Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this novella early. I have previously read Kinsella’s Shopaholic series so I am familiar with her style. This is a fictionalized version of her recent health struggle. It is an intimate look at a difficult diagnosis.

SIMPLY BREATHTAKING…

An all time favourite author… writes a novella taking inspiration from her own personal experience.

Navigating an incurable diagnosis, Eve a fiction writer embarks on her journey with her whole family behind her. Funeral planning alongside, drawing up bucket lists and all of the in-betweens.

This book is raw, brutal, honest, emotional, brimming with bravery and simply sensational. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried and I’ve learnt.

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Emotional reads
- Witty and wise books
- Stories that will stay with you
- Books with real meaning

You are a super-woman in disguise Sophie. I could feel you looking for sunshine behind the clouds… I really do hope you get your happy ending 🩷

Massive thank you to Random House Publishjng Group and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

While I admire the bravery and honesty of this book I was not expecting it. I am a bit of a hypochondriac and while this book was fiction it felt very real and with a family member dealing with cancer felt hard to read. It was a well written short story and it feels wrong to pick it a part as it is Sophie’s life. However it is a tough subject for me to read and for that reason it gave it 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley and random house publishing for the ARC.

Eve is a famous novelist, who even has one of her books turned in to a Hollywood movie. If you're familiar with Sophie Kinsella's work, this might sound familiar. That's because Eve's story is Sophie's story, with some liberties taken. What you might not know is that all of Eve's story, including the grade 4 glioblastoma brain tumor she is diagnosed with, is Sophie's story.

This fictional retelling of some of what the author went through after her diagnosis and surgery in 2022 is incredibly moving. If you're a parent, it makes you think about how you would tell your children such life-altering news. If you're a partner, it makes you wonder how the two of you would deal with a diagnosis such as this. There is humor to be found in the telling, but there is also grief and sadness. The overarching themes to me were hope and perseverance. Whether you are familiar with Sophie Kinsella's past books or not, this is a story it is worthwhile for anyone to read, maybe especially those who have been personally touched by a cancer diagnosis.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Kinsella, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I think, based on the reviews, I was expecting more of a story than what this actually turned out to be.

I am so excited I got this arc as Sophie Kinzella is one of my favorite authors. I’ve been reading her books for over 5 years now and I’m always excited to read her new books! This novella is real and raw while still having the mask of fiction. She pulled from her real life to create this fictional author journey. I laughed, I cried, and I want nothing more than for her to take care and kick cancers ass!

this novella made me tear up. i have to confess i've never read one of kinsella's previous novels, but decided to request this arc on a whim. it was very well written, funny at times, while describing life after a life altering diagnosis and surgery, the struggles, the fears. i cannot imagine how it must've been to put such a personal experience on paper, but i thank kinsella for writing this novella. all i have to do now is finally read one of her books.

arc provided by netgalley and random house publishing group - random house | the dial press in exchange for an honest review.

This story is based on the authors own brain cancer diagnosis. very different book from her usual writing. It will leave you in tears.

I wanted to read this book as soon as it was announced because I have been reading this author for many years and had just heard of her diagnosis of brain cancer. I sincerely hope she beats it and continues to write for many more years. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, okay, this was INCREDIBLY painful to read. I have loved Sophie Kinsella for years and her books bring me so much joy. This was obviously a huge departure from her past works, and very personal, and I was crying by the end. She manages to make it hopeful and lovely, which is such a tribute to the way that she writes normally.

Don't go into this expecting fluff - expect your heart to be wrenched.

I knew this was based on the author's own cancer journey and I was eager to dive in as a cancer survivor. What I wasn't prepared for was how heartbreaking yet wonderful this novel would be. I almost didn't request it because I wasn't sure I could go down that cancer road again but I'm so glad I did.

This is loosely based on the author's life before and after her cancer diagnosis. I had read about her journey in real life and was impressed at how frank and honest she was in her fictionalized version. This is not her usual fare, written in vignettes but it's perfectly suited to this book. It's touching, honest, real , emotional, and devastating. But such a good read.

Thank you to the author, Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an advanced copy.

