I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I don’t even think I liked the story to begin with. It took me a few chapters to understand Sophie, and once I realised where the story was going I was more comfortable with the a scenarios. It was all over the place - a place that is Sophie’s chaotic abstract mind. I have to be honest and say that my mind can be very similar, with thoughts going backwards and forwards in tangents. Sophie has some strange thoughts to say the least, some hilarious, others worrying. I had to read to the end, I was addicted, not sure if I was enjoying it, but kind of loving Sophie, while hating her actions. I’m a huge fan of Sara Pascoe and I could see so many elements of Sara’s sense of humour throughout. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Weirdo is a tragicomedy, written from Sophie’s point of view throughout, we learn all about her inner most thoughts, her fears and her desires. The parts of her life that she doesn’t want to share with us are cleverly revealed through various third party letters and emails, which add another perspective to the story, as well as providing a break in Sophie’s monologue.

There are some big topics dealt with in the book but they are sensitively considered and the comic elements prevent the book from becoming too weighed down with melancholy. Although there is a lot of sadness in Sophie’s story, I was left feeling hopeful that she was headed towards better times.

The stand out element for me is Sara Pascoe’s sharp observations; which make the book so relatable. From inconsequential things like Guinness looking better than it tastes to how teenage girls can bully and manipulate other girls; every detail is acutely honest.

I particularly liked the portrayal of family and familial relationships. Real families are messy and complicated, family members often differ in their recollections of events and infidelities and indiscretions are sometimes met with indifference rather than outrage. Sara Pascoe shows us all of that and reminds us that not everything is black and white when it comes to our nearest and dearest.

I really enjoyed this one, I would recommend it and I look forward to reading more from Sara Pascoe.

I enjoyed this book and I loved the little bits of Sara Pascoe humour and observations which shone through! Sophie the main character finds herself in one messy situation after another. I found myself rooting for her to have a bit of good fortune but couldn’t always warm to the character totally due to the poor choices she was making. Maybe that should have made me feel for her more? Having said that, it’s the sort of book where if Sophie was a real person you’d be wondering what she’s up to now and hoping everything is ok!
Overall a good book and I look forward to reading more by Sara Pascoe!

I found this book quite hard to get into to, it took quite some time to feel there was a flow for me. I did warm to Sophie was the story progressed but I did find it to be a difficult read at times. That said, there were moments of charm and humour - a mixed bag for me.

Weirdo is a funny, insightful, and ultimately empowering book. Pascoe's writing is sharp and witty, and she tackles some difficult topics with grace and humor. If you're looking for a book that will make you laugh, think, and feel a little bit better about being yourself, then I highly recommend Weirdo.
Pascoe's writing is incredibly honest and relatable. She doesn't shy away from sharing her own experiences of anxiety and self-doubt, and this makes the book feel very authentic.
The book is full of interesting insights into what it means to be different. Pascoe does a great job of exploring the different ways in which we can be outsiders, and she challenges us to think about the power of being a freak.
Overall, I highly recommend Weirdo. It's a funny, insightful, and empowering book that will make you think about the world in a new way.

Some parts I enjoyed, others I didn't. This was a mixed feeling read, give or take. Something for others and not others

Sara Pascoe has that rare talent of being able to translate from the small screen to the written word, an enjoyable read

There were elements of this book which I found hugely entertaining and I laughed aloud at a lot, I also had massive sympathy for Sophie. This reminded me a little of Eleanor Oliphant, where in this book, Sophie just couldn’t catch a break and I felt a lot of people took advantage of her. I could also imagine this book being played out in a multi-episode sitcom, and if it does turn into that, I can imagine it being a hit. This was entertaining and I could hear Sara Pascoe’s voice throughout, her bluntness and sarcasm were written brilliantly.

Hmmm a tricky one to review as I think the writing is good quality and it was very readable but I agree with other reviewers that the whole premise of the story was very bleak! Sophie’s character has very little going for and the book is basically a bit of a car crash narrative of her obsession with an absolute loser of a man called Chris. It was written well but definitely felt like quite hard work sometimes trawling through challenging times for poor Sophie. Not sure I’d want to read it again but I think the author is talented.

I haven't read anything else by Sara Pascoe so was keen to read this . However I just couldn't connect with Sophie and struggled to finish the book.
Thanks for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A quick overview: Sophie works in a pub, and struggling to make ends meet. Her whole life is a bit of a mess, and she’s unsure which direction she should go in. Until one evening, when the man of her dreams enters the pub. This is not a coincidence she is sure. This is fate. So, she decides now is the time to get her life in order.

