AWRW Book Review: As Good As It Gets? by Fiona Gibson @FionaGibson @AvonBooksUK

“Midlife crisis? WHAT midlife crisis?!”

Charlotte Bristow is worried about her husband Will. With her 16-year-old daughter Rosie newly signed to a top modelling agency, and Will recently out of a job, things are changing in their household.

As Will dusts down his old leather trousers and starts partying with their new, fun neighbours, Charlotte begins to wonder what on earth is going on.

So when Fraser, Charlotte’s ex – and father of Rosie – suddenly arrives back on the scene, she starts to imagine what might have been…

The grass is always greener….

Paperback, 400 pages

Published February 26th 2015 by Avon (first published January 29th 2015)

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, British-American Chick Lit

What’s It About?

“Do we still love each other? Or are we only together for the kids, or because we’re too old or scared to break up and start again? I find myself wondering, is this as good as it gets?”

Charlotte Bristow is 38, married with two kids, working for a crisp factory, (potato chip factory), and wondering if the grass really is greener on the other side. Her husband recently lost his job, is sullen like a teenager, possibly going through a midlife crisis, and not sure what to do with himself.

Charlotte’s ex, and the father of her oldest child, gets back in touch, flooding Charlotte with a wave of emotions. Suddenly, she feels like a teenager again! –Carefree, without the worries of a mortgage, or having to clean up after her entire family.

As Good As It Gets? Is a British-American chick lit novel, set in London that begs the question: What might have been?

My Thoughts

I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard while reading a book. Lead protagonist Charlotte Bristow is absolutely hilarious, and I enjoyed reading the story through her POV. As a matter of fact, when Charlotte wrote to Fraser, saying, “I’m not scrabbling around like some fat pigeon, waiting for your scraps,” and she receives back a packet of wild bird seed… I nearly died! I was hooked from that moment forward. (I believe this was on page 2.)

I believe that Charlotte is a relatable character to a lot of women. Who hasn’t felt under-appreciated at some point in their life, and wondered, ‘what if’? And who hasn’t wondered if the grass really is greener on the other side?

I loved the other characters as well, and found the secondary characters to be well-developed. I loved the family dynamic. I enjoyed reading about Ollie, Rosie, and Will. I even enjoyed reading about the neighbors next door,  (although I was wondering about Sabrina’s intentions with Will). I even loved the annoying neighbors, Tricia and Gerald! -They were hilarious, in their own, pestering way. 🙂

There were so many great scenes in this story, but my favorite part of this novel, was when Charlotte was drunk, and explores the rotting shed as a possible “love nest” to spice things up in her and her husband’s sex life, per suggestion of crazy Sabrina. NEARLY DIED! And then Charlotte, graceful as ever, manages to fall down and hit her head, attracting the attention of neighbors, Tricia and Gerald! HAHAHAAA!!!!! HILARIOUS! My second favorite part, was when Charlotte squirted salad cream, (whatever that is), at Will, at the diner at 3 am. LOL!!!!!!

I really enjoyed the author’s humorous writing, and the steady pace of As Good As It Gets? –There was never a dull moment, and it was full of surprises. I was disappointed when the story came to an end, but I don’t think she could have ended it any better. It truly made me smile! 🙂 I love a good happily-ever-after.

I also loved the setting of this novel, in London, and the charming British-English language used. I mentioned in a previous review how much I enjoy British-English. ***Shout out to Harper Collins-Avon UK for sending me such awesome books!***

I highly recommend this novel to fans of chick lit!

***I received a paperback copy, from Harper Collins-Avon UK, in exchange for a thoughtful, honest, and fair book review. This is no way swayed my opinion, or rating.

Purchase

Amazon, USA

Amazon, UK

About The Author

Fiona Gibson is the author of eight novels, including the best-selling Mum on the Run and Take Mum Out, published by Avon. She grew up in a Yorkshire village called Goose Eye, before working on Jackie and Just Seventeen magazines – in those heady pre-internet days when it was pretty exciting to get a free plastic mirror taped to the front of your magazine. Fiona went on to edit More! magazine, where she introduced the infamous Position of the Fortnight. After having twin sons and a daughter, she started to write fiction, usually at night with the house full of toddlers and builders. It was a sort of escape.

Fiona is also the author of The Fish Finger Years (Hodder), a memoir about those early parenting years. A sort of sequel, True Tales About Raising Teens, is coming soon.

Fiona lives in Lanarkshire, Scotland. When she’s not writing, she’s usually out walking or running with her collie cross, Jack, whilst trying to wrestle her plotlines into some semblance of order. She’s a pretty poor speller but loves nothing better than starting a brand new book. The end bit is fun to write too. It’s the middle part that’s the tricky bit. —Amazon UK Author BIO

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