Eve, an author, has brain surgery because of a tumor. The book opens with Eve awakening after an eight-hour surgery to remove a glioblastoma. The book takes the reader through Eve's recovery. As the story progresses, the reader follows Eve as she recovers. From catheters, walking devices, the reader follows Eve and her family during her healing. Although, a serious subject theory is told with both humor and compasion. My favorite chapter was I Don't Need A Carer. As a brain injury survivor, it was totally relatable. It was both tender and humorous.
This is a story that needs to be read.

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2024/09/10/book-review-what-does-it-feel-like-by-sophie-kinsella/.

Five kids is a lot, but Eve is lucky to have a wonderful husband who shares the work, allowing her the flexibility needed to write. As an award winning novelist Eve often imagines her life is simply too good to be true. Until one day she awakens in the hospital feeling very confused. With Nick at her bedside Eve can barely form the words floating through her mind. Slowly she learns that she has survived an intensive eight hour brain surgery to remove a malignant tumor, stage 4 glioblastoma. As Eve struggles to put her life back together she endures endless hours of therapy relearning basic tasks while her short term memory damage leaves her repeating the same questions over and over. Determined to fully get her life back, Eve remains hopeful, accepting help from her support team of professionals, family and friends. Learning to manage endless physical difficulties while suffering the emotional rollercoaster of cancer, Eve lives honestly and openly, accepting every moment as a blessing. Normally an author of light, fun comedies, this autobiographical fiction is quite different for author Sophie Kinsella, a beautiful soul who remains positive, gracefully sharing the most terrifying story of her life.

For as long as I can remember, Sophie Kinsella has been one of my favorite Authors. When I started getting into reading again as an adult, her Shopaholic series were some of the first books I read. I’ve always enjoyed her writing so much. She has this way of pulling at your heartstrings while making you laugh out loud, that I just adore.

When I found out Sophie was battling Glioblastoma earlier this year, I felt as though my heart broke. I knew that when she announced her new novel, I would have to read it. What Does it Feel Like is Sophie’s autobiographical story told through Eve, a successful Author diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma, a terminal form of brain cancer.

The story starts where we meet Eve Monroe, who has just written another hugely successful novel that has been made into a motion picture. Eve’s last sense if normalcy is a night of glitz & glamour walking the Red Carpet with her family. Some time later the “After” portion of her story starts and so her cancer journey begins.

This book filled me with so many layers of emotion. Having been there for my Father in Laws cancer journey, I’ve read my fair share of articles, essays, and books on this difficult topic. But nothing truly prepared me for this book. It has to be one of the most honest and brave accounts of what it feels like to have cancer that I’ve ever read. And knowing that this is how one of my most very favorite Authors is feeling, is devastating.

If you have been a longtime Sophie fan, What Does it Feel Like is a must-read for you. Not because it’s a feel-good story, but because it’s Sophie’s story. She was so very brave to put all of her heart and soul into this book, and I feel honored to have read it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for allowing me to review an ARC of What Does it Feel Like. Wishing Sophie and her beautiful family all my best!

I am a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella. I love all of her books, especially the Shopaholic series. This short autobiographical book was difficult (but important) to read. Five stars.

What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella is the story of Eve, a successful novelist, who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. Her husband tells her she had surgery to remove a large brain tumour. As Eve relearns basic skills and grapples with her diagnosis, she reflects on what truly matters to her, cherishing moments with her husband, family game nights, and treating herself to things she loves. The novel, told through brief anecdotes, explores themes of grief and resilience with warmth and humour, offering both heartache and healing.

I must admit, I didn’t peek at what this book was about before reading it. As I was reading this book, I thought to myself, is this going to be a new series for author Sophie Kinsella? This type of story is usually not what she typically writes. Until I read the author’s note at the end and was completely shocked.

I would like to thank Net Galley for a free advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. :)

What Does It Feel Like? is a moving novella by Sophie Kinsella, based on her own cancer diagnosis. This story is autobiographical fiction and although shorter in length and told in more of a vignette format than Kinsella’s typical novels, she delivers her standard humor, even with the serious topic.

It’s brave of Sophie to share such a personal story and I’m glad she did. What Does It Feel Like? is an emotional read that reminds us to live for the now and I wish Sophie all the best.

This is a hard review to write because the book and the story are so raw, real and personal. I used to devour Kinsella's books when I was younger. I haven't read any of her newer works since 2019's I Owe You One. I wasn't aware that Kinsella was ill until this book came out. She deserves a medal for her strength and bravery and the fact that she kept her sense of humour. I love that about the book as well, both Sophie and Eve never lose their positive outlook on life...so if you're expecting a pity party or a woe-is-me story you won't find it here. Eve (and Sophie) have a wonderful support network including a loving husband.

