I am so excited I got this arc as Sophie Kinzella is one of my favorite authors. I’ve been reading her books for over 5 years now and I’m always excited to read her new books! This novella is real and raw while still having the mask of fiction. She pulled from her real life to create this fictional author journey. I laughed, I cried, and I want nothing more than for her to take care and kick cancers ass!

this novella made me tear up. i have to confess i've never read one of kinsella's previous novels, but decided to request this arc on a whim. it was very well written, funny at times, while describing life after a life altering diagnosis and surgery, the struggles, the fears. i cannot imagine how it must've been to put such a personal experience on paper, but i thank kinsella for writing this novella. all i have to do now is finally read one of her books.

arc provided by netgalley and random house publishing group - random house | the dial press in exchange for an honest review.

This story is based on the authors own brain cancer diagnosis. very different book from her usual writing. It will leave you in tears.

I wanted to read this book as soon as it was announced because I have been reading this author for many years and had just heard of her diagnosis of brain cancer. I sincerely hope she beats it and continues to write for many more years. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, okay, this was INCREDIBLY painful to read. I have loved Sophie Kinsella for years and her books bring me so much joy. This was obviously a huge departure from her past works, and very personal, and I was crying by the end. She manages to make it hopeful and lovely, which is such a tribute to the way that she writes normally.

Don't go into this expecting fluff - expect your heart to be wrenched.

I knew this was based on the author's own cancer journey and I was eager to dive in as a cancer survivor. What I wasn't prepared for was how heartbreaking yet wonderful this novel would be. I almost didn't request it because I wasn't sure I could go down that cancer road again but I'm so glad I did.

This is loosely based on the author's life before and after her cancer diagnosis. I had read about her journey in real life and was impressed at how frank and honest she was in her fictionalized version. This is not her usual fare, written in vignettes but it's perfectly suited to this book. It's touching, honest, real , emotional, and devastating. But such a good read.

Thank you to the author, Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an advanced copy.

Sophie Kinsella does it again! All her books make me kick my feet in giddiness and laugh while also just feeling the emotions of the characters. Love it so much

Having lost both my father and uncle to glioblastoma, as well as a few others, this hit particularly hard. While I knew that Sophie Kinsella was battling brain cancer, I did not realize that this would be a fictionalized novella about her diagnosis and battle with glioblastoma until I started the book, so it was a difficult read for me. I am amazed that the author was able to write this at all, given what she is going through, and I thank her for sharing her experience. I truly hope that it is not the last published work from Kinsella, but I hope even more that she is able to "keep going" and has many more years with her husband, children, and other loved ones.

I received an ARC from Net Galley.

This short, yet powerful novel is a fictionalized account of the author's own journey after being diagnosed with glioblastoma and her subsequent chemo and radiation. We read about the difficulties with loss of short-term memory, loss of physical strength and coordination and the amazing support of her Husband. There are sections that brought me to tears but others that are laugh out loud funny and the ability of the author to write this novel despite all that she is going through is nothing short of amaze. I devoured it in one sitting and wish that Kinsella and family can somehow get their own happy en ding.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e copy of this book in return for an honest review.

What Does It Feel Like is an unflinchingly honest look at what it feels like to wake up one day and find you have a cancer diagnosis and whole world has shattered - without the memory to corroborate the painful facts. Told in miniature vignettes, this short story had me crying in contemplation of the main character, Eve and her predicament. I found the ending surprising, but before I could be skeptical, I read the authors note— the conclusion couldn’t be more perfect. Brava, Sophie.

I’d like to thank Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this novella, but wow... This was such a heartfelt, heartbreaking, and hopeful story. You will cry, laugh and also see how resilient someone can be even when going through the worst.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for review.

I love Sophie Kinsella’s books so I immediately requested an ARC for this book when I saw it. All I have to say is wow. My prayers go out to Kinsella and her family. This was such a touching fictional autobiography. “Eve’s” experience and optimism is truly inspirational. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC.

What a searing portrayal of the author's experience. So well written wirh lots of heart and a little humor.

