Member Reviews

A nicely written story that makes you want to carry on reading. I didn’t want it to end! I’d love to read more.

Was this review helpful?

I knew a book about eating too much ice cream while trying to get into mindfulness would be right up my street and I am pleased to say this book, which has been sitting in my netgalley queue for far too long, did not disappoint. I was expecting standard chick lit, but this book actually delves into some more serious topics such as domestic abuse and grief (so possible trigger warnings there). I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was rooting for the characters from the start. This is a book predominantly about learning to love yourself rather than someone else which makes a refreshing change in the #
womens fiction department. All in all, I enjoyed this book and wished I had picked it up sooner. I will look out for future releases from this author.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a pleasant surprise! What I thought was going to be a coming of age and a story of self-realization and self-acceptance, turned out to be something so personal and deep that I can't even begin to tell you. Books about single and divorced/legally separated women are really my thing and I can't help but relate bits of my personalities and situations to the main characters. To my surprise, this book didn't trigger in the least and I enjoyed it to the very end. The only problem I have with this book is the cover. I mean I really judged this book by it's cover and thought that the book was going to be as dull as the cover but the author proved me wrong, lesson learnt! Each one of us has internal demons that we fight every living moment and pretend to be happy go lucky on the outside but at the end it's only us who can comprehend what's happening with us and help ourselves .Claire. more power to you and I'm not saying this out of sympathy, you don't need any. You deserve all the best things in the world and kudos to the character development. Life is a mess and this book very well justifies it. I really wish the language was not very easy.

Was this review helpful?

Oh! This was such good concept .. I can see the foundation from which the author wanted to build this book .. and I like it .. but not the book

See, this book turns around a woman who was forced to divorce her husband as he made her co worker pregnant and in their 15 years of marriage she couldn't get pregnant !!
Now she lost her house, husband and job all because of it!!

She's living in a small apartment across the town, her mom makes her enroll in some kind of wellness plan .. as she finds out her daughter's having panic attacks

You see here she meets many ppl who look outwardly good but internally struggling beyond words.. everyone's problems are different but still .. we never know what ppl are from outwardly form... I liked how this book tried to kill the negetive thoughts ... panicking thoughs .. derailing thoughs...and filling them with one atom of courage at a time..asking them to really see the truy in their thoughs
All the characters were amazing and I really think this book would help some ppl out who are really suffering with negative thoughts

Being a Christian I would have loved to see them fighting the false thoughs with God's word..but this isn't a Christian book

I'm reviewing this book with all honesty, it potreyed many human faults ..how we tend fall for same mistakes..

My problem with this book was the language !!
Language I refer is to some words and some modern talking that isn't comfortable for me.. some bad words I'd say!!

There's humour fully laced but I couldn't enjoy some because of the language .
There are some love interests and friends I enjoyed... coming to romance it's clean

Was this review helpful?

After Claire goes through a divorce, she learns to look at life differently, and begins to attempt to get her life together with the help of her mother and her friend.
She attends a meditation group and makes more friends. However, despite helping her cope better, she begins to run into other problems. As she learns to deal with a friend in need, a neighbour which her friend puts in hospital, a jealous ex, and a sudden death, she is proof that you can survive anything life throws at you.

Was this review helpful?

I think a lot of us will relate to Claire, I don’t know many who haven’t suffered mental health issues this last year or at some point in their life. The story follows Claire, it’s still a love story, but with a difference about loving yourself first. This is an honest delve into what anxiety, depression looks like. ( I think a lot who were irritated by Claire or couldn’t connect maybe haven’t experienced this or maybe it’s too close to the bone, at points it was looking in a mirror for me) Claire struggles and takes her time , but that’s real life and real mental health, and an honest look at how we behave when we are struggling. I loved this book and while some of it is to close for my mental health journey at times, it’s about life and honesty, self love, that’s the point

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Was this review helpful?

I love this book. It’s such an impressive feat to write a sensitive book about a character facing mental health challenges and make it so funny!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book so much from the get go as It had a bit of everything, comedy, sadness, crazy pets, brilliant characters and horrible ones who you hate. Claire the main character was so lovely and we meet her after she is separated from her husband and is in the middle of a painful divorce from a cheating husband. She’s moved from a lovely home into a damp depressing one bedroom apartment with a rather depressed cat. A new person moves in downstairs and along with him comes a puppy. Claire is trying to sort her life out and start again but is a bit rudderless.. I did want to shake her at times and was shouting NO at certain points in the book to try to stop her making a monumental mistake. She’s stumbling through life with the help of her Mum and best friend when she decides to join a mindfulness class due to having increasing panic attacks. We’re introduced to a whole new host of characters who are fighting their own demons and they all quickly form a bond. The book judging by the cover looked like it was going to have a bit of a chick lit vibe going on, but it’s so much more than that, it covers so many topics, among them mental health, I loved all the characters especially her Mum and neighbour and I hated all the characters you’re meant to hate. There are laugh out loud moments and moments where I got teary. This book is all about finding inner happiness and yourself without needing anybody else. Basically this book had it all and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Was this review helpful?

For some reason I just could not get on with this book.

Whilst the main character is relatable and goes through a lot I just found it incredibly hard to connect with her and the story.

I ended up having to put this one down. I'm gutted because it sounded so good and everyone else seems to love it!

Was this review helpful?

