"What Does It Feel Like?" by Sophie Kinsella is a poignant and heartwarming novella about resilience and the power of love. The story follows Eve, a successful novelist who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. She soon learns she's undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor. As Eve navigates her recovery, she confronts the challenges of regaining her physical and mental abilities while coming to terms with her diagnosis. Through her journey, she rediscovers the importance of family, love, and the simple joys of life. The novel is a tender exploration of grief, hope, and the human spirit.

Kinsella's departure from her signature rom-com style is both brave and poignant. "What Does It Feel Like?" delves into the raw and emotional territory of illness, loss, and rediscovery. The novel's exploration of Eve's journey as she rebuilds her life after a devastating diagnosis is undoubtedly heartfelt -- especially considering the autobiographical nature of the novella.

While Kinsella's writing shines through with its usual clarity and empathy, the brevity of the story felt somewhat limiting. Deeper exploration of the characters and their emotional complexities could have elevated the narrative. Nonetheless, it's a commendable effort that offers a glimpse into a different side of the author's talent. I applaud Kinsella for sharing such a raw, emotional, and honest account.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Sophie Kinsella wrote this book as being semi autobiographical. She was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery, radiation and chemo for it. It was so hard to read but yet so well written. She wrote from the heart and it shows.

I hope the book and Sophie have a happy ending.

i was a huge fan of Sopie Kinsella's books back in the day, especially the Shopaholic series. I was not aware of her cancer battle. I was blown away by this autobiographical novella. Thank you, Sophie, for sharing your story in such a raw manner and then also managing to insert your signature humor. You and your family will be in my prayers.

Will post to my Instagram and Goodreads closer to the publication date.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for the advance copy.

This fictionalized account of the author's real life battle with glioblastoma had me feeling every feel from sobbing to laughing and everything in between. Sophie Kinsella is on of my favorite authors, and this short book did not disappoint. Make sure to also read the author's note at the end. I highly, highly recommend this book!

Side note: please change the dashes back to classic punctuation like commas and periods. This is my new pet peeve!

Sophie Kinsella has been my favorite author from the second I read “OK! Don’t panic.” She writes in a way that keeps you laughing and loving all of her characters. What Does It Feel Like? is more autobiography than fiction, and in her true style she made me laugh and cry and care so much for Eve. Thank you Sophie for always making me laugh and reminding me why I love to read. All of your books will always have a place front and center on my bookshelf.

As a long time Sophie Kinsella reader, I was once again blown away by this book. It was extremely well written and I enjoyed the writing style, with snippets of notes and letters and a generally uplifting style to such a tragic story. It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me think about how grateful I am for my own life and not to take my health for granted.

Thanks to Sophie for such a great book and to netgalley for the eARC.

Sophie Kinsella was one of the first author's I fell in love with in my early adulthood. This book is absolutely heartbreaking , but at the same time it remains hopeful. It is a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis and the power of love and humor.

I’d read about Sophie Kinsella’s battle with brain cancer. I’m a fan of hers, so the news grabbed my attention. This short novel is a fictionalized account of her experience. Though it’s short, it’s harrowing—memory loss, having to relearn to walk, and not-cheery diagnoses. I was surprised she got well enough to write this book because things were looking griI’d read about Sophie Kinsella’s battle with brain cancer. I’m a fan of hers, so the news grabbed my attention. This short novel is a fictionalized account of her experience. Though it’s short, it’s harrowing—memory loss, having to relearn to walk, and not-cheery diagnoses. I was surprised she got well enough to write this book because things were looking grim there for a while.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novella, which RELEASES OCTOBER 8, 2024.
m there for a while.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novella, which RELEASES OCTOBER 8, 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC of 'What Does It Feel Like', by Sophie Kinsella, in exchange for an honest review - expected release date 10/8/2023

I'm gonna preface this review with a quick, personal lil blurb...

My college best friend Lisa passed away 12 years ago from cancer, and in her honor, I've vowed to read every Sophie Kinsella book she releases since Sophie was one of Lisa's favorite authors.

I've requested many ARCs from NetGalley, only to be rejected, but just received 'What Does It Feel Like' as my first ARC approval. I couldn't help but wonder if Lisa had a little something to do with it :)

Sophie's books are typically lighthearted and fun, chick-lits. This one deviates from that norm, and when I heard it was fiction but kinda autobiographical, my heart hurt for so many reasons.

Eve has it all, a loving, supportive husband with 5 beautiful kids and a writing career that has taken off, into movies even. Then she wakes up at a hospital and has no memory of her life thanks to a glioblastoma (brain tumor) diagnosis and removal surgery.

