I'm Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait

Celia and her three grown up children, Michael, Hanna and Alice, attend the funeral of their Aunt Katy. But this is the first time they've been together for four years while Hanna was living in Kuala Lumpar. We go backwards to the childhoods of all the characters told from their different points of view and see what led to this rift and then how events play out after the funeral.

This is a compelling portrayal of dysfunctional families and mental illness - I found it utterly absorbing. Seeing events from each character's perspective made for a fascinating book that I couldn't put down. It's a thought-provoking mediatation on how our parents and families influence our lives - very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The story follows the life of Celia, through her dysfunctional childhood and into adulthood, and the lives of her 3 children, also into adulthood.

It starts with a funeral, and continues to be dark, dry and witty, casting an eye on sibling rivalry, relationships, dysfunctional families, family dynamics, mental illness and social awkwardness.

The story flits between present day and the past to give us more of an insight into the characters and we really see them develop throughout the book and, through their issues in childhood, we understand the flaws they have as adults.

I found this book so easy to read and blitzed through it in 2 days. The development of the characters through time was really good and it felt like it could be written about any family you might know with a strained relationship.

I think this book will be very popular when it’s published in July. It is witty and well written. Highly recommend.

The dynamic between the siblings, particularly Alice and Hanna was very compelling and their mother’s back story was quite surprising. The stilted communication, misunderstandings and stubbornness between them all was frustrating but familiar! Overall a well-layered family story which examines generational difference, British repression and mental health.

Brilliantly, brilliantly written. A story that you become so invested in, so lost in finding out what happens. It's emotional and dark, but also filled with gentle humour. The characters are beautifully-crafted, whether likeable or not, and the insight into their mentalities is masterful.

The book deals with themes of family, relationships and lack thereof; of dysfunctionality and toxic environments, of how openness and honesty and vulnerability can make things so much easier, but also so much worse; of nature versus nurture, and the impact of intergenerational trauma; of mental health and perceptions of illness. It is simply fantastic.

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way follows the lives of Celia and her three children - Michael, Hanna and Alice. It's an extremely captivating exploration of dysfunctional family dynamics and how our childhoods shape our ability to form meaningful connections in later life.

I really enjoyed reading the story from multiple points of view, as it gave me a chance to sympathise with each character and better understand why they behaved the way they did, without having a single person be the designated "bad guy". The characters themselves were very well-rounded and despite each of them being flawed and often unlikable it was easy to find little glimpses in each of them to relate to.

This book was really enjoyable. It's about a very dysfunctional family, told from various points of view so you get all sides. Just when you start siding with one member you read from another character and can understand where they are coming from and why they act the way they do. It's full of flawed but likeable characters, all very different, that I truly wanted the best for and felt sympathy towards.

I did find some of this book a little difficult to connect with, and didn't always love the characters. A lack of structured plot also made this quite hard to read.

This is a story of family dynamics and interpersonal relationships. This was a real roller coaster and I really enjoyed it.

In this book we get to know members of a family intimately through their own thoughts and each other’s perspectives. The characters are messy, toxic and unbearable in their own ways, however by exploring each of their experiences at different stages of life we come to understand and empathise with them (at least to some extent). This structure of the book is very effective and is what made it for me.

I really enjoyed the exploration of the impact childhood experiences continue to have on relationships in our adult lives. In particular, that no event can be pinpointed as the single cause for strained relationships, especially given the same events are experienced differently by the characters.

Overall this is an interesting read about what shapes family dynamics and Wait explores difficult topics delicately. There are lows, funny moments, and I think most people will find something in here that resonates with them. I would absolutely recommend this when it’s released on 7th July!

I LOVE BOOKS WITH DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES, I COME FROM ONE SO I FIND IT SETTLING THAT AUTHORS ARE NOW NOT MAKING EVERYTHING IN FICTION ABOUT THE PERFECT SUPPORTIVE LOVING FAMILY, ID TAKE REAL OVER THAT FLUFF ANY DAY,

I LIKED THAT THE STORY WAS TOLD IN DUEL TIMELINES AND FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF VARIOUS FAMILY MEMBERS, IT HELPS READERS SEE THINGS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES FOR SURE, ALSO IT GIVES A GREATER PICTURE OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING THERES HER SIDE THEIR SIDE AND THE TRUTH LIES SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE! THIS BOOK CONFIRMS THAT THEORY.

ALL IN ALL REBECCA HAS TOLD A FABULOUS STORY WITH FLAWED CHARACTERS AND THAT REALLY OPENS YOUR EYES TO DYNAMICS IN PEOPLES LIVES.

