This book was heartbreaking and hopeful, real, and wrenching. Sophie Kinsella has brought her difficult, difficult reality to the page and made the reader feel what it was like to live that experience. I truly hope this will not be her last book. Love her forever.

This short but impactful novella is about a writer named Eve who seems to have it all - a successful career, happy marriage, 4 great kids - then one day she wakes up with memory loss only to be told she’s just had surgery for incurable brain cancer. The book is told in vignettes, as Eve has to learn to walk and function again, and how to keep on living without losing hope.

It’s an emotional story to begin with, and is made more emotional by the fact that it is autobiographical, based almost entirely on Sophie Kinsella’s own experiences since being diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022. And somehow she made me not just cry but laugh too, with her trademark humor. I just love her books, and this one will really stay with me. I wish her lots and lots more “normal plus” times with her family and friends.

4.25 stars

I’ve loved Sophie Kinsellas work for years. I’ve respected her talent and ouvre. However, this novella is very different from her other books. This was poignant and heartbreaking but also real. It did not have the same humor as her other books but definitely the same heart. A useful read. Touching. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy.

Short but incredibly poignant, What Does It Feel Like? offers a personal look at surviving treatment after a cancer diagnosis. In what reads as personal journal entries, Sophie Kinsella allows readers to feel all the feels and emotions she experienced since her surgery for a malignant brain tumor. The content is deep but hope, love, care, and joy shines within as well.

Per the author, the story is semi-autobiographical and is about Eve, a novelist, who randomly wakes up in the hospital with no idea of why she is there. The story unwinds in a series of snippets as Eve copes with her brain tumor diagnosis and relearns how to walk, talk, write, remember, and live.

I actually was not aware that this was a novella when I requested it, but I have read almost every book by Sophie Kinsella, so couldn’t not read it despite not really liking short stories. It is actually probably a good thing that it is short, as it is a painful story to read. While the author does a fantastic job of finding the humor in Eve’s impossible situation, the story is heavy and definitely makes the reader question their own mortality and actions in the face of such a grave diagnosis. A very emotional and thought provoking read!

As a longtime fan of Sophie Kinsella, this novella broke my heart and rebuilt it a millon times. So well written and personal, I loved it so much.

I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella's writing for years. It started with her Shopaholic series, and I've read many of her other novels, and want to read every other that she has written, including her novels under her pen name Madeleine Wickham. I really enjoy her writing style. I feel that Sophie used the same writing style she always uses to put into words her own story of what she has been battling recently yet keeping it as a fictional story and not writing it as a memoir. I was heartbroken to hear that Sophie had brain cancer. I learned about it in a local newspaper, there was a feature story on Sophie after her diagnosis. I love both Sophie and Eve's positive outlook on life. I currently have a friend who just had surgery for a brain tumor and this novel hit a bit close to home. It gave me some insight as to what my friend might be dealing with and going through. Just like Eve, the main character in the novel, I decided to go back and purchase a dress that I really loved even though I have no where yet to wear it to. I will find that special place to wear it to, one day. This novel came to me at a time where I know several people fighting several different types of cancer and I really am wishing that they are all fighting as hard as they possibly can to beat it. Each and every person fighting cancer deserves as happy ending.

I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella since reading Confessions of a Shopaholic in 2000. I think I have read every single book she has written and loved them all. I was so sad to hear she was ill and it was so brave of her to share her journey with us in this book. Which is it fiction, she called it "my most autobiographical work to date". I will admit to getting choked up quite a few times while listening to the audiobook, in particular the afterword that she herself narrates. I loved the "normal plus" concept the character Eve describes, as well as how important "small pleasures" are. Indeed!

I had no idea this was loosely based around the authors real life story. After reading that, the story took on a whole new meaning. It definitely made the reader know that not every day is as promised.

Sophie Kinsella's What Does It Feel Like? is a book from her heart. It has helped me better understand what my sister who has stage 4 lung cancer is going through. I'm sure it will help a lot of people.
Dear Sophie, thank you for writing this. My prayers are with you.

