I did not like the main character now, not one bit. She seemed to be trapped in a mind ten years (at least) to young for her and I know this was the point but do all heroines have to be so... Vapid? Anyhow I liked the fact we were hurtling towards a change (thank god) and that it didn't meet all the stereotypes. And to my shock towards the end I cried ugly tears so I must begrudgingly admit something worked, somewhere along the line. It just took a bit to long to get to. Mildly entertaining, improving as it finished!

Tori Bailey is a bestselling author and a guru to the twenty something market with her self help memoir 'Who the f*ck is Tori Bailey'. She is going through a crisis in her early thirties as she is writing her follow up novel..She is held up as the shining example of the girl who has got her life sorted but her life seems to be falling apart around her. She is in a relationship with Tom, 'Man on the rock', who she met and wrote about in her last book.

All around her friends are getting married and having babies and Tom won't even talk about any of it. Her best friend, Dee, meets someone at a wedding and falls in love and becomes pregnant very quickly and this chain of events makes a last impression on Tori.

We go on the journey with Tori as she realises that perhaps she is not living the perfect life she thinks she is. This is a very frank, funny and observant book that takes the reader on a journey along with Tori

I've read Holly Bourne's teen/YA work and found it utterly refreshing. It's page burningly readable, very enjoyable and yet does not shy away from dealing with topics like mental health and how to balance a young woman's sense of self with her desire to have boyfriends and find love. My fourteen year old daughter is addicted to her work and rates her as her favourite writer, which I think demonstrates more amply than I could, that she has found her ideal readership with regard to her teen books. How Do You Like Me Now is an interesting book. It's her first novel for adults, and confess that I was torn. It was still utterly compulsive. I could not put it down and motored through it in a single day. I was however, conflicted because I really didn't like Tori at times. By the time I did come to really like her, the book was almost finished, and I felt rather short changed. What I really wanted was to read on, after the book had finished and find out what Tori does next. I loved the fact that Tori was awkward and imperfect. I loved the fact that she had strong and sustaining female friendships and family ties that were nurturing. I identified with her staying with her partner and talking herself back into the relationship every time they hit a bump in the road. I've done this, this was all very real to me. I think the thing that jarred was Tori's being the author of a self-help book. Given where she was emotionally, I found it hard to reconcile the two Toris that were being depicted. I understand that this was supposed to happen, that the guts of the book was this disconnect, and mostly it worked, but at times it really didn't and then I found myself being frustrated with Tori. Having said that, it was incredibly well written, compelling, and I'd be really grateful if Holly Bourne would write another very soon, particularly if that other was a sequel to this book.

Thanks Netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've liked every single one of Holly Bournes novels that I have read. Am I Normal Yet?, What's a Girl Gotta Do? and most recently, It Only Happens in the Movies. All of these novels have held something special for me: whether it's important and good discussions on mental health, feminism, consent, I have loved them all. Bourne has a distinct narrative voice: she is able to take serious issues and be brutally honest about them. There is no sugar coating, and it's exactly the same within this one.

Bourne doesn't sugarcoat sex. It's not all magical. It's not the romanticised portrayals you see on screen or often read about books. It's honest. What I think is great about this is whether you've had no sex, a little sex, tons of sex, its having a conversation with you. It's not lying to you and telling you if your not doing this your not doing it right / you have to do this. No. It's opening that discussion up with it's audience - whether YA, or adult - and I think that's hella good. I find too often in YA and some of the adult books I have read (it's not my fave genre) that everything is perfect and magical and problematic issues are pushed under the rug because *romance* and what Bourne does is stamp a big fat "NO" over that. This isn't her saying that it can't be like that, this is her saying that it DOESN'T have to be. Isn't that great?

As I've said, I love how Bourne takes on her female characters. While throughout all of this I didn't particularly love Tori, I appreciated what Bourne was doing with her character. The whole discussion on success and how to most people that means nothing, rather you have to be a mother, was heart wrenching. It sucks, because it's true. Too often I see career women being degraded because they haven't had kids yet / never want to, and somehow because of this they are "missing out". That isn't freaking fair. And also, that isn't freaking feminism. Whole point of feminism is giving women A CHOICE. Just saying. And I like how Holly displays that in this - that is up to you when you want to make that choice, and your the one to take control of it.

Ah, the feminism in this.

Women OWN THEIR FREAKING SEXUALITY IN THIS. I love it. And when there is some slut-shaming it is REFUTED. But I love this. Women being allowed to own their freaking sexuality.

I also love this:


I'm sure he has good intentions and all, but I just cannot handle men who get applauded for not being an arsehole. It should not be rewarded, it should just be a given.


