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Peri Panic: A Funny, Honest Guide to Perimenopause — Told Through Real Life
Loved by real women navigating perimenopauseCovers hot flushes, brain fog, mood swings, sleep chaos & emotional overwhelmHonest, funny, deeply reassuringIf you’ve ever thought “Is this normal?” — this book is for you.
Perimenopause can feel chaotic — hot flushes that hit like surprise saunas, brain fog that steals your words, mood swings that appear out of nowhere, and a body that suddenly has its own secret agenda. If you’re a woman 30+ wondering “what on earth is happening to me?”, you’ve just found your people.
Peri Panic is the laugh-out-loud, totally honest, finally-someone-said-it guide to perimenopause. Part humour, part confessional, part practical survival manual, this book explains the most common perimenopause symptoms in a way that makes women feel understood — not overwhelmed.
Inside, you’ll
• What perimenopause really is and why symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, mood swings and weight changes happen.
• Real stories from women who’ve been there, so you feel supported, normal and part of a sisterhood.
• Practical hacks to reduce symptoms, improve sleep, manage hormones, boost energy and feel more like yourself again.
• Hilariously relatable moments, because sometimes the only way to survive midlife is to laugh.
Written by Sallee Hitchins, founder of the Chill & Cheers Menopause community, this empowering and witty guide blends women’s health education with emotionally honest storytelling. It’s the perfect companion for any woman navigating midlife changes — offering clarity, comfort, cheerleading and a much-needed dose of humour when your hormones start freelancing.
Whether you’re laughing, crying, overheating or doing all three at once, Peri Panic is the supportive best friend you wish you had in your bag. The one who keeps it real, hands you a mini fan, and reminds you that you’re not losing it — you’re levelling up.
If you’re experiencing hot flushes, panic spikes, brain fog, sudden rage, sleep problems or general midlife “WTF energy”… this book is for you.
Grab your fan — and welcome to the group chat.
(Also… bonus points for the 14pt type so we can actually read it without squinting. You’re welcome.)
Perimenopause can feel chaotic — hot flushes that hit like surprise saunas, brain fog that steals your words, mood swings that appear out of nowhere, and a body that suddenly has its own secret agenda. If you’re a woman 30+ wondering “what on earth is happening to me?”, you’ve just found your people.
Peri Panic is the laugh-out-loud, totally honest, finally-someone-said-it guide to perimenopause. Part humour, part confessional, part practical survival manual, this book explains the most common perimenopause symptoms in a way that makes women feel understood — not overwhelmed.
Inside, you’ll
• What perimenopause really is and why symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, mood swings and weight changes happen.
• Real stories from women who’ve been there, so you feel supported, normal and part of a sisterhood.
• Practical hacks to reduce symptoms, improve sleep, manage hormones, boost energy and feel more like yourself again.
• Hilariously relatable moments, because sometimes the only way to survive midlife is to laugh.
Written by Sallee Hitchins, founder of the Chill & Cheers Menopause community, this empowering and witty guide blends women’s health education with emotionally honest storytelling. It’s the perfect companion for any woman navigating midlife changes — offering clarity, comfort, cheerleading and a much-needed dose of humour when your hormones start freelancing.
Whether you’re laughing, crying, overheating or doing all three at once, Peri Panic is the supportive best friend you wish you had in your bag. The one who keeps it real, hands you a mini fan, and reminds you that you’re not losing it — you’re levelling up.
If you’re experiencing hot flushes, panic spikes, brain fog, sudden rage, sleep problems or general midlife “WTF energy”… this book is for you.
Grab your fan — and welcome to the group chat.
(Also… bonus points for the 14pt type so we can actually read it without squinting. You’re welcome.)
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 31, 2026
🥃 ARC Review: Peri Panic
"A Girls' Night Out in Book Form — Light, Loud, and One Glass of Wine Deep"
Author: Sallee Hitchins
Genre: Nonfiction — Humor / Women's Health / Perimenopause Guide
Tropes: Sisterhood squad, humor-as-survival, the group chat that holds you together, body-in-rebellion, midlife reinvention
Format: ARC via Booksprout
Series: Standalone
Drink Pairing: A Chilled Prosecco with a Splash of Elderflower
Spice Level: N/A — Nonfiction
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5) — "A Fun Mid-Shelf Pour for the Right Crowd"
The Pour
I don't typically reach for nonfiction — and I definitely don't typically reach for health books. But when a book opens with a definition that reads like a war briefing — "Peri Panic (noun): When your hormones stage a coup and your brain forgets the plan" — and then proceeds to deliver seventeen chapters of WhatsApp group chat chaos, awkward date stories, and menopause survival tips wrapped in genuine belly laughs?
