I really, really enjoyed this book. The depiction of gaslighting and undermining is one of the best I've read, and the exploration of how we present ourselves on social media. I sat down to start this book with a pile of work I should have been doing, and didn't put it down until I'd finished it. I wish I could say this happens all the time, but I am extremely easily distracted. Bourne's writing is accomplished and compulsive.

A relatable read that conveys the stark difference between the lives we portray via social media to the real lives we are living. I think this book will hit a nerve with many people as it is so raw and honest. It's easy to relate to Tori in this day and age of technology where we're all trying to prove who has the better life by posting status updates and glorious pictures. But pictures never convey the whole story and Tori hits the nail right on the head with this stand out book. Really gets you thinking about how toxic social media really is and reiterates the old saying 'it's ok not to be ok'

This is the first book I've ready by this author and I loved it! It's funny and so true to life! I identified with Tori in so many ways and I think that'll be true for a lot of readers. There were some real heart-breaking moments in the book too, and I flew through the pages, desperate to find out what would happen. I think this'll be a big hit and deservedly so.

Tori Bailey is a bestselling author of a self-help book aimed for women in their twenties. Now 31 years of age, she’s still talking about the previous decade and can’t help but feel like she’s lying to herself because her life is not as perfect as she’s pretending, particularly her relationship.

This book was the perfect recipe for a day tying to escape the summer heat. I read 90% of it in one afternoon curled up in the shade, and I loved it.

Tori isn’t the most likeable character, I have to admit, but I think it’s because some of the things she thinks about, particularly when it’s about other people in her life, and very realistic. Everyone has had those moments when they’ve thought something cruel about someone they love and immediately had the reaction, ‘omg, I can’t believe I just thought that.’ Well, Tori thinks those things a lot - mostly due to her own insecurities.

I liked the emphasis on social media in this book and how those likes can become a crutch for people, and easily it can be fooled to think people have the perfect life when they’re posting about the best, filtered bits online.

I would have liked a bit more character development in Tori as I feel like I didn’t really see her grow as a person at all except the very, very end when she finally just admits something to herself at the very last minute and it made the ending feel a bit rushed.

How Do You Like Me Now?, Holly Bourne’s first adult novel, is this story of Tori Bailey who wrote a best-selling memoir in her twenties inspiring millions of women to put themselves first. But as she heads into her thirties, is Tori prepared to practise what she preaches?

I finished this a couple of weeks ago and I’m still thinking about it, it got under my skin in a manner I wasn’t expecting; which is a good thing.

I'm a huge fan of Holly Bourne's YA books, so I was thrilled when this one was announced. I'm so glad it was written and published. This is the first time I've seen MY thirties portrayed in fiction--not married, currently unattached, still figuring everything out while others hit the traditional milestones of children and/or marriage. It's both funny and painful, but highly worth reading. I can't wait for Holly's next book--YA and adult!

*An ebook copy of this book was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Tori author of a bestselling memoir inspiring women to take a stand against convention. She is seemingly winning at life, yet all is not what it seems and the life Tori has been living is far from perfect.

This is defiantly a thought provoking read, it explores what it's like to be in your thirties watching others around you get married and starting families. Tori was very relatable, and many may identify with her experiences. I found this novel empowering, and really enjoyed reading an unfiltered account of what being Tori was really like.

Every character in this novel no matter how minor was carefully thought out, each adding in their own way to the story. I felt I really got to know Tori as I read through this novel, I won't spoil it but I think the ending was perfect.

Overall, this is a brilliant novel. I recommend it for anyone wanting an empowering thought provoking read. I'm really glad I got the chance to read this book, it touches on many important topics that I wish were covered more often.

ARC thanks to Netgalley -free and frank review.
I found Tori quite irritating initially but as the story builds I was rooting for her and shouting at my book, just go on! The doubt, and insecurities and the overriding optimism that ‘this is just a bad spell’ rang true. I thought the comments on the insincerity of social media were spot on. I’m the wrong age so I’m looking at this with enormous gratitude that, although things were bad sometimes, at least we didn’t have to worry about always presenting a pretty picture.

