This book is an absolute gem. It had me chuckling from start to finish. (While not shying away from the more complex relationships which ultimately define the book.) Nina Stibbe has absolutely nailed the voice of a young woman living in the Midlands in the 1980s.
I very much enjoyed Love Nina (her first novel) and this is just as good. Our heroine, Lizzie, gets a job as a dental nurse with no experience, moves into the flat above the practice, and becomes a fan of the women’s magazines she finds in the waiting room. I engaged with her life and really enjoyed the details. The other characters, including her eccentric mother, are brilliantly written and I loved them all.
I throughly recommend this.
Thank you to @NetGalley, to Nina Stibbe and to the publishers for the opportunity to review #ReasonsToBeCheerful

Every time Nina writes a new book, I'm itching to get my hands on it. She never disappoints, and she hasn't in this new book either. Like all her others, it has you laughing out loud one minute and sobbing out loud the next. Bizarrely, I kept picturing Nina's face and voice as the main character - I think it's because some of her other books have been autobiographical/semi- autobiographical, and so her character is the one who came immediately to mind in this book too! Set in the world of dentistry in Leicester, full of wonderfully awkward and disfunctional characters, Nina's sharp wit and wonderful storytelling will have you giggling yet again.

There’s nothing better than picking up a book by an author you’ve not read before and discovering an absolute gem. Nina Stibbe’s pen portraits of 18 year-old Lizzie, her mechanic mother with an unusual way of getting out of a fix, her siblings, her stepfather and her bonkers dental surgeon employer are a dream. The writing here is dry and witty, and although this book doesn’t scream plot action it pulls you along waiting for the next pearl to fall from someone’s mouth. Situations that would seem utterly preposterous in most books feel completely natural here with this motley crew of characters. This novel is in part a coming of age for Lizzie, part an exploration of families and relationships and part dealing with grief, but as a whole it’s a glorious Eton Mess of a book that’s beautifully written. I’m so pleased to have read it.

I tried. But in general this wasnt a book that I enjoyed reading, mainly because it seemed so unlikely.
Lizzie was a funny little character working for a completely mad dentist. Even in that era there would have surely been checks made?
Racism, sexism...ye,s it did happen in that time, but this seemed to take up so much of the story..
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

I found this book very enjoyable and the main character, Lizzie and her problems were very engaging. I loved her description of life with her dysfunctional family and the way in which her relationship develops – or doesn’t – with Andy is poignant. There are some excellent sections in the story; such as the description of Tammy feeding a cigarette to her dentist lover so that the patients won’t complain about the smell of his hands. Lizzie’s attempts to learn to drive whilst being taught by the vicar’s wife, who has never had a learner pass, were hilarious. I also found the references to places in Leicester very interesting as I am very familiar with the city.
The descriptions of Lizzie’s escapades as a dental nurse are very funny as was her interview for the role. Every town should have a dress shop like April Jickson’s .
Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Reasons to be cheerful
A story that crept up on me until the life of our heroine Lizzie became so bizarre that I just had to keep on reading. Her mother, her family, friends and in particular her work at the dentist’s - JP Wintergreen -, became part of my fantasy life and dreams too. The discussions were absurd and yet, somehow resonated of the time.
Her mother was described as being a:
Drunk; divorcee; nudist; amphetamine addict; nymphomaniac; shop lifter; would-be novelist; poet; and playwright.
In that order.
And her boyfriend was clearly asexual or gay, she assumed, because he liked having freshly laundered clothes, made fruit salads, and once experimented with lemon in his tea. And most importantly of all, never got his penis out, despite her belief that it was often intended as a compliment.
We never really find out just how many pregnancies Lizzie’s mother had, or affairs, but we do realise, that due to her addictions, as a child, Lizzie and her elder siblings, more or less raised themselves in a rather eccentric and liberal household.
The oddities of Lizzie’s family and her work and romances, are recounted in such a dry manner that I found it difficult not to become enthusiastic over the life of this town and want now to meet them all in real life please!

Somehow, despite very little happening, this book is so engaging, so entertaining, uplifting and feels so natural. I could have easily believed it was autobiographical, and was surprised to read that it was largely invented at the end.

