This is the first book I have read from this author and it definitely won’t be the last. I really enjoyed this novel – it was fresh and light and stands out from the standard women’s fiction romances where two main characters meet and fall in love.

I like that this is a far more realistic portrayal of modern day dating and relationships where not everything turns out to be perfect in the end. I don’t have experience of online dating/dating apps however that didn’t detract from the storyline and didn’t stop me from enjoying the book and relating to Jen. The characters weren’t cliches or stereotypes and I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Jen & Rod. I think that the sub-plot with Jen’s mother added a layer of depth/sentiment to the novel.

The only criticism is that some parts of the book did move fairly slowly and I felt myself skipping over certain scenes that could have been covered quicker or been omitted entirely. The ending, though unpredictable, did fall a little flat for me.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have really liked all this authors books and this was no exception, a real feel good read, great storyline and great characters.

3.25 algorithmic stars ⭐⭐⭐

This was my first Fiona Gibson, and probably not my last. I happened to come across her latest and thought, why not? I had, after all, been thinking to read something of hers for quite some time now.

And a good portion of it was breezy - downright hilarious. Gibson, I sense, has a talent for bringing into sharp contrast the comical aspects of life. 

The storyline was fresh, and I did like many of the characters, especially the hyperbolic ones that made me laugh out loud.

THE STORY:
At 50 years old and after almost 30 years of flying her way to happiness as a flight attendant with BudgieAir, Jen and her colleagues are declared redundant and must start a new life. Much of the book homes in on the messiness of finding one's way through the uncertainty and the difficulty of understanding what comes next.

Well, in the midst of this mess, Jen is somehow pressured into creating a profile on an online dating website, and starts to awkwardly dabble in this new world of algorithmic dating, her curiousity piqued by promises of wild fun and exciting encounters...

COMMENTS:
I personally struggled with connecting. The online dating business is pretty alien to me and I probably would have preferred that it did not occupy centre stage. However, the dating itself is rendered particularly hilarious, also because Jen approaches it with the irony of one who is not entirely sure that this is how things ought to work. I particularly loved the way that her relationship with Rod, longtime best friend and Hannah's father, is portrayed in this book, and how it is left to develop and simmer in the background.

Brownie points for the unpredictable ending. I appreciate it when feel-good writing invests in a concept of life that is more in tune with the nuances of events and the strange turnings of the human heart.

Thanks go to NetGalley, author and publisher for this ARC. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

Fiona Gibaon's writing always makes me smile and this novel definitely did. Jen is made redundant her life long career of working at a budget airline. So she finds a part time job at a local supermarket and enters the world of online dating. A cheerful look at life when things go wrong. A must read for fun!

Another wonderful Fiona Gibson novel.Love that this is a novel that women can really relate to.Warm funny entertaining a story I really enjoyed .#netgalley #avonbooksuk

I was drawn to this book as I read 'The Little Bakery On Rosemary Lane' (penned under the name Ellen Berry) earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. 'The Woman Who Took a Chance' lived up to my high expectations. A heart-warming book, I love that Jen is a mature woman rather than the twenty/thirty something's which seem to dominate women's fiction. Well-written, I devoured this book in a day - the characters are believable and true to life.

There were a few parts which moved fairly slowly, however overall, an enjoyable and warm read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.