Wow. This wow beautiful and really puts things in perspective. Always with that touch of humor even in difficult times. Read this!

Wow! This book started off as typical Sophie Kinsella but then BAM! suddenly it was a whole different book. Kinsella did such a great job portraying the confusion and memory loss from the main character's point of view. So brave of Kinsella for sharing her story and making her experience so relatable.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousee for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Touching and Heartfelt Exploration of Grief and Love

Sophie Kinsella’s What Does It Feel Like? is a departure from her usual lighthearted rom-coms, delving into a more poignant and emotional territory. The novel follows a woman named Holly, who is grappling with the sudden loss of her beloved husband.

Kinsella masterfully captures the complexities of grief, from the initial shock and disbelief to the lingering sadness and acceptance. The characters are relatable and well-developed, each with their own unique struggles and coping mechanisms. The story is both heartbreaking and hopeful, offering a realistic portrayal of the grieving process.

While the novel may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as Kinsella’s previous works, it is a beautifully written and thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and the power of human connection. It’s a must-read for anyone who has experienced grief or is looking to understand the emotions of those who have.

4 stars

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ARC Review:

Mark Twain is attributed with what is arguably the best advice for writers; “Write what you know.” Taking this sage advice to heart, bestselling author, Sophie Kinsella, channeled her experience being diagnosed and undergoing treatment for stage four brain cancer in her latest book, What Does It Feel Like?

While this book is based on her real life and documents actual events that took place, it is ultimately a work of fiction. In the acknowledgement Kinsella describes how changing names and tweaking scenarios was the only way she was able to document her story.

Using short vignettes, Kinsella drives home the uncertainty each and every day brings. The main character struggles not only with short term memory loss, but the inevitable this terminal diagnosis will eventually claim her life.

Needless to say, this is a deeply moving story!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group- The Dial Press, and Sophie Kinsella for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This is a short book that is very eye opening and worth every second of your time. The writing style is very interesting and it is really a heartfelt story. I enjoyed every second. Five stars.

What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella is beautifully, heartbreaking. Eve is a fiction writer, with a beautiful family and a successful career. She seems very blessed until one day, she wakes up in a hospital and doesn’t know how she got there. Her husband has just given her the news that the surgeons removed a very large, malignant tumor. Eve cannot comprehend this but must learn to accept it. While she learns to walk again and gain memories, she leans into her husband and her family. She draws strength from them, to live each day. Her daily walks with her husband and game night with her children, she continues to come to terms with her diagnosis and her prognosis. This is a short story but it packs a huge punch. Kinsella, tells the story beautifully and honestly. It is funny in spots and deeply heartwarming in others. I just adored this book. Sophie Kinsella has been one of my favorite authors and I have read many of her books, but this one is the icing on the cake. I want to thank Netgalley, Sophie Kinsella & Random House Publishing Group for my copy for an honest review. It was an absolute pleasure reading and reviewing this book.

Oh this read was nothing short of pure magic. Sophie Kinsella is such an incredibly brave and strong woman in order to be able to write this - to be able to write her truth in such a heartfelt and earth shattering way. I simply cannot imagine what this beautiful woman went through and this book is a testament to the journey - she brings forth the devastation, the extreme pain, the hope, the sadness, the grief... it was all so heartfelt and real.

Sophie Kinsella will forever be one of my favorite authors - she first helped me to discover my love for reading as an adult with the Shopaholic series, and she still touches me today and makes me just want to read even more.

This is absolutely a must read for anyone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, and the Dial Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

What Does It Feel Like? is not your average fun-loving and humorous book by Sophie Kinsella. While a work of fiction, it is loosely based on the author's real life. It is a quick read, but overall fell a little flat for me.

What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella is definitely a bit of a departure—Kinsella doing serious? I was intrigued. And yeah, she brings her usual wit and warmth to this one, but with a much more emotional, introspective vibe. It's a lot more feelings than fizz, if you know what I mean.

So, we’ve got Eve, a successful novelist who wakes up post-surgery with a massive blank spot in her memory and a major life shift ahead of her. As she tries to relearn everything—walking, talking, writing, even figuring out her relationship with her family—she’s reflecting on what really matters in life. It’s sweet, touching, and definitely packs some gut punches. And Kinsella’s humor is still there, but it’s gentler, like she’s telling jokes while holding your hand through a tough time.

Honestly, it’s good, but there are moments that drag a little. It feels almost too heavy at times, like Kinsella dipped too far into the sentimental pool. I missed her usual spark and pacing; it’s like I wanted the usual Kinsella but got Kinsella trying to do therapy. Four stars, though, because it still hits some solid emotional beats and really makes you think about what you’d hold onto if you had to start from scratch.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy! This one’s different, but if you’re up for something a little more soul-searching, give it a try.

This was such a beautiful, heartfelt, raw, powerful and inspirational story!!!😭😭🩷 thank you to the author for being so brave and sharing her story with us. My tears are flowing as a write this review, and I just know it’s a book that will stay with me forever! 🩷
I was so touched in the way she never lost hope and the way she never let fear get in her way no matter how hard it was to stay positive. I also enjoyed that it made me laugh and smile as well! Thank you to the publisher for this amazing ARC!🩷

I’ve never read a Sophie Kinsella book but my niece has read them all and promised me I would like them. But I never picked one up until I saw this one and even though the author’s note at the end of the book mentions that it’s written in a style very different than her Shopaholic books, for instance, I loved it.

She indicates that it’s autobiographical, even though it’s fiction, and <not a spoiler> obviously she has had a relatively happy ending to her story since she’s still writing. But I just went through losing my mother a few years ago, and I find myself drawn to books about grief and loss and illness.