Lizzie's character is principled, no-nonsense and self-proclaimed weird. But seems just as 'weird' as anyone else, but with a slightly less conventional upbringing.

In some ways, there is very little story - the book is like one long reminiscence, but it is never boring, or slow. And somehow makes dentistry sound interesting!

I barely understand the reasons why, but I really enjoyed this.

A gentle quirky book which is an easy read. Light with some funny scenarios plus a few sad bits, but well balanced so the reader gets drawn in to this story about the mundane but unconventional life of naive Lizzie Vogel the main character. It is a blast from the past as set in the early 1980s and there are many humourous references to life at the time and, those of us who lived through that time, will be transported back.

My daughter is a dental nurse (qualified) and she will love it, even though she may cringe at some of the dental references, I think this book will be a talking point amongst the nurses and dentists alike in the practice she works in.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.

I looked forward to reading this book, having been a teenager in the mid 1980’s. However I have had to admit defeat - I have not been enjoying this book. I will try again in a few months.

I loved this book. Having grown up in Leicester in the 1980s, it made me feel very nostalgic to hear the names of places I used to go to as a child. The book itself is just a simple insight into the life of a young girl, just moving into adulthood, taking on new responsibilities and finding her way. It's really sweet and easy to read, with plenty of humour thrown in. I felt very close to Lizzie and when bad things happened to her it really got me in the feels. Just an all round nice read, good for the beach or just a cosy afternoon. Well recommended.

Reasons to be Cheerful is third in a Trilogy by the always euridite and clever Nina Stibbe. Having loved the first in this series, I can say the third does not disappoint. They can be read in any order. In this novel, set during the early nineteen eighties, Lizzie Vogel ,the product of a broken marriage, living with Mum, step-Dad, two siblings and a little step brother breaks away from her eccentric home to work in Leicester as a dental assistant. She lives in the flat above the practice. The characters entering this phase of Lizzie's life are fabulous depictions and there follows hilarious incident after hilarious incident enhanced by the 'narrative pace'. Stibbe is a superb raconteur.. Lizzie never quite leaves home. She collects her little brother from nursery bringing her eccentric , very sexy, mother who aspires to be a writer but never manages to get accepted by Faber, her goal. And when Lizzie's boyfriend, a young dental technician with a sad history rents Lizzie's vacant bedroom in her mother's busy house tensions emerge as to what exactly lies between her mother and boyfriend. This story is absolutely wonderful, a snapshot of the period, relating an eighteen year old's concerns on leaving home, embracing a strange occupation - dentistry as dental nurse, her personality quirks and above all Lizzie's lovely soul, generous to a fault and kind. Relationships are at the heart of this book and are exquisitely explored. Stibbe' characterisation is wonderful, funny and engaging. There is much depth about life in this novel. Not wishing to give spoilers, I must say I blinked away sad tears close to the end. Even so there is positivity and a promise of even deeper human bonds . This is a true to life, beautifully written coming of age book in every sense of this phrase.

Having read her memoire as life as a London Nanny, I was pleased to have the opportunity to read this fictional work by Nina Stibbe. Funny, moving and realistic to a degree, this story of Lizzie’s move into the adult world of work and complicated relationships with family, friends and colleagues is extremely readable and enjoyable. Being if a similar age, the 1980s references are spot on. There is just one warning though - it includes detailed accounts of dentistry which some readers may find upsetting!

I loved this book. It’s a lovely easy read, funny and nostalgic (set in the 1980s) I really liked Lizzie the main character.

I’ll definitely look out for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion

A sweet book set in the 1980’s around the life and family of Lizzie Vogel who reluctantly moves out of her family home into a flat above the dental clinic she begins work in. Learning to adjust to an independent adult life, Lizzie learns about work, making friends, driving and relationships.

An easy read, in very much an 80’s style story, with highs lows, laugh out loud moments and some cringe worthy dental detail - eek.

Another fantastically funny slice of 80s life from Nina Stibbe.

It’s the early 1980s and our narrator, Lizzie Vogel, is about to leave home for the first time, and move from her village into the city of Leicester. Her first fulltime job is to be a dental assistant working for the awful JP and his partner Tammy. The job comes with its own flat, and initially reluctantly, Lizzie leaves the family home and moves in.

