In this fun and heartwarming new novel, from Fiona Gibson, readers follow Celia, missing her son at university and squabbling with her husband Geoff over the smallest things, as she tries to find joy in her plant hospital. However, when Geoff cheats on her, her glamorous best friend Amanda arrives for a visit without any warning, and a local French teacher needs help with his daughter’s cactus, Celia has to make a series of decisions about what she wants her life to look like and if she is happy with the way things are. Breaking old habits and trying to move forward, readers join Celia as she takes the first steps on a new life path. The characters are definitely the stars of the book, and their relationships are particularly well-written because they are so central to Celia’s character growth and the larger storyline. Celia is a sympathetic and relatable protagonist, and her dynamics with other characters are particularly interesting because these dynamics change over the course of the novel. Packed with details and possessing a charming atmosphere, readers will love the messages of hope and hard work that Celia’s story focuses on in this enjoyable, entertaining, and detailed new novel.

Really good book which I will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Downtrodden Celia is in invited to her glamorous friend Amandas celebrity wedding down in London. Her boorish husband wont go and he is insistent she goes alone. He even offers to pay for her and that is a rarity as he treats a takeaway coffee as a celebration. Celia changes after a turn of events force her to re evaluate her life. This book is a great read and has a houseplant hospital at its heart. Its a good read, full of hopes, dreams and reality. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another great book from Fiona.

Celia runs a plant hospital from her Glasgow flat. She discovers her husband is cheating, her friend arrives on her doorstep announced and a handsome French man asks for help to revive his daughter’s cactus back to health. Can she bring herself and life back to health like she can with plants.

This book started slow, and I wasn't quite sure what to make of Celia. As I kept reading, I grew to admire her. She's a bit overbearing in regards to her son, but watching her push for a more fulfilling life was incredibly compelling.

When life gives you lemons,, make lemonade........this is certainly the case for Celia.
Her life has gone dramatically wrong when she discovers her husband in bed with his secretary. Her once best friend makes a reappearance on her doorstep to stay for a while. And her college age son is an enigma to them all.

Can Celia rebuild her life ....Is it too late to get her spark back and what does this even look like??

A funny yet emotional book that is an easy read and so enjoyable.

Highly recommend

I have been a fan of this author's work for some time, and this new release is one of my favourites! Celia is a relatable, realistic, and likeable protagonist, and the plot of this story is intertwined with comedy and emotion equally. A great light-hearted read that will appeal to many fans of this genre. The only reason why this did not rate a five-star read is because some scenes were a little too predictable for my preferences, but not enough to dampen my enjoyment!

I do like a Fiona Gibson novel but this was one I just could not connect with. I found the protagonist insipid and I disliked her best friend, Amanda. It wasn’t an endearing combination.

When we first meet Celia, it is clear that she has become a “beige wallflower”. Life is passing her by with an average job, a grown son and a marriage that has a spark that would be in the negatives if it were ever measured. Even Celia knows she isn’t completely happy and this is symbolised when she buys chunky red heels for Amanda’s wedding – even if they are a size too small, they remind her of happier times when growing up and it is like she is being reconnected to her past. But they aren’t like Cinderella’s shoes and they don’t whisk her off to a happy ever after, instead quickly suffering from blisters and later discovering her husband is having an affair.

This story is a story about growth and I think Celia’s side job of having a houseplant hospital signifies her change. I loved this part of Celia’s character, where she helps poorly houseplants and nurses them back to full health. Enzo’s daughter’s cactus – Spike – is a case where Celia struggles to help it as her initial actions don’t seem to be having an impact. However, Spike becomes a metaphor for Celia’s growth and as it starts to show signs of health again, so too does Celia, as she embraces new decisions and doesn’t seem so held in the past.

Amanda’s appearance was useful in the fact it kickstarts Celia’s alteration however, she was a character that I just could not warm too. Her shallow character does come more aware as the novel progresses, but I disliked how she uses Celia to escape her own troubles in London. This isn’t helped by the fact that the women haven’t spoken in years so it frustrated me that Celia was willing to let her friend stay without much of a challenge about the years that have passed.

This wasn’t as entertaining as other Gibson novels and I think this was due to Celia’s rather sad background and the lack of humour in the story. The narrative lacked an energy and quickness I have enjoyed in some previous books, ironically making it feel a bit “beige” like Celia’s life. I was hoping for more laughter in this story but didn’t find it delivered.

Overall, a pretty good novel about a woman who changes her life for the better. Indeed, the most enjoyable part was seeing Celia in her element when helping houseplants and I thought this a unique way of showing how it is not too late to turn your life around.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Fiona Gibson’s books. I really appreciate the fact that her books feature middle aged main characters. Celia is having a rough time. She catches her husband in bed with another woman and everything kind of spirals from there. This story had some moments that made me laugh. I liked the friendship between Celia and Terri. Amanda had a lot of growth throughout the story. I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to the author’s next book.

