Member Reviews
Another great Kinsella read! In this time of being available 24/7, burnout is real, and what better way to recover than to visit your childhood vacation spot?! However, what Sasha and Finn don’t realize is that they are going to recover from more than just burnout. This delightful, funny, heartwarming read is for sure going to be a success ❤️
This is a fun and entertaining read, where Sasha's burnout experience at her work has some relatable aspects that had me laughing along. Sasha literally hits a wall and takes a break from work for several weeks for a self-declared wellness retreat at a seaside hotel that her family visited regularly when she was a child. When she arrives, she is shocked to find the hotel is disrepair and the staff more comical than professional. She meets a guest named Finn who is in a similar situation as she is and they get to know each other by arguing over a rock on the beach.
Eventually Sasha and Finn begin to speak to each other and share their burnout stories, as well as their own childhood memories of the hotel and beach and surfing. Progress is made as they begin to open up to each other.
A fun chick-lit read!
I needed this book. I have been in and out of a state of ennui. The Burnout jolted me right out of the blahs and made me feel like I was doing something good with my time. This was another Sophie Kinsella book that made me laugh, cry and feel anxious for Sasha and Finn. Many thanks to NetGalley and Dial Books for the digital ARC. This is my true and honest opinion.
I’ve been a fan of Sophie Kinsella since the first Shopaholic book came out and always look forward to her newest work. Absolutely adorable and sweet, with a touch of sadness, The Burnout is everything you want in a Kinsella novel. When Sasha becomes so overwhelmed with her work life that she’s even gone off sex, it’s time to take a break. She decides to go to her childhood vacation destination at the beach and finds it rundown. The only other person around is grumpy Finn. Slightly predictable as to what ends up happening, but a great, light read all the same. Soak up another great work by Sophie Kinsella!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This was a nice little pick me up from Sophie Kinsella, especially after I’d been reading back to back crime and thriller books. The Burnout focuses on Sasha, who, as per the title, is suffering from burnout at her job. After an episode where she runs away from the office, she’s signed off from work and takes a holiday in the beach town of Rilston, where she used to go as a child. Healing and romance ensue :)
The Burnout is written in Kinsella’s usual easy to read, breezy style, with plenty of humorous touches throughout. I think on the whole the issue of burnout was handled fairly well, although I felt we could have had abit more about Sasha’s past. Some parts also felt a little too frivolous, such as the staff at the Rilston Hotel. Finn’s own backstory was glossed over and never fully explained.
So this wasn’t quite at the level of my favourite Sophie Kinsella books (Undomestic goddess), but I still enjoyed it. Worth a try if you’re looking for a fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the amazing opportunity to read this book ahead of time and give my honest opinion.
Wow, where do I even begin?
From the first page to the very last, I was hooked.
Sasha's experience at her company had me laughing at loud at the accuracy of our world with 'joy officers' and such. Only Sophie Kinsella can write it with such honesty and heart, drawing the audience in the world that is clearly our own.
The setting and characters of Rilston Bay are so beautifully written that you feel as if you're going to bump into them on your next beach holiday.
Ms. Kinsella has a knack for writing flawed characters who end up teaching her reader about themselves along the way.
Want the perfect cure for your own burnout?
Read this book and feel refreshed.
For fans of Bridget Jones Diary. I loved this one! I think we can all relate to feeling a bit "burned out" over the past couple of years following a global pandemic, which made Sasha's journey all the more heart warming. I had several laugh out loud moments and swoons while reading. I especially loved the characters from the Rilston, where Sasha goes for her mental health break- they jump right off the page and steal your heart too.
I found this book to be quirky and entertaining, while also simultaneously a little bit annoying? I can't put my finger on why, exactly. A lot of the themes in this story resonated with me, but it seemed like there were some valuable lessons that were brushed past pretty quickly without a second thought. I did like that it isn't really a typical "romance" novel - though it does have the typical format of a couple who meets, doesn't get along, starts to fall for each other, has a misunderstanding, and then ends up together - it also strays from that run of the mill storyline. I liked that the whole focus wasn't on the romance, and made me feel a little bit more motivated to address my own burnout!
