This is the first book of Laura Kays that l've read but it was such a wonderful read!
It follows Issy, who has been battling mental health issues for most of her life, and her chinchilla Abigail on their move to London for a fantastic art opportunity that could change everything.
The story follows her journey as she meets new people at work and her new flatmates along with the highs and lows of finally moving out on her own and navigating the big world outside of her own bubble.
She faces many challenges and obstacles throughout the tale and you really do fall in love with everything she is.
It's a heartwarming read that is very cleverly written because while its basis is mental health, it's not overly about that? It balances everything well and you really do feel for Issy and you want her to succeed and it's interesting to see how her mh intertwines with everything and becomes such a big part of her life. You root for Issy and Aubrey and overall you just want Issy to be happy and to finally realise her worth.
Honestly this book is such a good read and it's cute and important and it covers depression and anxiety but in a way that it isn't all about that and it draws you in.
Thanks to Netgalley and Laura Kay for the arc of this lovely book.

Thank you for my earc of this book! I’ve loved all of Kay’s previous novels so was very excited to get my hands on this!
Issy’s story didn’t disappoint. I love that the focus of the narrative was mental health, coming of self and family - both found and blood-related.
The romance element was also lovely in a quiet, understated way. I can’t wait for her next book!

Another perfect feel-good queer novel from Laura Kay! Whenever I get one of her novels I always know I'll a) speed through it and b) fall in love with the gorgeous characters and beautiful storytelling, Making It didn't disappoint! It's hard to approach the subject of mental health whilst also maintaining levity and lightness and Kay has managed to do just that. Making It feels fizzy and fun, but the experiences the protagonist, Issy, goes through are painted with sensitivity and care. Another Laura Kay book I'm gutted to finish!

Absolutely brilliant - a warm, witty, moving third novel from the queen of the gay rom-com! Really appreciate that Laura Kay's books are always so effortlessly inclusive beyond the main character too.

A very enjoyable read! The book had a great pace, and I found myself looking forward to picking it up every time. I liked it a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC.

Issy, 28, is gay and suffers from clinical depression. She used to live with her mother and an elderly pet chinchilla called Abigail in Margate but we meet her moving out to an LGBTQ+ friendly flatshare in Hackney and starting a new job for a popular artist and her TV show in London.

This is a heartwarming coming-of-age story with a lot of firsts in both Issy's romantic and professional life. She has to deal with new housemates, new colleagues, new unexpected feelings, her mental health, her imposter syndrome of not thinking she's a real artist and an aging chinchilla that is her world.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did but there were such beautiful characterisations and I found Issy and her late blooming endearing.

It is not often in a rom-com that mental health issues are handled so sensitively. I learnt a lot about clinical depression and anxiety and how it can manifest if you don't take care of yourself. Luckily, Issy has lovely friends and family and a great boss who are there for her, but even though, things can sometimes spiral out of control if you take too much on.

Watch out - a chinchilla and a dog will steal your heart!

Also, I was today years old when I learnt of the existence of eyebrow gels.

4.25 stars

This queer romance about Issy striking out alone for the first time as an artist in London was very wholesome but I did spend an awful lot of it dreading the death of an elderly chinchilla which isn’t my vibe.

DNF 16%

I'm having the worst luck with Netgalley ARC's lately. Nothing is grabbing me. This one was so boring. It was super flat and everything was told rather than described. And the main character sounded like a 5 year old.

I was super intrigued by this book. A main character who is gay, depressed, and has anxiety? Yeah, sounds like me. But she didn't. I couldn't connect with her at all.

I'm not going to continue reading a book I don't enjoy so DNF it is. Such a shame, but there was really nothing in this book that was even remotely interesting.

Thank you to Net Galley, Laura Kay and Quercus for providing me with an early access copy of this book to review.

Isobel (or Issy as her uncle calls her) has recently moved to London to pursue her calling as an artist. But having spent many years struggling with mental health issues like depression, Isobel isn’t completely thrilled by this new arrangement. But armed with her passion for creating art - and her muse Abigail (her beloved chinchilla), she commits to spending a year honing her craft with a fellow artist.

I have to say that while it did take me a little bit to get into this book, I ended up completely adoring it! It deals with so many “coming of age” issues, but from the perspective of someone in their late 20s. It explores things like sexuality, anxiety and depression - and does it with such care and respect. It deals with heart breaks (and heart dents), the flatshare experience and imposter syndrome - all with a beautifully written enemies to lovers-esque romance (though perhaps rivals is a better word).

I didn’t expect a chinchilla called Abigail to make me cry either.

