When Life Gives You Lemons

Fiona Gibson

Mar 2020 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

Escape it all with this hilarious, heartwarming read from the number one bestselling author.

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!

Fiona’s hilarious new book,The Dog Share, is available for pre-order now! The perfect antitode for Lockdown 3.0Readers love When Life Gives You Lemons:

‘A fun, wild and light-hearted read and a look inside what most women are faced with today!’ *****

‘Give me more stories like this one! Great characters, great plot and an author who is a talented storyteller’ *****

‘Had me laughing out loud and giggling most of the time I was reading it’ *****

‘I was rooting for her from start to finish. Loved it’ *****

‘When life gives you lemons, slice them, put them in a G&T and read this book’ *****

Ratings and reviews

Oh this was adorable: late 40’s Viv is in the throes of menopause, trying to keep everything together: including chasing after her seven year old “surprise daughter” Izzy. Her husband, an endocrinologist is often off at lectures and symposia, and their ‘together time’ is pretty much two people existing. Until one night when Viv has decided to use the app on his phone and discovers a nearly year-long affair. Of course, there are tears and his ‘determination’ to make it work: underfoot at every opportunity, she’s just not quite sure where to go or what to do. And just as Viv is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, he goes off again. And leaves her rethinking everything. I ADORED Viv and her voice: she’s snarky, has a great sense of humor, and a determination to make things work, even when they are horribly off kilter. From rebuilding her own shattered self-esteem, to keeping her son (now in his 20’s) and her young daughter on track, she’s also busy wrangling a boss who, at the best of times is demanding and exacting, and these are not the best of times. With an ‘older” friend who offers sage advice that all seems based in her post-modeling 70’s self, the laughs are frequent, and even as Viv is fighting and sad, she’s finding moments to enjoy and move forward, almost sometimes without her noticing. Gibson’s voice is solid and the characters are adorably quirky, allowing readers to feel a kinship even with those very different from themselves. With plenty of laugh out loud moments, the story never drags into the maudlin – Viv is moving forward and on, and dragging her baggage behind her…what falls off or out of the cases merely lightens her load. Clever and quick reading, this is a story full of hope and change – and new horizons for everyone. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Viv is in her fifties and experiencing the joys of the menopause whilst also trying to bring up a seven year old daughter and hold down a full-time job as a personal assistant. Her husband Andy, an endocrinologist is being less than sympathetic, ironic given that he is a doctor specialising in hormones, and the romance appears to be dead - although that turns out to be less about the menopause and more about the affair he is having with Dr Estelle Lang, who annoyingly appears to be sailing through her menopause without gaining weight or any of the other unpleasant effects. While her friends are encouraging Viv to go out and meet someone new, Viv is more interested in finding herself. With a group of disparate friends and neighbours Viv jump-starts her career. A pleasant read, but difficult to classify.

Loved it. Great read on a cold, windy, miserable Sunday. When her marriage falls apart, Viv goes through all the emotional rollercoaster of it, compounded with menopause affecting her and all the joys of that. However she picks herself up and moves forward, with a lot of ups and downs and some culinary experiences (amazing what you can do with the perfect omelette). If you want a feel good, funny read this is it.

About the author

Fiona was born in a youth hostel in Yorkshire. She started working on teen magazine Jackie at age 17, then went on to join Just Seventeen and More! where she invented the infamous 'Position of the Fortnight.' Fiona now lives in Scotland with her husband Jimmy, their three children and a wayward rescue collie cross called Jack. For more info, visit www.fionagibson.com. You can follow Fiona on Twitter @fionagibson.