Holly Bourne does adult fiction. That is a sentence that makes me want to squeal (loudly). In How Do You Like Me Now? She switches from the dramas of teenagehood to those of your thirties and if you’re a fan of her writing already, you’ll love this.

Tori Bailey has it all together and her incredible career gives her 100 bonus points in the competition that is living your best life. Her idyllic relationship gives her another 100. She’s basically top of the leaderboard.

However, she’s not engaged and there aren’t any kids on the way. Tori’s friends got bonus points for that and her friend Dee might even overtake her soon...As much as everyone tries to fight against it, life is about choices. Amazing careers take a lot of time, families take a lot of effort and ticking everything off your bucket list is not something you can do in a day. The idea of ‘doing it all’ is one that everyone seems to be fighting for. Social media is mostly a highlights reel of people’s lives and it feeds into this idea that you can simultaneously trek across Thailand, make meals from scratch, raise five children and demonstrate major success on your LinkedIn profile.

It’s easy to see what someone else has and forget how great you have it. But likewise, it’s easy to think you have it all when you’re just ticking off life’s checklist. It’s at this point in her life that Tori realises her priorities has changed and she has to act.

The writing was so true to life and witty that it was hard to see where the book ended and the real world began. It was this snarky humour that kept it current and engaging for me, showing that Holly Bourne is indeed some kind of mystical being that can write wonderfully for both teens and adults.

This one’s being classed as a ‘must read’ and I can fully understand why.

Love, Jess

I received a copy for review via Netgalley.

Life is hard. That’s it. No amount of being told that it is hard and that it is unfair prepares you for that fact. In fact, when I grew up I had a plan that I was going to finish high school, go to college and university and I would be married by the time I was 21. My friend Ana and I had a plan. If we weren’t married by 21 we would join the army. Needless to say, neither of these plans came to fruition. Call it naivety or just plain ignorance but I wasn’t prepared for life. A book like Holly Bourne’s How Do You Like Me Now? may have given me a little preparation for this crazy little thing called life.

How Do You Like Me Now? is the story of Tori Bailey; she is a life guru of sorts, followed by thousands, a best-selling author. She is the girl other girls aspire to be. She has her shit together. Except, she really doesn’t. She is watching her friends all make big life choices: getting engaged, married or with child. Tori feels a little left behind. What she doesn’t seem to understand is that she is actually in a very toxic relationship and she is being held back by the man-child she is living with.

I really, really, really loved How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne. Yes, Tori could be a pain in the arse and so very unlikable at times but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t relate to some of the things that she is going through.

It is a strange little love story but one about loving yourself and I think that is the bravest thing about How Do You Like Me Now? This is the book that I wish was on a mandatory to be read list for every 25+ woman. Believe me, they all need to read it!

How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne is available now.

For more information regarding Holly Bourne (@holly_bourneYA) please visit www.hollybourne.co.uk.

For more information regarding Hodder & Stoughton (@HodderBooks) please visit www.hodder.co.uk.

I'm already a big fan of Holly's young adult novels (her Spinster Club series is really a must read for anyone of any age) so I was excited to see that she's started making the foray into adult fiction, too. Holly's known for weaving feminism into her work, both explicitly and implicitly, and How Do You Like Me Now? is no exception, which I love.

Tori Bailey is in her early thirties, and she seems to have it all. At least, that's what she's selling to her audience. She wrote an Eat, Pray Love-style memoir in her twenties that skyrocketed her career, and now she's giving TED talks and packing out auditorium's with her fans. The problem is, she's not really as happy as she makes out. Her relationship certainly isn't all that, and everyone around her seems to be getting married and having babies, and she doesn't want that, but also she doesn't *not* want that. And her publisher is asking for a second book, but how can she write self-help when she can't really help herself?

I think a lot of people will find this book relatable; even though Tori can be spiky and vain, we've all had our moments where we are very Tori-like, whether it's lying on social media whilst pretending to be 'real, thinking something a bit bitchy about someone who's made a different life choice to us, or (and I think this is the best part of the novel) staying in a relationship far too long. Tori's relationship with Tom is toxic, and he is *awful* to her, but you can understand why she stays, why it feels too scary to start again. We've all either been there, or watched from the outside as friends go through the process, getting too drunk to forget, making excuses, brushing off worries.