Fine. I'll pour a glass.
Peri Panic is Sallee Hitchins' humor-driven guide to perimenopause, told through the lens of a tight-knit group of friends — the "Lifeline" — who process every hot flush, mood swing, libido disappearance, and body betrayal through their WhatsApp group chat. It's part girlfriend confessional, part health primer, part comedy set. And for a specific audience, it will feel like the biggest exhale of the year.
But we're reviewing with the same glass we always use around here. So let's taste what's actually in the barrel.
The Tasting Notes: The Lifeline Ladies
Since this is nonfiction, there's no heroine-hero structure to work with. But Hitchins builds a cast of characters through the group chat format that earns its own assessment.
The narrator — our unnamed everywoman — is the emotional anchor. She's the over-sharer, the organizer, the one who kicks off every chapter with a vulnerable confession that gives the rest of the group permission to pile in. She's relatable in that very specific way where you're nodding along going, "Okay, she's been in my kitchen at 2 a.m."
Then there's the squad. Sue, the steady cheerleader. Tracey, the pragmatic fixer. Deb, the blunt-force truth-teller. Saskia, the walking disaster who generates the book's funniest stories (the lube-instead-of-liqueur date story had me choking). Jenny, the science translator. Lauren, the sarcasm queen.
They're distinct. They're fun. They feel like women you know.
But — and here's where I have to be honest — they're also one-note. Sue is always supportive. Deb is always blunt. Saskia is always the mess. Seventeen chapters in, nobody surprises you. Nobody grows. Nobody cracks open into something deeper than their assigned role in the group chat. They're archetypes in a text thread, and while that works for a few chapters, it starts to feel like a sitcom that never lets its characters have a bad day that isn't played for laughs.
What I Savored 🥃
Saskia's stories are worth the price of admission — I don't care what else is happening in this book — when Saskia opens her mouth, I'm leaning in. The wine list date where she accidentally said "lube" instead of "liqueur" — twice — while the waiter's eyebrow hit the ceiling and the next table choked on their crème brûlée? Comedy gold. Hitchins has a genuine gift for comedic storytelling in those anecdote sections, and Saskia is the vessel that delivers the best of it.
The WhatsApp format is clever and immediately engaging — Opening every chapter with a group chat exchange is smart. It drops you into the emotional temperature of the topic before the longer stories begin, and it mimics how women actually process these experiences — through the people who get it. That structural choice is the freshest thing in the book.
It normalizes what so many women suffer in silence — Forget the craft for a second. If you're a woman in your late 30s to 50s who has been quietly panicking about brain fog, anxiety attacks, disappearing libido, or a body that suddenly doesn't feel like yours — this book says you are not broken, you are not alone, and also here's a funny story about shapewear. That's a real gift. The humor is the Trojan horse for genuine comfort and community.
The anxiety and panic chapters are the strongest writing in the book — Chapters 9 and 10, covering anxiety and insomnia, hit differently than the rest. The freeway panic attack scene is vivid, physically specific, and genuinely well-written. When the narrator describes white-knuckling the steering wheel while simultaneously laughing and crying at the idea of Adele playing at her own funeral — that's real writing. That's the kind of moment where humor and terror coexist, and Hitchins nails it.
What Needed More Aging 🥃
The formula gets predictable fast — Here's the thing: every single chapter follows the exact same structure. WhatsApp chat opens the topic. Two to three anecdotal stories expand on it. A wrap-up ties it together. Rinse. Repeat. Seventeen times. By chapter five, I could feel the template. By chapter ten, I was skimming the openings because I knew exactly what was coming. A book built on humor needs surprise to sustain itself, and the rigid format works against that.
Surface-level depth on the health information — The medical content amounts to "see your GP" and Jenny's one-line hormone explanations. That's fine — this isn't a medical textbook and doesn't claim to be. But for a reader hoping for actionable guidance alongside the laughs, there's not much to take away beyond "collagen in your coffee" and "drink more water." The ratio of humor to substance tips too far toward entertainment, and the book misses an opportunity to be both funny and genuinely informative.
It reads like a long blog series, not a book — Each chapter is essentially a standalone essay with the same cast and format. There's no narrative arc connecting them, no throughline of growth or change. The narrator is in roughly the same place emotionally in chapter seventeen as she is in chapter one — just slightly more accepting. That's realistic, maybe, but on the page it means the book doesn't build toward anything. The final dinner scene tries to provide a climactic emotional beat, but it arrives without the earned momentum a true narrative arc would deliver.