This book is probably one of my standouts for 2024, so thank you Laura for taking me on Issy’s beautiful journey of self discovery ❤️

This book follows Issy, as she leaves her quiet life with her mum and chinchilla in Kent to move to London to start work for a famous artist who also has a TV show. Issy has depression, and when she was a teenager she didn't have many friends or get to experience many firsts. Now, at 27 we get to see Issy have her first kiss, make her first real friends and start to figure out what she wants in life. There are two love interests along the way, her flatmate Robin and next-door neighbour Aubrey, who she ends up with I won't spoil. Of the two Laura Kay novels I've read, I think I prefer Wild Things but that's probably because I preferred the house DIY backdrop over this one, which takes place in the art world.

I loved reading about Issy and her journey. Such a fun and enjoyable read. Hopefully the first of many books I get to enjoy by Laura Kay

A gorgeous feel-good romcom that brought back all the feels I felt when I first left home. Issy is an adorable, warm and relatable character. She’s talented artist who suffers from depression and often feels out of synch with the world and her peers. But she falls in love with the world and everything that’s out there… as well as her stunning flatmate…

Making It is the perfect coming-of-age-when-you-leave-home novel. And I wish I could have one of her knitted chinchillas …

Laura Kay is the queen of queer romcoms, and her latest does not disappoint. We meet Isobel as she dips her toes in London life for the first time, and with it comes a houseshare full of found family, and neighbour-turned-judgemental-colleague Aubrey. Laura writes characters with such honesty and raw emotion, and Isobel is no different. I went along for the ride and it made me laugh and sob in the same chapter. Yes it is a book with sadness, but also love. A delightful read, and one I would heartily recommend!

As always, thoroughly enjoyed Laura Kay's latest! I just really like her writing and characterisation and I feel like she's getting better and better. I don't know if this was quite my favourite as there wasn't *quite* as many gorgeous little quips, but it's a much more serious book about Issy, an artist from Margate who suffers from depression, and her opportunity to start a new life in London. Loved the descriptions of the characters' outfits (always need this in books), loved the evocation of a London summer, loved the dream housemate set-up (if only this happened every time you lived with strangers). Chinchillas now sound like the cutest thing ever. I would definitely recommend!

This is the first book I have read by Laura Kay and overall I really loved reading this book, many relatable qualities to Issy for me

This is the first book I have read from this author and it definitely wont be the last. This book had
me falling in love from the very first chapter. This book had romance, friendship, love and also about finding yourself. The characters in this book all had their own personality which made them so likeable, there wasn't a character that i didn’t particularly like. The way Laura wrote Issy and about her finding her self is honestly so wholesome and also the way she wrote about Issy tackling mental health, we don't really see that in rom-coms, but the way Laura wrote it was done so well.

This book was so warm, wholesome, moving and enjoyable. I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend this book to everyone. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

*Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

I was nervous to start reading this because I’ve loved each of Laura Kay’s new books more than the last and that doesn’t feel like a sustainable trajectory - but omg. These characters are just so flipping *charming*. Honestly, this whole cast had me blushing and giggling and kicking my feet. I also did not expect to be emotionally devastated by a fictional chinchilla at 8am on a Sunday morning, but we are where we are.

Issy is as depressed as she is gay (which is to say very) and is content living a small life with her mum and pet chinchilla, Abigail, when a dream opportunity interning for a famous artist in London shakes her world up. We follow her as she settles into her new home in Hackney, experiencing all the firsts she’s missed so far in life - new housemates, sex, sex with new housemates - it’s a tale as old as time, and starts to discover who she is outside of the safe bubble she’s spent 28 years creating.

If you loved the wholesome friendships and useless gays of Wild Things, you’ll adore the residents of 47A.

I've loved all of Laura Kay's previous novels and so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Making It.
Issy is gay, twenty something and living at home in Margate with her mum and her pet chinchilla Abigail. Art and crafting has been the biggest comfort to her during many years of depression and when she gets the opportunity to move to East London for an internship with an artist she takes it. Issy has to navigate relationships with housemates, colleagues and her first kiss all whilst adapting to living independently for the first time.
This is another wonderful novel by the author who is so skilled at writing engaging and authentic characters. I loved the character of Issy and I felt that the author wrote about her mental health challenges so sensitively but also in a way that we don't often read about in rom coms. The supporting characters are all portrayed perfectly and I felt that I was there with Issy in her shared house and her workplace and was bereft when the novel finished. I think this is the first Laura Kay novel I've cried at the end of (in a good way), it's so warm, emotional and moving. I adored it and would highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.