Very Nearly Normal by Hannah Sunderland

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 323 pages
Expected publication: May 14th 2020 by Avon Books UK
About the Book:
Effie’s not perfect. Neither is Theo. But together, they’re pretty close. Matilda ‘Effie’ Heaton has always felt like she’s swimming against the tide. Everyone around her has life sorted, but Effie’s living with her parents and crying into a wine bottle at night. The only thing she loves is her job at a bookshop, where she can lose herself in other people’s stories. But then she meets Theo, who knows only too well that life isn’t something to take for granted. Because Theo has a life-changing secret, and as Effie starts to realise that she’s falling in love instead of falling apart, fate steps in and deals her a new hand. And this time, the stakes are high.

Mother, the sooner you learn that I am unlovable, the easier it will be for you to come to terms with the fact that I will die a spinster.

When I first started reading this book I didn't think I was going to like it. Effie seemed whiny and was on a continuous pity party....then came the second chapter and I found myself laughing out loud and I realized Effie was adorably self deprecating.

A year ago, I had thought myself completely alone, a lonesome failure, floundering in an ocean that was too big and too frightening. But I wasn’t floundering anymore; I’d finally learned to swim.

It is a well written book that touches on some real life issues It made me laugh, stirred a lot of empathy but it also kept me engaged and eager to read on. It was a quite amazing mixture of feelings that Hannah Sunderland delivered in just perfect proportions. The story left me with a warm, optimistic feeling about people.

I’d failed a great deal in life, but my biggest failure had been refusing to be happy.

I believe the main message of the book is about importance of human contact, even when circumstances for them are not optimal. It is a very uplifting message, especially now. Such an impressive debut. I will definitely read the future books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Hannah Sunderland for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#FindYourSeahorse #NetGalley