This reminds me of a discussion I was having the other day about how it's sad we get excited about saying "wow! this book is so feminist/diverse!" like that's something we are still excited about. All books should simply just be feministic without it having to be pointed out you know?? It should just be a given that going in to a book you're going to have this.

But while I really enjoyed it, I can't say I loved it.

- I feel like this book didn't really have much of a plot. It definitely wasn't a juicy enough plot to go on for as long as it did. For a while it really did just feel like I was reading someones diary about them whining about their day.
- While this book is very female power, I feel like it is let down by all it's male characters who do act like pieces of crap. I mean Nigel was alright, there wasn't much of him, he was just so bland. And Tom??? Arse wipe. I often find that with Holly Bourne books. There's so much female power (which I love) but yeah.
- Something happens with Tori / Tom (I think that's his name, I'll just call him Rock man) that was NOT OKAY. And it's not really elaborated on. Tori just feels bad and cries and then tells herself it's all okay and tries to forget about it. No. . . I wish their was more discussion that just because your in a relationship doesn't mean that's okay. Same with her and something she does even though Rock Man is like "no". It's like !!! just don't be a dick and be a bit more respectful, you know???
- Like I know the plot of this book was Tori / Rock Man and what shit was going on between them etc BUT I JUST WISHED THEY'D BREAK UP AFTER A PAGE.

I also think - and to no fault of Bournes - that this book wasn't for me. I'm only 19, and considering this book was about feeling like you've wasted your twenties/regretting, I couldn't really relate. I mean, I do feel like my teenage years have gone nowhere and that I probably have wasted most of them (no - I find staying at home and netflixing and reading is a perfect way to spend any of your decades) this wasn't exactly what the book was about. So most of the time I did find it hard to connect, but I tip my hat off to Bourne for still keeping me reading despite the fact this novel wasn't particularly for me.

So all in all, I did think this was a good debut to Bourne's dip in the adult novel genre! While I do prefer her YA, I can say I did like this and will pick up anymore adult novels she writes.

I spent the whole book wishing Tori was a real person and I could read her self help book.
I really enjoyed this book, the fiction pulled on alot of real life issues that society makes us deal with today. its a brilliant realization on modern life and the struggles we face wrapped up in a self help bow.

I love Holly Bourne and when I found out she had written a book for adults I had to request it straight away. It was exactly what I expected - Holly, but with swearing and with slightly more explicit sex. Gone are the idealistic teens of her earlier books, and instead we meet a woman in her earlier thirties who has made her success off the back of her quater life crisis.

Tori is 31 and when we meet her she is promoting a book she wrote when she was twenty five, as a guide to other young adults, and has since become a self help guru. However, despite the sparingly honest persona she is known for, she is ashamed to admit that she doesn't follow her own advice, and feels like a hypocrite when her readers talk about how much she inspired them. She is hard on herself and her appearance, resents her friends who are suddenly only concerned with getting married and having children, and can't admit to herself that her relationship with the man she met in her twenties and wrote famously about in her book, is no longer working. 

Holly Bourne, as always, manages to make me feel for her never perfect, but always realistic main character, but I didn't connect to this book as much as I thought I would, perhaps because I am aged between the characters in this book and her teen novels, and had a foot in both camps instead of being anle to properly relate to this 'grown up' book. The end was far too quickly wrapped up for me, even though I liked what had happened. I think I would have rated the book higher if the ending could have been less jarring.

I didn't think it was possible to love Holly Bourne any more than I already do but damn it she did it again.

Tori Bailey, author of a successful self-help memoir about finding yourself, is a feminist role model for thousands of young women. She appears to lead an enviably together life - she’s even given a TED talk - but the reality is far different. Her boyfriend Tom - her great love story, the Man on the Rock - appears increasingly detached, even hostile at times, seeming more engaged with the cat than with her; she’s desperately insecure, obsessing over her appearance and body, and addicted to the fleeting validation of social media likes from her legions of devoted followers. Even her best friend seems in danger of drifting away.

What on earth has happened to Tori’s life?

I have to say, Tori’s social media persona irritated me - I wouldn’t follow her, but then I’m old and cynical. I think her persona probably is fairly representative of many, possibly with more swearing. (Her memoir is called “Who the F*ck Am I?”and she refers to her followers as “f*ckers”.) But the point of course is that like so many others, her carefully crafted online image - complete with “spontaneous” selfies that are anything but - doesn’t truly reflect the reality of her life.

This is really an insightful account of living in a toxic relationship and the damage done as a result. It’s often very funny but also painfully honest at times, with some teeth-grittingly awful moments which I’m sure many women will unfortunately recognise. While I liked Tori’s character, I wouldn’t say I related to her strongly, but there were definitely familiar aspects.

