How many of us have thought about doing what Sinead does- leaving a spouse with a list of things the spouse has or hasn't done- and leaving the spouse to be a single parent as well? Don't just Sinead or Nate, for that matter, until you've read a bit into this. There are two sides to every marriage. Thee two are interesting characters but even better is young Flynn. The evolution of Sinead and Nate, to include both of them dating (!), is well done. This is not as light as the cover might lead you to believe but it's well written and a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A pleasant and entertaining read we follow the story of Nate who has a "nice" life with his wife Sinead and son Flynn. One day Nate wakes to find that Sinead has left him (also leaving son Flynn behind with Dad) and has left a list of all the things that Nate does wrong as well as the things that he doesn't do. Nate decides that he is going to change and get his wife and his "nice" life back - but is it really the life he wants?
We follow both Nate and Sinead as they live their newly-single lives, re-connecting with old friends and making new ones.
As an unappreciated mum myself I could completely relate to the situation but I did like the character of Nate even whilst I understood Sinead's frustrations with him.
A thoroughly enjoyable and funny read - ideal reading for the unappreciated mums of the world!
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advance review copy.

The Mum Who’d Had Enough by Fiona Gibson
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 2½/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: Based on the description and the bright, fun cover, I think I expected this book to be something more than it is. I expected this to be a funny and heartwarming read and what I got was quite the opposite. What’s more, with the exception of one character, Flynn, I didn’t find a single character worth liking in this book. Sinead is extremely selfish and unwilling to admit she had a significant part in the collapse of her marriage and Nate is just completely clueless about everything. I stayed with this book all the way through to the end because I kept hoping something would salvage this book for me, but alas, that just didn’t pan out. With all that being said, I would have absolutely DNF’d this book if the writing quality had been bad. That is not the case at all and I can’t find any complaint with the mechanics of this book. At the end of the day, this just wasn’t the story for me, but I can see it being quite an appealing and enjoyable read for many readers.

This is a fun read, light hearted in parts but it is also a very serious subject handled very nicely.

It is also very realistic, brings home a lot of truths which many of us may not want to face.

People get married, they have a family. Seemingly settled, each in their own career whether home making or high powered both men and women as this is a modern book but after sometime does a shade of complacency creep in? It may in some people be shrugged off as part of life but in Sinead's case it was not so and one day over a simply innocuous act of her husband Nate not putting out the mouse traps despite repeated reminders, it all boils over. Everyone has had that catalyst!



Nate is confounded by the fact that Sinead has walked out. She has also left him a hand written list of shortcomings on his part (sadly no good points) and he genuinely does not know what to make of it. He is very much in love with his wife and just does not get it, till friends and companions gently point out to him that this could be a wake up call, to mend his ways to get his wife back.

Venturing out into fields unknown Nate genuinely tries and a reconciliation seems on the cards. Sadly it does not go to plan but this book was very good both in its plot and characterization and you certainly did not feel left out or down.

I did not like the character of Sinead, so I struggled to read the book. However the chracters of Nate was nice, and even the moody teenager Flynn was OK.

A very ok read. I thought I would enjoy the story more -given that I could relate to being married and soend most of my time nagging/chasing/tidying. But I just found it a bit harsh to leave a note detailing the bad points but ‘forget’ the instruction. to list the good points too, as if maybe if she had remembered the story might have been different. I liked the Flynn and also Tanzie’s characters, and I enjoyed the sub story of Nate and Tanzie’s developing friendship.

As a fan of writers like Marian Keyes, Jane Green, Anna Maxted and Liane Moriarty, this book had big boots to fill. However, somehow Ms. Gibson knocked this one right on the head. Our protagonist, Nate, is left by his wife, who in turn leaves him a list of things that are wrong with him. The author has given us a very realistic portrayal of how relationships actually occur, as opposed to that of a typical chick-list book, with highly romanticized ideals and easy solutions. This book appeals to the heart as well as the head, and makes the genre better for it.
I love the intricate additions of Tanzie's daughter, Nate and Sinead's son Flynn, and many other minor characters.
A treat to read!

Normally I love Fiona's books and for me, they are laugh out loud books, however, this one I just could not engage with. I didn't like the main characters. Especially Sinead who just comes across as not a very nice person. Nate her husband is a nicer character but comes across as weak. Loved the character of Flynn their son who sounds a typical teenager!

Nate thinks he has a good marriage until he finds his wife Sinead has left him a note of his faults and walked out of his life. Sinead has been unhappy for years, she feels Nate doesn’t listen to her and doesn’t help with their son Flynn who has Cerebral Palsy, she wants a new start without Nate.

