This book was a very different experience from Sophie Kinsella’s usual lighthearted reads—I didn’t realize it was a biography. The story follows Eve, a successful novelist who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she ended up there. Her devoted husband, constantly by her side, explains that she’s had surgery to remove a large, malignant tumor from her brain.

As Eve struggles to regain her ability to walk, talk, and write, she’s also forced to confront the enormity of her diagnosis and how to explain it to her children. Along the way, she begins to rediscover what truly matters in life—simple, everyday moments like holding her husband’s hand on long walks, enjoying family game nights, and treating herself to something special when it catches her eye.

This was a deeply emotional and, at times, frightening book to read. It offers a raw look into the vulnerability of facing a life-threatening illness, and it made me reflect on how terrifying it must be to live through something like this. Despite the heavy subject matter, there’s also an underlying message of hope and the power of cherishing life’s small but significant joys.

“The bravest book you’ll read all year.” ~ Jodi Picoult

This is a fictionalized autobiography detailing the author’s journey through cancer diagnosis and recovery.

I love how the author shares her deeply personal story through a series of vignettes. This novella not only highlights her talent as a writer but also showcases her strength, bravery, and humor. It was difficult to read without getting choked up!

Moving forward, I will no longer use the term “bucket list” for the things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. Instead, let’s aim for “normal plus” in everything we do. For example, when dining out, dress a little nicer than usual and treat yourself to a special menu item.

Thank you, Sophie Kinsella, for all the joyful endings you have given us. I wish you a wonderfully happy ending as well! 🙏

And yes, “If you buy the dress, the occasion will come!”

This novella gets 5/5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A special thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing a gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review (PUB DATE: 10/8/2024)!

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This is a very different book for Sophie Kinsella. I didn't realize that it was a biography. The character, Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again and wrestles with her diagnosis, and explaining it to her children, she begins to remember what’s most important to her. That includes long walks with her husband’s hand holding her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it. This was a scary book to read but I can only imagine how scary it is to live it.

This novella by Sophie Kinsella is a powerful read, drawing from her own experience with cancer. The protagonist, Eve, grapples with memory loss and the impact of her diagnosis on her family. It's a heartbreaking yet inspiring story that sheds light on the harsh realities of cancer and the importance of cherishing life. Thank you NetGalley for giving the opportunity to read this!😊

This novella was both heart wrenching and heart warming. As fiction but based on the author's own experiences, it's a intimate look into the reality of a brain cancer diagnosis, surgery, and recovery. I liked the style, with chapters interspersed with little snippets.
Because of the author's skill, this is able to simultaneously be realistic but also have some lighthearted and optimistic moments. Would recommend this for anyone who is a caretaker or loved one of someone with cancer.

Thank you #Netgalley for the copy!

Wow, I had no idea this was based off of Sophie's recent medical scare, I appreciated the acknowledgement at the end addressing the overlaps of the situation. In this read the main character is a successful writer, one of her books made her famous as it evolved into a movie deal when suddenly her world changes. She doesn't know where the time has gone, what is going and why she can't remember things. She must rely on her husband and those around her as she navigates her new normal.

I downloaded my review copy from NetGalley weeks ago without reading anything about what the book was actually about - I only knew that I've previously enjoyed books by Sophie Kinsella, and I was expecting the same sort of novel here. I hadn't seen the NYT article about her. I hadn't heard what was happening in her life. As a matter of fact the morning I started reading this book, a google photos "memory" popped up on my cell phone from 7 years ago. I was in Virginia at the hospital with my sister who had just surgery to remove a glioblastoma brain tumor.
Sophie's story is beautifully written; I can imagine her thoughts are probably what my sister went through as well. A heartbreaking tale and I hope for a happy ending for the author.

Every year I anxiously await Sophie Kinsella's annual book release and every year I am so delighted by her writing, stories, characters and vibes. I loved this - but what else is new? I adore her writing style and What Does it Feel Like? was absolutely no different!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 122 / Genre: Fiction
Release Date: October 8, 2024

This novella is written as a fiction but is based on bestselling author Sophie Kinsella’s personal diagnosis of Grade 4 glioblastoma. It chronicles her journey starting when she first woke up from surgery, her rehab, and her new normal with her husband and five children. As much as a downer as this sounds, it’s written from the real point of view of someone who lived through it one day at a time without feeling sorry for herself or lashing out at others, just making do and getting on. I found it heartfelt, inspiring, and poignant.

