Ugh... a gut punch. I had to talk out my feelings about this book with my husband. I'm still reeling.

The most poignant novella I have ever read. I read this book from a very personal POV as an oncology nurse. And what a gift this book is as Sophie has based it from her own experience. I read it in one sitting; I laughed, cried, grieved, and hoped. Thank you Ms. Kinsella for sharing this with the world. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I encourage everyone to read this story.

I've loved Sophie Kinsella since the first Shopaholic book, so this struck me as particularly brave and beautiful. I've just gotten to an age where my friends and family members are starting to suffer from these types of unthinkable diseases, and to read a novella written by someone who has dealt with it has been enlightening, gorgeous, and heartbreaking. I can not wish anything but the absolute best to Sophie Kinsella and her loved ones.

Eve Monroe, an author, thinks about writing her next book while going on a shopping spree and buying a dress she absolutely doesn’t need, but it’s just too stunning to resist. Her last book is being made into a Disney movie and just maybe she’ll wear that dress too the opening night festivities.

And then……she wakes up in a hospital bed with zero memory, a bandage on her head, watching doctors, nurses, and her beloved husband going in and out of her room, often asking her questions she cannot remember how to answer. Eve has had surgery for stage four gioblastoma and must go though extensive physical therapy, radiation, and chemotherapy, and still face a survival rate that is sobering. To say more would do a disservice to this at times heartbreaking and then at times immensely uplifting short novel which is autobiographical. Eve is actually Sophie Kinsella writing about her earth shattering cancer diagnosis two ago and her journey through unthinkable medical procedures, while determined to maintain a positive attitude and focus on the small pleasures life has to offer.

This beautifully written short novel had me on a roller coaster of emotions as I read it through in one setting. It was impossible not to feel that I was right alongside Eve/Sophie as she learned about her situation, found the inner strength to cope with and accept her treatment, and as she and her husband talked openly about the future for themselves and their family. Five brilliant stars and wishes of a strong recovery for this talented and courageous author. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/The Dial Press for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my review. Publication date is October 8,2024. You’ll want to read it.

So much emotion packed into such a little book! Both incredibly sad but incredibly hopeful at the same time. Just as the title implies, this book takes the reader inside the mind and experience of a woman with a malignant brain tumor. We see first hand what it feels like to be on top of the world, happy and successful personally and professionally, then have it all ripped away as the main character wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of what happened to her. She has to relearn to walk, write, and remember. She becomes almost childlike in her disability, while remaining stoic in her hope.

What makes this book all the more poignant is that it's the real life experience of it's author, Sophie Kinsella. She writes this fictionalized autobiographical story as a way to process her own experience with glioblastoma, an aggressive and fatal form of brain cancer. I love Sophie Kinsella books, and learning about her diagnosis, prognosis, and now her horrific experience with cancer is just heartbreaking. I wish all the best to her and her family. ❤️

Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella. Kinsella herself has battled glioblastoma for the past year, and is now doing okay. This is fictional, but must be based squarely in what she has faced. Eve wakes up in the hospital, and doesn't know what happened. We go with her as she learns of her diagnosis and how she deals with it, as well as how it impacts her relationship with her family and friends. As much as it is a heavy subject, the story is light and has surprising humor. It is also very short. Good read. #whatdoesitfeellike #sophiekinsella #advancedreadercopy #bookstagram #netgalley #lovetoread #readersofinstagram

I LOVE Sophie Kinsella and this book was amazing - one of her best! Once I found out that she has an incurable brain cancer, it made me so sad, because all of her brilliance will be lost one day. I cried while reading this book; it hit close to home as I myself had a brain tumour (though it was benign) but going through all the emotions made me relive it all again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A warm and tender fictionalized account of the author's personal journey through brain cancer. Although not a typical Sophie Kinsella novel, it is relatable and a must read for anyone on their own personal caner journey. Wishing Sophie all the best as she recovers!

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

My oh my.. where to start?
Sophie Kinsella was one of the first authors that got me back into reading in my late teens, and has been one of my favorite authors ever since. She's most known for her Shopoholic series. I fell in love with her outlandish yet relatable and always hilarious characters.
When I got approved for new ARC I didn't really know what it was about.
As Mrs.Kinsella says "It's fiction but it's my most autobiographical work to date. Eve's story is my story."

Sophie explains that while it is mostly true, because she's a fiction author, it felt more authentic to write it as a fiction story, changing the names, and being able to change small details.

Sophia Kinsella was diagnosed with a rare uncurable brain cancer in 2022.
So this book is about Eve who is an author of "Hey Big Spender", who has great success, and then finds herself with a scary diagnosis.

When I tell you I cried while reading this... it's a huge understatement.

Praying and wishing all the best for this author and her family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the chance to read this early.

Thank you x1000000 NetGalley, the Dial Press, and Sophie Kinsella for the early opportunity to read this incredibly impactful novella.