This is the first I’ve heard of this author, and the first book I’ve read of theirs. There was humour in this book, but unfortunately I didn’t feel connected to the character of Sophie. The style of writing felt as though it encompassed Sophie’s “all over the place” personality. There were some touching and sad moments, but overall it felt slightly flat.

I have really enjoyed Sara Pascoe's non-fiction works, but this novel is not for me. Sophie is a young woman trying to find her way out of the mess she has made of her life. This is all narrated by Sophie except for several breaks in the text for a series of letters and documents which undercut or explain some of the things that Sophie says. It becomes rapidly clear that Sophie has a lot of issues and makes very poor life choices, not entirely unrelated to her toxic upbringing and relationships with her family.

I found the bits that were meant to be funny mostly devastatingly sad and Sophie an increasingly troubling character for whom there is no redemptive arc. I know not every book has to have a destination or a neat ending but it felt like this narrative just stopped in the middle of a life.

It was well written but there were no likeable characters here and no real sense of self awareness in Sophie and I found it just too bleak.

An insight into the mind of someone who thinks too much, or into the mind of all of us? We're all guilty of overthinking sometimes, and Sara Pascoe's Sophie takes it to extremes, clearly a trait she's had since childhood. This is a beautifully insightful exploration of fear and wonder, but perhaps a more classically (stereotypical) happy ending would have lifted it a little, showing that a more 'normal' life is possible when one finds the ability to take oneself out of one's head and think about the bigger picture. Sophie has the tragic skill of making all of life all about her, when making at least a part of it about others relieves the pressure of constant thinking and worry.
The book's title, Weirdo, is a clue to the thinking the reader will be drawn to do when following Sophie's life - does she think she's a weirdo? Do other people think she's a weirdo? If they could see her thoughts then yes, those who didn't spot a fellow soul in need most certainly would.
I enjoyed it, but I also didn't enjoy it... Weird.

A somewhat humorous and engaging read- I didn't however connect with this as I thought it would. I am however intrigued to see what Sara Pascoe does next.

Written totally in the first person, this book relates the life and experiences of twenty something Sophie and her emotional mental turmoil. The promotional quotes about this book include statements such as ‘funny’, ‘hilarious’, ‘side splitting’ whilst also ‘sad’ and ‘engaging’. I thus started reading this book with high expectations but unfortunately this turned quickly to disappointment

The first few chapters present the main characters and Sophie’s challenges with her finances and various relationships. The narrative is presented through a combination of Sophie’s disjointed thoughts and reminiscences interspersed with fragments of conversation and random emails/letters about her financial dilemmas. About a quarter of the way into the book I found this style of writing rather tedious and started skipping pages. I persevered to the end though but skipped over about half of it. Sadly I found nothing in the story that was humorous or particularly engaging. The characters were not likeable and all the relationships dysfunctional. The style of writing and disjointed narrative just was not for me. I’d be reluctant to read another book by this author.

I have been obsessed with Sara Pascoe for years and she has yet to disappoint! What a book and a perfect title!

There are some funny situations and characters that Sophie meets that did amuse me but overall I just struggled without structure and chapters with random emails/notes inbetween sections detailing how chaotic her life is (because I'm reading a digital ARC I'm not even sure if that's entirely how the book is formatted but from reading other reviews it seems it is). The humour didn't make up for the lack of a connection I had to the main character sadly and that is an important element of this kind of novel for me.

“Some people find being alive effortless, that’s what I think. Especially people viewed through windows eating meals or drinking drinks or even watching TV if you’re looking into a house. They don’t mean to make you feel an outside, you just do because you’re outside.”

Weirdo is a tragicomic look at 20-something Sophie’s attempts to get her life back together. There were some passages that felt incredibly relatable but at times the chaos of her life felt hard to read. Nevertheless, Weirdo has a lot to offer 20- and 30- something readers who enjoyed Fleabag. That just wasn’t me.

A funny, insightful and unusual perspective on growing into yourself. Sara Padcoe's humour is recognisable here alongside a note of tenderness and understanding of what it is to be a person inside and outside your own head.

Sorry I couldn't get into this book. I didn't like the main character and wanted to tell her to grow up.
I only got halfway through and couldn't bear anymore selfish rational from her