Firstly a huge thank you to Readers First and @Avon Books UK for the chance to review the ARC of Very Nearly Normal by Hannah Sunderland.
I'm not one for the deep, emotional story and usually do my best to avoid books like this, but when I read the first few chapters of this book I was hooked. Effie (Matilda) is not an immediately likeable character, she is most definitely human, flawed, self-conscious and at times self-pitying, and I think the majority will be able to see one or another of the less positive aspects of themselves in her. I certainly did and I loved the fact that this book centres on her journey as well as the romance with Theo.
Theo initially appears to be perfect, but he is definitely not 1 dimensional. Effie is not the only character to take a journey in this book. In addition there are the support characters of Arthur, Toby and Effie's parents, who bring an element of joy, hilarity, romance and reality to this story.
This book doesn't hold back the punches, but the author does so in an appropriately humorous and at times poignant way that totally captures you. There are a couple of key sections in the book where I found myself close to tears, and others where I couldn't hold back the laughter.
This book is a romance, but it's more than that...it's a journey of self-realisation and learning to love yourself. It is also a damn fine read that I completed in just a few hours. I didn't want to put this book down until the end and I did shush anyone who tried to interrupt me!
If you want a contemporary read that faces reality with humour, feistiness and a lot of alcohol, then this is definitely the book for you. I loved it and will definitely be doing a reread soon!
I'm not one for the deep, emotional story and usually do my best to avoid books like this, but when I read the first few chapters of this book I was hooked. Effie (Matilda) is not an immediately likeable character, she is most definitely human, flawed, self-conscious and at times self-pitying, and I think the majority will be able to see one or another of the less positive aspects of themselves in her. I certainly did and I loved the fact that this book centres on her journey as well as the romance with Theo.
Theo initially appears to be perfect, but he is definitely not 1 dimensional. Effie is not the only character to take a journey in this book. In addition there are the support characters of Arthur, Toby and Effie's parents, who bring an element of joy, hilarity, romance and reality to this story.
This book doesn't hold back the punches, but the author does so in an appropriately humorous and at times poignant way that totally captures you. There are a couple of key sections in the book where I found myself close to tears, and others where I couldn't hold back the laughter.
This book is a romance, but it's more than that...it's a journey of self-realisation and learning to love yourself. It is also a damn fine read that I completed in just a few hours. I didn't want to put this book down until the end and I did shush anyone who tried to interrupt me!
If you want a contemporary read that faces reality with humour, feistiness and a lot of alcohol, then this is definitely the book for you. I loved it and will definitely be doing a reread soon!