.

Overall it was a fine read. Thank you to NetGalley and Fiona Gibson for the ARC in exchange for a review.

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This one was a fun read for me. I love that Jen is a fifty-something woman being reintroduced to the world of romance. After getting used to reading about the relationship plights of teens and young adults, it’s refreshing to get a story that proves we’re never too old to really take a crack out of life.
Sometimes it felt like the story of a much younger protagonist because of how inexperienced she is with the world of 21st century dating.

I loved that she is coming from an aviation background. I very much related to her experiences as a flight attendant (👀👀) and how far the job can remove you from your own life. Traveling constantly doesn’t always allow for you to keep a handle over everything at home, but Jen capitalizes on the chance to get that control back once everything else spirals out of control.

The title itself may feel misleading—it definitely wasn’t exactly what I expected. We don’t follow a woman on adventures. Instead we’re taken on a character-focused ride. Not quite everyone’s cuppa tea.

Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a a more mature romcom read. It was fun picking out the red flags from all the first dates, especially when Jen herself misses quite a lot of them.

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A fab book about Jen who’s hit fifty is happy with her life and job as a flight assistant. Until one day she’s made redundant and begins to reassess her life. A job that she’s had for over twenty years thought she loved but now realises that how much of her time it took over. She begins to think there’s more to life than work. She has a daughter who means the world to her who she hasn’t seen for months, a mum who’s getting old and frail, who could both do with seeing more of her. Plus a non existent love life who her daughter gets to try out dating apps. What happens then is a mix of laughter, dates, love, understanding and forgiveness.

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Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC of The Woman Who Took a Chance. This is my personal review.
I was ready to get into a story that told me about a woman who had to start over in her life and way of thinking after losing her job suddenly.
It was interesting to read how she would handle online dating along with other aspects of life she really did not think about before.
I tried to connect with Jen in some way as I was reading so could feel what she had going on in her life but it never happened for me.

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I really enjoyed this story of a woman who loses her job at 50 and has to figure out what she wants. I do feel like the title is a bit misleading as she didn’t really take a chance but actually dabbled in a few different things in an effort to experiment. But it was a fun read!

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Just brilliant, I love this author and so far, everything she writes. Another great read.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

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Absolutly loved this light hearted, easy to read, comical book by fiona. Have read previous books by her and this one did not disappointment.

Jen is a 50 year old woman, recently redundant from her long term job as an air hostess. Initially her world is thrown upside down but her daughter Hannah, alongside Jens friends persuade her to dabble in internet dating.

Alongside this, she finds herself a new job she loves as a shop assistant, and re establishes a good friendship with Rod, Hannahs father.

This book takes us through the mayhem of chatting to, and on occasions, meeting up with men from the dating site, with hilarious outcomes.

A brilliant read that takes us through a very modern phenomenon of internet dating. Highly recommend a read.

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The book started out interesting and I loved the conversations that happened online or over the dates. But after a while it became repetitive and the lack of excitement led to me losing interest after a while. I do like that this is a different perspective from the romance I usually read, with the viewpoint of an older woman.

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I wasn't a fan of this book. I felt empathy towards the main character but it didn't hold my attention, DNF at 11%.

*************************I received an ARC for honest review from NetGalley.*******************************

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Such an uplifting and inspirational story! My first to read by this author but cannot wait to read more! The story stays with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

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It was okay, The story started off being interesting and I was curious to know who Jen will find in the dating app Every misadventure seemed to get repetitive and stopped being funny.
Thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for this ARC.

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Following the life of Jen, whose currently working her dream job as a flight attendant, single mother to Hannah, until.... Jen is made redundant. Now life for Jen is looking for new employment, whilst trying to find love (and a date for her holiday).

Lighthearted read, filled with humour and the reality of life.

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Jen is a fifty-something, single mother of an adult daughter, a flight attendant with a budget airline based in Glasgow. When the airline goes bust she's suddenly unemployed, living alone and hasn't had a date in two years. Pushed into joining a dating app by her daughter Hannah and colleagues she finds there are slim pickings for a mature woman, Jen's not necessarily looking for true love, just someone to share a luxury holiday in Greece she won for selling the most airline mascot toys in the period before the voucher expires.

Will Jen realise that her daughter's father could be the man for her? Or will it be the suave solicitor with a way with words? Will it be the dentist or the fencing specialist? Or what about the silver fox Jen sees running effortlessly while she's struggling with her Couch to 5K app? It's probably not the guy who stares at her boobs or the reformed thief though ...

As with so many of Fiona Gibson's books this took me on a journey I wasn't expecting and the reader really is left guessing until the last minute who Jen falls in love with (with whom Jen falls in love). Funny, yet with serious concerns about ageing parents and being jobless over fifty, quirky and charming. Another winner from one of my new favourite authors.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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