Sophie Kinsella does it again! All her books make me kick my feet in giddiness and laugh while also just feeling the emotions of the characters. Love it so much

Having lost both my father and uncle to glioblastoma, as well as a few others, this hit particularly hard. While I knew that Sophie Kinsella was battling brain cancer, I did not realize that this would be a fictionalized novella about her diagnosis and battle with glioblastoma until I started the book, so it was a difficult read for me. I am amazed that the author was able to write this at all, given what she is going through, and I thank her for sharing her experience. I truly hope that it is not the last published work from Kinsella, but I hope even more that she is able to "keep going" and has many more years with her husband, children, and other loved ones.

I received an ARC from Net Galley.

This short, yet powerful novel is a fictionalized account of the author's own journey after being diagnosed with glioblastoma and her subsequent chemo and radiation. We read about the difficulties with loss of short-term memory, loss of physical strength and coordination and the amazing support of her Husband. There are sections that brought me to tears but others that are laugh out loud funny and the ability of the author to write this novel despite all that she is going through is nothing short of amaze. I devoured it in one sitting and wish that Kinsella and family can somehow get their own happy en ding.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e copy of this book in return for an honest review.

What Does It Feel Like is an unflinchingly honest look at what it feels like to wake up one day and find you have a cancer diagnosis and whole world has shattered - without the memory to corroborate the painful facts. Told in miniature vignettes, this short story had me crying in contemplation of the main character, Eve and her predicament. I found the ending surprising, but before I could be skeptical, I read the authors note— the conclusion couldn’t be more perfect. Brava, Sophie.

I’d like to thank Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this novella, but wow... This was such a heartfelt, heartbreaking, and hopeful story. You will cry, laugh and also see how resilient someone can be even when going through the worst.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for review.

I love Sophie Kinsella’s books so I immediately requested an ARC for this book when I saw it. All I have to say is wow. My prayers go out to Kinsella and her family. This was such a touching fictional autobiography. “Eve’s” experience and optimism is truly inspirational. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC.

What a searing portrayal of the author's experience. So well written wirh lots of heart and a little humor.

What a beautiful, touching, and heartbreaking book. As a rule, I don’t read sad books. I’m not sure I would have even been brave enough to request an ARC, but I love this authors books so much that when I saw her name on the cover, I requested it without reading the description. And I’m so glad I did.

First, I just want to say them sending prayers to the author and her family. This book provides a slightly fictionalized, but largely autobiographical look at Kinsella’s life before and after being diagnosed with and treated for glioblastoma. I had not heard about the author’s battle with cancer, and I was devastated to realize that this part of the novel was true. I was blown away by how this book faces such a difficult topic in a way that is, but also hopeful and inspiring. It’s written in vignettes, which is different than many of her other books, but fits this one perfectly. A tip- Don’t read it in the optometrist office while you wait for your son to finish his appointment unless you are cool with crying in public (my mistake).

This is an important and emotional read- Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an advanced copy.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this advance copy of ‘What Does It Feel Like’ by Sophie Kinsella in exchange for my honest review. I knew going into this book it would not disappoint as I have loved all her previous books, especially the Shopaholic series. So, I was honored to be selected. When you settle down to read this book, I highly recommend a box of Kleenex, a piping huge cup of your tea and your coziest blanket. After losing my Dad in 2019 to a rare blood cancer polycythemia which progressed to myelofibrosis and then very aggressive acute myeloid leukemia, this book brought back a lot of memories and it also healed small parts of me. It made me realize as hard as it was for me to say goodbye to my dad, he had to say goodbye to us all. He took it in stride, he was a comedian to the end. You would never know he suffered. I am so glad that Sophie Kinsella is still with us and shared her experience as being the patient and the parent and how hard it was to face the possibility of leaving her children behind. I then realized my dad must have had those exact worries, despite his children being all adults. He silently was saying goodbye to each of us in his own way. Some of the last conversations I had with my dad where about my children. He told me ‘Don’t worry so much they will find their way’. This was a short read, but it was seasoned with just the right amount of words, I still had to take some breaks to reflect. Thank you, Sophie Kinsella, for writing this book and healing parts of me that have been broken for five years. You rock!!!