Tanzie has also had enough and when she befriends an unhappy Nate, she advises him on how he should try and win Sinead back.

An easy light hearted read with good relatable characters which was enjoyable.

Another great book by Fiona Gibson who for me writes what many women are thinking !! Sinead feeling taken for granted leaves Nate suddenly and the study unfolds as to how he copes and realises maybe he didn't do as much as he could have. Lovely characters envelope the reader into a charming read - highly recommended

Nate and Sinead have been together for years and have son, Flynn whom suffers with cerebral palsy.



When Nate wakes up one morning to Sinead being gone, everything falls to him. Feeling unappreciated and unloved, Sinead leaves him a note listing everything he's done as well as later texting him wanting to separate seeing no way round the issue after working with a therapist and getting that as her only answer/option left. Sinead stays with her friend Abby while Flynn stays with Nate back at their house and thanks to Paolo, Nate's friend, he's suddenly spurred into action too follow the list Sinead left behind, but even if he completes everything on it, will she come back home to them?



As we witness both of them date, Brett and Tanzie respectively, and hang out with old friends they each realise just what they've been missing out on not partaking in friend activities for so long and making time for themselves and each other combined. The book highlights the issue of how therapy can help gain some clarity on a situation whether it helps to fix the issue in the long run or not.



Overall, there were some laughs and some moments you wanted to shout at Nate for not helping out more! This is a book for any mum who feels unappreciated and maybe will give you some me time at last!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

This was a pretty entertaining read to curl up with a cup of tea. The story flowed well and I found myself wanting to keep reading. That is until Sinead was narrating. To me Sinead was just a terrible character. What she did to Nate was not called for. Even though her shrink asked multiple times if she made the list of good qualities Sinead was just like "oh good qualities? lol I missed that part"

Ultimately it was Nate that deserved better.

I do hope the author changes the name of the character Brett O'Hara before publication. Too many Gone With the Wind connotations.

I loved this book. I loved that you saw the story from three different characters point of views (Sinead, Flynn and Nate) and this gave the story a fresh, unique feel to it that I really enjoyed. I'd never read a novel by Fiona Gibson before - although many of her books are on my TBR pile! - but I'm glad that I clicked Request on this one!

The cover drew me in straight away, I think it's due to the mix of bright colours, and that the cover doesn't necessarily give too much away which I find really inviting. I found the characters to be really down to earth and easy to connect with - making the story easy to read and enjoyable.

It's a book that you won't be able to put down. It's easy to read, lighthearted and heartwarming with some laugh-out-loud moments. You could easily and happily read this book in a day!

I really enjoyed this book, it feels quite light but it deals with real life topics too. Nate and Sinead and their son Flynn all have their own chapters and tell the story from their point of view which I really enjoyed. Sinead is the mum who’s had enough, but there is another female character called Tans who has also had enough and their tale weave well as Nate blunders along kindly but hopelessly. All the characters are relatable and well drawn and the book is very easy to read

I have read quite a few books by Fiona Gibson and always enjoyed them. This book is a great read. Nate thinks he has a good marriage, one morning he comes down for a breakfast only to find a letter that his wife left him. He is desperate for her to come back to him and their son, but will he be able to change and will she come back?

Thank you for access to this book. Have read books by this author before and really enjoy her writing. This was told from different perspectives and has subject matter people can resonate with. Enjoyable read.

I was given in advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. I really should’ve been able to relate to this one as a 41-year-old mother and wife, but it just didn’t connect. The husband seemed clueless but with his heart in the right place. The wife wasn’t very three-dimensional. The secondary characters seemed flat as well. Honestly, I would sort of skim the wife’s chapters to get back to the husband, and that’s the opposite of the point of this sort of thing.

This book is amazing from the first page so well written with amazing characters and so true to real life as full of families and warm and funny at the same time. I loved this book so much I would love to give it far more than the five stars as so deserves it couldn't put it down at all.
Nate thinks he has the perfect marriage with family and a great job as a driving instructor but he comes downstairs one morning to find a note with everything that his wife Sinead has left him that states all his faults. His wife has gone and left the son Flynn with him but he's so unsure what to make of this note. His wife has moved in with a friend and believes her marriage is over. Sadly Nate things he can change and become a better husband and dad and he needs to change fast but as he's doing these changes his life starts to change in ways he's not expecting can things get back to normal or can he make a better life with out or with his wife.
Worth far more than the five stars and couldn't put it down an amazing book.