“What Does It Feel Like?” is the most heartfelt novella depicting Eve and her family’s journey through her cancer diagnosis. This authentic story will be read in one sitting, and there will be tears - at least that was the case for me. Sophie Kinsella has said that this is an autobiographical story of her personal experience told through a fictional lens. I loved the nod to the Shopaholic series and Kinsella’s usual storytelling charm.

I am forever grateful to Sophie Kinsella for introducing me to Romantic Comedy literature many years ago and for this deeply personal story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What Does It Feel Like? By Sophie Kinsella. It’s so difficult to review this book because it’s Sophie’s story to a point. How do you give an opinion on what she’s been through when it’s partially nonfiction?
This novella follows Eve who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she ended up there. From there we get a peek into her life being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, the removal, and her life afterwards. It was a good change from her ‘Shopaholic’ series and I appreciated her openness. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/The Dial Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Sophie Kinsella for sharing her brave journey with her readers.

WOW! WOW! WOW! This book read like I was reading someone's diary. So personal. So genuine. So raw and real. So heart breaking. I'm a mom, and my mom heart broke with every single word I read. Highly recommend this book.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

kinsella did a great job with her writing style. her main character has a brain tumor & it affects her memory. the way the author has the character's confusion wrapped up with the reader's confusion was brilliant. while it was no an easy read..these vignette style chapters allowed us a quick glimpse in to sophie's current struggles through eve monroe

⭐️: 4/5

Eve, a successful writer, wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no recollection of the events leading up to being there, but learns that she had a malignant glioblastoma removed from her brain. As Eve recovers, she struggles with her diagnosis, both physically and emotionally, including issues with her memory, learning to walk and care for herself again, and telling her children about her prognosis.

I know of Sophie Kinsella only as the author of the Shopaholic books, and while I’ve only read the first YEARS ago, I was shocked to find that this book, while fictional, is also in a way autobiographical. Names and some details were changed, but the core of the story actually happened to Kinsella, which makes this already emotional book carry so much more weight, based on the personal connection to it that Kinsella has. It’s told in small anecdotes, and the book itself is an under an hour read, but it packs in a lot of feeling in that small package.

Thank you to @netgalley and @thedialpress for this eARC for my review!!

Dearest Sophie- Thank you for this and for a lifetime of Happy Endings. God Bless you, your family and all the fans you have blessed with your beautiful, thoughtful, hilarious, heart felt words throughout the years.

We Love you, Sophie Kinsella.

What Does It Feel Like? is a raw, heartbreaking story of the true feeling and difficult journey of someone diagnosed with cancer. Sophie Kinsella does a beautiful job addressing an extremely hard topic while intertwining light-hearted wit along the way. Although this was a heavy read, it was beautifully written.


Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy.

“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella
 
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.

Sophia Kinsella is one of my favourite authors, I finished this novella in one sitting with tears in my eyes the whole way through. Somehow she was able to twist in her humour and optimism into this, while also ripping my heart out. She is such a strong and powerful woman. Thinking of her and her family ❤️

✨ Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts ✨

5/5 ⭐️
Trigger warning: this book is about cancer.
This book made me ugly cry, it made me smile and it made me hopeful. Sophie is so brave to have written this wonderful and raw book, praying for her and all people battling hard deseases.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

Wow, wow, WOW! This was a tough read, but such a brave book for Sophie Kinsella to write.
I had the chance to read an advanced copy of it through NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group.
Though it is fiction, it is her most autobiographical yet. She changed the names of her family members, & a few minor details, but overall the story is the story of her battle with brain cancer, from diagnosis to present. The story was written in the style of vignettes, emails, texts & little snippets of thoughts. It is a short book, and physically an easy read, but the subject matter was heavy. Despite the heaviness of the subject of incurable brain cancer, there were a few lines of the story that had me actually laugh out loud. Kinsella brought as much optimism and hopefulness as she could to the subject. I really really liked the Author’s Note at the end of the book, dates from April 2024. This is NOT her usual style, so fans of her books may not necessarily love it, but long time fans of her as an author will find it heartbreaking but inspiring. 5 stars 🌟

Story/Plot: B
Writing: A-
Characters: A-
Pacing: C
Best Aspect: Based on the author’s real life.
Worst Aspect: So fast and so short that I was unable to connect with the story.
Recommend: Yes.

