I am officially OBSESSED with Sylvia and all her eccentricities. This book is heartwarming, sweet and brilliantly written. Will be recommending to anyone who will listen!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I couldn’t get on with the characters of this book but it seems a really sweet concept

Thank you for the consideration

Sylvia is about to turn 52. She works in a university and is in love with the Professor she works for.
Things start to fall apart for at work and with her family as the book progresses. Will she be able to make things right and move on.

Sylvia is quite possibly one of my most disliked characters since Joffrey in Game of Thrones. Her behaviour from the beginning is astounding, I have no idea how she wasn't arrested. Stalking which she'd presented signs of from a young age teamed with sleeping with her sisters partner begs belief. The ill treatment of women in this book is also something else as Millie is gaslit into thinking everything is Sylvia's fault. Truly the only likeable characters were Crystal and Jonas.

A story about a single middle-aged woman with an unrequited love for her boss isn't particularly original, but this is a well-told, well-written (debut) novel. I wasn't particularly enamoured by the protagonist, Sylvia, at the start…her boss obsession makes her an unpleasant, scheming person, one for whom you feel absolutely no sympathy or compassion. But O'Connor rather skilfully has you rooting for her towards the end. Bad decisions, misunderstandings and disappointments have moulded Sylvia and become her undoing. But her niece, old Jonas, an old boyfriend and…hedgehogs (or needlemice...you'll find out at the end!) transform her into quite a different, less-blinkered, nicer person.

There are some wonderful and wide-ranging characters, such as Jonas (who runs the hedgehog sanctuary), and the flamboyant Millie (Sylvia's sister). It's a heart-warming and uplifting story, written articulately and sensitively.

I would have given this five stars, but I couldn't overlook the tautologising nodding of heads, the 'leaving Lola and I (for heaven's sake '…and ME'!), the 'lay low' (it's 'LIE low'), and O'Connor should be aware that the proof is not in the pudding, it's in the EATING of the pudding! I'm slightly alarmed that a primary (ex)teacher would blunder like this. And equally alarmed that an editor didn't pick these up.

But for that…a charming, entertaining and enjoyable debut novel. I hope there's more to come from this promising author.

Unfortunately I was only able to download a sample of this book and not the whole version.

Nevertheless, the first few chapters were well written and made me want to read more.

I love hedgehogs so this was an auto request for me and the book was a cute read. I really enjoyed the time I spent reading.

Lovely read. It is never too late to make a change in your life. Inspiring.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Sylvia is in her fifties and is saving herself for the day her Prof boss notices her. She has kept her figure, has no social life and volunteers at a hedgehog sanctuary in any spare time. She is also very close to her sister, from whom she hides a huge secret.
When it all starts to unravel we wait to see where she will end up.
As a main character I found Sylvia very difficult to like at the start but the storyline was good and I enjoyed the book and found that I liked Sylvia after all!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. I really struggled to get into it and struggled with the format.

I. Am afraid I did not finish this book. I simply could not engage with the main character enough to care.

This is a tricky one – I’m still not sure whether I liked this book or not! It’s well-written, without a doubt, and it’s an interesting story. But there were aspects of Sylvia that just didn’t work. She’s intelligent, resourceful, independent, yet she behaves like a schoolgirl around the professor, who seems to be devoid of any redeeming qualities. That didn’t really ring true for me. And she’s so spiteful, so cold about everyone except the professor, that it’s hard to really believe in the changes that happen. When we learn more about her, we understand her so much more, but this doesn’t happen until around the second half of the book – I think the novel would have worked so much better if there had been a few more hints earlier on, a few subtle suggestions about what was behind her behaviour.
So a bit hit and miss – but worth a read.

This is a delightful book. Sylvia is a woman in her 50s, PA to a Psychology Ed professor, with whom she has a slightly unhealthy pining obsession for. She starts off as spiky as the hedgehogs she looks after in her off time, but the author cleverly draws the character out. An emotionally intense and thoroughly interesting read

I just loved this book-it left me with a smile on my face and was perfect reading material for these uncertain times.It’s very cleverly written, because at the start Sylvia is portrayed as an unlikeable woman whose unreciprocated feelings for her Professor boss make her do some very unpleasant things.When she gets her comeuppance, she has to change and by the end you are completely on her side and cheering her on.
A lovely, uplifting read which I highly recommend.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

This book is as bland as Sylvia's sad life and i was disappointed that it was not more interesting given the title. I started to skim pages early on for something interesting and could not continue.

Unfortunately I was unable to get in to this story and had to put it down, however, I'm sure it is a highly loved book and appreciated by the right readers.

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

This was a bit of a slow read for me at first, I found it difficult to get into due to the nature of the main character. As the book went on it developed well and ultimately i found it to be n enjoyable read. I would recommend to fans of Eleanor Oliphant

Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review :)

I've got goosebumps.Jane O'connor perfectly sums up the fact that everyone has layers nobody does anything just because,there is always a story.I must admit when I was started I was put off by the thoughts and actions of the main character,it made me feel uncomfortable. I am however glad I continued. Sylvia is 52 years of age and unlikable,in fact I very much disliked her. I found her to be overbearing,selfish,self centred, and quite frankly a stalker. After finishing this book I no longer feel she is any of these things, not really,she is just lost and life hasn't been kind. She works as personal assistant to someone we know as "prof" she is very much in love with Prof and has been for quite some time the feelings do not seem to be reciprocated even though she is very much convinced they are. Sylvia loves helping out at the hedgehog sanctuary. when she isn't interfering in prof's life,you get little snips about cute adorable little hedgehogs which I adore. We read on to see the outcome of Sylvia's obsession with her boss and we get to know a little bit more into her past to understand why maybe she is the way she is.

I would have liked more of an in depth look at the main characters life as well as a bit of a longer ending maybe with her sister finding out just how badly her husband had handled the entire situation. I do love the ending,but I would have liked more. Four out of five stars from me and I wouldn't hesitate to read another book by Jane O'connor.