Thank you, @SophieKinsellaWriter, @RandomHouse, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy.

I've never read anything by Sophie Kinsella, so I have no frame of reference for her writing, but I loved this book. I was immediately engaged by Eve's voice, the pacing, and most importantly the human mixture of humor, sadness, frustration--it has all the feelings.

While the book's premise is sad, the storytelling leaves you with a mixture of all the feels. It is a quick read and is thought-provoking at the same time. How would I greet life-changing news, how would I live my life?

The story is even more poignant when you realize that it is based on the author's personal journey, she says it is her most biographical book yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author and publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Sophie Kinsella has been a go-to author for me for many years. When I heard about her latest story, based on what she has been going through personally, I couldn't wait to read it. While it is an autobiographical novella, Kinsella's trademark humor and honesty shine through in Eve's story. However, I wasn't quite prepared for just how emotional, and at times heartbreaking, this book would be. What Kinsella has done in sharing her story is quite brave. This book is filled with positivity, even in the darker moments of life, which makes this a wonderful book for anyone dealing with a chronic illness. This is a tale filled with courage, strength, love, and resilience, along with the theme of hope woven throughout.

Possible trigger warnings: grief, cancer, death

Gosh this was a tough and emotional read (major TW: cancer). But I appreciated the story and stuck with Eve on her cancer journey. In fact, I couldn’t put it down. It was raw, real, funny, memorable and of course heartbreaking.

I remember when Sophie shared her cancer journey on social media and I cried a little. I’m so thankful she was able to write this, and I hope she continues to be able to write and that she gets her forever happy ending.

What a profoundly personal story. While the work was fictional, the author’s life story inspired the book. This narration was a hard one to get through. Cancer affects every individual, either personally or secondhand. Cancer sucks. And reading a story about someone’s rehabilitation following a tumor removal is brutal. I recommend this book wholeheartedly as it sheds light on the journey of a family dealing with a diagnosis that is nearly 100% terminal. I love that the book was short, not drawing anything out. If you are going through your health journey, this content may be too heavy – but still significant. Thank you to Ms. Kinsella for sharing yourself with your devoted readers!

Quick recap without spoilers:
Eve is a successful novelist and mom of five children. When she wakes up in the hospital with no memory of why she is there, she realizes her short-term memory is gone due to an eight-hour surgery that removed a cancerous brain tumor. Seen through the eyes of Eve, the reader is introduced to the frustrations and setbacks but also the hope and gratitude of someone dealing with brain cancer. While heavy, the story is uplifting and beautiful.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy. I will post this review on my Instagram page the day before the book is published.

"What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve's story is my story."--Sophie Kinsella. This short book packs a strong punch. I am a HUGE fan of Sophie’s books and when she announced in April that she was diagnosed in 2022 with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer, my heart broke for her. While she says she is stable and doing well now, it has taken a toll on her. It’s a beautiful and emotional read, so bring tissues. I wish her all the best and will eagerly read anything she puts out in the future! Thank you NetGalley and The Dial Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sophie Kinsella writes a poignant novella based on her real life struggle with a malignant brain tumor. Kinsella has long been an auto read author for me! Told in vignettes and short bursts, we see her beautiful life fade into a struggle to relearn walking and to remember the basics of who she is.

This is a quick read and an interesting, uplifting and hopeful story of a famous author with a beautiful young family and dealing with the fall out of glioblastoma. The intimate conversations with her husband as she was grappling with her condition will stay with me for a long time. It was surprisingly fun and characteristically Kinsella despite the heavy subject matter.

Thank you The Dial Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this title.