Plot: Eve has been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. She has to relearn the simplest of tasks, and we walk through her journey of processing her grief. This novella is based on the author’s past few years battling stage four cancer.

Review: I sobbed my way through this book. Thank you, Sophie, for sharing your story with us. I’ll never forget this novella. It felt so raw, real, powerful. As a wife and mom, my heart shattered reading about her love and planning for her husband and kids. I’m sobbing even writing this review. An important story that everyone should read, for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I am a huge fan of Sophie - I have read every book of hers. I remember hearing about her diagnosis when she shared it with the public and my shock. This book is beautiful- a story full of fear, hope, wonder, and resilience. How wonderful for Sophie to be able to write at this and share her very personal story in a meaningful way.

I found this story to be just right with its little snippets of main characters moments in time through the progression of the book. Perhaps I was biased, knowing that it was an autobiographical piece and knowing about the author's recent, shocking battle with cancer. But as an advocate for cancer research and patient support for many years now with several different organizations, I know that a person's cancer journey can be all over the map. This book captured many aspects of that experience wonderfully, with compassion, honesty, and courage. I was sad but I also laughed a lot. It felt real because while fictional, it was also a real story, and that definitely came through. Yes, it may have seemed like it jumped around a bit with the format, but I feel it added to the experience.

A poignant read that left this reader feeling hopeful despite the difficult topic! I felt it was a wonderful and very brave contribution by Ms. Kinsella in the midst of her own personal fight that will connect with a great many people who have themselves gone through or are going through a cancer journey or who have or had someone they care about face cancer. Well done, I will be recommending this book to a lot of people!

Such a well told story by one of my fav authors. It was a read since it was a mix of her own personal story and fiction. It was very well done and am hoping the author has her own HEA. Can’t wait to read more by her in the future.

Oh, my heart. I have a special place in my heart reserved for Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickham. She was my very first foray into “adult” books. I remember absolutely tearing through Can You Keep a Secret? and how my world was forever changed. She helped shape me into the voracious reader I am and also introduced me to “chick lit” or “women’s fiction,” which are both beloved genres in my library. When I saw the press release about her illness, I was gutted. I simply cannot imagine a world in which Sophie Kinsella does not continue to release books that make me smile, laugh, misty-eyed, etc.

Some people are critical of this book for being different than her usual work, or of its length, or how it ended. Perhaps objectively, these things are true. But I don’t see this book as having been written for anyone else on this earth but herself. I imagine it must have been cathartic to put these words together - difficult at times but also a much-needed release, like when you finally pulled out that wiggly tooth as a kid after weeks of pressing your tongue to it.

It is a different book, but she is a different person after having gone through this. I commend her for being brave enough to try putting pen to paper, not to mention actually publishing it. This book is raw and unapologetically messy. It flits around and doesn’t follow conventional organization - but neither does life. It made me feel deeply. I stewed over it for a few hours after finishing. It is short, yes, but it says so very much all the same - about her journey, about her family, and about her character.

I so desperately wish that the author receives a very happy ending indeed. She’s given her readers so many over the years of her career. I really hope the universe recognizes that she is owed one now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed many of Sophie Kinsella's books in the past, so it was a no-brainer to pick this one up. I loved her Shopaholic series and read every one of them.

Description:
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 Thoughts:
This book is both heartbreaking and hopeful, devastating and uplifting. It is a look into a serious illness and the painful therapy required to recover, never knowing what the outcome will be or when it could end. It is a very personal story for Kinsella and my heart goes out to her. I applaud her bravery and her optimism! Eve's ability to keep a sense of humor throughout was remarkable to me - it would be so easy to become bitter and negative during the process. Best wishes to Sophie Kinsella and I love that she is healing and writing again!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - The Dial Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I understand this book (more of a novella) to be semi-autobiographical, and I wish nothing but the best for the author. However, this book was just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

This is a much shorter read than most Sophie Kinsella books but it sure packs a punch of emotion. As her most biographical story to date, Sophie still manages to bring some joy to a sad and unfortunate event. This was hard to read at times but Sophie still puts her happy ending magic on it. I really hope for the best for Sophie and her family. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. Heart felt and brace, I had no idea it was going to end like it did. Loved it.

Sophie Kinsella’s short story *"What Does It Feel Like?"* is a compelling dive into the complex world of emotions and how they shape our daily lives. Through her vivid and accessible storytelling, Kinsella invites readers to experience a range of feelings from joy and excitement to fear and vulnerability. The narrative feels both intimate and universal, making it easy for readers to see themselves in the characters and situations she portrays. Kinsella’s ability to capture the rawness of emotions without being overly sentimental is impressive, creating a story that resonates on a deeply personal level. This piece serves as a gentle reminder of the power of empathy and understanding in our connections with others. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Kinsella or new to her work, *"What Does It Feel Like?"* is a beautifully written exploration of what it truly means to feel—and how those feelings connect us all.