I really liked the character of Celia and could relate to her in quite a few ways! Her life is a quiet one with her main passion being her plants.

Celia's husband Geoff sounds like a damp squib kind of person and the author has characterised him rather well, I thought!

Enzo is a French teacher and a single dad to a little girl, Mathilde. Her cactus is in dire need for some attention and guess who gets to give him some??

I liked the dynamics between Celia, Amanda and Terri - all very different women but all interesting in their own ways.

This was a sweet story and I was cheering Celia on, every step of the way!

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

Oh my goodness, this book is absolutely scrumptious! It’s a delightful mix of light-hearted fun, romantic moments, and a touch of angst that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The characters are so colourful and quirky, they’re like little friends that you can’t help but root for. I absolutely loved it!

Thank you Netgalley

The Woman Who Got Her Spark Back is an easy read with a lovely story. From the off you want to know are on Celia’s side wanting to know more. The story develops with her husband being gifted a caravan and her and her friend deciding to renovate it, they get slightly more than they bargained for though. Meaning Celia has to pick herself up and keep her houseplant hospital going (who knew that was a thing!) It’s an easy reading book and I would look out for the author again.

A lovely novel about old friendships, second chances and new love. Warm and relatable characters and a relaxed writing style that out a smile on my face.

I am never disappointed when reading a book by Fiona Gibson and once again this is a cracker. Celia’s life isn’t that exciting but she loves her business of bringing poorly plants back to life for people. Her Son is at Uni studying fungi and her Husband no longer seems interested in her.
Amanda is Celia’s childhood friend however they haven’t really kept in touch since Celia had her Don and Amanda become a household name as. TV presenter however Celia is still invited to her wedding although she doesn’t have much interaction with Amanda on the day and feels frumpy compared to her friend.
Amanda however has not made the wisest decision in regards to her marriage and realising things aren’t as she thought she decides to visit Celia in Glasgow. The timing doesn’t seem to be the best as Celia has just had a shocking experience however Amanda ends up being like a breath of fresh air for Celia and starts to build her confidence back up.
Enzo is a single parent who ends up on Celia’s doorstep when his Daughters prized cactus seems to be dying and from there a friendship blossoms.
This book is a humourous and heartwarming story of friendships, second chances and fulfilment and I loved it. Would very highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Boldwood books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book however all opinions are my own.

Three events change Celia’s life forever more
Finding her husband with someone else starts the score,
Then her childhood best friend turns up at her door
And a man with a dying cactus makes one more.

The three events seemingly separate I know
But together have her wondering where next to go.
Changes, surprises and new opportunities, too
All have Celia thinking of life with an attitude that is new.

A delightful read about making a fresh start
With family and friends all playing a part.
It is also about making the most of your chances
Including opportunities for heartwarming romances!

For my copy of this book I say thank you
As I share with you this my honest review.

I enjoyed reading this. Celia was a likeable and relatable character. She feels trapped by circumstances, first parents who aren’t the best and then a fumbled relationship which resulted in a baby.

It was interesting to see her going through her emotions and retrospectively looking back at her life. The friendship she thought was over with Amanda actually comes back and helps her as well as Amanda. I loved her relationship with her son Logan, especially as she’s still close to him even though he’s in his twenties.

Enzo was a great character too, I liked how he too felt trapped, and even though he was trying to break out he still couldn’t figure out where or what he needed, until Celia. Together they are perfect.

A great read from start to finish.

it’s never too late to get your spark back and make a fresh start and embrace second chances. This was heartwarming and full of humor. A quick and easy read that can be done in a day or two. Fiona is very easy to connect too & down to earth.

a story of old friends who have lost each other and then finding each other when they need it the most.
a fun read of friendship, life, love and learning to love yourself

So much to unpack. Love this author. She creates real, flawed and incredibly resilient, courageous, smart female characters. No matter what life throws at these women, they eventually come out the other side happier, becoming their best selves with their sense of humor intact. Celia is wading through her quiet unassuming life until she isn’t. All at once, life dumps a bucket of cold water on her. Her son leaves for college, so she is dealing with an empty nest, she catches her jerk of a husband cheating and her BFF shows up with no warning. A wonderful cast of characters are interwoven in her journey back to her finding her true self and what she wants out of life.

Rock bottom is one of those places that no-one wants to find themselves in...For Celia it was the start of a whole new life, a journey of discovery and self worth!

Celia and her friends were such likeable characters, so relatable and real! Their story is written with warmth and wit, and was an absolute blast to read!