In terms of plot action not a huge amount actually happens - Tori goes to some weddings, gives talks, appears on a panel, tries to write a new book - but it’s mostly about her internal dialogue and struggle to figure out what’s going on in her life and particularly in her relationship. Interspersed with lots of social media snippets. This might not work for those who like more action, but I really enjoyed it.

This is YA author Holly Bourne’s first foray into adult fiction. It’s observant, honest, funny, feminist and clever. I liked it a lot.

Review will be published on my blog http://atickettoeverywhere.blogspot.co.uk closer to publication date. Thanks to Hodder and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I am a big fan of Holly Bourne. Although I am 29, I have read all of her YA books so I was keen to read her debut adult novel. It didn’t disappoint.

As someone who reads a lot of ‘self help’ books, the premise grabbed me from the start. I really liked Tori, the main character. I also really liked the way this book examined the gaping chasm between how we present ourselves on social media versus the reality of life. One thing that bothered me was how long it took to reach the (inevitable) conclusion. Tori became a bit of a whiner as this dragged out - this is why I have dropped a star.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who like contemporary fiction.

In a world where social media is ruler of all things, we find ourselves broadcasting every minute detail of our lives as a shop front of who we want people to think we are. We compare our lives to those of our friends and we judge who is doing best. This is the world in which Tori lives and she contributes to it, cannot detach herself from sharing, checking, posting so much so that understanding her real feelings towards her relationship are veiled by what people will think. Added to that are the pressures of turning 30, which to me felt a bit cliché: do all women real still feel that once they turn 30, they must all get married and have kids? I would have thought that such pressures had started to subside. But I guess that if Holly Bourne has felt the need to write about it then it must still be felt and I must be quite lucky not to feel them. Despite this, the story kept me interested.

I f*cking loved this book!! though I’m a woman in my 40’s I could still relate to the story. Gutsy main character Tori who I really really liked. Would highly recommend.

In her first adult novel 'How Do You Like Me Now?' Holly Bourne writes how it really is. So if you are a fan of fairy tales / chick lit romances - stay away from this book! I love how Holly's books are deep and meaningful. In the era of Facebook and Instagram 'How Do You Like Me Now?' is something that all modern women will need in order to remember that life is life and all sorts of things happen and at least half of them is not Instagramworthy. The novel is about Victoria, a successful author of one self-help book. And now turning 32 she really needs some help to sort out her not so perfect life. Most of the 30-something readers will feel the vibe that it's at least partly about them. Holly Bourne, great work as always!

I loved this so much. It was honest and refreshing and brilliant, just truly, truly brilliant. I haven't read any of Holly Bourne's work before but I'll definitely be looking at her YA titles now!

This book is Holly Bourne's first novel for adults, and like her highly acclaimed young adult novels, it breaks the mold of what we've come to expect from women's fiction. It centers on Tori, a successful 30-something woman who's built a career on the back of a self-help novel about getting your shit together in your 20s. She has a legion of social media followers, and her every move is put out there for her fans to see. The problem is, the relationship her book ends with isn't quite as perfect as her followers think. But how do you end a failing relationship when your whole career is built on it being a success?

At first glance this book is about the trials and tribulations of watching all your friends get married and have babies - the baby shower scene especially resonated with me. But in reality, it's got more in common with Rachel's Holiday than with books about settling down, because it's really about being in a toxic relationship and what that does to your life. Whilst I really enjoyed this, and would definitely read more of Holly's books, I couldn't help but dislike Tori, which coloured my perception of the book.

I recently saw Holly at an event for her latest YA book and I found her really interesting, so as soon as I heard about her first foray into adult books I really wanted to get my hands on it. I've never actually read any of her YA novels, I've started some of her books but never finished them for various reasons. I will be writing a full book review of How Do You Like Me Now in the future, as I have some mixed opinions but they don't overwhelm my enjoyment of the book.

The main issues I had were that the writing style is still very much in the voice of a YA writer, in my opinion, with just an added addition of a lot more non-apologetic sex. The actual story is simple and repetitive: self-help writer hates her life and struggles to ditch her crappy boyfriend because she's scared of being single in her 30. But, despite some misgivings, I couldn't put the book down and it was extremely believable. Hence I'm giving it 4 stars.

Loved, loved this book! Clever, current, humorous, irreverent take on life in your 20's and 30's. Hugely likeable main character and the author did not take the easy option to end the book.

Seamless transition from YA to adult fiction for Holly Bourne.

