How We Got to Today by Ben Ellis was the perfect read of escapism for me right now. I guess it would be called a romantic comedy. I adored the characters of Sheridan and Heidi. This story is a little gem and ever so endearing.

There is something wrong with Sheridan, no matter what he does he cannot see his face it is only a blur which you might be forgiven for thinking is ironic considering he is an optometrist. Sheridan's girlfriend Heidi works in the same town as him in a shop selling candles and bits and bobs, she is also a photographer and also single considering she has dumped Sheridan.

The story is told from both the perspectives of Sheridan and Heidi and leads up to 'today' when they will see each other again. There is a warmth and humour in the writing that is hard not to like,

I particularly liked the character of Sheridan I found him so intriguing and something of a one off. I liked the emotional aspects of the book but also the funny, touching moments that seemed to bring everything together.

A story of love and love lost but also a story of how those that know us best allow us to really see.

Wonderful and utterly charming. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a truly enjoyable read.
Sheridan and Heidi are such wonderful characters! their personalities are unique and each have their own individual quirks, however when put together they make a formidable duo.
I found myself well and truly immersed in the world in which the author brought to life, and fully invested in the characters happiness and the ending they would find.
Full of humour, happiness and warmth, this is a beautiful read.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
A quirky take on the classic rom com with the MC not recognising their own face. The rioting is good and the romance sweet.
However, the MC does display some questionable behaviour like being obsessed with his ex Heidi. This turned me off this story and made it more difficult to engage with and ejoym
On the whole, an okay book.

Interesting, Unique and a book I will be collecting for my forever shelf I have found this one hard to put down and have been completely captivated.
I adore the writing style, plot and characters. A great book!

It starts off a little wobbly, but I can only suggest you stick with it. The element that drew me in completely is possibly not what other readers will be attracted to with this read. It might be the disappearance, the search for love or the inability to view oneself as others do.

I was absolutely engrossed by the premise of Sheridan not being able to see his own face or facial features. His obsession with being able to see what others do with such ease and them having such a blasé attitude about it all. The determination to see himself almost eclipses everything except the loss of his girlfriend.

He becomes convinced that there is something more nefarious to her disappearance and all the ties she has broken off, including their relationship. Sheridan wanders between stalkerish, manic and just plain old weird behaviour.

Are the eyes the window to the soul, is there no soul or acknowledgement of self if one is unable to see into the window. What happens when there is a recognition of self?

Although I loved this book I sort of wished Ellis had run with the story of Sheridan a little bit more. I found it absolutely fascinating. The ending of this book fits with the overall narrative and plot, and is special in it own way. However, oh my gosh the absolute pot of literary gold in this story was and is the story of Sheridan and his lack of recognition of self, and being unable to see his own face. Something worth exploring in another book perhaps?
Either way it is a read I would recommend and one that doesn't necessarily fit into a specific genre per se. Ellis has a grasp on something really special in this read. I'll be interested to see what he comes up with next.

I found this such a unique concept of a book, Sheridan can't see himself, he otherwise has perfect vision but the minute he looks at his face - it blurs. Yet it isnt that bad, he has a good job, a lovely girfriend and a nice home but then she dumps him, and Sheridan is thrown into turmoil. Especially since she has just vanished in to thin air and he cant get closure.

Sheridan then spends the year trying to find her and himself, but he reaches a point where his quest to see his face is causing more problems than not, then we start to see Heidi and what happened to her as the book continues to countdown to "today"

Sheridan is funny, slightly awkward and doesnt often fit in to his surroundings but i felt for him, you want to help him - you want him to have a good life and let go of his worries. I found the way it was told great, a countdown over the months before and a narrative from Sheridan and how he was feeling made his turmoil clear.

Overall this was a great read that i really enjoyed, and i really liked getting to discover Sheridan and the deeper message of discovering ones self and how those closest to us, see us.

Thankyou also to the tour organisers for been understanding in my late post.