Reading a new Sophie Kinsella feels like being slowly submerged in a cool pool of water on a hot summer day. All of the things that were beating down on you fade away, and you feel enveloped in relief and coziness and pleasure.
The Burnout is one of Kinsella's best recent books. It amazes me that, despite not being from our generation, she manages to capture the ennui and desperation of being a millennial to whom aging out of childhood and into adulthood feels slightly traumatic. This is embodied in Sasha, possibly the grumpiest heroine Kinsella has ever written. Exhausted from, well, everything, she seeks refuge in her family's old summer holiday spot by the sea. (It's February.) To Sasha, the Rilston is an aspirational place of luxury that represents utter comfort and happiness.
Ever since Gone Girl, I can't read anything without trying to predict what twists an author is going to throw out. Even if there's no murders or anything remotely unsavory, my brain is whirring away going "well, OBVIOUSLY the Rilston is going to [insert personal prediction here]." All this to say, nothing could have prepared me for the experience of the Rilston and its staff. Nothing. One of Kinsella's amazing talents is to write characters that behave in literally unbelievable ways, yet still feel like real people who you want to be around. Every scene at the Rilston had me in tears of laughter, but by the end of the book I wanted to hug every single person there. Another of her talents is the ability to write banter. Banter is basically the key to any romance for me, and it is at its best here.
If you already know and love Sophie Kinsella, this book is going to make you so happy, especially if you loved The Undomestic Goddess and Wedding Night (imagine Samantha Sweeting had had a supportive family that sent her to the Amba after her big snafu and she encountered Lorcan there). If you haven't read any of her stuff, this is a really great one to start with. I highly recommend her for fans of Christina Lauren and Sarah Hogle.
Sophie Kinsella is back! With some truly lau-out-loud moments and perfectly heartwarming side characters I can say this is my favorite from her in quite a few years. Sasha was exactly what I look for in a Kinsella female lead...hilarious, smart, often misunderstood...Finn was brooding and mysterious. Then there was Terry - wow! Just such a fun read!!
Thanks NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this prior to publishing!
Another winner by Sophie Kinsella! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was so hilarious and charming. Reading it put me in such a good mood. It was a quick and lovely read! Sasha was such a relatable character. Who hasn't felt extreme burnout. And you think of all the "heathy" green drinks, mindfulness, and yoga will fix it. But sometimes you just need to let go.
I absolutely loved and recommend this book!
I really enjoyed this latest Sophie Kinsella title and gobbled it up in a day! Sasha works at an online travel company when she hits burnout. She is unable to handle her overflowing mailbox and her doctor recommends some time off for stress. She visits the seaside village of her childhood vacations, where she meets someone else (someone handsome...) also trying to recover. The book was funny, heart-warming and sweet without being saccharine. Kinsella treats Sasha's mental health struggles with gentleness and honesty, and her recovery is well earned. I loved the setting of the hotel, and the connection Sasha and Finn had with the place (and the people) where they both spent their summers as children. Love love love!
A sweet story about letting go of self-doubt, finding inner strength, and learning to prioritize yourself. In 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵, overworked and exhausted marketing executive Sasha Worth is ordered to take some time off—so she heads off to Rilston Bay, where she and her family spent many happy summers years ago. There, she finds a rundown resort, quirky staff members and locals, and an irritable fellow guest. Despite all of this, she’s determined to follow a mum-endorsed health regimen and regain her zest for life. Like other Sophie Kinsella novels, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵 is a light-hearted, amusing rom-com that makes for a good beach book or airport read. It doesn’t get too deep or have any particularly standout elements, but its warmth and lessons about self-worth and self-reliance are lovely. A good book if you want an easy read that will lift your mood quickly. Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted on August 28, 2023 to https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5681392320.