It was a quick read, if you don’t pay any attention to my start and finish dates; I read several other books in between. She did a great job illustrating memory loss, the grief of dealing with a cancer diagnosis, the pain of going through chemotherapy, the loss of bodily functions and abilities.

Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the free digital ARC. All opinions are my own. #HighlyRecommend

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This was a quick read and honestly felt like I was reading a diary from Eve's POV. Eve is a successful author who discovered she has grade four glioblastoma. She has a successful operation to remove the tumor and then has to learn how to walk/talk/etc with the help of her husband Nick and medical professionals. Eve and Nick are very positive throughout, which is a very sweet perspective as a reader.

I love the ending for both Sophie and Eve. Thank you for sharing your truth in the best way you know how Sophie, I'm glad you were able to beat your cancer.

4 stars.

I did not like this book at all. Jumped around too much and just didnt enjoy it at all. Nothing else to say.

What a gut punch. I hope readers know what this book is about before reading—nly because of triggers but just because it’s so raw and different from her other books. Thinking and praying for SK.

I loved this book!! Having lost my very best friend to stage IV breast cancer when she was only 38 years old, this book touched me to the core. Some of what she speaks about, are things that my dear friend spoke to me about while battling cancer for a short 16 months... It’s real, emotional, and poignant yet, as she always does, she adds her bit of humor and style. So witty, fun and bright, even with a very tough diagnosis. When I started reading this book, I had no idea that this was semi autobiographical. I(I don’t follow authors on social media or Know what’s happening in most celebrity lives.) But as I read it, I realized the beginning sounded like it was her as she started writing her shopaholic series.
I’m so thankful that she wrote this book and I hope people realize how true and raw this is. I am sure for those who have dealt with the similar diagnosis. Her spin on it is helpful to them in their ordeal. I hope this was cathartic for her and for her family.
She is such an amazing author, and I only hope that she will continue to bless us with her words for many years!
Thank you Net Galley for the preview.

A personalised fiction that touches your heart!

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Synopsis -

Eve, a well known author, wakes up in the hospital with no memory of her life. When her husband explains her about the glioblastoma surgery she’s just had, Eve has to regain her life bit by bit. Told in the form of anecdotes woven around Eve’s family life, her beloved five children, her success with her latest book & that high end silver sequin dress she impulsively buys, this novella is a celebration of life for Eve in the book literally & the author @sophiekinsellawriter herself personally.

Review -

I've been huge fan of Sophie Kinsella ever since I've been a reader & was deeply saddened to hear about recent cancer diagnosis. This novella she penned, is a fictionally observed autobiography of the whole heartbreaking experience & her journey with grief.

Kinsella pours everything she went through into the story of Eve, drawing parallels & maintaining the chronology of events close to her reality as much as possible. Her writing directly reached my heart, as it broke for Eve 💔- the utter impossibility of her situation & how as a couple, Eve & Nick manage to remain optimistic about life as they discuss their bucket lists, find humour & comfort in each other’s company, share compassion & the most tender form of empathy towards each other. I especially found their open communication style & relationship with their children was heartwarming.

While Eve is fighting her battles for survival, Nick has his own challenges as a carer & has to find the strength to carry on single handedly with the outcome. I loved how the carer’s perspective is explored despite this book being a short story.

I am so glad Kinsella chose to share her own personal narrative through her happy place of writing, no matter how hard it was to reiterate at times for her. I am also relieved that she is currently doing so well & look forward to reading many more of her works in the future.

The ending leaves us with hope, positivity, gratitude for everything we have & a beautiful reminder to make the most of our lives.

This is such a hard book to give 5 stars to because of the topic it covers and just the heartbreaking story behind it but it is definitely a 5 star book. It's a quick read and while the subject matter is tough, it's still a light read?

Sophie has been a longtime favorite author of mine and while this was a departure from her norm it still had her magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This book is captivating, emotional, and beautifully told. I always love Sophie Kinsella's books and I especially loved this one.

Though not my typical go to type of book, I found this to be an important and touching read especially considering it's essentially the author's story.

How would you feel if your seemingly perfect life fell to pieces once you were diagnosed with a fatal disease? The author works through the heart break, confusion, anger and utlimaltey hope in this fairly short novel.

As per usual, Kinsella's writing is amazing and the story wonderfully told.

Wow! Rating this very personal yet captivating novella anything less than 5 stars is impossible. Sophie Kinsellas latest book, released on Tuesday. I actually had an advanced copy from @netgalley but just got around to reading it today (in one setting). I have been a big fan of Sophie Kinsella for as long as I can remember. As a teenager Inhad two favorite authors and she was one of them and I still love her to this day. I no idea what she had been battling personally up until today.

After being diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer back in 2022 and having surgery to remove the tumor Kinsella wrote “What does it feel like”, a short novella written in to mini vignettes, written very autobiographical with minor fictional changes here and there, sharing her experience of diagnosis and the year post surgery. About 1/2 through j started crying and proceed to stream tears until the very end. I think it’s safe to say this without giving away what’s already obvious, the book does have a happy ending despite the odds. So much in packed into so few pages. I found myself highlighting a lot from about the 1/2 way point on swipe to see one of those highlights.

While I’ve never had cancer I still could somewhat relate to many of the main characters feelings and also could relate to having a partner as wonderful and supportive as Nick was in the book.

In real life, unlike in books we can’t invent happy endings but sometimes they happen even when the odds are stacked against us and for that reason alone, we must always have faith and never give up hope.

Kinsella shares her story in a beautiful ways to disgest way and if you hav were chance and need something ro read with your afternoon tea, give this book a try.