EXCELLENT READ

I really liked this book. It’s about a dysfunctional family over the course of their lives, how decisions we make effect the people around us and how your family is your family no matter what. It reminded me a bit of Anne Tyler books in the way she explored family dynamics and the way past experiences influence our relationships. I really connected to the characters and wanted the best for them. They were so well rounded, flawed but sympathetic. I had no idea where the story was going but I really enjoyed the journey.

I'm Sorry You Feel This Way is a book about family, and all the challenges that come with it. Told from multiple points of view, the story follows mother Celia and her experience with her sister and children, and Celia's children Michael, Hanna and Alice.

If you grew up with siblings, absent parents or parents who want the best for you but don't really know how to express it, you will definitely find yourself in either of the characters of this book. Wait paints a painfully accurate picture of family life, the character's flaws, and how every family member can experience events in very different ways.

Despite the sometimes dark undertones of the book, the story is also really funny. The party-scene at Alice's home felt like watching a comedy unfold, and I didn't want that part to end because it was so hilariously written. I loved how this book moved me, and would definitely recommend everyone to read it when it comes out on July 7!

I absolutely adored this book.
I'm Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait is a highly-engrossing novel about the all-encompassing power of family relations and friendships. The author chose to tell the stories of their lives by focusing on all family members (mother, two daughters, Alice and Hannah, and son Michael) and giving each of them a distinctive voice and extensive background. I really enjoyed this, because it gave me the chance to get to know them better and figure out why they were acting a certain way, but it also made it very clear that the way you think about the characters is because of the way they are perceived by others (as it is in the real world).
An added layer to this book is the role that mental health plays in shaping these characters.

It reminded me of other great books about family and friendship groups, like The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer or The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. I think I will remember this book for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for allowing me to read this in advance. I will recommend this to everyone I know.

I struggled to connect with the story, I just didn’t feel I cared enough about the characters to be invested in the story. It was the opposite of’ we’d to read’ - I did want to finish but it felt a bit of a drag.
Just not for me I’m afraid.

I really enjoyed this book, I think it was well paced, funny in the right moments and a really interesting look at family dynamic and mental health.

👥 Family matters 👥

"There is a cold shiver within her that seems to go to her core, and cannot, it seems, be shifted by any amount of hot tea. Here she is, eight years old again. Unloved, unlovely."

- I'm Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait

I haven't been reading much recently, so I've been looking for something I could immerse myself in. From the first chapter, this book got all my reading guns firing again.

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way is about family dynamics, generational patterns of behaviour and friendship. It provides intergenerational insights into a very believable family. The three women at the centre of the narrative (Celia, Alice and Hanna) are all fallible and flawed; however, Wait's unrestricted narration affords the reader multiple opportunities to understand, and maybe empathise with, each character's perspective.

This would be a great book club read as I imagine different readers will come away with very different feelings about each character, depending on their own experiences. All of the main characters are infuriating at times. That said, you can't help but suspect their hearts are in the right place. I finished reading this evening and I miss them all already.

One of the things I loved most about this book were the moments of humour. Though it is primarily dramatic in content, some parts genuinely made me laugh out loud.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about familial relationships and is trying to work out how to become a grown up (answers on a postcard).

Release date: July 7th, 2022

Thank you to @netgalley, @riverrun_books and @quercusbooks for this ARC.

👥👥👥👥👥👥👥👥👥👥👥

#bookstagram #bookstagramming #bookstagrammer #bookstagramuk #ukbookstagram #hereforthereads #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #bookcollector #tbr #books #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #imsorryyoufeelthatway #rebeccawait #quercusbooks #riverrunbooks #bookreview #bookrecs #bookrecommendation #recommendedreads

Not the usual type of book I would read but I'm glad I went outside my 'comfort zone' and tried something different because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I would definitely recommend it.

Loved this book. It took me a while to get into the story, as the second chapter wasn't clearly marked as a flashback to the past and her parents, but once this had become apparent it added another layer of depth to the story. I throughly enjoyed the way in which each of the sisters had their own reasons for being the way they were and the difficult relationships they had throughout their formative years. There was moments of laughter, but also many moments that were painfully relatable, and the notion that many 20 something people go through the same angst and worry. A great novel and one to add to your reading lists.

Beautifully written, the pacing was definitely a lot quicker than I had anticipated which was a pleasant surprise, and I found it to be funnier than expected as well! Win, win! x

*** I received an early complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This is a unique and thought-provoking novel about family dynamics that stayed with me long after I had put it down.

Wait writes beautifully and the characters are created so skilfully that the lack of a specific plot doesn't make the novel any less interesting.

A complex family drama looking into mental illness and the effects it has on the family dynamic. Focusing on a twin sister relationship I'm Sorry You Feel That Way showcases the family history and the way in which the family in question works. It was funny, it was sad, it was dramatic and it was raw and honest. It's left a lasting impact and I devoured this story over a couple of days.
I'm also loving the cover!