What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella is the story of Eve, a successful novelist, who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. Her husband tells her she had surgery to remove a large brain tumour. As Eve relearns basic skills and grapples with her diagnosis, she reflects on what truly matters to her, cherishing moments with her husband, family game nights, and treating herself to things she loves. The novel, told through brief anecdotes, explores themes of grief and resilience with warmth and humour, offering both heartache and healing.

I must admit, I didn’t peek at what this book was about before reading it. As I was reading this book, I thought to myself, is this going to be a new series for author Sophie Kinsella? This type of story is usually not what she typically writes. Until I read the author’s note at the end and was completely shocked.

I would like to thank Net Galley for a free advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. :)

What Does It Feel Like? is a moving novella by Sophie Kinsella, based on her own cancer diagnosis. This story is autobiographical fiction and although shorter in length and told in more of a vignette format than Kinsella’s typical novels, she delivers her standard humor, even with the serious topic.

It’s brave of Sophie to share such a personal story and I’m glad she did. What Does It Feel Like? is an emotional read that reminds us to live for the now and I wish Sophie all the best.

This is a hard review to write because the book and the story are so raw, real and personal. I used to devour Kinsella's books when I was younger. I haven't read any of her newer works since 2019's I Owe You One. I wasn't aware that Kinsella was ill until this book came out. She deserves a medal for her strength and bravery and the fact that she kept her sense of humour. I love that about the book as well, both Sophie and Eve never lose their positive outlook on life...so if you're expecting a pity party or a woe-is-me story you won't find it here. Eve (and Sophie) have a wonderful support network including a loving husband.

I love the structure of the book as well, each chapter is a little antidote on going through a health crisis, it includes: telling family, all of those plastic chairs in waiting rooms and how brutal physical therapy can be. I'm so thankful Kinsella shared her story it really helped me see it from the ill person's perspective. I really admire her resilience, I applaud you, Sophie Kinsella. This book is very poignant relatable and believable. It was a hard read but a really great one too.

Eve is a hugely successful writer with a loving husband in five beautiful kids. She feels like the luckiest woman in the world until the day she finds out that she has a cancerous tumor in her brain. This story is mostly autobiographical about the author’s own experience. Highly engaging story. Beautifully balanced - at times funny and other times poignantly sad. A very quick read that I recommend.

This was a great semi-autobiographical novella detailing the authors experience with brain cancer. I found it to be emotional but also uplifting. I enjoyed how my was told in vignettes.

This is a very short book. I do not know how to review it as it touches so many personal issues the author is currently living.

I hope writing this book helped her and I wish her the best of health.

Eve has everything she’s ever wanted - she’s a successful novelist and one of her novels is a major motion picture, she’s happily married with 4 kids - but then one day she wakes up in a hospital room with no memory of why she’s there or how she got there. Not only does Eve have to learn how to walk, talk and write again, she also has to learn how to grapple with her diagnosis of brain cancer - and because of her short term memory loss, she has to cope with the knowledge over and over again. This is a story of how to learn how to live through grief (and if you want to buy that dress, you should just buy it).


Thank you Sophie Kinsella for writing this book, it is such a personal book and had me crying throughout my read. The novel is a fictionalized account of her recent experience with cancer and I saw it as a love letter for her life and her family while allowing her readers some insight into her battle. It’s a beautiful little book and I’m so glad I read it.

This book was achingly beautiful! I loved how it highlighted the long road to recovery and the strength it takes to heal. I also related to the immense impact of such a diagnosis, especially on children. Overall, it was an accurate and captivating depiction of grief and what it takes to heal.

Wow.
 
This story was so powerful, so utterly heartbreaking and raw yet emotionally beautiful and inspirational. I can barely formulate words!
 
There were some humorous scenes, but above all else, this was super emotional. Sophie Kinsella, you are so brave. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!
 
Thank you SO much for the ARC NetGalley and the publisher!

I probably should have read the description before reading this book. A beautiful love story based on Sophie Kinsella’s own story. My only critique is that it was too short. I read it all in one sitting and it moved me to tears.

First I would like to thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

I went completely into this book blind only knowing that I have loved so many of Sophia Kinsella’s books before. I didn’t even know it was a novella. It hit me so hard and I found this book sad, beautiful and positive all at the same time. It made me both smile and cry in the short time it took me to read it.

I don’t know how you rate it anything but 5/5 considering so much of it is autobiographical.

Sophie Kinsella's latest auto-biographical novel is deeply moving and takes you through so many different emotions. I actually didn't know it was her own story until I finished and was reading the author's notes at the end. She brings a sense of humor to the most difficult of situations and maintains a sense of hope. I am praying for and rooting for this talented author and amazing human. Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the ARC!

