Pros: I’ve read many of Sophie Kinsella’s books because she is such a dependable author—I know that her books are going to be fun, fast reads. I think this book is perfect for someone who is burned out—just like the main character—and wants a mental vacation or for someone who is actually on vacation (especially if they are at the beach in the offseason like in the book). The enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes made for a fun contemporary romance.

Cons: None really—I think this book does just what it sets out to do. I may not remember it among the many books I read like it in the genre, but it was a fun reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, the Dial Press for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars

Pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book! Even though Sophie Kinsella is a very well-known author, I hadn't actually read any of her books before this one. I remember my mom reading and enjoying her first few Shopaholic books back in the early 2000s. I think I tried reading that series once but never made it all the way through.

As a (still) recovering burned out person, I related DEEPLY to this story and the main character Sasha's feelings. After a meltdown at her workplace, which is chaotic and full of toxic positivity, she is sent home on leave for 3 weeks. She decides to go away to a seaside town that she used to visit every year when she was a kid, armed with a 20 step plan for self-improvement. However, once she gets there, she realizes it's nothing like it used to be. She encounters many obstacles along the way on her healing journey - including another hotel guest, Finn, who is also struggling with life and came to the beach to escape. This forced proximity adds another layer to both of their complicated lives.

This was a fast and entertaining read that made me laugh out loud more than any other book I've read lately. I think I enjoyed it so much because I found it to be so honest and relatable, and how it approached mental health issues in a real yet funny way. Kinsella did a wonderful job developing the main character's voice and personality, along with quirky side characters that were easy to fall in love with. Even though romance was a strong storyline, it ran parallel with an equally strong storyline of self discovery. It was a bit predictable, but I think that's part of the charm of books like this. There were many heartfelt moments, some that even made me a little misty eyed. I really enjoyed Kinsella's writing style and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC for review before publication!

The Ride is it!
Who would have thought so many life lessons could come from surf lessons!
"The Burnout" by Sophia Kinsella is an invigorating escape from the daily grind. I flew through this book and craved more! We can all relate to Sasha's burnout or life exhaustion and watching her evolve was truly magical. A perfect blend of humor, self-discovery, and of course romance. This novel is a refreshing reminder that even amidst burnout, there's a chance for renewal and unexpected, meaningful life changes. 5 swoon worthy stars!

I haven't laughed this hard or this loudly at a book in years. I'm not sure why it struck my funny bone. Maybe ... because so much of it is relatable. You'll enjoy the characters, the struggle to breathe, and the offbeat solutions that bring hope to an exhausted life. Definitely a pick-me-up for when you think you can't take another meeting, another person's drama, or another long night at work.

Put it in your briefcase for when you've endured a coworker's ramble, a boss' dumb idea, and a team's failure. You'll walk away a bit happier with your own situation - and be glad for a funny pause from real life.

This was such a fun rom-com from author Sophie Kinsella!

Absolutely loved The Burnout! This author treats the subject of burnout with authenticity and vulnerability, while keeping her trademark humor to keep the story going. Having experienced burnout myself, the portrayal was very accurate and heartfelt, though I wish there had been greater emphasis on how the healing can take months to years to recover from.

Sasha and Finn are so sweet together, and their awkwardness and banter is hilarious. All the side characters really shone as well, and I'd love to be friends with them in real life. The romance was cute, but honestly the recovery from burnout was a very hopeful thing to read about and my favorite part.

Loved this book!

This novel started out so strong. I felt the burnout. The toxic workplace reminded me so much of my time at Wattpad. The build up of this one was too slow and I wasn't invested in Sasha finding her way out of her burnout and into what I hoped would be love.

Sophie Kinsella always writes just the most delightful fun stories and this is another one. Adorable setting and fun characters, it was a good read!

The Burnout was such a delight to read. From the first page, I was laughing out loud as I read. Quitting a job and trying to join a convent?? Hilarious! The Burnout follows Sasha Worth who works a mundane office job and is experiencing intense burn-out with work, relationships, food, and life in general. Maybe a holiday is what she needs..

