“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella was diagnosed with glioblastoma and underwent surgery and treatment. She has taken her story and turned it into a fictional story about a woman named Eve, an author, wife and mother. One day she wakes up in a hospital bed and doesn't remember what happened. She has had brain surgery to remove a large, malignant tumor and must learn to walk, talk, and write again. She has no short term memory and remains in the hospital for a long period of time. She and her husband must break the news to their children and realizes what is important in life.

This was an emotional story, especially as I have lost my neighbour and my sister's BIL from this same cancer. It is tough to see what someone goes through and I commend Sophie Kinsella for writing this book to share her experiences with others. This story was told in a series of vignettes and allowed me to see inside her head, her thoughts and emotions and what she was going through. No one can know what it is like for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, especially when they use that word, incurable. This story deals with an extremely sad time in her life, but as I closed the cover, I had hope that just maybe, Eve might have a happy ending.

This book was so poignant and heartbreaking. It's about Eve, a mom of 5 and author, who finds herself staring down an unfathomable cancer diagnosis. Kudos to Sophie Kinsella for tackling her own personal story (yet fictionalizing it) and sharing the raw emotions with her readers.

I Read this book in one sitting. The author created a masterpiece making us feel for her and understanding her cancer and memory lapses. It was short but she was able to convention such émotion and empathy. I think this will be an excellent book for book clubs.

I do Hope for the best for her and her family.

I do recommend.

What Does It Feel Like is a standalone novella by Sophie Kinsella. The book tells the story of successful author Eve, who woke in the hospital with no idea how she got there. Her husband explained that she was waking from surgery to remove a large malignant tumor from her brain. While Eve learned to walk, talk, and write again she wrestled with her diagnosis and when and how to explain it to her five children. She started to remember the things that were most important to her. The book was a celebration of life filled with warmth and humor. It was the most emotional book I have read by this author, which is understandable since the novella was very personal for her. While not completely autobiographical, it is based on Ms. Kinsella’s experiences and feelings, a way for her to process her thoughts and emotions in the face of her life threatening experience. Reading this novella was a truly moving experience regardless of how brief and it will stay with me for a long time. I definitely recommend this novella for all who wish to read about the thoughts and feelings surrounding such a profound experience.

I would like to thank Netgalley and The Dial Press/Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I am voluntarily submitting this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Wow, I was not expecting this. Very emotional and raw. Honestly the first time hearing about this and I'm glad it came from Sophie Kinsella herself.

Oh wow. I was not expecting this. A vulnerable peak into a terminal diagnosis and how it affects the entire family.

Incredibly emotional and poignant. I find the author so brave for writing such a personal story that is so meaningful

I love how this started, almost a story within a story. The main character, Eve, is an author who has lost her professional self. She describes what it feels like to be an author who has writer’s block. Deciding to take her own advice to aspiring authors, Eve writes what she knows, and writes the book that she wants to read when she’s browsing in a bookstore.

Which I think is amazing advice, that maybe I will one day take as well, because sometimes you just want a very specific book and you can’t find it anywhere.

It definitely seems like advice that’s coming from Sophie Kinsella through the character of Eve, which was kind of fun. Of course, this novel wouldn’t be very interesting if everything was going perfectly so you know that some sort of catastrophe is about to hit Eve’s life.

Unfortunately, the tragedy that hits does not have a happily ever after. It does end with a sort of ‘happy for now’, but this book is not typical of Sophie Kinsella‘s writing, and it is loosely based off of her real story if you follow her online which adds to the tragedy. I was expecting Kinsella’s typical happy, goofy, funny, easy to read book and instead I had my heart torn out.

I think anyone reading this book should know going in that it is not her typical plot line and it is not a feel-good book, but it is also something that I think is important to read. The perspective that she gives is enlightening, and I felt like I owed it to her as a long time reader to finish What Does It Feel Like, but I definitely recommend that people read reviews first or check some trigger warnings because it definitely caught me off guard at a bad time and it took me months to write this review.

I will read anything Sophie Kinsella writes. This is unlike her other books, but if you are a fan of those, this is a must read!

I have always been a Kinsella fan. So I was delighted when I received this advanced copy. Because of my loyalty to Kinsella, I failed to read the synopsis about What Does It Feel Like. Well let me say, I would have appreciated a warning before I was sobbing my eyes out. This was such a deep, personal novella. Obviously it reflected her life and diagnosis but it was so personal and relatable. The attitude that she has toward life, diagnosis and each stage of life is truly remarkable. She is a phenomenal human and this book did not disappoint.

What an emotional read from one of my favorite authors! It was brave, vulnerable, and profound, and I loved that it ended on a hopeful note. 5⭐️

It’s very hard to write a proper review of memoirs and autobiographies, this is essentially a sort of retelling of Sophie Kinsella’s own personal experience with her cancer. She gives us little glimpses of the things that she went through, what her family went through, the life of someone experiencing such a diagnosis. This one hit home for me as well, with cancer taking away a few that I love so dearly. Thank you Sophie for sharing this part of your life with us, I feel honored to have read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

WOW this felt so personal and amazing — I know that it isn’t an exact memoir, but I was in tears throughout. Getting a glimpse into Sophie Kinsella’s story after she shared her diagnosis felt so special, especially as a long time fan

This book was incredible and so powerful, which is impressive for how short it was. My favorite aspect of this was how I could feel the love Eve and her husband had for each other. It made me so grateful for my marriage and life Here's to living life at Normal Plus.

The author notes that this is a work of fiction, but it is based on her experience. By writing it as fiction she is able to be vulnerable.

It is hard to write a review for this story. It is heartbreaking, but knowing it is someone’s story, how do you review that. Kinsella puts herself out there to tell this story.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This story is absolutely incredible - this could be non fiction, the story is based on the author's own experience battling brain cancer. The audiobook is under two hours and it's a beautiful and heartbreaking story. Highly recommend.

Wow. I generally love Sophie Kinsella's books but What Does It Feel Like? blew me away. Truly powerful but with her gentle way of storytelling, infusing humor and lightheartedness.

I don't want to give anything away but suffice to say, I think it's an important read for anyone going through cancer or medical treatments - or someone who is supporting a loved one through the treatments. I walked away with a much better sense of what someone facing those challenges would be feeling - but without the doom and gloom often found in those types of books. Highly highly recommend.

5 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Kinsella is a beloved author and this is heartbreaking but all readers of Kinsella should take the time to read it.

I have always loved Sophie Kinsella's writing for her light hearted stories full of humor and wit. This book was different as it tackles such a difficult topic, but I loved it all the same.

This book is built around Kinsella's own experiences with her cancer diagnosis. I think it is incredible how she was able to tackle such incredibly heavy topics with her usual humor and wit, while also showing us the grief and pain that goes along with it.

This novella is a shorter read but it jam packed with phenomenal writing and some of Kinsella's own personal experiences. I felt like we really got a window into her personal life, and while there were certainly moments of sadness and despair, it felt cozy and comforting in a way.

This book is a great shorter read that still packs an emotional punch. It was a great way to start off my 2025 reads!

This is a fictionalized version of the author’s journey with a brain tumor and cancer diagnosis, and it had me tearing up the whole time. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and I highly recommend it (just be aware of the content before going in)!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.