Thanks to @netgalley, @headlinebooks and the author @b3n3llis for allowing me to read and review "How We Got to Today". In these weird times, I think we all need shaking up and I am finding that interspersing my usual psychological thrillers with a bit of romance is the way to go.

The book follows the story of Sheridan, an optometrist at TwentyTwenty who has the rare condition of not being able to see his reflection and Heidi, a sales assistant at Candleina, right opposite TwentyTwenty. The book is split into two parts, each narrated by the two leading characters and charts their early romance and subsequent split, leaving Sheridan heart-broken and desperate to piece together what went wrong and how they got to today.

When considering who the characters reminded me of, I thought there were echoes of Don Tilman and Rosie from "The Rosie Project". I loved both sets of characters and like "The Rosie Project", this book has that life-affirming, feel-good factor which leaves you with a smile on your face as you turn the last page. It is definitely one I am glad I picked up.

I found this book quite hard to get into. I am so glad that I preserved as I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Sheridan is an Optometrist and Heidi works in a candle shop. Sheridan is unique, he is unable to see his face. Expensively and smartly dressed he would not know that he had something on his nose or anywhere on his face. He goes to great lengths to try and find himself. He falls in love with Heidi and out of the blue she finishes the relationship and disappears. We then go on a journey to find her. The book is written in two parts. The first is Sheridan’s story and then Heidi’s. It originally starts from today and then reverts to the past taking us forward in time to today. It was cleverly and brilliantly written with two great main characters, who I actually liked. Congratulations to Ben Ellis for your expertise in being able to get me to make me continue reading on. I recommend this book as a must read.

This book wasn't what I expected it to be - but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We start with Sheridan, or Sherry as he's known and the break up of a romance. Sheridan has a condition where he can not see his own face - it's just a blur. Trying to understand why his girlfriend has left him, Sheridan assumes it is something to do with him, that there is something wrong with him and so goes to get lengths in order to see his own face, to work out the issue.

The second half of the book is the story of Heidi, his girlfriend, and we see a whole new perspective of Sheridan. One that is much more flattering, proving that we really don't see ourselves how others see us. Heidi's story shows us that she has her own issues, and it's a sweet love story between them.

A gentle slow burn of a book, needing both parts to make the picture complete, and realising how much of ourselves is made up of others perceptions of us. If we can't see that, then how do we judge ourselves?

A really enjoyable read!

Going into this I was intrigued. Sheridan having an unknown condition where he can't see his own face, is something I've never read before.
Due to Sheridan having this condition others around him see him as weird or strange with his behaviour. Which is understandable considering he never really tells anyone his condition, so they only judge what they know not the full picture.
I probably preferred Sheridan part, I was interested to see how he coped with the condition and if he learns anything. Then with Heidi part I felt a little bored. Skipping a chapter or two. Just wanting to know why she left him.
I didn’t mind the layout. Seeing each part count down the months before the meet each other again. It possibly helped make this more fast paced. But also help fill in the blanks about what both sides were feeling at certain points.
Although Heidi reason for leaving was underwhelming and honestly annoyed me. Sheridan didn't deserve that. Both of them needed to just be honest with each other. That would have solved the whole thing.

This is the story of Sheridan, who suffers from a rare condition where he cannot see his own face and has just broken up with his girlfriend.

There were some humorous observations as to what we would miss if we couldn't see our own reflection (Jam on your nose, stray stubble) and I liked the friendship that Sheridan had with the journalist and the sense of community Heidi's story created when she was hosting her prop party.

I really liked that Sheridan had a condition that I had never heard of as it brought something new to the story but I wasn't a massive fan of his half of the book, I think this would have worked better if the chapters from the characters were told alternately rather than the first half as Sheridan and the second half as Heidi because I was really bored with Sheridan's story and would have DNF'd this book if I hadn't read the reviews that said the second half picked up and was from Heidi's point of view.