I love the structure of the book as well, each chapter is a little antidote on going through a health crisis, it includes: telling family, all of those plastic chairs in waiting rooms and how brutal physical therapy can be. I'm so thankful Kinsella shared her story it really helped me see it from the ill person's perspective. I really admire her resilience, I applaud you, Sophie Kinsella. This book is very poignant relatable and believable. It was a hard read but a really great one too.

Eve is a hugely successful writer with a loving husband in five beautiful kids. She feels like the luckiest woman in the world until the day she finds out that she has a cancerous tumor in her brain. This story is mostly autobiographical about the author’s own experience. Highly engaging story. Beautifully balanced - at times funny and other times poignantly sad. A very quick read that I recommend.

This was a great semi-autobiographical novella detailing the authors experience with brain cancer. I found it to be emotional but also uplifting. I enjoyed how my was told in vignettes.

This is a very short book. I do not know how to review it as it touches so many personal issues the author is currently living.

I hope writing this book helped her and I wish her the best of health.

Eve has everything she’s ever wanted - she’s a successful novelist and one of her novels is a major motion picture, she’s happily married with 4 kids - but then one day she wakes up in a hospital room with no memory of why she’s there or how she got there. Not only does Eve have to learn how to walk, talk and write again, she also has to learn how to grapple with her diagnosis of brain cancer - and because of her short term memory loss, she has to cope with the knowledge over and over again. This is a story of how to learn how to live through grief (and if you want to buy that dress, you should just buy it).


Thank you Sophie Kinsella for writing this book, it is such a personal book and had me crying throughout my read. The novel is a fictionalized account of her recent experience with cancer and I saw it as a love letter for her life and her family while allowing her readers some insight into her battle. It’s a beautiful little book and I’m so glad I read it.

This book was achingly beautiful! I loved how it highlighted the long road to recovery and the strength it takes to heal. I also related to the immense impact of such a diagnosis, especially on children. Overall, it was an accurate and captivating depiction of grief and what it takes to heal.

Wow.
 
This story was so powerful, so utterly heartbreaking and raw yet emotionally beautiful and inspirational. I can barely formulate words!
 
There were some humorous scenes, but above all else, this was super emotional. Sophie Kinsella, you are so brave. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!
 
Thank you SO much for the ARC NetGalley and the publisher!

I probably should have read the description before reading this book. A beautiful love story based on Sophie Kinsella’s own story. My only critique is that it was too short. I read it all in one sitting and it moved me to tears.

First I would like to thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

I went completely into this book blind only knowing that I have loved so many of Sophia Kinsella’s books before. I didn’t even know it was a novella. It hit me so hard and I found this book sad, beautiful and positive all at the same time. It made me both smile and cry in the short time it took me to read it.

I don’t know how you rate it anything but 5/5 considering so much of it is autobiographical.

Sophie Kinsella's latest auto-biographical novel is deeply moving and takes you through so many different emotions. I actually didn't know it was her own story until I finished and was reading the author's notes at the end. She brings a sense of humor to the most difficult of situations and maintains a sense of hope. I am praying for and rooting for this talented author and amazing human. Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the ARC!

Review: What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella’s books, since I discovered them in university, have been an auto read for me. The heroines feel real. They bumbled through life with humorous and positive thoughts despite often dealing with very real issues — burnout, family drama, grief, and others.

Kinsella’s What Does it Feel Like? is different than her previous, but with just as much heart. The topic, cancer, is explored with an autobiographical feel —she admits that it is in the postscript— which takes the reader on the life-changing journey with the protagonist, Eve. However, much like Kinsella’s other novels, hope, positivity, community, and love shine through the dark moments of confusion and memory snippets. This short novel draws you in from the very start and is written with an insight and depth that allows the reader to, even in a small way, walk alongside Eve’s experience.

A truly beautiful rendering of Kinsella’s experience with her open and welcoming prose. Thank you to Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Sophie Kinsella book and now I want to read more of her books. I didn’t know it’s a novella but I loved it. It’s heartbreaking, humorous, and beautiful all at the same time. If you read it, make sure to read the author’s note at the end. She is so brave and her optimism is infectious.

Sophie was one of this first authors as an adult reader that grabbed my attention. I love her witty and beautiful stories. She is truly an amazing writer.

This novella is beautifully sad, informative, and little funny at times and heartbreaking. This book may be fiction, but it is loosely autobiographical of Sophie Kinsella’s life. To be diagnosed with an incurable cancer and the ins and outs of how to navigate it. The treatments, telling your five children and family and friends.

This book follows Eve who wakes up in a hospital bed not remembering where she is, after having a brain tumor removed. It navigates the ups and downs of her cancer diagnosis of glioblastoma and having to learn how to do everything again, treatments and figuring out life with an incurable cancer.

I give praise to Sophie Kinsella for telling this story. I pray that she is more than the percentage that doctors put on paper and that she continues to have good days.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - The Dial Press for this eARC. It was truly an honor to get to read this book and review it.