Review: What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella’s books, since I discovered them in university, have been an auto read for me. The heroines feel real. They bumbled through life with humorous and positive thoughts despite often dealing with very real issues — burnout, family drama, grief, and others.

Kinsella’s What Does it Feel Like? is different than her previous, but with just as much heart. The topic, cancer, is explored with an autobiographical feel —she admits that it is in the postscript— which takes the reader on the life-changing journey with the protagonist, Eve. However, much like Kinsella’s other novels, hope, positivity, community, and love shine through the dark moments of confusion and memory snippets. This short novel draws you in from the very start and is written with an insight and depth that allows the reader to, even in a small way, walk alongside Eve’s experience.

A truly beautiful rendering of Kinsella’s experience with her open and welcoming prose. Thank you to Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Sophie Kinsella book and now I want to read more of her books. I didn’t know it’s a novella but I loved it. It’s heartbreaking, humorous, and beautiful all at the same time. If you read it, make sure to read the author’s note at the end. She is so brave and her optimism is infectious.

Sophie was one of this first authors as an adult reader that grabbed my attention. I love her witty and beautiful stories. She is truly an amazing writer.

This novella is beautifully sad, informative, and little funny at times and heartbreaking. This book may be fiction, but it is loosely autobiographical of Sophie Kinsella’s life. To be diagnosed with an incurable cancer and the ins and outs of how to navigate it. The treatments, telling your five children and family and friends.

This book follows Eve who wakes up in a hospital bed not remembering where she is, after having a brain tumor removed. It navigates the ups and downs of her cancer diagnosis of glioblastoma and having to learn how to do everything again, treatments and figuring out life with an incurable cancer.

I give praise to Sophie Kinsella for telling this story. I pray that she is more than the percentage that doctors put on paper and that she continues to have good days.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - The Dial Press for this eARC. It was truly an honor to get to read this book and review it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of What does it feel like? While this is fiction, it’s loosely based on Sophie’s real life experiences. And for that, it’s one of my favourite pieces from her. We meet Eve, a patient, waking up in the hospital without any recollection of why she’s there. Follow her story as she navigates her life, from learning to walk, talk, and live again. Eve’s story is one many can find relatable, even if cancer isn’t something you or a loved one has experienced. Read as she and her family do their best to find their way through the most uncertain of time. Through love, humour and emotion we find our way through grief that comes with such a change as Eve and her family have experienced. Definitely worth a read, Kinsella fan or not.

*** Book Review ***

This one is tough to rate because while it is fiction it is also one the author claims as the most autobiographical book she’s written.

Going through medical hurdles is in every sense of the word, hard. I’m lucky in the way that I can’t relate to the depth in the scenario in the book but have enough experience of my own to be sympathetic and understanding of all the emotions, grief, worry and healing all going on at once. I love the the author chose to share it albeit fictionalized to a degree.

As for the story, I felt parts could have been expanded, especially the beginning portion. I think more details leading up to the diagnosis would have set the stage more completely allowing for a more drastic shift from pre and post diagnosis storytelling. The choppiness and the vignettes of the post diagnosis portion make sense. It’s very reminiscent of life amongst medical chaos.

Overall, it was a quick read yet impactful, brave, and emotional all in one go. Thank you NetGalley, Dial Press and the author for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

#netgalley
#whatdoesitfeellike
#sophiekinsella

4 🌟

This novella was heartbreakingly beautiful.

As someone who has read all of Sophie's books, I went into this book blind, not realizing it was about her own cancer journey. Imagine my surprise when I found myself 😭 instead of 🤭 like normal. I thought this was such a good way for Kinsella to take her story and put her 😘 on it, like the amazing author she is.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I love Sophie Kinsella so when I saw a new book was releasing I immediately wanted to read it and didn't even read the description until I was ready to start reading it. It's a different type of book, but so fantastic!

After we are introduced to Eve as a successful writer who has a family that is made up of her husband and 5 children, we quickly get immersed in her world of confusion when she wakes up in the hospital with a bandage on her head. We then continue through her progression of going through speech and physical therapy and manage all the well-wishes from her social circle while trying to still be there for her family.

Given that it was such a personal story for Kinsella, she did an incredible job really putting me as the reader in her shoes. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an copy of the the ebook!

A fictional story, yet somewhat based on true life. This story was gut-wrenching and made me so sad to see what the MC Eve went through. It was nice to see what support she had from family and friends. I truly encourage anyone who has dealt with cancer to read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.