This is one of the few books that I did not finish reading. This review is therefore based on the first quarter of the book, although the fact it went unfinished is perhaps a review in itself! The book was very slow, did not hold my attention and did not have likeable characters.

The pace in this book is so so slow. It’s almost non existent. The characters were just so awful. I gave up reading this at 50%

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Wondered throughout what on earth this book was supposed to be... A social commentary? A peek into the lives of the rich and their downfall? A bird's eye view of everyone and everything in this tale? And I guess that's what hurt - this book tried to be too many things at once. Too much introspection, too much detail (much of it utterly unnecessary), and too much exposure. The latter might've worked if this had been on screen - with cues more than one sense could pick up on simultaneously without going overboard with the exposure, but in writing, it just didn't work, imo. Pity because if it had been pared down, it had the potential to be supremely funny in that dry, ironic humour Brits are known for

This was a feel good fluffy read with relatable characters and a great writing style, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this author but I ended up enjoying this

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

A very enjoyable dissection of the fall and (emotional) rise of a wealthy family. Looking forward to the the further business ventures of Mikey

I enjoyed this book, it was different to what i expected but I could definitely relate to it. I would definitely reccomend it to fellow bookworms

Sadly this wasn't for me. Just couldn't get into it properly. It felt a bit jumbled for me and I struggled connecting with the characters. Such a shame as I really, really wanted to love this book. Hope others do find it a great read though.

Thank you Netgalley.

I love Mel's comedy but sadly The Best Things was a hugely disappointing read for me. It's an easy read but I found it difficult to immerse myself in it. The writing doesn't flow well and I found it to be full of unlikeable characters. I don't like giving negative reviews but sadly this one was not for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I really like Mel Giedroyc and enjoyed reading From Here to Maternity many years ago; however, I wasn’t keen on this book. I found it quite boring.

I really want to like this book! The premise looked great and the author is one of my favourite comedians however it wasn’t to be. Funny at times but quite chaotic. The story started well but descended into a wandering mire. The characters were confusing and not particularly likeable. The ending finished in mid air which may be the preference for some but I do enjoy a definite ending.

Thank you Netgalley

Easy reading book by comedian Mel Giedoyc. Enjoyed the story about Sally and her family and how she changes her way of living due to circumstances beyond her control.

The Best Things tells the story of the Parker family. Initially rolling in wealth, they abruptly lose their business, their home and their savings in one fell swoop…

This was a deeply flawed read for me. There are quite a few characters in this book, but more to the point, we dart from one perspective to another so quickly that I didn’t feel that any of them were given enough time to breathe of develop. I also found it really difficult to like or empathise with anyone – the entire cast seem to spent 95% of the novel snarking at everything and everyone around them. Furthermore, I found the writing style really jagged and ill-flowing, although this did seem to improve as the novel progressed.

I’m a great fan of Mel Giedroyc and wish her well with her future projects, but unfortunately this book isn’t one I would recommend to others. A disappointing read.

I wanted to like this, as I love Mel so much, but sadly I was very disappointed. I found it lacked Mel’s humour, or at least it wasn’t recognisably Mel in style, it was too cliche at times, wasn’t interested or couldn’t empathise with the characters, there were too many and so I didn’t feel they were developed enough to care. It just wasn’t funny and in fact I cringed at points, sadly not as good a read as the author is a comedian

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

Loved this book, loved the range of characters and that Mel was both humorous and heart breaking in places.

I really enjoyed the start of this novel, it was funny and engaging. I also liked the characters but I found myself a little bored about halfway through. Not enough happened for me and there was too much dialogue. Such a shame as this started so well and I love Mel.

Dnf’d at around 40%. This book seriously lacked the charm that Mel Griedroyc has, and I forgot that she was the author in the first place, I really went into this book with high expectations so I suppose that may be at fault here.

I could not get into this book at all, disappointing as I usually love her style of comedy.

I found it to be trying too hard in places to find the humour in a sad turn of events in life and could not relate to the characters at all.

I must admit I expected a bit more of a comedy and am still not sure what I make of it as a book. It seemed to lack focus at times and I found it hard to sympathise with the characters