Writing personally about her struggle with this aggressive form of cancer, even with fiction elements thrown in, couldn't have been easy to share, or re-live. Her writing is top notch and even with the emotionally heavy story, she dropped in silly or positive little bits throughout. Everyone's known someone that's battled cancer, or done so themselves so this book was definitely heartbreaking and relatable. Thank you Sophie for sharing your story.

A poignantly written novella story — which left me wanting more — a longer version of the book with more details. This book is autobiographical but at the same time, the author admits to changing of timeline and circumstances as well as names — so in a way partly fictionalizing her battle with brain cancer — this book was powerful, comedic, and heartrending.


Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published October 8, 2024.

This is the fifth book I’ve read by Sophie Kinsella. Warning: this is not her typical funny book.

This is her first autobiographical novel. She is Eve, the main character who is an author who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and is in the process of recovering. Sadly this mirrors Sophie’s real life.

The book gives us an inside glimpse into life post brain surgery, chemo and radiation. We see a writer struggle to come up with common words because she’s lost her memory. She needs a walker. She needs a caregiver. There are a lot of plastic chairs. Her bucket list is remarkably simple: the same ole stuff but nicer. “Normal plus”.

The book is sad, funny, eloquent and poignant. I admire Eve’s (Sophia’s?) optimism.

“Write what you know and do it convincingly.”

“If you buy the dress, the occasion will come.”

Thank you for your honesty and bravely sharing your story.

Wow! This author has a style of lightness, humor and relatability that always makes her a pleasure to read. Then this…! This would be touching and inspiring as pure fiction…but learning that this is the author’s story, lightly fictionalized?! Kudos to her for the bravery to be so honest and vulnerable. .She has shown tremendous courage and strength in her recovery. I wish her health, happiness and continued success.

What an unexpected personal story. My heart goes out to Sophie and I appreciate her writing this heartwarming story. Such a scary story about such a strong and determined woman. Bravo!

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Pitch perfect. Not a word felt out of place. It is pretty short, and it feels like it was the perfect length to convey the story.

I've read 4 or 5 of author's other novels, but I don't think you need any familiarity with the author to understand this story.

Great for readers looking for a good cry. I wasn't ugly sobbing, but my face was distinctly moist for about an hour.

This is the most beautiful short book I have read ever. When I first started reading this, I was like ehhh am I even going to like this? 3 chapters in & I knew this was going to be amazing.

I wish I could quote this whole book. There were so many wonderful quotes, but honestly you just need to read & experience it for yourself.

Trigger Warning: this is about cancer and it is RAW. It is beautiful and raw and so realistic. As someone who has tumors growing inside me right now, I found this so inspiring. I can’t say enough good things about this book.

I rarely read the author’s note in books, but for this one I had a feeling that I needed to read it. I just could tell by the writing that this author had a personal connection to this book & I am so glad I chose to read the author’s note too.

Beautiful work! I would give 6 stars if I could!

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a longtime fan of Sophie Kinsella, and her shopaholic series, I’m struck by the emotions that I feel after finishing this book. I had no idea of her struggles with a brain tumor and that this book would be autobiographical regarding her situation. You can see that Sophie still has her sense of humor in light of this horrific diagnosis and experience. My heart goes out to her and her husband and her family, as she navigates this horrible situation. I have to rate this five stars given the scenario and her strength and sharing her experience with the world. I consider myself privileged to be able to be given the opportunity to preview this novel in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Sophie Kinsella, NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity. This book will remain with ,e for quite some time after I’ve read the last page.

Cried so much reading this book, it's a well written mix of tragedy and optimism with a wonderfully hopeful, happy-for-now ending. I've always loved Sophie Kinsella's writing and this book reinforced everything I love; from her resilient characters to hopeful love stories to raw and emotional scenes, this book had everything.


The book hits even harder once you know that it is almost auto biographical. 🥲

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

As a fan of Sophie Kinsella for 20+ years this book broke my heart. It’s her fictionalized autobiographical account of going through diagnosis, surgery, rehab and treatment for a brain tumor. As she herself says the queen of happy endings hopes and prays for a happy ending herself but her own prognosis is grim and it’s just devastating. A mother of 5 in the book and herself she discusses anticipatory grief and going through telling her kids about her diagnosis and prognosis. Going through hard discussions with her husband. This novella wrecked me as long time can of hers. Wishing her all the best. Wishing her peace and comfort. Lots of love.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. A fictional account of real life events for the author is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. You need to read the authors note at the end of the book. I read this book in about 40 min and loved every min! This story is a great book to get lost in and it’s more powerful because it is true events. I hope Sophie Kinsella stays with us for a very long time and continues to share her wonderful words with us.

A story about the author who gets a brain tumor and how she deals with short term memory loss, walking, again, radiation, and chemotherapy. But mostly it is about how humor and a positive outlook can make the life we live (for however long) more rewarding. Very uplifting for dealing with any negative in our life.