Closer along the lines of a novella than a novel, Sophie Kinsella has fictionalized her own story and her battle with glioblastoma: a rare incurable brain cancer. It is short and told in little snippets where you get snapshots of her life at any given moment. The amount of humor packed into a book so full of what should be grief is astounding. Somehow, this book is filled with more hope than sorrow and more love than sadness. While you will feel your heart hurt for everything the protagonist, Eve, is going through, you’ll feel even more gratitude for the way she handles such a difficult and life altering situation. 

I don’t want to go into too much detail with this review since this novel is so short, but I do want to say this: there are things we can control in life and things we can’t. This novel is an overwhelming affirmation that staying positive in a situation you can’t control often leads to, at the very least, a happy person. Eve’s attitude was everything. She could have been all doom and gloom and caused her husband and children to feel the same. Instead, she remained positive and left everyone in hopeful spirits. I think that is so so important and I truly loved reading this book. 

Overall, this novel will pull at your heart strings and make you want to cry at the unfairness of it all, but also the beauty of overcoming hardships. A quick and easy read that will sit with you long after you’re finished. 4.5/5 stars rounded up for social platforms. 

Source: Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)