I knew this was going to be a difficult read since it was released after the author started talking about her diagnosis and subsequent battle with cancer. This book, however grim the topic, had Kinsella’s wonderful wit and observation that makes a difficult topic relatable. It’s gut wrenching and heartwarming at the same time and it makes you think about life, death, and holding your loved ones close.

This is a quick read unlike any other of Sophie Kinsella’s works. Although a work of fiction, Kinsella notes at the end that this is highly based on her own life & experiences, which makes it all the more heartbreaking. That being said, I like the truth and humor she’s able to bring to the situation.

This was a short novella about a writer who is diagnosed with a brain tumor and how her life changes after.. I want to applaud Sophie Kinsella on her courage to share such a personal story.

I've read a number of Sophie Kinsella's books, but this one was definitely a change of pace. She says that it's her "most autobiographical work to date" and it tugs at the heartstrings. I enjoyed this story, even with the sad undertones, because her voice was so true and so real and raw. Having been through situations in my life where things aren't always going to work out "happily ever after,' I think that I could relate to her words and appreciate her positive attitude in spite of it all.

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 as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

I pick up this book without having read the synopsis expecting a typical Sophie Kinsella rom-com. Boy was I wrong, but also glad I had the opportunity to read this book. This is a novella that tells a fictionalized version of the author's personal experience of being diagnosed with glioblastoma, undergoing treatment, and the physical and emotion toll it took on her and her family. I am amazed by her optimism and admire her openness in discussing this topic.

Personally, I will think of this book often. As an occupational therapist, I work with individuals to help them regain their independence and function, some of which with similar diagnoses. While I have been a part of difficulty and emotional conversations and experiences with my patients (highs and lows), this story has done a good job of showing me and reminding me what is going on with my patients and their families behind closed doors as they deal with their diagnosis and recovery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Randon House for the ARC.

I read this book quite quickly but have been processing and thinking about it ever since. This one has really stuck with me. I usually find Sophia Kinsella’s books light and relatable, and this one was obviously not light, but still possessed all of the charm and wit that I love about her writing. It was heartbreaking and sad, but sweet and moving, and it is the kind of book I’d recommend to anyone and read over again as well.

This was incredibly difficult to read in some ways, knowing that it’s mostly autobiographical. Eve Monroe, like Kinsella herself, suffered through a brain cancer diagnosis, where she had to go through an 8 hour operation, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. While they got the tumor, the prognosis for this aggressive cancer is terminal. Kinsella used this opportunity to write about her experience - including her recovery, her relationship with her husband and children, and with writing.

Despite the serious nature of this novella, it was also relieving to see Kinsella’s trademark humor and optimism shining through - and there is ultimately so much hope. What Does it Feel Like is a quick read, but it’s one that will stay with me.

Wow! What an amazing book! First off, shame on me! I did not read the summary of the book, and after reading all of Sophie's other books, I just went in blind knowing I was going to love it! Of course, I am thinking I am going to read a book that has me chuckling the whole way to Indiana from Florida. What I got was very different! I was sitting in the passenger seat hiding tears from my husband, kids, and dogs, and not from laughter! Even so, this is a book I will recommend to everyone I know! What a heartfelt, well written book that should make us all feel thankful for every moment we are given, and finding the positive in every situation. Sophie, I am sending so many prayers your way! Thank you for giving us a glimpse of what you and so many others are going through! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I received a free copy of “title” from the author, publisher, and netgalley, in exchange for my honest review. This book was raw, real, and so beautifully written! It’s my first book by Sophie, and I’ll definitely e reading more! Knowing it’s an autobiography makes it that much more stunning!

Oof- I didn’t know what this book was about when I received a NetGalley copy and also surprise, it was a short story! Beautifully written, emotional, and deeply personal (especially reflecting on my grandfather’s struggle with brain cancer).

Trigger warning: brain cancer.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.