Logging Off is an entertaining, quick read and what I have come to expect of this author! I liked the characters and the way they developed and though I could guess much of what happened, I still enjoyed it.

Fun read, Wonderful premise of the need for a "digital detox" that I think many people would identify with. Lovable characters. It wasn't quite as laugh out loud as previous Spalding books, and the laughs it reached for felt forced sometimes, but overall an enjoyable read.

What a fun read! It's been a while since a book made me laugh so hard. This is a great book for when you are stuck at home - and on your phone/ipad/laptop a little too much.

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy - I would recommend this one!!

A good funny read as I expected, but with a lot of depth. It really made me assess my use of social media and the time I spend online playing mindless games. An easy read - leading to a challenging decision! The descriptions of Andy's bowel problems were funny - and familiar!! Some real laugh out loud moments. I'm still smiling thinking about the duck pond, which in the current climate means the book was a real success. #netgalley #loggingoff

Logging Off by Nick Spalding was a fun read. I really liked Andy and have to admit to feeling horrified on his behalf when he decided to go on the digital detox.

Andy, a graphic designed has a myriad of health problems, so he toddles along to his GP after Dr Google diagnoses him with several rare forms of Cancer - but his GP's diagnosis is much simpler - Andy is addicted to technology and the digital world. After some soul searching, Andy decides to undertake the digital detox - 60 days away from the digital world, unless it is work related...

What follows is a fun story, with plenty of mishaps and a sprinkling of romance - Logging Off was an easy read, that had me smiling and nodding my head along with Andy; another great read from Spalding.

I like to think I'm not quite so addicted as Andy, but who knows?

3.5*

A light read, always enjoy Nick Spalding's books. I would classify this as a chick lit. It was easy to dip in and out of this book, which kept it more enjoyable.

Social media can be addictive. Also during these pandemic times, it can make you sick or be helpful to you. It all depends on the way you use it. An apt book for current times I would say. Logging off by Nick Spalding was fun, relaxing satire to read. I am now tempted to do a digital detox at least for a weekend.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Graphic artist, Andy Bellows is a mess. He’s lashed himself so securely to the digital world that he’s developed a psychosomatic disorder that has him in a state of constant constipation and neck and jaw pain so severe he seeks medical help, only to have the doctor tell him his condition is common and he just needs to unplug (no pun intended) by going strictly analog. His physical distress is very real and as frightening as the idea seems of going unplugged cold turkey, he knows its what he needs to do. But how does one go from revealing every aspect of one’s life on every social media platform to nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero? So Andy gathers all his electronic devices, boxes them up and stashes the box high in his closet. Andy goes through a withdrawal period similar to that of any addict, constantly wavering on the brink of throwing in the towel and saying to hell with this idea! But his inner conflict soon subsides and as a result of starting the Logged Off movement, he meets Grace who helps him navigate the scary existence of the analog world. In the process, Andy becomes something of a techno hero to others who are similarly immersed in technology. This prospect terrifies him even more than did the idea of being unplugged. But how does one extricate oneself from unwanted fame and live a more normal and balanced life? A question for the ages.

In “Logging Off” author Nick Spalding’s writing shines with classic British humor and dry wit. His protagonist is so eaten up with self doubt and recriminations that he spends all his waking hours analyzing and second guessing his every action. Some of it was amusing but mostly it just tired me out. But then I’m probably one of only a handful of people who found more tragedy than humor in “The Graduate”. Go figure. Seriously, Andy struck me as pitiable or hapless, even a bit pathetic, which is very unfunny. Maybe it was just my mood after five weeks of sheltering in place. That will affect anyone’s mood.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #LoggingOff

I'd never read a Nick Spalding book before but this was simply put, hilarious! I literally laughed all the way through the novel. Andy's doctor recommends a "digital detox" as his obsession with social media has manifested itself into physical symptoms that Andy can no longer ignore. The characters are quirky, the humor is constant, and the message is poignant. What Andy comes away with is a sense of balance that, of course makes sense for all of us as he feels lost without his devices. And ironically, he becomes what he initially detested: a media influencer with thousands of fans who join him in "logging off." I thoroughly enjoyed this romp and will read more of Spaulding in the future!

“There just aren’t enough hours in the day!” Andy is a self-employed freelance graphic designer with intestinal issues. With a fixation on social media, gaming, and streaming, there is zero hope of his Logging Off anytime soon. Until he gets cancer...

No. according to his real doctor—not the cancer-pronouncing Dr. Google—Andy has a fierce case of technology addiction. The cure? Stop using technology for sixty days. S-I-X-T-Y D-A-Y-S!!! A digital detox? “It’s either a stabbing pain, or a return to the Dark Ages. I’m not so sure which is worse, to be honest with you...”

With the COVID-19 pandemic quietly raging outside, the world of being too busy seems like a quaint memory of a mostly forgotten childhood. Without technology now, everyone would be truly isolated. However, if I try to imagine doing a digital detoxing in the world before, it is a truly frightening thought.

