The more interesting parts of the book: nursing, death and facts about the menopause are scattered through the chapters, but they are almost lost in the oversharing of the author’s life (way too much detail about her sex life and the drunken escapades of her friends). Along with frequent and unnecessarily use of the ‘f’ word, there is an irreverency about her writing which made me feel really sad. Such as, “It was all going so well until he took his top off. He had Jesus Loves Me tattooed on his chest”, and, “Bible Ben, as the mean kids called him”, but the author carries on calling him that throughout the book, even though she doesn’t consider herself one of the mean kids; as if we the reader won’t remember his name without its prefix. Rather than a celebration of womanhood, this book was for me a huge disappointment, and not the uplifting encouragement I’d hoped for. How does Christie Watson do it? No-one depicts with greater wisdom and tenderness the unruly, bewildering, mercurial gorgeousness of the human body. I adored this book Rachel Clarke, author of DEAR LIFE A superb chronicle of midlife and the chaos of the perimenopause. Candid, humorous, insightful, deeply empathetic, inspiring and utterly necessary' i Paper A funny, frank and informative blend of personal writing, research and conversations with friends... [Watson's] descriptions of her failing body are vivid and unflinching... Passages are moving, humbling and written with beautiful detail Marianne Power, The Times

I don’t think there are any “bests” for me – that’s the honest truth - just “worsts” and more “worsts”. The guy with the tarantula was really quite nice, one of the better ones. But on the whole, I found online dating horrific, partly because everything felt fake and I had no idea what I wanted or needed. Am I a terrible mother? Is the world ending? Did I turn the oven off? Did I pay the parking fine? Is my TV licence up to date? Will I go to prison? Who will take care of the children? You had a rough ride in the pandemic when your daughter became critically ill with sepsis and nearly died. How did that parental fear affect you?The incredible resource Allie mentioned for nationally documented quilt collections: www.quiltindex.com

An] insightful and outspoken exploration of middle age and the perimenopause Kate Kellaway, Observer You write well about middle age’s pitfalls and the feel-bad power, for most of us, of social media. Generous notes from the heat of female experience. Read it with a sigh of relief and gratitude Diana Evans, author of ORDINARY PEOPLE Personally I had never heard of the perimenopause but it seems to be an extended version of the menopause. Having read this book I now know quite a lot about it and the symptoms which accompany it. The jaunty writing style makes this book easy to read and it is very frank and candid. For some women, the menopause is no more than passing turbulence on a long-distance flight. For others it is a major challenge. What is most positive about this transition?This novel follows the 40 something author as she navigates her mid life and the start of perimenopause. The novel highlights how she was unaware of the many changes that happen to women during this age and how it impacted many areas of her life. She also discusses her thoughts on love and relationships both when she was younger and also when she hit midlife. I loved it... Hilarious and necessary. Should be required reading for anyone over forty! Francesca Segal