Wow! This book! It had me laughing and crying if you are a Sophie Kinsella fan this is a must read. It’s a short but meaningful book! One of her very best. It follows the story of an author struggling to finish her next book when she comes up with an idea that turns her life around. The book is a hit and life seems great until she suddenly wakes up in a hospital.

This is a huge divergence from what Sophie Kinsella is known to write. She said that this book is her most autobiographical, and it definitely feels that way. I was in tears reading most of this book. It's heartbreaking, scary, and very moving. She has been one of my favorite authors for so many years now, and I have been given a tiny glimpse into what her life has been like after being diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor. I can only continue to wish her and her family the best and to hope that she gets the happy ending she has given so many of her characters.

Oh my. This is heartbreakingly beautiful. This author chooses Eve as her autobiographical character and the story is dramatic and also courageous. What happens when your brain no longer works exactly like it did before? How do you approach your future?

Though presented as a novel, Eve Monroe's story mirrors Sophie Kinsella's own life, reflecting her journey from a successful author to a cancer patient. Like Eve, Kinsella has five children, a beloved husband she met at Oxford, and is fighting glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

Eve's recovery from surgery to remove the tumour is slow and painful but ultimately triumphant. The narrative is honest, raw, heart-wrenching, and humorous, ending on a hopeful note with wishes for her continued success.

An added bonus is insight into the inspiration behind Kinsella's hit book, "Confessions of a Shopaholic." This short read can be finished in one sitting, so be prepared to laugh, cry, and cheer as Eve faces her illness.

Although billed as a novel, Eve Monroe's journey from successful author to cancer patient draws heavily from Sophie Kinsella's own journey through life. Like Eve, Sophie Kinsella has five children and an adored husband she met at Oxford, and is fighting the battle of her life with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

Honest, raw, heart wrenching, and humorous, Eve's recovery from surgery to remove the tumor is slow and painful but ultimately triumphant. The book ends on a hopeful note and we hope her battle continues to be successful.

Am added bonus is a glimpse into the inspiration for Kinsella's most successful book, "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Be prepared to laugh, cry, and cheer on Eve as she comes to terms with her illness.

I had no idea going into this book what it was about. I only knew that I love everything Sophie Kinsella writes. And wow…this very real depiction of her life was so engaging, so heartbreaking and so raw. I loved every page and wish her only the very best in her health journey.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Oh my goodness, where to start? I am a long time Kinsella fan and this book broke me. Kinsella describes this as her most autobiographical book to date, and once you realize that, the book takes on a whole other life of its own. Despite the heavy premise, this is filled with quick banter, lots of love, and hope. Highly recommend for Kinsella fans! Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

Loved this so much. So raw yet beautiful as you know this is the author's story. I really enjoyed this one so much. It was short and yet it was full of so many emotions. Praying for you SK

WOW. Wow wow wow. This book was so beautiful, so heavy, so tragic, but so touching. I have been loving Sophie Kinsella since middle school and I devour all her books, and this one was no exception! It was definitely a different "vibe" than her usual light hearted, banter filled romance, but for good reason. This book was an autobiographical novelization of Sophie's own struggle with a grade 4 glioblastoma. This book was especially hard for me to read as my father in law lost his battle to this particular cancer one month after my daughter was born. He was diagnosed in 2013, fought valiantly, and went into full remission. However, when I was pregnant in 2015 it came back with a vengeance. He had a tough but short battle with this cancer for the second time and when we lost him it broke all our hearts. Reading Sophie's story of success and fighting and the beauty of a wonderful marriage and amazing children was just the healing I needed. Extra special thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review! 5 stars, but if I could, I would give it fifty million stars. We're all rooting for you, Sophie!