Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Love Your Life” by Sophie Kinsella, October, 2020

Sophie Kinsella, the author of “Love Your Life” has written an amusing, witty, and entertaining story. The genres for this novel are Fiction, Humor, Romance, and Women’s Fiction. Especially in these stressful times, I would certainly recommend a dose of Sophie Kinsella’s “Love Your Life”. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her colorful characters as complex, complicated, flawed and totally likable! My favorite character is Ralph, and you guessed it is a dog, definitely has a way of asserting himself!

Ava is through with all the various dating apps, and is off to Italy on a writer’s retreat. All the visitors give a “fake name” for the duration. With the addition of a few new members, Ava is drawn to a man who seems to like adventure, and she has the best time of her life. When it is time to leave the retreat, she learns his name is Matt. The two both live in London.

Back home at London, both discover they have very different lives, and have to decide if they can compromise, and accept each other as they really are. This is a refreshing and charming read, and just perfect to escape from the problems in our worlds.

I really enjoyed this book! I love Sophie Kinsella books because they are funny, romantic and just fun to read! I loved how this one really delved into a relationship and if love at first sight happens and what happens when a vacation romance faces reality.
The side characters were so fun as well. I loved both of their sets of friends and how supportive they were. Overall this was a classic Kinsella book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Love Your Life is the name of this book but I am like LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! Sophie Kinsella is a sure thing for me, she writes books that will take me to a happy place and boyyyyyyy do I need to go to a happy place right now! I love the way her story has so much, there is romance yes def but they is so much more! I love the romcom aspect of this book but wow watch out this book was a little edgy! I loved it so much!

This was the perfect book to read during this time. I loved the characters, the story line, the humor that Sophie Kinsella always incorporates into her novels! Highly recommend this if you are in the need of a lighter read.

This was my first book by Sophie Kinsella and I have no idea why I have waited so long to pick up one of her fantastic reads! This had a very cute story line, super fun characters, romance, and laughs. Some of the last books I read were pretty heavy and I needed something else to to get me through a few rough weeks. This book definitely did it! Such a light-hearted, fast read that I couldn't put down.

I’m always a Sophie Kinsella fan so I was pumped to pick this one up. Per usual, the characters were hilarious and so much fun and the story was fast paced. I had a few problems with the romance in the story and felt like that held me back from giving it a full 4 stars. But all in all this novel was super cute and a entertaining read! Thank you netgalley and Random house for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute book!! I loved the quirkiness of Ava, compared to Matt’s slightly more serious side. They were really fun to read about. I don’t usually like love at first sight, but this one really worked for me.

Harold was the show stealer in this book though! It was hard not to love him even though he was so ornery! And Matt & Ava”s friends were quite comical as well.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun read and a good laugh.

Sophie Kinsella is the perfect author for when you need a feel-good book. This was no different. Love Your Life was just what I needed right now. I highly recommend it if you are looking for something light-hearted!

This was a toughie to get through and root for the characters. Sophie Kinsella's heroines are usually lovably flawed bordering on ridiculousness (e.g., Shopaholic). Unfortunately, I had a hard time loving our hero and heroine because they were so far fetched.

1.5 stars.

Ava and her three friends are crazy but love one another. Ava decides to go to Italy for a writing seminar. She meets the perfect guy called Dutch but the resort doesn't let them share information about themselves Ava knows nothing about the guy but she is in love with him.
They get back to London and she finds out he lives in London too. Now they can trade their information with each other.
The typical Sophie Kinsella book with the main character being a crazy lady.

Ditch the dating app and go on a writer's retreat! This is what Ava decides since she believes in feelings, not algorithms and filters. After a dating app debacle, she escapes to coastal Italy to finish writing the novel she dreams about. At the retreat she meets a man nicknamed "Dutch" and the two begin a whirlwind love affair. But when they return to London, both realize their real lives are way different. Not compatible at all! They love each other but not each other's lives.

I'm not over Sophie Kinsella. I'm really not over Sophie Kinsella. I am not over Sophie Kinsella.

Her writing is often funny, heartwarming and light. Usually chick lit fiction helps me to escape reality. What better form of entertainment than a cute British read, right? But with a global pandemic and racial unrest surrounding me, it seemed too cute. It certainly did not help that the main character was unlikable throughout. There are times the novel jumps months and no kind of character growth is shown. You'd think I could relate to a single woman opting for a writer's retreat...but nope.

I only finished reading on the strength of my being a Sophie Kinsella fan, having read all of her works and will continue to do so. Either bad timing or my own state of mind, Love Your Life was just okay overall. Nevertheless, if you can separate reality from fiction enough to lose yourself in a cute romance, Love Your Life is it!

Happy Pub Day to the Sophie Kinsella! Love Your Life is now available.

LiteraryMarie

I'm a fan of the author's work admittedly so I went in with high hopes!

Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me and I was not able to finish about 53% of the way thru.

I just kept finding our heroine childish and a bit immature, I love quirky leading ladies but this was a bit much.

Also maybe I've missed the mark but dolls are antifeminism? That being repeated over and over again just kept jarring me out of my reading enjoyment.

I might try again at a later date as I did enjoy some of the early parts of the book!

Such a cute book from the author of the Shopaholic series! Like the other Kinsella heroines, Ava is relentlessly quirky and optimistic. There were times that I found her a little exhausting to be honest but the story really redeemed her. She meets Matt while at a writing retreat and insta-love ensues. They come home to London from their wonderful idyll in Italy to find that they need to actually deal with real life and whether their insta-love is real. I really liked the group of friends that Ava and Matt had-there was one scene towards the end that kind of reminded me of Hugh Grant's group of friends in Notting Hill. I also loved the Harriet House workplace/fandom that Matt has grown up in.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this sweet women’s lit story. I’ve read several others by Sophie Kinsella and am always entertained. The beginning dragged a little for me, and I didn’t love that the two main characters fell instantly in love, but he rest of the story makes up for this. It’s real and raw and about what love truly looks like. I have to admit my favorite character is Harold, and while he would probably drive me a little crazy I couldn’t help but love him. Ava and Matt meet while in Italy for a writing retreat and their love is a whirlwind story. There’s a lot of belief in opposites attract, but what happens when the things that make you opposites drive you nuts? I love the humor mixed with romance and family both the family you’re born into and the family you choose. But most importantly in between the human drama is the story of a rescue pup with no manners but an adorable aura who will absolutely steal your heart (and everything anyone is holding around him).

This is my first Kinsella book, I know... what's wrong with me? I started it this morning at 7am and just finished it at noon. I could not put it down! I went through so many emotions navigating this story. The characters were so vibrant, I could actually see them. It was such a good read! I will never steer clear of a Kinsella book ever again. Thank you for approving me!

I've read pretty much everything Sophie Kinsella has written, and I have a great fondness for the Shopaholic series. This standalone rom-com is very reminiscent of that series, in many of the situations and the demeanors of the characters. There were times when Ava and Matt drove me crazy, but I love how the storyline progressed and what came to pass in the end. (And now I'm off to find myself an Italian retreat!) Thanks to Netgalley and The Dial Press for the advance digital copy!

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella is another laugh out loud romantic comedy. Ava works full time but also is involved in many different side courses and activities that keep her busy. She's got a great group of supportive friends and a much-beloved dog named Harold. While off on a writing retreat in Italy Ava meets a man calling himself Dutch. They fall in love and continue to see each other once they both return to England. Many hijinks ensue that will have you laughing away. The perfect book to read to escape obsessing about the pandemic. Read and enjoy!

I'm so torn on how to feel.about this book. I liked the beginning. The middle was umbearable. The characters annoyed me SO much that I nearly put the book down for good. The ending was redeeming and sweet. There were several of the signature laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout.

I used to love Sophie Kinsella's books. I had read most of the Shopaholic books more than twice and I have read most of her books but I just didn't like this book at all. I disliked the characters and so much so that I just couldn't stand them. I so wanted to quit this book but I forced myself to finish it.

Rounding up to a 4 star, but would give 3.5 if that was an option.

The premise of this book is SO cute. I was really expecting a lot from it, especially since it's my first Kinsella.
I was disappointed by it in some degree due to the main character Ava. She really really really irritated me for the first half of the book! The way she demanded "no baggage" in the beginning of her relationship with Matt was unrealistic and silly. She wasn't honest with Matt, her friends, or herself regarding the red-flags she was seeing in her new relationship. She pushed a lot of things under the rug just to claim that her and Matt were compatible and meant for one another.

As predicted, things came to a head and that's when the growth happened. For both Matt and Ava. It was refreshing to see the growth they found through their breakup and how that translated in other areas of their lives that the other person knew they would need/want to improve. For Matt, it was his work. He had been working for his family's company for years and absolutely hated it. He didn't see a way out and was content with being unhappy until he listened to Ava's thoughts on the matter and realized those things on his own after they'd gone their separate ways. For Ava, it was her entire outlook on life that she had to want to change for herself. She had her hand in EVERYTHING. Starting projects without finishing them and following through with her dreams and ambitions. Matt saw this and told her that she needs to stick to something, she needed to find that drive inside of her, that was inspired by Matt after they'd broken up, and it allowed her to accomplish several of her goals she'd made for herself years ago.

Ultimately, the ending made up for the issues I had at the half way point. I liked that Matt and Ava worked on themselves after they broke up. I like that Matt and his friends still spent time and cared from Ava's friends even when Matt and Ava weren't together. The dynamic they all had together was pure, sweet, and something I think everyone wants in their lives: a solid friend group that you can call family.