There is much humour to be had early 1980s dentistry, the introduction of McCain’s Oven Chips and freemasonry.

This is the third book in Nina Stibbe’s wonderful series about Lizzie, although they all work as standalone novels. It follows Man at the Helm, when Lizzie and her sister tried to find a partner for their newly single mother, and Paradise Lodge where Lizzie worked part time in an old people’s home while still at school.
The details are as ever pitch perfect. Lizzie devours waiting room copies of magazines like Women’s Own, tells horror stories of meals in Fenwick’s department store, and notes that a local accountant has built his own nuclear bunker, but it’s supposed to be secret.

As well as moving out, Lizzie is dealing with having her first proper boyfriend and learning to drive. But Lizzie moving out has meant that her mother is able to get on with a novel, a science fiction epic that she is determined will be published by Faber & Faber.

Stibbe handles all this masterfully, and it’s the eye to detail that absolutely convinces you.

"Reasons to be Cheerful" is the first book by Nina Stibbe that I've read, It doesn't start anywhere, or go anywhere even, but it was a fun, light, holiday kind of book. The book follows the dramas of Lizzie - it's very much fiction, and by the end I wanted her to exist, with her common sense and straightforwardness, someone simple but layered, kind and principled. Nina has an excellent voice and a very readable style. One to enjoy beside the pool.

Lizzie is a young girl in a small Leicester village 18 and wanting more.
This is almost to me a diary of her life and how she in both ways wants to be her own person yet also wants to fit in with others around her.
She finds a job in a dentists after writing a letter with her mother.
She explains her life as a child of divorced parents who seems accepting of both of their alternate lifestyles and not in the least embarrassed about her mother and her free ways with men.
She meets the dentist, his assistant Tammy and Andy a boy/man she knows from her village and now working making dental implants and such.
This is an 80’s era book full of nostalgia but also highlights the glaring issues with dentists not accepting NHS patients and people’s racism more prevalent then.
A great story not my usual fare but it stood out to me.
A worthy entertaining read for all.

I have to thank Penguin for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. Nina Stibbe is a very funny writer and I felt that I had to keep reading this out loud so people could understand why I was laughing.
The story is told by Lizzy Vogel, a young woman who leaves her alcoholic mother, an aspiring writer, and moves into a flat above her new job as a dental nurse.. Her employer is a racist who refuses to accept any Asian patients into his NHS practice. This is set in the 1970s, but even then it was not accepted. By the end of the book Lizzy will have changed this. The description of everyday life is very prosaic, but quite poignant. I was reminded of the Adrian Mole books in style. Lizzy wants to learn to drive, but her grandmother will only pay for her lessons if she agrees to be confirmed, even though she tells the vicar that she is an atheist. The driving instructor is the vicar's wife, and it becomes clear that none of her previous students has ever passed their test, possibly because the instructor falls asleep as soon as they set off. The humour lies in the awkward situations that Lizzy finds herself in, and somehow you feel that some of this is drawn from real life.
If you want something to brighten up your day, this may just hit the spot. If you remember the 1970s you will probably recognise some of the references, but even if you are younger you will appreciate the bizarre situations.
#ReasonsToBeCheerful #NetGalley

"'Telephone Bill Turner nurse. Tell him to pop down and get this root out for me'. I looked at the clock. I hadn't time to wait for Bill. 'Sit down,' I said, pulling the Medi Light across." So says teenage dental nurse (unqualified) Lizzie Vogel.

At times laugh out loud funny, with a lively direct writing style. Set in 80s Leicester, this really is a book for fans of Sue Townsend.

Gosh this was a funny book. I liked it much better than Adrian Mole for those that were comparing it. Quirky, and fairly eccentric mother, horrendous boss and an average sort of boyfriend who is either using the laundry or watching telly... nothing much else... make Lizzie doubt herself and consider (and reconsider) her life choices a fair bit. The pace is great as it is thoroughly entertaining as she weaves through the various situations and remains fairly stoic throughout.

Would happily recommend this book. Thank you for the chance to read NetGalley and Penguin books.