There were a couple of moments where I felt like this book missed the mark, but that may be because of who I am reading it (the mothers in this book are universally pretty awful, which is a little jarring for me - I hope I'm not like that!) but there really is so much to unpack here, and it grows on me the longer I step away from it. I absolutely raced through it, and was on tenterhooks by the end waiting to see what decision Tori would make. Like all of Holly's other books, this is definitely one that everyone should read.

I love Holly's YA books - fierce and funny and feminist. This is a lot darker, and personally I found it difficult to read; not because of the writing which is great, but because of the low-key abusive relationship that was all too real.

A VERSION OF THIS REVIEW WILL ALSO BE POSTED ON ABOOKORTEN.CO.UK ON A DATE TO BE DECIDED

My previous reading experience of Holly Bourne has been up and down - I loved 'Am I Normal Yet?', happily read and forgot a lot of 'How Hard Can Love Be?' and was very irritated with 'Soulmates'. I wasn't sure what to expect from her first move into adult fiction, but was interested in how she made the shift.

There are a handful of great characters here. Tori Bailey is a great protagonist, with quirks and foibles and a decent sense of humour. Her boyfriend Tom is horribly capricious, charming in company and inattentive and unkind in private. Her best friend Dee is brazen and unfiltered - and honestly a character I would have preferred to be following. Tori has built her career brand on honesty, but she's incapable of telling the truth (even to herself) except in occasional bursts - when she christens her new tummy pouch Herman, or acknowledges the new lines on her face. Dee's colleague who Tori bonds with at her baby shower provides another flash of someone three-dimensional. Unfortunately though, the supporting characters around them fell into entirely predictable roles and were built on stereotypes - the gossipy, bitchy university friends who are now mums and have no consciousness of how awful their children are; the young, fun, feminist friends who take Tori out to clubs; the therapist with her gentle nods and smiles and probing questions about how her masturbating is going.

The disdain and hatred which Tori seems to harbour for other women, or just other people in general, was something I found grating quite quickly. While I understand the commentary being made here about competitiveness, comparison and social media validation, I was also saddened to imagine that people in receipt of wedding invitations and baby announcements really react like this. I genuinely love a wedding and hearing someone is having a baby makes me happy for them. There is enormous humour in Tori and Dee's wedding drinking game, watching out for sentimental cliches, but there's also a lot of cynicism and a sneeriness towards other people's happiness just because they're taking a step Tori hasn't achieved yet. I couldn't help but feel that if she were attending these as a married person, she would be comparing everything to how her wedding had been and feeling superior about her choices, or alternatively harbouring hatred for the bride and groom for having a great idea she didn't have.

Bourne does manage to create the claustrophobia of an unhealthy relationship, and to hold the reader month by month through the tension of hoping that Tori will finally leave Tom. But each time we are disappointed, and slowly we stop hoping that she will have done. Every month she talks herself back into loving him, back into holding on for a little while longer, and I sighed. My reaction was complex, between sympathy for the corner Tori has backed herself into by outwardly lying about how perfect her life is, and by creating herself the mental space in which she feels the need to

In the end of the book, Tori switches her phone off, cutting out the noise of social media validation and critique, cutting off the stream of thought in her brain of concern about how many likes her latest post got, etc etc. But for me this felt like a hollow victory - because she will switch her phone on again. Turning off on one day when she has made a major life change is not indicative of a major shift in Tori's behaviour or attitude to anything - it is only a moment in time. What I was perhaps hoping for, and didn't realise until I felt left flat by this half-hearted denouement, was for Tori to cut through her own unhelpful and circular thoughts about how everyone is judging and evaluation her - for her to start to realise that her own judgement of others is part and parcel of the problem, and that by being a little bit kinder to others she might reduce the general shittiness going around. I was hoping she might finally take the advice that parents and teachers have always given - that really, nobody is spending all their time judging you and if they are, it's their problem. The answer to taking yourself out of the circle is partially logging out, but it's not just that - it's also changing the attitude you have whenever you do log back in, changing the importance you ascribe to a like, and reducing the amount of energy you spend on caring if someone might think your chin looks too pointy in that selfie.