Did not finish, because this book just wasn't my cup of tea. With all the thing Tori was unhappy about, but still persisted in (like the high maintenance of her hair, taking 30 photos looking for the perfect selfie that suggested it was taken in an instant...), I made it to 50% but then couldn't get myself to finish the story.

I thought this book was fantastic - definitely one of Holly's strongest novels. Funny, fresh and feminist, and an incredibly fun read. I loved how it seemed to invert typical chick-lit narratives of finding a man - instead, Tori is finding herself. My only quibble is that I would have liked to have seen a little more on Tori writing her new book, but other than that, I thought it was brilliant. Hope Holly does more adult fiction in the future!

First thoughts
I fucking love this book. It’s raw, unapologetically honest and brutally real when it comes to life as a 30 something woman in the age of social media.
While I knew I would love Holly’s book; her work is always incredible I was not expecting to finish it and feel so understood.

Characters
Tori will be a character that divides readers; and it makes me love her all the more. She hasn’t been created to tick boxes and please everyone.
She’s relatable and likeable; she’s the Bridget Jones for Gen X (I am 2 months away from 32; I refused to be labelled a millennial) I want to go for a drink with Tori, I want to go for many drinks with Tori.
She’s not perfect, she’s a bit of a fuck up and a little emotionally unsettled (read: sexually frustrated, angry and very fucking confused). However, I feel that is very much a side effect of her environment and I’m already pondering her life outside the novel’s ending.

Tom. I’m unsure as to what to make of him and I can’t trust my own judgement because I’m on the outside looking in, with only Tori’s thought process to guide me.
Honestly, I think he’s a prick and I’d be picking... Only that’s not true. Yes, I still think he’s a prick; I know I would limit my confrontations as Tori does.
I don’t want to tarnish all men with the same brush, but in my experience all my boyfriends have been akin to Tom. I almost felt that there was just enough left out of his character to allow for an element of projection.

Plot
You do see where the book will go; you sense the ending. And by sense, I mean you know, but you’ll slow down your reading hoping that will stop the pain. That’s no bad thing because, certainly for me, it’s not really about what outcome we get; it how Tori gets there. Holly has a wonderful ability to give us not what we want, but what we need.
It’s a wonderful episodic narrative that is tied together with a number of story arcs that help Tori question her relationship and personal fulfilment.
The most important part for me, is some of the difficult sections of the book. This, my friends, is not the Notebook. It’s also not an episode of Sex and the City. Tori’s descriptions of her relationship with Tom will hit a nerve, they challenge you to question what a healthy relationship with yourself and others looks like.
There’s one scene which brought back memories of my previous relationship (I lie, MANY scenes brought back that relationship. Fuck, at one point I felt like Holly had taken a nose dive into my pensieve); one in which I was reluctant to leave. It hit me like a wall of PTSD before realising; shit, it’s not just me.
Some would argue that a person would not stay in a relationship with so many unresolved issues as mentioned in the description. Well, as a women who has contemplated becoming a raccoon lady; If I’m going down that path, I will not become a walking clique (that and all my friends hate cats) I would have to disagree. The internal battle of Tori is a real as breathing.

Writing
Holly has always had a wonderful writing style; engaging, funny and relevant. However, this is something else.
My reading of the first few chapters was staggered only because I had to stop every page to fire off a quote to my best friend and co-blogger.
There’s an ease and comfort in reading How Do You Like Me Now? I loved both Sex and the City and Bridget Jones has I was approaching adulthood, but it was never talking to me and it felt like fiction; almost fantasy. Where as Holly has taken the world of taboo (let’s face it, female masterbation and women wanting sex are still things we could be chastised for bringing up depending on our social circle) and given women of Gen X a hero who is as fucked up as we are.

This book. It's given me so many feelings I don't even know where to start.

Tori is 31, a self-help author who's written a very successful book about overcoming a mid-20s life crisis which has resonated with thousands of young women. But now she's 31 and she's starting to feel like maybe she doesn't have her life together after all. Her public persona is so carefully crafted, though, that it's difficult for her to admit she's actually unhappy.

I'm twice the age of Holly Bourne's usual target market, but I absolutely love her young adult books: they are unapologetically feminist and celebrate female friendships and overcoming adversity as a teenager. This, her first foray into adult fiction, is everything I wanted and more. It retains her spiky writing style and very honestly flawed protagonists (the admissions of insecurity and secretly bitching about acquaintances and always wanting to look the best in group selfies) and is so relevant to the early-30s life experience in the digital age that it was almost painful at times. A resounding YES from me, and one I will be recommending to all my other just-turned-30 friends.

There were a few formatting issues with some double text in my ARC but I assume these will be straightened out by publication.