However, this story is more than just the main character going on a holiday to rest and "find herself". This story brings back bits of Sasha's past with Finn, Terry, and Terry's surf lessons. Rilston Bay may not be what Sasha remembered as a kid, but it was for sure what helped her realize that there is more to life than an office job. From remembering to "ride the waves" to visiting places she once visited with her now deceased father, Sasha was able to "heal", and it wasn't the kale smoothies, yoga, or nona juice that helped her.

I fell in love with every single character in this book. I fell in love with the plot and subplot.

I even learned the lesson to ride the waves and do not give up when the waves get rough.
The best rom-com book I have ever read. Bravo!

Life for Sasha Worth has turned to an endless grind at her job where she skates the edge of a nervous breakdown from too much work and no help from the management, who are a large part of the problem. When Sasha finally flips out at work, briefly thinking she could join the convent next door, she ends up on a mental health break. Many of Sasha’s happy memories from youth center on a seaside town in Devon that had a grand old hotel on the beach though her family never stayed there.

Even though it is Winter, Sasha’s mother books her into the hotel that is now a sad picture of faded glory with few guests, a barely moving or breathing porter, quirky management, and moldering rooms. Sasha worked for a travel App and now at the behest of her own App obsessed mother, is setting about on a program to jump start herself back into life with such things as yoga on the beach, crazy vile smoothie concoctions and a host of other steps to reinvigorate.

When she meets a snarly and grumpy fellow guest, whom she saw behave poorly on the train coming down, Sasha is appalled that this man, Finn, is infringing on her peace and quiet. He also appears to be suffering from a work-related crisis and slowly their battles of will to “own” the beach turns into a friendship, especially once they discover that both were acolytes to a beloved surf teacher, Terry, who was their youthful hero. Finn is a few years older than Sasha so they did not hang out then; however, each one has fond memories of Terry’s Zen-like rules for surfing that translate into some good advice for life in general.

Sasha and Finn start finding curious messages with gifts on the beach that seem directed at them, so not only do they have a tentative friendship and budding attraction, but a mystery to solve. They spend time together doing some of the goofy steps from the App as well as healing from their individual work issues. The staff at the hotel add a lot of comic relief to the story which is mainly a Women’s Fiction with a dash of romance. Sasha does a lot of naval gazing while hoping for something more from Finn; however, lack of communication causes some predictable problems which is one element of romance I am not a fan of since speaking up could save a lot of hurt. Fans of Ms. Kinsella’s writing should enjoy this story with its mix of angst, humor, and a little romance.

I think my very favourite line is when Sasha states that she can feel her face is shining because she could feel the sunshine in her. When she started to truly believe in herself and value herself, was when her life changed for the better. Stressed and overwhelmed, Sasha retreated into a regimented life that brought no joy. She was truly only half living and although hilariously so when she tried to join a convent in order to escape from it, I can certainly see how she came to the realization that she just couldn't do it anymore. There is no joy to not being heard. Taking the escape and listening to the wisdom of Terry that the ride is it and life is it, that she knew that she wanted to live each moment and draw joy from it. She is passionate about her work and her manifesto reflected it. I was proud of her stepping away from her job and even Finn to take time to figure out what she wanted. The cast of characters from the hotel drew great humor as they tried and often failed, but like Cassidy and Simon, they never gave up. Sasha didn't need the 20 steps and Finn made her fully aware of it. This is a great book to reflect on what is important and how simple things like observing the ocean can be such a source of joy.

Sophie Kinsella is officially back! After being underwhelmed by her last couple books I was happy to see “The Party Crasher” deliver what we want from Kinsella. Now with “The Burn Out” hitting shelves soon I feel safe announcing that our favorite Romantic Comedy author has returned and, dare I say, is better than ever. “The Burn Out” dishes up first rate comedy that no one does better then Kinsella. Too often comedy on the page rarely lands and I almost never laugh out loud while reading, but I always break this rule with Kinsella’s books. In “The Burn Out” it was so refreshing to laugh out throughout the entire book. It was such a joy to read because I was just having so much fun. This is the kind of book that makes you feel good because you’re just having such a great time.