What a beautiful, touching, and heartbreaking book. As a rule, I don’t read sad books. I’m not sure I would have even been brave enough to request an ARC, but I love this authors books so much that when I saw her name on the cover, I requested it without reading the description. And I’m so glad I did.

First, I just want to say them sending prayers to the author and her family. This book provides a slightly fictionalized, but largely autobiographical look at Kinsella’s life before and after being diagnosed with and treated for glioblastoma. I had not heard about the author’s battle with cancer, and I was devastated to realize that this part of the novel was true. I was blown away by how this book faces such a difficult topic in a way that is, but also hopeful and inspiring. It’s written in vignettes, which is different than many of her other books, but fits this one perfectly. A tip- Don’t read it in the optometrist office while you wait for your son to finish his appointment unless you are cool with crying in public (my mistake).

This is an important and emotional read- Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an advanced copy.

Wow. When I saw this pop-up, I immediately requested it on NetGalley… Because I love this author! I had no idea this was a semi auto biographical story. As a mom of five kids myself, I can’t imagine going through this experience. I love how she narrated in a way that kept me engaged, but also tugged on my heartstrings and even made me laugh at times despite the subject matter. I love that the author wrote this and shared it with the world, even though I’m sure it was scary to do so.

“What Does it Feel Like” is not a typical Sophie Kinsella book. Instead of a whimsical, plucky main character who thinks with her heart versus her head, the reader is immersed into a fictionalized version of the author’s own life.

The main character, Eve, a fictional version of Sophie, is a writer who learns she has an incurable brain tumor and struggles to relearn everyday tasks. Though the topic is sober, the author explores it with her traditional wit and quirky perspective. I imagine Sophie wrote this story as part therapy as well as a way to share her experience with her readers. It’s difficult to find fault with any author who shares her experiences so bravely. My one complaint is the story’s briefness. The reader wishes for a happy ending but with an incurable the best one can do is keep living, which is exactly what Eve/Sophie do.

Four stars.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella is a humorous look at the world of incurable cancer. Eve Monroe, a brilliant author, has everything going for her, a new novel, a new movie and a great family. When she wakes up not remembering much of anything, her adoring husband Nick is by her bedside, telling her she just had an 8 hour surgery to remove a malignant tumor from her brain. As this novella continues you find yourself rooting for Eve's full recovery, even though her odds aren't good. An in depth look at glioblastoma from one who knows. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t realize this story was going to be loosely autobiographical. I was expecting a light hearted book
And instead I’m reading at the beach crying.

Eve is a successful novelist who is diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. As she is learning to walk, talk, and write, she is also struggling with how to tell her children about the diagnosis and what the future looks like for her. This was a great short novel that I read in one sitting.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date Oct 8, 2024. 5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an amazing and quick read novella. I have read many of the authors other books and was excited to read this Novella. It was an amazing celebration of life. I think the author did a great job fictionalizing her own personal health journey and turned it into this work of art. I enjoyed the format of the novella wiht short chapters and little snippets of her experience. I would reccomend this book to others!

3.5, rounded up at the last minute due to the author's note.

The entire time, I kept thinking "this should've been written in first person". Even if it wasn't a true story, it felt like it should've been presented as such. Though the feeling that this was a memoir was pervasive, especially with the meta elements (a female author who penned a book about being a London shopaholic, which was subsequently adapted into a hit Hollywood movie), and the intricate, intimate details of discovering one's diagnosis, grieving, adapting to the condition. It is undoubtedly authentic-- I remember my own family member being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, looking up the grim prognosis, and managing seemingly endless treatments. But the third person narrative here kept me at a distance, especially in the first half. I think that even if Kinsella had kept with the fictional cast of characters, it would've been far stronger had she written in first person.
I did, however, really like the second half of the book. As it gets into the menial morning conversations between the protagonist and her husband, the inside jokes that only someone who has experienced such a grim condition can make.
I had no idea Kinsella has been dealing with this-- such a shame-- and I wish her all the best.