Thank you to Penguin Random House, Sophie Kinsella, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Burnout in exchange for an honest review!
Here’s my honest review: what a great book! This was the first book I have read of Sophie Kinsella’s impressive collection of works!
This book started off in such an odd way, but a very good and funny odd, it made it so easy to just keep reading. This book was genuinely laugh out loud funny, with themes that can resonate with many people. It portrayed an honest view on life dealing with mental health issues without being too sad but also not just fluffed over. The book was incredibly well balanced and offered a lot of meaningful insight to the fmc journey for herself and discovering her path in life.
I really enjoyed every ounce of this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone in search of a book with a lot of merit, humour, romance, and generally just a good storyline.
Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Another great Sophie Kinsella book! This time we follow Sasha as she reaches her breaking point while working at an up and coming start up. She had absorbed so many roles, she could not get additional help or support for her company, so she makes a sudden decision to leave the company. To regroup her mother suggested a beach vacation to regroup. Though when Sasha arrives, it is nowhere near what she remembers it to be. She struggles to find her "zen" and is intrigued with the town and state of the once glamourous hotel. Of course she finds a love interest and we see Sasha come full circle with her job and personal life.
Tired of the daily grind, Sasha is at her wits end. While running away, she literally hits a break wall and chaos ensues in the best possible way. Filled with Sophie Kinsella's razor-sharp wit and plucky characters, readers will devour #TheBurnout in a single sitting.
Forced to take a vacation to reevaluate her life, Sasha's well-meaning friends and family members prescribe solutions. Her mom wants her to cleanse, her friends advise getting back into dating and Sasha wants to feel alive again and able to move forward instead of crippled by anxiety. Will she take a chance on love and risk being burned or is staying single the way to protect her heart?
Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #TheBurnout in exchange for an honest review. As a Kinsella fan, I couldn't want to get lost among the chapters. Closing the final page, I hated to leave their world and was glad to find an epilogue that provided closure. If you haven't read Kinsella yet, you're in for a treat. Sample this serving and then check out the author's backlist.
I loved this one. Kinsella has a way of writing quirky, endearing characters who find themselves in strange situations, but it never feels too fake or too out there. This was a nice, feel-good romcom that I’m glad I picked up!
Sophie Kinsella delievers a fun, fast, hilarious and delightful read. Great characters and such a well written story.
We all understand stress, especially workplace stress. The ability to just run away sometimes is a necessity when you know you need that healing to take place in your soul.
I think we all are going to be able to identify with the main character in this story. The lovely part is when she runs to a place from her past where she has wonderful memories. The journey to get to her last happy place is a humorous, crazy adventure with a great twist in the story.
Trying to get away from it all doesn’t always mean we can bury our heads in the sand like we want to. Most of the time reality is looming there with some weird events, wacky hotel employees, and strange accommodations.
There is frustration that you can’t do or get what you want, and even your crazy mother, who pretends to be your assistant, calls to order you disgusting smoothies every day. What’s not to love about that? And then to top it off, there’s another grumpy stressed-out guy disturbing your peace.
Kinsella slays it with her cranky conversations and growing interest between the two. I seriously could not stop reading this!
The story is a fun and wonderful journey into trying to escape reality yet finding your future. A story of finding your happiness and taking yet once more chance. A story of finding balance in a crazy stressful world.
With glorious depictions of nature, strong imagery of the past, and growing feelings of friendship and love, The Burnout is a fun ride of an escape that becomes a saving grace.
Ms. Kinsella has an unerring feel for the way angst, anxiety, young adulthood, and absurdity intersect. Her compassion for her bright, overworked protagonist and her adventure in personal growth are perfectly wrapped up in a winter seaside vacation. It comes complete with run-down resort hotel, an eccentric cast of characters, an iconic surfing instructor, a bit of a mystery—and a sweetly realized romance. When Sasha and Finn meet it’s clear that their dislike for each other is probably destined to flip over into love—but getting there is delightful.