The humor, while warm, plays it safe — The comedy is solidly in the "relatable Facebook post" lane — broad, accessible, designed for maximum nodding along. And that's fine! But BSB likes her reads with a little more edge, a little more willingness to sit in the uncomfortable parts. Hitchins touches real darkness — panic attacks, identity loss, relationship strain — and almost always pivots to a punchline before letting the reader feel the weight. A braver book would've let some of those moments breathe.
The Finish
Peri Panic is a girls' night out in book form. It's warm, it's loud, it's genuinely funny in stretches, and it will make a very specific reader feel seen in a way that matters. If you're in the thick of perimenopause and you need someone to tell you you're not losing your mind — with receipts and a group chat full of women who've been there — this is your book.
But it's a mid-shelf pour. The repetitive structure, the surface-level depth, and the lack of narrative arc keep it from being the kind of book that stays with you after the last page. It's the literary equivalent of a fun night out where you laughed a lot but can't quite remember what anyone said the next morning.
Enjoyable. Relatable. Worth recommending to the right person.
But not one I'll be reaching for again.
The Drink Pairing: Chilled Prosecco with a Splash of Elderflower
This book is fizzy, light, and best enjoyed in good company — and that's exactly what this drink is. The prosecco brings the effervescence and the easy warmth, the elderflower adds a floral sweetness that feels a little more special than your average Tuesday pour. Serve it cold at a girls' dinner, laugh too loud, and don't overthink it. That's what this book asks of you — and on those terms, it delivers.
I received an advance review copy for free via Booksprout, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Recommended for: Women navigating perimenopause who need a laugh more than a lecture. If you loved Hot Flush by Belinda Jones or follow menopause humor accounts that make you screenshot and send to your group chat — this will scratch that itch. Pair with actual prosecco and your actual Lifeline.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
"A Girls' Night Out in Book Form — Light, Loud, and One Glass of Wine Deep"
Author: Sallee Hitchins
Genre: Nonfiction — Humor / Women's Health / Perimenopause Guide
Tropes: Sisterhood squad, humor-as-survival, the group chat that holds you together, body-in-rebellion, midlife reinvention
Format: ARC via Booksprout
Series: Standalone
Drink Pairing: A Chilled Prosecco with a Splash of Elderflower
Spice Level: N/A — Nonfiction
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5) — "A Fun Mid-Shelf Pour for the Right Crowd"
The Pour
I don't typically reach for nonfiction — and I definitely don't typically reach for health books. But when a book opens with a definition that reads like a war briefing — "Peri Panic (noun): When your hormones stage a coup and your brain forgets the plan" — and then proceeds to deliver seventeen chapters of WhatsApp group chat chaos, awkward date stories, and menopause survival tips wrapped in genuine belly laughs?
Fine. I'll pour a glass.
Peri Panic is Sallee Hitchins' humor-driven guide to perimenopause, told through the lens of a tight-knit group of friends — the "Lifeline" — who process every hot flush, mood swing, libido disappearance, and body betrayal through their WhatsApp group chat. It's part girlfriend confessional, part health primer, part comedy set. And for a specific audience, it will feel like the biggest exhale of the year.
But we're reviewing with the same glass we always use around here. So let's taste what's actually in the barrel.
The Tasting Notes: The Lifeline Ladies
Since this is nonfiction, there's no heroine-hero structure to work with. But Hitchins builds a cast of characters through the group chat format that earns its own assessment.
The narrator — our unnamed everywoman — is the emotional anchor. She's the over-sharer, the organizer, the one who kicks off every chapter with a vulnerable confession that gives the rest of the group permission to pile in. She's relatable in that very specific way where you're nodding along going, "Okay, she's been in my kitchen at 2 a.m."
Then there's the squad. Sue, the steady cheerleader. Tracey, the pragmatic fixer. Deb, the blunt-force truth-teller. Saskia, the walking disaster who generates the book's funniest stories (the lube-instead-of-liqueur date story had me choking). Jenny, the science translator. Lauren, the sarcasm queen.
They're distinct. They're fun. They feel like women you know.
But — and here's where I have to be honest — they're also one-note. Sue is always supportive. Deb is always blunt. Saskia is always the mess. Seventeen chapters in, nobody surprises you. Nobody grows. Nobody cracks open into something deeper than their assigned role in the group chat. They're archetypes in a text thread, and while that works for a few chapters, it starts to feel like a sitcom that never lets its characters have a bad day that isn't played for laughs.
What I Savored 🥃
Saskia's stories are worth the price of admission — I don't care what else is happening in this book — when Saskia opens her mouth, I'm leaning in. The wine list date where she accidentally said "lube" instead of "liqueur" — twice — while the waiter's eyebrow hit the ceiling and the next table choked on their crème brûlée? Comedy gold. Hitchins has a genuine gift for comedic storytelling in those anecdote sections, and Saskia is the vessel that delivers the best of it.