Kinsella really delivered on her topic and her protagonists. First, this was such a relatable subject and I was thoroughly impressed with how the book took it’s time really exploring the subject of burnout and not just hopping to a quick fix to get the couple together. It was hilarious yes but not at the expense of this situation, rather the humor of the situation was teased out and carefully crafted to reflect the lighter moments of a dark situation. Sasha was really put through her paces to find wholeness and I appreciated every step of the journey. Even though she is a flawed heroine I was cheering for her the whole way and I felt she really did the hard work to find herself again.

Speaking of Sasha, Kinsella’s protagonists have come so far! Here is a woman with a brain in her head AND love in her heart. She has real problems and while running away to a join a convent may not be everyone’s impulse solution, she was easy to see parts of myself in. In other words, she felt real.

I truly loved every moment with this book. If you like romantic comedies this is one you don’t want to miss.



Note: some language, sex scene (not closed door but not open, cracked door?)



Thanks NetGalley!

This book was an enjoyable and delightful read! I think we've all felt the burnout at sometime or another, sure maybe we haven't all tried to join a convent just to get away, but we can all relate to some of what Sasha has been feeling.
The love story that unfolds between Sasha and Finn, another overworked person trying to unwind, is cute and you can't help but root for them.
Overall a good read. A perfect light hearted romance, that will have you outright laughing at times. Take this one to the beach or on vacation with you!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

Sophie Kinsella has been entertaining us for years and she’s done it again.

A very relatable woman on the brink at her job is in very much need of a vacation. She needs to figure out what she wants in life and just needs to relax. She thinks she’s going to rest in a dream location from her past, when she gets there it’s not what it used to be. Add in a burned out guy and it’s a recipe for an unforgettable time.

I thought this book was a true Sophie Kinsella book. A fun cute relatable read. A heroine to root for and a love story we love to love. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Sophie Kinsella can dish out angst better than anyone I read. I laughed out loud so many times. I want to go and visit this hotel and meet all these amazing characters. It was such a delightful, fun book.

When Sasha suffers an embarrassing incident at work, she needs to take some time off to recover from her burn out. She goes to a hotel near where she used to vacation as a child. While there, she meets Finn who is also stressed. As the two heal, a friendship forms and they discover links to the past.

2.5 stars. This was not up to Sophie Kinsella standards. I have loved her books throughout the years, but this one was thoroughly meh. Completely forgettable. Such that I kept forgetting what book I was even in the middle of reading. Beyond that it was kind of all the place and weird to follow. Disappinting. :-(

Fun, lighthearted read that is very relatable! All of us have struggled through stress and feeling overwhelmed in life and wanting a getaway. The main characters were fun and their romance was cute. Great read for next to the pool!

The Burnout is a laugh out loud read, highlighting the stress we all feel in our lives and a journey of self discovery.

One can never go wrong with a Sophie Kinsella book. She’s an auto-buy for me. This book starts off slow, but when it picks up…wow. I loved the two main characters and their adventures around Rilston Bay. I was bummed that Rilston wasn’t a real place. I love the message and themes of the book and finished the book with a smile on my face. If you are in need of a pick-me-up, you cannot go wrong with this book.

I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group. I’ve posted this review on Goodreads on 8/7/23.

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella is a light, contemporary romance featuring an enemies-to-lovers storyline and a satisfying conclusion. Sasha Worth is burned out from working non-stop at a London-based travel app. On the way to a much-needed beach-side vacation, she encounters a rude (but handsome) man on the train. Then, he shows up on HER beach. With a cast of lovable, but eccentric characters, The Burnout is a fun read.