My Thoughts: this story was very original, we follow Sheridan who can’t see his own reflection in any format and has spent his life trying to in different formats, obviously it is something he is very insecure about and yet he hasn’t told anyone. – the story begins a year in the past on the day that Heidi ends the relationship between her and Sheridan.

The last half of the story was told from Heidi’s POV and for me personally I preferred her account, I found myself relating to it more & sympathising with her where as I found Sheridans version whiny and all “why me” but I guess in a way that added to the story!

The story itself was enjoyable and romantic & made my heart happy. – I would definitely recommend it ☺️

🐧❤️

I thoroughly enjoyed reading How We Got to Today. Sheridan and Heidi are such lovely leads and ones that I really cared about what happened to. I loved the dual perspective and the reverse chronological writing. I wish the story had been a little longer as I felt invested in the characters and would love to have found out more about them and also more about Heidi and her family. I loved the idea for Sheridan's 'condition' as I felt it gave a really nice framework for his side of the story and led to some very amusing scenes

Oh, but I adored this book. It was just what I needed, right at the very moment I needed it. It is, at times poignant, reminding us that we often don’t appreciate how those closest to us see us. That they sometimes know us better than we know ourselves as we stumble through life, moment to moment without taking the time to look within. It really got me thinking.

Sheridan is such a likeable character. As we begin to see his story unfold, I just couldn’t understand how Heidi could leave him. It made me wonder just what had gone on. He is a little strange. An outsider looking in might find his obsession on his face to be somewhat alarming. It could easily be misconstrued as vanity and self obsession. Of course the reader knows from early on that Sheridan is suffering from a very unusual problem. He can not see his own face. Never has. When he looks into a mirror, a reflection, a painting, photograph, even a caricature, he sees just a blur. I think this aspect was one of the things I found most intriguing about the story. Of course one can delve deeper, as Sheridan certainly does, to search for the underlying meaning in such a condition but for the story, it certainly adds a unique edge.

As well as this ailment, Sheridan’s gentleness was appealing. He seemed a thoroughly nice chap and to watch him so heartbroken by his loss was indeed a refreshing approach to the male point of view. As the story went on I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to find someone new or get back together with Heidi, or possibly neither option. I did want him to find happiness though. I felt he deserved it. Indeed this is a story about love. Lost love and finding love but also learning to accept ourselves and even learn to love ourselves. How often do we really look at ourselves. I mean really look. We take fleeting glances in the mirror, mostly to check we are presentable to the outside world. Moments when we may have been caught on camera can leave us wondering who that strange person is. Do I really sound/look like that?

All in all this was a wonderful read. Funny, heartwarming and uplifting. In some ways Ben’s writing reminds me of Nick Hornby, perhaps it’s the snatches of humour scattered throughout, the genuine, warts and all style and characterisation. He captures a snapshot of a life beautifully, it sweeps you away and then leaves you feeling warm to the bone. I absolutely loved it and will miss having a little bit of Sheridan in my life.

This is a book about love, perspective and family; the power of influence to our life and decisions without being able to predict the results.
This book is the story of Sheridan and Heidi, from the past till today, but don’t expect the “typical” love story, both of them have their own baggage and will have to learn that if you don’t trust your partner with your problems, the relation will never have a future.
This had been a different read, it’s more like the first book of a series, where we meet the characters but there’s a lot of background that is not solved till the next book. I don’t say it in a bad way, but I had so many questions at the end of this story that I really hope we will see a second book to make this story fully complete. Just a few examples; Sheridan is unable to see his reflection, but the story doesn’t enter on why he can’t see it or how he tries to share it with his partner. On the other side, Heidi’s family seem to have their own problems and will affect the plot of the book, but it’s not solved either. So, I really hope the author will make a continuation of the story to solve all of these subplots that are not solved on the book!
I liked how the story is told, the perspectives of Heidi and Sheridan, from the past till today, firstly we will read Sheridan and how his life changed after meeting Heidi, but we will discover his illness and how it affects his life and his way to treat everyone around him. And then, we will read Heidi’s story, her love for photography and how the past of her mother and sister affects her relation with Sheridan.
It’s an original perspective to show the reader that sometimes we are so influenced by the people around us that we don’t really see the full picture of our life. A little reminder that sometimes, even if we try to act in the best way for everyone, it’s not the best choice we can make.
Ready for “How We Got To Today”?