My house isn’t even wired for a landline and I haven’t had one in at least fifteen years. There are no over-the-air broadcast television in my area since all signals were digitalized over a decade ago. The most frequent visitor at my home is my UPS driver with my almost daily Amazon package. I’ll save a lot of money on my fiber-optic Wi-Fi, satellite television, and all of those extra streaming services. But what will I spend the money on, I’ll actually have to leave my home and walk around a physical store. Ugh! I, and I’m sure most of us, can definitely relate to Andy’s pain.

I always enjoy a book that makes me empathic for the lead character. Logging Off does that but also makes me reminiscent for the lost options of going to a park or hanging out with friends. Now we are all trapped in our houses with only our technology keeping us connected and safe. I wonder what we will think about technology when we get out. Will we be more into it or sick of it?

Oops! Back to the review. Logging Off is a humorous tale of trying to get free of an addiction that most of the Western world has heavily invested in. It also has a thirty-six year old man feeling like an old man around Gen Zers. With IBS and lockjaw symptoms. But funny! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Nick Spalding’s “Love…” series early on, though I found them to become progressively formulaic and juvenile. This kind of writing undoubtedly sells, but I took a long break from reading Spalding’s books in the hopes of seeing some growth as an author. Unfortunately, I didn’t see evidence of this at all.

I was intrigued by the plot of the story so I decided to give it a go and was immediately bombarded with immature toilet humor. While the situations he puts the main character Andy Bellows through are undeniably humorous, but that doesn’t mean I found them funny. It just felt the same as his earlier books where it was just a constant barrage of awkward situations that seem more important to the author than the plot.

There is certainly an audience for books like Spalding’s, unfortunately, I no longer believe I am part of that audience.

Oh the humor of writing a review on a website about a book I learned about through another website and read on my ereader about a man who is told by his doctor that he needs to do a digital detox and eschew all online activity! It's funny even before you get to the actual writing! Poor Andy is having some serious physical issues as a result of his continued addiction to Twitter, Candy Crush, Instagram, etc. Like many of us, his work is also completed on a computer, so he spends most of his day staring at various screens of different sizes. When this results in a locked jaw and persistent IBS while meeting with a client, Andy goes online (of course) to find that he is probably dying of something horrific. Imagine his relief to find out he just needs to stop spending all his waking hours on his cell or laptop! But of course it isn't that easy and of course Mr. Spalding writes the entire book with a dash of slapstick just to make sure no one gets stressed out reading about Andy's adventures. The sneaky appearance of a few characters from other books provided additional amusement for loyal readers. Admittedly, the reader will quickly realize where the story will end up, but thankfully that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of getting there, sans a navigational app!

Andy spends a lot of time online, it's a key part of his daily routine, checking various social media, using apps to track everything from his sleep to his bowel movements. But when his doctor tells him he's suffering from stress caused by too much time online and suggests a digital detox, he has to make some pretty big changes. With the encouragement of his best friend Felix, he packs his phone, online games console, everything but his work equipment and embarks on life without the internet.

With Andy's story, Spalding cleverly references how reliant we have become on technology, how much we judge people, what we portray to others online compared to what's really going on and how much truth we should tell others.

I wasn't entirely sure what I thought for the first couple of chapters, but as I started to get more involved in Andy's story, I really started to enjoy it. There are plenty of humourous moments in the book, but even though it's a fictional story, it has definitely made me question whether I should think about logging off more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Another great book by Nick Spalding. I always enjoy his humor. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

A graphic designer discovers that his mobile devices are affecting his health. When he agrees to a digital detox, he discovers just how necessary—and not—technology is to his life. Author Nick Spalding hits every note perfectly in the laugh-out-loud humor novel Logging Off.

London suburbanite Andy Bellows loves his technology. No, he really loves it. But who wouldn’t? Where else but online can you get into a spirited argument about whether an old dairy farm should be developed into housing or find an app that helps monitor bowel movements?

Andy’s really psyched about that one. His Irritable Bowel Syndrome has caused him so many problems. Well, that and the permanent pain his neck—literally—but at least he can fix that with painkillers. And now, with the newest app to join his phone, he thinks he can get a handle on his IBS too.

Things are looking up for Andy until they get locked into place—again, literally. During a graphic design pitch to a hot new London fashion house, Andy’s jaw freezes. Then his IBS kicks in. He manages to get out of the building but not before embarrassing himself enough to last the rest of eternity.

After researching his symptoms online and discovering he could have every horrible condition under the sun, he goes to the doctor who makes a simple diagnosis: Andy’s addiction to technology is to blame. The countless hours he spends with his head tilted in the same direction for his phone or tablet are causing the pain in the neck and his locked jaw. His lack of mobility makes his IBS act up. In short, his doctor suggests a digital detox.

Andy would rather have his jaw sewn into its locked position with fire-hot steel mesh. Then he confides in best friend and journalist Fergus, and Fergus convinces Andy to do it. To make things worse, Fergus decides to do a human-interest story on Andy about his whole detox adventure.

Andy’s more surprised than Fergus when he agrees. After all, it’s only two months. What could happen?

Plenty. Andy bumps into one of his online idols in real life, finds himself in the middle of a duck pond on the way to a job pitch, and discovers that there’s actually a café in all of England that can make his favorite coffee. As he starts to focus more on himself IRL, he realizes that maybe everything online isn’t as amazing as it seems. And maybe some of it is.

Author Nick Spalding keeps the pacing steady from the start. Andy is funny, sweet, a good friend, and genuinely befuddled at how he’s going to manage the detox. In the hands of a lesser skilled writer, the main character could have easily turned into an annoying one. Instead, his strong voice and the tone of the novel will make readers burst into laughter several times.

One of the greatest strengths of the novel is its short length. Spalding doesn’t throw in melodramatic asides or let Andy meander into unnecessary subplots. Also, one of Andy’s greatest strengths is that if he makes a mistake or finds himself out of his depth in a new place, he doesn’t try to lie his way out of it. In a refreshing change, Andy owns up right away to his setbacks and deals with his crisis of conscience head on. This subversion of the typical tropes of the genre will endear Andy to readers even more.

Spalding writes a character firmly entrenched in his British way of life, but readers will find universal appeal in this book. It’s clear the author knows his audience and meets them halfway, yet he still manages to surprise readers with Andy’s choices and the resolution. Anyone who likes a novel that will make them grin from beginning to end will definitely want to check this one out. I recommend readers Binge Logging Off.

Nick Spalding is a hoot. While I wouldn’t say the book was my cup of tea, Spalding is downright hilarious. The book was quirky and light. If you enjoy comedy fiction, this little nugget is your golden ticket. •



Andy is deeply invested in the online world. He spends more hours on than off. When he starts getting physical manifestations of pain related to his time on the web, his doctor recommends a detox of 60 days. Before isolation, I wouldn’t have realized how slow Father Time has the ability to waddle by - my days whipped past and were largely a blur. NOW I feel for Andy. 60 days moves slow as molasses when you need it to end. •

The story follows Andy and his journey of unplugging. It shows how much we rely on the internet for our basic day-to-day “needs”. Spalding shows the good, the bad and the downright weird, of the online world. Andy gets into a number of pickles without having the internet to rely on, but also experiences days of beauty that he otherwise wouldn’t have.•


Admittedly, I’m not super tech savvy. I only got Uber a short while ago. I don’t have apps on my phone (...primarily because I have major issues with recalling passwords) and I still don’t know how to space paragraphs on Instagram. It took a few posts of verrrrrrry long paragraphs for me to figure out that I can put that circle thing at the end of a paragraph and it works to split them (stellar problem solving skills). BUT, I have been known a time or two to diagnose myself or a family member with a very rare ailment following my intensive google research. I get myself in a real tailspin and my day(s) are ruined. My husband tries to remind me of my previous incorrect diagnoses and to take a breath. This rarely goes well for him, but he’s right. •


With all the information at our fingertips, it’s easy to go down that rabbit hole and have a hard time crawling your way back out. Spalding’s book is a reminder to slow down. It shows the conveniences that the internet has provided our daily lives, but is a reminder to continue to live outside its domains. •


#loggingoff #nickspalding #bookclub #amazonpublishingUK #fiction #comedyfiction #netgalley #bookreview #newreleasebook #quarantinereads #whatimreading #whatimreadingnow #whattoreadnext #quarantbr #books
#torontoreads #sloanereads #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksaremymedicine #🇨🇦bookenablers #bookshelf #ilovebooks #bookstagram #booksddict #booknerd

The novel most reminds me of Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInnerney, but here,, instead of drugs that ruin the main character’s life, it’s all the social media that, when given up, send him into a withdrawal shock. it’s a quick and enjoyable read about a topic that is the plat du jour in these times. (Unfortunately, the book came out during the pandemic lockdown, which, on the one hand, made the main character’s plight somewhat irrelevant, but on the other hand, was a welcome relief from all the dependence on the media we were subjected to.)

Hilarious!! Boy did I chuckle, I even told my best friend. I haven’t chuckled this much reading a book for a long time, I was literally in tears. I loved the concept covered in the book, so thought why not. I’m so glad I did and not just for the laughs!! Brilliant read for anyone.

“Logging Off” is a cute novel about a tough problem: knowing how to put down the phone and interact with people. Andy is a graphic designer with an internet addiction that causes him various types of distress - digestive and otherwise. Andy’s adventures over the course of his technology detox comprise the majority of the book. There are no big surprises, and the book could have done with judicious editing (I think I would have liked it better as a novella), but overall I found it to be light, sweet and entertaining. The style reminded me of “Less” by Andrew Sean Greer. Three stars.

Logging Off was an easy breezy read that made some excellent points about the benefits of decreasing our screen time. And also reminded us of the benefits of having a mini computer in the palm of our hands. Andy and Grace were wonderful characters that I enjoyed getting to know. My only complaint was some of the chapters seem to ramble and my attention wavered on a regular basis. A good beach read!