Of course, Tori has overcome a major source of her own anxiety by leaving Tom, and damning the consequences of how her Followers will perceive it. And while I was glad, it came too late - I didn't just want her to leave Tom, I wanted to see her get out from under his influence and thrive without him. That was the event I was hoping for a third to halfway through the novel, not as the final act.

My favourite moment of the whole book came unfortunately close to the start, when Tori orders herself a pizza to the wedding at which the food had been inadequate and sneaks out to the front gate so that the delivery driver doesn't disturb the reception.

The writing itself is clear and often witty, but equally as often grammatically questionable and clumsily phrased. Overall, I didn't feel that the tone had realistically shifted from YA to adult - while the content (home ownership, masturbation, weddings and babies and careers) might have changed, the register of the prose is much the same as Bourne's YA novels. Unfortunately as I often found it frustratingly simple in that context, I was sad not to see evidence of more growth here.

For me, this hits at the low end of my success rate with Bourne's novels. I haven't unreservedly enjoyed one since the first I read - with a constantly full TBR begging for my attention, I may not be picking them up in the future.

First of all, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this. I love Holly Bourne’s writing so was so excited to read her debut adult novel. This book follows Tori who has written a best selling novel and is struggling to find inspiration for her next. Tori wrote a self-help memoir about her life and how she was struggling in her twenties to find who she was. She lives the perfect life, at least according to her fans and her social media accounts. She feels lonely even though she is in a long term relationship with her boyfriend who she dearly loves but isn’t feeling a connection with recently. He won’t talk about the future like babies and marriage and normal relationship stuff. Her best friend falls in love and Tori feels like she is leaving her in the dust because of it. AND BABIES. Life is different when you have babies and this just makes Tori’s so called happy life, a complete and utter disaster. This book was so easy to read and I am in awe of it.

4 out of 5 stars.

It’s time to review a book I read a while back and LOVED (I swear one day the paces of my reading and reviewing will match!)

If you’re a Young Adult Fan, chances are you already know (and love!) Holly Bourne’s books - she has given us the fantastic Spinster Club series and a myriad of other delectable stand-alones - most recently It Only Happens In The Movies, with her next book Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes out on August 9th.

Holly’s books are always relatable and humorous, and this, her first adult novel is no exception - in fact, it hits a little too close to home (in a good way)!

Tori Bailey is a young woman on the edge of turning 30, trying to write the follow-up to her best-selling self-help memoir. Her friends around her are settling down and having babies, while Tori is dating a guy who won’t entertain the idea of marriage and children.

HDYLMN can be sad at times, but Tori is a funny, honest and relatable character. If you’re a little bit older than the typical YA audience, it’s time to dive into Holly’s first adult book which is sure to be a huge success.

I find myself quite unmoved by this novel - not like me, but you can't win 'em all.

Tori wrote a bestseller about how to live your life for yourself in your twenties, flaunting convention. Along with her best friend Dee she privately pokes fun at the brides and new mothers who are complying with what society expects of them. Her time is spent whipping her fans into a frenzy on social media whilst she whizzes around the globe giving talks and signings of her one and only book whilst confirming that she is still with her perfect partner Tom. However can she practice what she preaches?

I agree with some of the blurb that this is a relatable read; perhaps it's just that I've been there, done that and don't really understand Tori's dilemma. Yes, it's honest, yes it describes the emotions of practically every woman around Tori's age, but none of it was surprising. It was an okay read but, for me, it didn't set the heather on fire. Perhaps I expect my fiction to be more fictional? I'm not sure. Noting that the author has progressed from YA novels, I expect she has the following to make this a bestseller. Not for the first time, I'm out of step!

My thanks to publishers Hodder & Stoughton for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Woah. This one was a fascinating one for me, as it hit very close to home on a number of points (I’m in my late 30’s for one!).

At first I was lulled into a false sense of security, as we meet Tori and her apparently-perfect-but-not-totally life, as this seemed very much like Bridget Jones via social media instead of a Diary. There is a similar wry humour and deft touch with the reality of life as a woman: friendships, inner thoughts, public masks and so on.

