... has plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes, and [McFarlane] consistently serves up a heaping plate of humor alongside each bowl of angst. Georgina's story is a delightful yet cautionary tale ... Between Georgina's surprising voice and the way she sees her world, I was hooked from the first, captivating chapter ... Indeed, something about the flavor of McFarlane's writing reminded me of the feistiness and humor of the TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel...the book and the show feature tightly written dialogue, a female-centered story that involves past and present loves, and a woman's hunger to stand in front of an audience and tell her story ... some of the scenes there were so over-the-top they felt better suited to a sitcom. But mostly, Georgina's trials and tribulations are as funny as they were heart-breaking ... a page-turner about a heroine with a laugh-out-loud voice, an endearing romance, and, as the British say, lashings of drama. And I won't forget Georgina Horspool's secrets anytime soon.
... [a] glorious, hilarious heartbreaker of a story ... McFarlane’s writing is funny and charming enough to keep her readers engaged, but the beats in the first part will feel familiar as the story shifts from The Breakfast Club to Bridget Jones’s Diary. Still, as the story progresses, the madcap humor starts to mingle with deeper emotions. Georgina is self-aware in a way that Bridget never managed. Her relationships with her friends and family delve below the surface, uncovering real emotions and deep-seated issue ... real and visceral ... McFarlane doesn’t skimp on sly humor or wacky characters, but no plot point has an easy fix and no character feels two-dimensional. Even the broadest personalities are loving, or loyal or cruel in tactile and vivid ways. And as the book progresses, you realize how much depth and truth there was to the characters and the story all along.
McFarlane delivers a novel with heart and humor, comprised of laugh-out-loud one liners, outrageous comedic scenes, and a Nana who deserves a medal for her non-filtered tongue. Meanwhile, she isn’t afraid to explore the grief process as Georgina processes her father’s death, and a mixture of emotions are evoked as Georgina goes on a journey of self-discovery, complete with her hot pink fur coat.
Amazingly, Georgina continues to view the world with warmth and humor, which is apparent through her smart, light-hearted, first-person narration. Her interactions with a lovely group of supportive friends add levity to this second-chance romance ... McFarlane uses Georgina’s voice to explore how humor is used to mask pain as well as to help understand and get through it. Successful as both a romantic comedy and an insightful look into finding one’s voice, this is a story readers will flock to for the laughs and remember for its realness.
McFarlane strikes romantic comedy gold ... This is no standard lost-love-reunited tale; McFarlane builds it into a powerful exploration of grief and the way incomplete information can shape a narrative ... the ending, while not unexpected, is deeply satisfying on several levels, and Lucas’s final romantic speech is one for the ages. McFarlane strikes a beautiful balance of tenderness, wry humor, and deep emotion
