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 wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she got there, what day it is or why she has no memory.

Eve has been diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer and has had her tumor removed but it has been determined her cancer has no cure. And the prognosis isn’t great.

This short novella takes us on eves journey or rather the beginning of it as she navigates her new lifestyle as well being a writer and mother to her five children.

Sophie Kinsella speaks from her heart. She told us, the readers, the fans, her story of her own brain cancer diagnosis even when she’s remained private for most of her life. It’s a beautiful, sad, and raw story that I highly recommend you grab when it debuts in October. Wishing Sophie healthy vibes.

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

Whew! This almost felt too intimate to read. It’s basically the author’s autobiography and personal accounts of dealing with brain cancer told in a novella. The story walks through Eve’s before illness to going through diagnosis and surgery and treatment and the after. It read almost like a journal and a personal glimpse into her new life. A definite read with tissues.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I've been a reader of Sophie Kinsella books for 20 years or so, and I love her wit and optimism. This is not Shopaholic, this is not a rom com, but just as Kinsella has always invited us into the world's she's created and we feel right at home...this time, she's invited us into her real world, and we feel like we could be friends and maybe we should sign up for a mealtrain or send a card or search for that lip-balm our other cancer-surviving friend found comforting. (Note - it's fiction, but it's as autobiographical as she's ever gotten and the details that matter are true).

This is a tears-down-your-face short read, but it will stick with you. Despite how heavy it is - how real, how raw - there's still wit, and charm, and a whole lot of optimism. I want to play Scrabble with Eve and her family, I want normal plus for as long as I get it.

Thanks you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

I did not know anything about this book when I requested an early copy. The author and the cover made me think that it was going to be light and funny as Kinsella's other books. The first few chapters also led me in that direction and then -bam!- the reader is full in the drama and emotion of the diagnosis and post surgery rehab. I am glad that I went into it without knowing the book details, and how the story was loosely based on the author's personal journey, as it had a much bigger emotional punch for me.

There are very emotional parts to this story - as can be imagined. There are also moments of humour and hope, including the author's note at the end.

This is a short book and I hope that one day I get to read a real version of 'Hey Big Spender' as it sounded great. (the book/movie within the book)

'Five children. Five bundles of love. And five bundles of grief.'

'Cancer is a buzzkill, what with the pills and the chemo and the dying.'

(from the author's note)
'And finally, I wish everyone reading this a very happy ending.'

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read basically all of Sophie Kinsella’s books and love her as an author. This is a fictionalized story about her real life health struggles. Quick read, but relatable to anyone going through the same things or eye opening to others. I appreciate her giving readers an inside into her life and struggles. Worth the quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The author of a very popular book series turned movie, Eve Monroe, is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Follow Eve and her family as they navigate the process of making decisions, treatment, recovery, and what to do next.

This novella or short story is a partially fictionalized autobiography of Sophie Kinsella's real diagnosis, treatment, and recovery so far. Tough for her and her family, but an author does what an author does. She wrote about it. While this writing is not like her other books, the feelings come across, and knowing that it's her story, the differences in writing style can be overlooked. This is heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time.

This story is beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. Reading about the character and her parallels to the author brought tears to my eyes, I loved this book and the strength it probably took to write this is amazing as well.

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. What Does It Feel Like is her latest book. As I expected, I loved it. Pick this one up.

“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.