Really sweet, romcom with some hidden depths to make it interesting. Claire's husband has left her for her business partner, and together they have taken away her company and her gorgeous home. All she has is a small flat, a cat that hates her and panic attacks. She also has some good friends, a caring if somewhat eccentric mother and a cute downstairs neighbour. She turns to mindfulness sessions to help her change her perspective and meets other in similar, toxic situations. This is her road to recovery.

Its what you'd expect for a romcom. Hopeless, clutsy female lead, cute knight in shining armour, lots of embarrassing situations and feel good moments. But it also tackles some heavier topics, and the power of friendships and loved ones. It speaks to the heart, and questions what is really important in life.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. It was really easy to visualise the characters and scene in your head and kept me hooked throughout.

Was this review helpful?

This was a lovely easy read about a woman who tries to get her life back on track. I really connected with Claire who was having a hard time being mindful and dealing with her issues. You could tell that the author was writing from the heart and I could really appreciate that. I loved reading about Claire's progress and her downfalls because they seemed very real and authentic. It's hard to navigate the world without falling into our old bad habits and just trying to become better people to others but also, to ourselves. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a book that explores the everyday difficulties we face with our own inner demons. A very enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book so much and ended up reading it in one weekend. I appreciate how the author approached mental health and anxiety. As someone who suffers from panic attacks, I definitely saw a lot of myself in the main character, Claire. It was definitely a comfort read for me…..I loved it and cannot wait to get copies for a few friends who could really benefit from reading this.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book.

Claire suffers from panic attacks and is not well. Her husband of 15 years has left her after having an affair with her ex-business partner. On top of that, they are having a baby, the baby that Claire could never conceive. Claire loses everything important to her and her consolation prize is a cat that hates her. Her mother signs her up for a course on mindfulness, in hopes that it will help Claire.

I loved the way that this book talked about mental health without the stigmatism. It's ok to not be ok. If you're expecting a rom-com, this isn't it. But it is a story about friendship, love and finding your way.

Was this review helpful?

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

Starting over, new beginnings, depression amongst other things. This book tackled heavy topics but it was sprinkled with humor too which I enjoyed and appreciated. Ultimately this book is about finding yourself and self love. Loving yourself first before jumping into a relationship. I liked the heroine and felt for her struggles. The ending was perfect for her.

Was this review helpful?

This is one of the books that you read and feel it reflects a little bit of yourself in it.
Claire was so... Real. I related to her struggle with selflove, how she was always self deprecating and wallowing in self-pity.
.
I also liked that even after her acknowledging her problem, that didn't make life all pink, it just showed that understanding yourself is a long journey, it doesn't take a night to change, also, seeking help and being in control of your thoughts isn't the whole dilemma, it takes a lot of growth and kind of trial and error to be able to stop what's going wrong with your life.
.
The character development was a one you can relate to, it doesn't go from 0 to 100, the development was more of an understanding of Claire's self.
.
The side characters were all written so well, you can picture them as people from your life easily, and the bond between them and Claire was really precious.
.
The ending could've been more powerful, i think it was wrapped up poorly compared to the rest of the book.
.
Overall, i enjoyed it.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review via netgalley and the publisher*

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored this title! As someone who didn't think getting divorced was part of my life plan, this book made me feel seen. More than that, it reminded me that there will be life changing events in your life and that's ok!

Claire is an extremely relatable character; watching her character growth made you feel like your own character has gained the same growth. Women in my age range are now finding that marriage, children and having a partner isn't the true definition of happy or a fulfilled life. And it should be normalized to not want those things if you don't!

Definitely would suggest this title to my friends.

Review going live on my blog early July.

Was this review helpful?

At times, I couldn't stop reading it, just fully immersing myself. It is a wonderful read and very real, and it was truly not a predictable one. The book includes real issues, real problems and goes from funny to sad. Claire, the main character, has such amazing character development, really making the reader want to cheer for her (and also feel sad for her).

Was this review helpful?

This book just wasn't for me and I couldn't finish it. I guess it wasn't what I was expecting. I had a hard time connecting or relating to Clare. I normally enjoy books where the main character is such a mess, because it's funny and can be relatable. But the character just fell flat to me here, except at times when her problems/screw ups with her ex and his new wife seemed too over-the-top. When I got to the part where she goes to meetings to learn mindfulness, I was really bored and eventually just gave up on the story. But perhaps I'm just not the right audience for this book, because other reviews seemed to love it.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book!

I think that perhaps it should be noted that this story discusses a wide range of topics to include both physical and emotional abuse, death, and divorce. So beware of those trigger warnings before diving in if those things are something you may prefer to avoid. I do think that this book uses humor in such a way as to lighten the mood so it often doesn't feel quite as depressing and heavy as it definitely could with these types of topics.

That Certain Spark is about thirty-five year old Claire, whose husband has just left her for her business partner, Bella. Single after fifteen years, she is now forced to confront this new life of panic attacks, overeating, and loneliness from loss of her career and social life. However, with a bit of convincing from her mother, Daphne, Claire enrolls in a mindfulness course to help her regain control of her life. This story is inspiring and at times relatable. I think the messages in this story were beautiful and well written- I got teary eyed occasionally and laughed out loud more than once.

This story definitely had more of a slow start for me personally and took a bit of time for me to really get into, but around the halfway point, I did become interested in the story and finished the rest in one sitting. I would give this more of a 2.5 star rating than just two stars.

Was this review helpful?