Publisher: 30th March 2022 by HarperCollins Australia
Pages: 320 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary
My Rating: 4.5 crowns
Synopsis:
Hungover, underpaid and overwhelmed, this isn't where Penny expected to be as she reached her late twenties. A sharp, smart and witty look at adulting - Fleabag meets Sorrow and Bliss with a splash of Dolly Alderton.
I exist on validation from emotionally unavailable men, biscuits, and cheap wine, and it's easier to get off with Max than a Tiny Teddy.
Penny can't help but compare herself to her friends. Annie is about to become a senior associate at her law firm, Bec has just got engaged, Leo is dating everyone this side of the Yarra, and Penny is just ... waiting. Waiting for Max, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, to allow her to spend the night, waiting for the promotion she was promised, waiting for her Valium to kick in. Waiting for her real life to start.
Out of excuses and sick of falling behind, Penny is determined to turn things around. She's going to make it work with Max, impress her tyrannical boss, quit seeing her useless therapist, remember to water her plants, and stop having panic attacks in the work toilets.
But soon she's back to doomscrolling on Instagram, necking bottles of Aldi's finest sauvignon blanc, and criticising herself with renewed vigour and loathing. As her goals seem further away than ever, she has to wonder: when bad habits feel so good, how do you trust what's right for you?
My Thoughts
‘Can anyone ever really be self-aware? I used to think so, but now I’m not so sure. I liked to think that so much time listening to the voice in my head had taught me who I am and why I think and feel like I do, but it turns out I have no idea’
What direction is your life moving in? I adore books that place you front and centre, holding hands with a lead character as you navigate side by side the ups and downs of daily living. It begs the question whether anyone truly knows where they are going - in this book in your late 20s - but this is so well written it could be applied to the many stages of one’s life.
‘The rear-view mirror is for learning lessons, and everything I want is on the road ahead.’
This book is so refreshingly honest and so incredibly raw at times that I challenge anyone not to sigh and say “… ahhh, I can relate to that”. If you are getting older - and let’s face it, we all are …. 30s, 40s, even the reflective 50s - you are sure to find something in this story as you read of Penny's dilemmas. It’s just so relatable as uncertainties and insecurities can be felt by all people at any age of their life.
‘I’m always happier in my memory than I am in real life.’
So clever is Genevieve’s writing, however, that it is not solely an introspective inquiry. As much heartfelt and yearning as this story contains, it is equally bursting with laugh out loud humour. Best of all No Hard Feelings takes place in my home town of Melbourne. I am getting off the tram with Penny or walking down Collins Street in the CBD. So some pages I am laughing, others I am crying and others still shaking my head in frustration at some of the decisions Penny makes. Yet I know in all honesty I cannot be too harsh because we have all made such mistakes.
‘Mostly I’m angry at myself for falling into this again. There’s surely nothing worse than watching yourself make predictable mistakes.’
This book was such an unexpected surprise. It was such a great read that I highly recommend it no matter what your age, with relatable characters that will engage you on many levels. You are sure to laugh, sure to cry but walk away the richer knowingly appreciative of how expertly Genevieve captured and conveyed such relatable human emotions.
‘Am I really being my best self? Is this self-compassion? Is this healthy adult behaviour?’
Big thanks to fellow blogger, tesssmithwrites for her review which had me go back to take another look at this book and would have missed out on if not for her amazing review. Thanks T. Be sure to check out her review also over at Instagram.
‘It’s not the end of bad habits and the constant buzz of anxiety in my ear. That might never come. But maybe I’ll try to stop thinking about endings all together, and just enjoy these belated new beginnings instead.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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