What changed everything was my slow creeping awareness of the desperation beneath Tori’s smile. As she tweets and likes, sips wine and mouths platitudes, as a reader I became increasingly on edge. Holly Bourne manages to make Tori completely plausible in her denial while simultaneously letting you in on the truth and it is painfully real and intimate.

I became completely engrossed and invested in Tori’s life and choices and repeatedly begged her (out loud!) to just cry, ffs cry, it’s ok to cry when you’re sad, you’ll feel better! This as she constantly blinks back the tears, bites back her hurt and pastes on that Insta-grin.

Don’t get me wrong. This is definitely not a doom ‘n’ gloom book, and there were plenty of giggles and guffaws along the way, but this just not a frivolous look at levelling-up a bit. This is deeper and contains some hard truths for the reader as well as Tori: about changing relationships, facing our realities, and the gap between ourselves and even the closest of loved ones.

The easy recommendation is for women in their thirties, but I genuinely think there is a lot to enjoy here for any reader who is interested in real life truths vs social media legends.


'Being in your thirties is like a game of Snakes and Ladders. You may think you’re beating everyone, but you’re only one dice-roll away from falling down a snake and suddenly coming last.'

– Holly Bourne, How Do You Like Me Now?

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

This book was just so great. It was everything I look for in a book; it has a character who is the same age as me, it has positive feminist messages by the bucket load and it made me laugh a lot whilst also making me think and making me cry just a little bit, what more could you want? Also: how this the first Holly Bourne novel I've read? I own all her others!



So obviously this book has had a lot of hype surrounding it for the best part of a year and despite having a copy of it for quite a while, I wanted to wait for the hype to due down a little before picking it up in the hope that it wouldn't skew my judgement in any way, but the hype was worth it. This is such a well-rounded novel and a novel that needs to be in the market today that it deserves all the hype it gets. If you spend any time on social media, you will be able to relate to this novel. If you have university friends whose lives are all going in different directions, you will be able to relate to this novel. If you have ever got just a little bit angry drunk, you will be able to relate to this novel.



The main character in this book is great because despite being a best selling author and someone with a HUGE online presence and following, she is really easy to relate to. She has the same thoughts and concerns about her life, her body, her friendships and relationships that we all do and so she is just wonderfully easy to spend a book with. I loved her because she is straight talking and speaks with her friends and family the way I do. Her book was marketed on straight talking and in front of other people she is exactly like that. In her own space though, she has doubts but is in fact too bothered by what other people think and what society 'says' she should be doing to voice those doubts. We've all been there and that is why this book works.



The setting of this book is relatable and even though Tori is very much famous on social media, that setting is also really relatable. Her feed is filled with wedding pictures, hen do groups and baby updates (before and after birth) and so their is so much in this story about how much of our lives we put on social media, the kinds of things we share and the kinds of things we don't/ It also brings up the point that is so prevalent right now, that the lives we see others putting online, might be just to tip of the iceberg of the actual lives they are living. It puts the importance on real relationships and checking in with people in real life rather than just online because those relationships are the kind that we need to nurture and the kind that will last the time.



As I mentioned already, this book made me laugh, a lot! I was reading out bits of this novel as I was reading it to tell my husband exactly what I was laughing at and he laughed too. I think it made me laugh so much because of the things I've already listed, it just being so relatable. I could see all the little moments happening to Tori being played out in my own life over the years! I can totally recommend this book and I know this will be one that I will be tempted to come back and revisit in the future, I really hope there's more from Tori, or Dee. Once you've read it come back and talk to me about Tom, that's all I'm saying. You're going to love this book for so many reasons so definitely add it to your TBR right away!

Refreshingly honest feeling, this book looks at the mixture of disturbing things that social media has made normal and traditional social pressures. As a single 40 something I found that I identified with this a lot more than I expected. I think that pretty much every person that has ever taken a selfies (or 30, before picking the right one) will find some truth here, wrapped up in a delicious, sharp humour. The fact that I really wasn't sure if I liked Tori and yet was rooting for her the whole way is a testament to the writing skills of the author.

This book didn't suit my reading taste and sadly I couldn't get into the story. I also feel because I am used to Holy Bourne's writing in YA, changing to writing Adult fiction confused me and I just didn't enjoy the change. Therefore I did not finish this book.