I read How We Got To Today by Ben Ellis in staves with other Pigeonholers as part of a group.

Photographer Heidi works at Candleina, a shop on her local high street in Wigthorn that sells items such as fragranced lotions, pot pourri and candles. Her boyfriend - optometrist Sheridan - who cannot see his own face, works on the same street. One day, Heidi totally unexpectedly ends things, but as well as breaking his heart, she also vanishes, so a devasted and bereft Sheridan goes looking for her, as he tries to work out why she dumped him.

The story was mostly told in two sections, the first being Sheridan's, followed by Heidi's that changed between time periods. I found How We Got To Today to be a fascinating and enthralling story. The author's portrayal of Sheridan's emotions stemming from Heidi's actions was touching and moving. The novel had a well-thought-out plot, terrific pacing and was also a quality character study, that was reflective, highly emotive and certainly unusual. I preferred the parts of the novel that included Sheridan as, for me, he was zany, highly amusing, witty and thoughtful, if rather odd. A very worthwhile and enjoyable read that had me riveted until the end.

This was my first novel by Ben Ellis and I can see myself checking out his next book!

A special thank you to Headline Accent, Ben Ellis, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Interestingly written - the book starts from Sheridan's perspective and explains the lead up to the present day. It then swaps to Heidi's point of view and explains things from her perspective. Finally it culminates in the present day. It was a brave way to do things - normally books where there are different viewpoints explain the same events one at a time but this did it differently. It kept me engaged until the end and, while different from my usual reads, I would be interested to read more by this author.

The book is split into two halves. First half is Sheridan and the second half is Heidi.

A year ago Sheridan had his heart ripped out and broken into tiny pieces when Heidi, the love of his life ended their relationship. Sheridan was desperate to make it work but Heidi just wanted it finished and with that literally disappears.

The twist with this story is that Sheridan has no idea what he looks like. No he's not blind, he's actually an Optometrist but when he looks in the mirror everything from the neck up is blurry.

With each month that passes Sheridan tries to rebuild his life without Heidi in it but something doesn't sit right with him as to where she has gone.

Heidi leaves her ex Gary after finding him cheating and soon meets Sheridan. They are in love, soul mates.

Time passes and after a rough couple of weeks, Heidi feels she has no other choice but to end their relationship and move away, far away. She cant offer him an explanation as she doesn't have one, not one that makes sense.

The ending is cute, happy and one I didn't see coming.
Perfect weekend read.

This is a really interesting story with two points of views splitting the book. Sheridan has a strange visual condition which encourages the reader to read on and learn more about him as a character. The chapters written from Sheridan's point of view were slow to start, and maybe as a reference to his condition, were less defined. Heidi's chapters in contrast were much more engaging, as we learnt about the development of her character through her relationship with Sheridan. An interesting read.

There is a really interesting subject in this book. The condition that Sheridan has is really odd and makes you want to carry on reading to find out what it is.

Right at the beginning you feel so sorry for Sherry, it's such a shame.

I really loved the line 'Have I been so blind that my biggest problem is deafness'.

I like the layout of this book where is starts from Sheridan perspective and then switches to Heidi's. The way its done really pulls everything together like a drawstring bag.

I love that Heidi loves photography because I really love it too, I feel like I'm there taking the photos as Heidi.

I loved the brilliant ending, I really really enjoyed this novel. Theres are parts in the book that you feel sorry for Sherry and Heidi equally.