Checking Out

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Pub Date 22 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 05 Apr 2018
Amazon Publishing UK | Lake Union Publishing

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Description

What do you do when the doctor says you could die at any moment? Well…after you’ve made a cup of tea, of course.

Nathan James is young, successful and has the world at his feet. Unfortunately, he’s also about to die—which ruins things somewhat. And now he’s staring imminent death in the face, Nathan is having to rethink some of his life choices very hard.

This means embarking on a hectic journey of self-discovery that includes, amongst other things, losing his dignity to an inescapable bean bag, suffering screaming nightmares about a monstrous potato, and getting up close and very personal with a bipolar donkey.

All of which is fine, but then Nathan falls in love with a charming girl called Alison, which is a really stupid thing to do. Because how can you give your heart to someone when it might be about to stop?

From Nick Spalding, the bestselling author of Fat Chance, Bricking It and Mad Love, comes a comedy about dying—which is easy—and living, which is most certainly not.

What do you do when the doctor says you could die at any moment? Well…after you’ve made a cup of tea, of course.

Nathan James is young, successful and has the world at his feet. Unfortunately, he’s...


A Note From the Publisher

Nick Spalding is the bestselling author of ten novels, two novellas and two semi-fictional memoirs. Nick worked in media and communications for most of his life before turning his energy to genre-spanning humorous writing. He lives in the south of England with his wife.

Nick Spalding is the bestselling author of ten novels, two novellas and two semi-fictional memoirs. Nick worked in media and communications for most of his life before turning his energy to...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781612185941
PRICE $14.95 (USD)
PAGES 316

Average rating from 35 members


Featured Reviews

It's been awhile since i last read a book from a Brit, a male brit to be exact. And I forgot how enjoyable it could be.

Nathan finds out that he has a tumor in his brain, in a spot that makes it very difficult to remove. And with this discovery, his world is turned upside down and realizes his life has been to date, shallow and superficial.

This is the story of his journey to accepting his fate and trying to leave his mark in the world before his time is up. Hahaha. Remembering the donkey and the commune...

I liked this book a lot! Nathan's shallow but finds his depth soon enough. His mother is such a character as well. And I was rooting for Allie to the end to knock some sense into Nathan. I think I'll be checking out other books of Nick Spalding later.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the copy!

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**I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Nathan has just sold his creation, the Foodies for an nice settlement. He's excited about what is to come next in his life when he finds out he has a rare brain tumor. There's nothing to be done, he has to come to terms with the fact that he could drop dead at any moment.

But no! He hasn't had the time to do anything important. There was so much he wanted to accomplish. He feels like it's all too late.

He's really been a twit up to this point. Pretty much selfish, with his head firmly inserted in his bum. Let's hope he can sort something out before he checks out!

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I really wanted to love this book because Nick's previous books have had me laughing out loud especially "bricking it". Nathan has been told he is dying so to start with you think 'ok, how can that be funny' and I think that is the problem the book tries too hard. It's full of words about fruit and vegetables that dance! A lot of sex talk which believe me I am not a prude but its unnecessary and too much, although nothing wrong with a bit of innuendo. I read 3/4 of it so don't know how it ends. Sorry.

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I have read one of Nick Spalding's other books and laughed hysterically, however I could not get past the first few chapters of this book. It was just too riddled with vulgarity and sexual themes for my taste.

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Liked this. Quite hilarious.

Did a lot of skim reading. Didnt like those fruity song bits though.

Sometimes boring. But asserts the moral that let's you appreciate the life you have and to make the most of it. And to stop worrying.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

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This covers a tough subject for a comedy, but Nick Spalding made it work and provided some humour in the situation. Definitely worth a read. Kept me entertained until the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this.

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First book I have read by this author. although it ws humorous at times, it wasn't laugh out loud for me.
It was an emotional story about Nathan, who has just found out he is terminally ill with a brain tumour. the book folows his journey, how he deals with it and how it changes him as a person.

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Didn’t like the main character one bit at the start and was a little disappointed with the book to begin with. Not one of Nick Spaldings best beginnings humour wise. Stick with it would be my advice. It soon warmed up and I felt like the old Nick was back. Enjoyed it eventually.

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This book was exceptional. And has it all... Rare tumor in hard-to-remove location in the brain? Check. Bucket list not completed? Check. Love? Check. A wonderful, tender and coming to terms with a death sentence? Check. You will not go wrong reading this heartwarming journey as one man faces his pending death and how he tries to accomplish what he can and accept his upcoming death with Grace,, dignity and a sense that he did ,in fact, achieve something greater and above all, self satisfaction.

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I had to push through this one, having already put it down early on twice but I'm glad I persevered in the end.

This is full of Nick Spalding's usual dark humour, which is needed with the topic really and helps to make the book enjoyable despite the fact that we know Nathan's prognosis. I love the author's writing style generally, he is frank and to the point- there are no long monologues describing how the leaves move on a tree and that works perfectly with the book and Nathan's personality.

It's also a really quick read, I read all of it in a morning and barely stopped, this is again because the writing is so endearing.

As always, the book is funny and life affirming. It's an enjoyable read that makes you laugh, makes you think and makes you sad. If you've enjoyed anything by Nick Spalding before, you're sure to enjoy this one too.

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Checking Out promised to be lighthearted and fun while at the same time focusing on a deeper theme of a terminally ill person who’s readjusting his perspective. However, I found it like the bad plot of a straight to TV movie. The main character was obnoxious from the outset and even after his deep soul searching still came up way short. Not a favourite I’m afraid.

Reviews added to Goodreads and Amazon

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

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There were parts of this story which were quite funny. But as an overall book, there was something terribly off that left me feeling like I'd rather not have read this. It was steep slope after slope of the plot sinking to things I didn't care about reading about. I appreciate the references and occasional wit but was overall disappointed.

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Thanks to netgalley for the copy of Checking Out by Nuck Spaulding. This lighthearted, funny "coming to" story was exactly what I needed.

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Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

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I wasn't the biggest fan of this story, although it had all the ingredients for a seemingly pleasant read. We had the heartbreaking life lesson, the romance, the silly moments... but we also have an entitled privileged misogynistic man as the main character who I just could not route for. I felt like I should be feeling sad and invested in the characters, but instead I felt annoyed and lost interest quickly when the main character opened his mouth. Sorry, but this book was just not for me.

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