I have read everything by Sophie Kinsella and the Shopaholic series was one that made me laugh out loud to the point of tears. It’s devastating that this book was based on her real life events. Although there is an undercurrent of sadness and uncertainty, Kinsella’s writing style still shines through. I applaud her for being so honest and vulnerable in this book. I feel guilty for wishing it were longer, considering she wrote it after having a brain tumor removed. It is a reminder of how quickly life can change and to cherish every moment. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of “What Does it Feel Like?”

“‘Your readers love happy endings.’ ‘Of course they do. I love happy endings myself. So I’ve invented lots of them. But now here’s the irony: I can’t invent a real-life happy ending for myself.’” 🥺

This is a novella that is fiction but also the mostly autobiographical story of Sophie’s actual life. I devoured Kinsella’s Shopaholic series when I was probably in my 20’s. Decades later I still think of those characters and stories fondly. To know that she has been battling a brain tumor diagnosis makes my heart hurt for her and her family.

All The Plastic Chairs is my favorite chapter. It is so very telling, in such a short chapter, of the life lead by anyone requiring consistent medical intervention.

“‘But you’re the one who … if I die … looking after the children …’ She wipes her eyes. ‘I mean, it’ll be easy for me, won’t it? I’ll be dead. You have the hardest side of this.’” 💔

The audiobook is narrated partially by Sophia herself and with one other narrator. It is both emotional and engrossing to listen to this story by an author that has brought me so much joy and laughter over the years. Sending healing thoughts your way Sophie!!

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and the amazing Sophie Kinsella for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella since I was a teen. I fell in love with her Shopaholic series and since have read every book by her, including under her pen names. It came as an absolute shock to me to hear about her brain diagnosis. It felt like I was hearing this news about a friend - just so surreal, unbelievable and upsetting. Then, when I found out she wrote a book about it, I knew I had to read it. Receiving the approval to read this as an ARC was a big deal for me. I wanted to dive into this story immediately. This novel is not like her others. You must know this going in. It’s also a shorter story, but it packs a punch. It takes you through all of the feelings and questions and whys. Though I shouldn’t be surprised, she wrote this book brilliantly. And I mean this from the standpoint that she’s writing this basically as a true story, her story. A very serious one at that. And yet, it has her traditional light-hearted flare even as her main character is going through the thick of life’s hardest curveballs. The structure of the book in my opinion reads more as a journal - notes and thoughts of her journey. I appreciate that she has taken us along with her and I wish her nothing but good health and happiness from here on out. Thank you for always inspiring us all!

Sophie Kinsella's "What Does It Feel Like?" is a poignant and emotionally resonant novel that delves into themes of love, resilience, and life after a devastating diagnosis. The story follows Eve, a successful novelist who wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there, only to discover she has undergone surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. As Eve navigates the challenges of relearning basic skills and grappling with her diagnosis, the novel explores the profound impact of facing mortality and the importance of cherishing life's simple joys.

Sophie Kinsella's personal battle with glioblastoma adds a layer of authenticity and poignancy to the story, making it a deeply personal and moving read. I felt a range of emotions, from tears to laughter, as I followed along Eve's journey and through her struggles and triumphs, finding the book both heart-wrenching and hopeful.

The novel delves into themes of living in the face of death, finding joy in small moments, and the strength of family bonds in times of crisis. Despite the heavy subject matter, Kinsella's trademark humor shines through, offering moments of lightness amidst the darkness, and Eve's unwavering optimism serves as an inspiring beacon throughout the narrative.

Sophie Kinsella's departure from her usual lighthearted fare in "What Does It Feel Like?" proves to be a brave and beautiful exploration of life, love, and resilience in the face of adversity. The book is a celebration of the human spirit, a reminder to cherish the present, and a powerful testament to the courage found in confronting one's mortality. Whether you are a longtime fan of Kinsella or new to her work, this novel promises a deeply moving and thought-provoking reading experience.

I love any book by Sophie Kinsella. She is an entertaining author whose characters really stay with you. A book where the main character has lost her memory and has to re-learn how to do everything again, it was heartwarming and cute just as all of Kinsella's books are. I was cheering for Eve. I have read many of her books through the years and enjoyed them. I loved this book and look forward to reading every book by Sophie Kinsella.