The WhatsApp format is clever and immediately engaging — Opening every chapter with a group chat exchange is smart. It drops you into the emotional temperature of the topic before the longer stories begin, and it mimics how women actually process these experiences — through the people who get it. That structural choice is the freshest thing in the book.
It normalizes what so many women suffer in silence — Forget the craft for a second. If you're a woman in your late 30s to 50s who has been quietly panicking about brain fog, anxiety attacks, disappearing libido, or a body that suddenly doesn't feel like yours — this book says you are not broken, you are not alone, and also here's a funny story about shapewear. That's a real gift. The humor is the Trojan horse for genuine comfort and community.
The anxiety and panic chapters are the strongest writing in the book — Chapters 9 and 10, covering anxiety and insomnia, hit differently than the rest. The freeway panic attack scene is vivid, physically specific, and genuinely well-written. When the narrator describes white-knuckling the steering wheel while simultaneously laughing and crying at the idea of Adele playing at her own funeral — that's real writing. That's the kind of moment where humor and terror coexist, and Hitchins nails it.
What Needed More Aging 🥃
The formula gets predictable fast — Here's the thing: every single chapter follows the exact same structure. WhatsApp chat opens the topic. Two to three anecdotal stories expand on it. A wrap-up ties it together. Rinse. Repeat. Seventeen times. By chapter five, I could feel the template. By chapter ten, I was skimming the openings because I knew exactly what was coming. A book built on humor needs surprise to sustain itself, and the rigid format works against that.
Surface-level depth on the health information — The medical content amounts to "see your GP" and Jenny's one-line hormone explanations. That's fine — this isn't a medical textbook and doesn't claim to be. But for a reader hoping for actionable guidance alongside the laughs, there's not much to take away beyond "collagen in your coffee" and "drink more water." The ratio of humor to substance tips too far toward entertainment, and the book misses an opportunity to be both funny and genuinely informative.
It reads like a long blog series, not a book — Each chapter is essentially a standalone essay with the same cast and format. There's no narrative arc connecting them, no throughline of growth or change. The narrator is in roughly the same place emotionally in chapter seventeen as she is in chapter one — just slightly more accepting. That's realistic, maybe, but on the page it means the book doesn't build toward anything. The final dinner scene tries to provide a climactic emotional beat, but it arrives without the earned momentum a true narrative arc would deliver.
The humor, while warm, plays it safe — The comedy is solidly in the "relatable Facebook post" lane — broad, accessible, designed for maximum nodding along. And that's fine! But BSB likes her reads with a little more edge, a little more willingness to sit in the uncomfortable parts. Hitchins touches real darkness — panic attacks, identity loss, relationship strain — and almost always pivots to a punchline before letting the reader feel the weight. A braver book would've let some of those moments breathe.
The Finish
Peri Panic is a girls' night out in book form. It's warm, it's loud, it's genuinely funny in stretches, and it will make a very specific reader feel seen in a way that matters. If you're in the thick of perimenopause and you need someone to tell you you're not losing your mind — with receipts and a group chat full of women who've been there — this is your book.
But it's a mid-shelf pour. The repetitive structure, the surface-level depth, and the lack of narrative arc keep it from being the kind of book that stays with you after the last page. It's the literary equivalent of a fun night out where you laughed a lot but can't quite remember what anyone said the next morning.
Enjoyable. Relatable. Worth recommending to the right person.
But not one I'll be reaching for again.
The Drink Pairing: Chilled Prosecco with a Splash of Elderflower
This book is fizzy, light, and best enjoyed in good company — and that's exactly what this drink is. The prosecco brings the effervescence and the easy warmth, the elderflower adds a floral sweetness that feels a little more special than your average Tuesday pour. Serve it cold at a girls' dinner, laugh too loud, and don't overthink it. That's what this book asks of you — and on those terms, it delivers.
I received an advance review copy for free via Booksprout, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Recommended for: Women navigating perimenopause who need a laugh more than a lecture. If you loved Hot Flush by Belinda Jones or follow menopause humor accounts that make you screenshot and send to your group chat — this will scratch that itch. Pair with actual prosecco and your actual Lifeline.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 20, 2026
Peri Panic by Sallee Hitchins is a laugh‑out‑loud yet deeply informative guide to perimenopause, turning hot flashes, mood swings, and brain fog into moments of humor and empowerment. Honest, relatable, and reassuring, it reminds women over 35 that the chaos is normal—and manageable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 20, 2026
Lots of fluff. Good advice but nothing substantial. Think of “having coffee with my fellow peri girls” but book-form
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews