In dark times, everybody needs a bit of Nick Spalding. Comforting as an oversized sweater and a takeaway, these sweary comic masterpieces never fail to cheer up even the most difficult days. I've read a lot of Mr. Spalding's books, and while this one isn't my favourite - Fat Chance, Dry Hard and Checking Out are my top three - Going Green is still a pleasant antidote to 2020 and dare I say it, even a bit topical if you can pick the morals out of all the silliness. Here's how your average Nick Spalding book plays out:

1. The main character indulges in unhealthy behaviour around food, booze, tech or unsustainable living.
2. The main character has some sort of embarrassing breakdown owing to their obsession, usually involving nudity and/or bodily functions. Sometimes these happen a bit later, but they're never far off.
3. After several encounters with local eccentrics, usually involving masochists, sadists, hippies, social media influencers and group sex enthusiasts, the character embraces a more moderate way of life and is rewarded with a new romance, or a new lease of life in their relationship if they're with someone already.

Going Green is a bit different to the usual template, though still with plenty of set pieces in the 'several eccentrics' vein including a vegan wizard. For a start, the heroine Ellie's behaviour isn't that bad - she's just not very environmentally friendly. Secondly, I never really bought her crush on her new boss and Adam Driver lookalike, Nolan Reece, who's just bought the firm where Ellie works and renamed it Viridian PR, or why Ellie would be so worked up about him knowing she used to date another of the firm's clients, a man with an overinflated sense of self-worth and a very average penis.

Spalding has a great ear for a funny line and there are two particularly great scenes, one where Ellie and Nolan have to ride bamboo bikes that ideally require 'concrete genitals' (which they don't have) up a motorway, and one where Ellie is dressed as a plastic bottle and trying to impress a potential new client for the firm by running to the front of a parade and performing a Time Warp/Macarena hybrid. 'I look as though I'm trying to shag the horizon' she says, in one of my favourite lines.

As usual, the humour is strongest when it's most specific and relatable, so I enjoyed the scene where poor Ellie is trying to get to a meeting in Belgium by environmentally friendly (if emotionally ruinous) train journeys, rather than the broad comedy of the one where she falls into a septic tank. But when you pick up a Nick Spalding book, for better or worse, this is the sort of thing you get. Embrace it, there's only a month of this year to go.

Laugh-out-loud and actually relevant novel about environmentalism.

As a huge fan of Nick Spalding's HILARIOUS novels, I said yes to this advance copy immediately! As usual, Spalding wrote a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming and relevant book which was perfect for me when in need of a light read.

Going Green is a story of Ellie Cooke - an environmentally UNconscious, totally ignorant regular woman who is forced to change her ways by her new boss Nolan Reece. It's Ellie's job on the line, so she transforms her life into an eco-friendly gal... while also forming a major crush on Nolan.

This was so fun and so relatable, both in the ecology department and in romance. The best light read I could have reached for.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nick Spalding ‘Going Green’ follows Ellie, a publicist from a PR company that has not been doing well recently. With their job on the line, Ellie and her co-workers face uncertain future until Nolan Reece takes over, re-branding the company as an environmentally friendly PR firm.

What sounds like an interesting read, was unfortunately very disappointing for me. ‘Going Green’ has a good message at its heart – that of looking for our planet and taking actions necessary to be, at least, a bit more environmentally friendly in our everyday life. But unfortunately, I have not enjoyed the execution. Ellie, the main protagonist that undergoes a great chance throughout the book and starts carrying for the environment, was annoying and her actions were ridiculous too many times. The story throughout the book has not engaged me too much for most of the book, and I have felt disappointed especially by the latter part of ‘Going Green’. Without giving up too much, I have felt that the narrative has been forced and a bit absurd at moments towards the end.

Overall, despite the premise, ‘Going Green’ wasn’t a book for me. But it’s a short story that has an important message at its heart, and with things in the world getting worse, all of us should take a look on what we can do to help and not damage our planet further.

I must say i enjoyed this from the start, it kept me hooked throughout. It was a light and easy read but had some laugh out loud moments. It also had a few twists and turns, so you see coming others surprise you. I always look forward to reading on of Nick's books and this didn't disappoint

Probably more of a 2.5 star but I'm rounding up. GOING GREEN is the second book I've read by Nick Spalding so I'm a little familiar with his style and enjoyed it before, but this was ultimately a disappointment. I read it very quickly - it's fast-paced and upbeat (perhaps bordering on manic), but it lacked any true substance.

ELLIE is a 30-something-year-old employee in a small PR company who is terrified she will lose her job when the company is bought by NOLAN, who promptly announces that the company will specialize in eco-friendly companies only. She immediately begins a plan to act like the most eco-conscious person there (often times seeming entirely crazy - like when she is found with her trousers down in her bosses office to show him her hemp underwear) Somewhere along the line, she actually starts to learn and grow and want to become a more eco-friendly person. She also begins dating Nolan in secret - which she thinks is going great. That is, until a fight between them leads her to follow him as he trades his usual Tesla for a gas-guzzling car, smokes a pack of cigarettes, eat a bucket of KFC, and buy a bunch of Primark fast-fashion. When Ellie confronts Nolan about the Earth-betrayal, he tells her he never cared anyway and was just putting on a façade in the hopes to get clients and ultimately sell the company -- and that's when Ellie gets her revenge.

Overall this felt more like a collection of super outlandish, chaotic events than an actual story with substance. And the best bit - the reveal and revenge - happened in the last 5-10% of the book. That being said, I still enjoyed the fun spirited nature of the writing. It reminds me of a not-quite-as-good-but-still-fun Sophie Kinsella. I would read another of his books, but wouldn't recommend this one.

This was okay. From the first few pages I could tell that Ellie was going to be one of those chaotic characters that I'm supposed to find charming but just think are exhausting. There was a twist at the end and it wraps up pretty nicely.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

was my first Nick Spalding novel, I found it a quick easy read. There were parts that tickled me and parts that made me question how I live my life! It was light hearted but based on a serious topic.

I took to Ellie, I didn’t guess the ending at all which made this book even more enjoyable for me as recently everything I have read I have guessed the ending!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Meet Ellie Cooke. When it comes to all things environmental she’s, well, a bit ‘green’. It’s not that she doesn’t care about things like climate change and plastic pollution, it’s just that life has always got in the way of that sort of thing.

But when the PR firm Ellie works for is taken over by keen environmentalist Nolan Reece, it’s clear that if she wants to save her job, she’s going to have to get serious about being green—or face being recycled.

Going green is no walk in the park, though. It involves a lot of big changes, tough choices…and at least one case of accidentally showing your knickers off to your boss.

Can Ellie do enough to save her job, and maybe do her bit to help save the planet while she’s at it? And what will Nolan think of her, now that she can’t stop thinking about him…?

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
I have read most of this authors previous novels, and found most of them to be entertaining, albeit lightweight reads. They are quite funny and I've enjoyed them. This new book, sadly isn't one of them. I debated whether or not to leave a review, as it isn't up to the authors usual standard at all. So rather than launch into a very poor review I'll just say that it wasn't to my taste, I probably wouldn't bother with any more of his books and leave it there.

This is the kind of book we need during a global pandemic and a gloomy winter lockdown! Full of laughs and romance, this book also tackles the serious issue of climate change, but in a light-hearted and non-preachy way. I really enjoyed the character development of Ellie throughout and it was some much-needed light relief.

Started off really well. It is without doubt a laugh out loud book, but am afraid i got a bit bored with it as it progressed, it seemed a little too predictable, but on the whole a nice easy read.

A really funny book where we meet Ellie Cooke who works for a PR company going through a fundamental change. The company has a new boss, Nolan Reece, whose main concern is making the company environmentally friendly - something quite new for Ellie.

Can Ellie persuade Nolan that her heart is set on going green rather than her current lifestyle?

I found this a fun, lighthearted book which was a pleasure to read, but not one which will stay with me forever.

I received a ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie's on her way to work with her single use bottle of water, lunch and her newly bought bag for life (she has loads at him) in her car that puffs out black smoke. A meeting is called by her boss who tells everyone that he has sold the company to someone who prides themselves on their green credentials.

This is such a fun read lots of laugh out loud moments. I love how she bumbles along from one hilarious mishap to the next. Great, relatable characters. I enjoyed this book.

Hilarious story of trying to go green. Ellie's new boss at the PR company she works for is hot. He's also very concerned about the environment. Ellie decides to improve her green credentials to impress him. She ditches her high-emission, clapped-out car for a Tesla, stops eating ready meals and takes part in an environmental demo, all for the wrong reasons. Then she starts to realise how much she enjoys being more planet-conscious. Her humorous experiences along the way are great fun. Nick Spalding has an engaging, chatty style of writing, making for a real laugh out loud book!

Nick Spalding first entered my life with his book, Logging Off. While being an entertaining read it also inspired me to take digital detoxes every now and then.

Now, Nick is back with his latest read, Going Green. Going Green tells the hilarious story of Ellie Cooke is really just wants to save her job but in the process ends up also trying to save the world.

Nick has done a great job of writing a female lead who is very relatable. I'll be honest, when I first realised the lead was a woman I was curious as to how she would turn out as I can't think of a single book I've read by a male author who writes from the female perspective. It's not something I avoid, it's just something I haven't come across. But I think Nick has done a brilliant job. Ellie is just your average girl next door, who ends up going down rabbit holes (who doesn't?), who can be a little crude (who isn't?) and who ends up in the most ridiculous situations (who hasn't?). So if you fancy a book that'll give you a giggle and potentially have you laughing out loud, I definitely recommend this one.

Poignantn witty and laugh out loud funny. One of those books i can't read at night due to my laughing waking not only my wife but the neighbours. Some fantastic characters and the female lead is an incredible person. Not only is this book funny but it brings a very serious subject to the fore in a lighthearted way instead of preaching which puts many people off. It's a stellar piece of work and i would recommend it to absolutely everyone who likes to read.

A much needed laugh in some incredibly dark times now and in the all too near future.

It’s definitely the year to turn to light hearted entertainment and Nick Spalding’s latest book certainly offers a very humorous look at being more environmentally friendly. Ellie is a very relatable character who aims to be more environmentally friendly but so often forgets her bag for life and finds a Boots meal deal just too easy an option for lunch. I loved reading about her various escapades in trying to be more green and work with those who are, some more far fetched than others but all very tongue in cheek. It’s thought provoking without being lecturing and I loved how it concluded, very well thought out. I’ll be looking out for the next Nick Spalding book for certain,

Sorry, I couldn't get past the third page of this book - I found it unreadable. Arch, coy, forced, unfunny.

The story opens with Ellie working for a failing PR company which is taken over by a new 'green' minded boss and there are going to be lay-offs., Nolan. Despite having no green aspirations Ellie comes up with a strategy to keep her job - pretend to be an eco-warrior and impress the boss.

The rest of the book follows Ellie in her often misguided attempts to impress, while being attracted to Nolan. There is slapstick humour and there were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, like the incident with the ebikes.

Alongside the humour is Ellie's slow awakening to the fact that what she is doing as a ploy to remain employed is actually important to the planet and increasingly to Ellie herself.

If I have one niggle it was the mentions of Nolan's physical likeness to Adam Driver. Once was enough but several times was too much. As someone who doesn't find him attractive (sorry, Adam Driver) this was very distracting and a bit off-putting, and as a reader I prefer to come up with my own mental images of what a character looks like, based on a description.

This was a very light, fun read with a satisfying conclusion.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Although I've heard of Nick Spalding before, I'd never read any of his books, but enjoyed my first taste of them and would be interested to read more. 'Going Green' was entertaining and easy to read, with a likeable if somewhat cringeworthy protagonist. Although for the most part the supporting characters weren't particularly developed, it was easy to follow and an enjoyable read.

A funny novel, in keeping with Mr Spalding's reputation for comedy. I have not read a Nick Spalding novel before, and was pleased to find it was a good read with mostly funny bits in it, but some very serious parts, when his main character and others who gradually influence her, talk about the environmental issues involved in the book. I do not wish to spoil the end, so I will say nothing of it, but I would recommend this novel.