Very Nearly Normal tugged at my heartstrings on may occasions. Effie's character was at an all time low as the story started. She was miserably depressed and hating the life she was living. In stepped Theo, and slowly little things about her life began to change. She began to appreciate who she was and who she could be.

Ugh I loved this book. Effie is such a lovable but unlikable character all at once. I related to her on so many levels with the feeling of disappointing those around her and disliking herself. Shes pretty much given up on everything until she meets Theo - who seems larger than life and too good to be true but he has a secret that he isn't sharing.

Such a difference and twist that I never expected at all, I loved this book. It was so well written and well thought out. The characters felt like real people with real life problems, not sugar coated, just real.
Really enjoyed it and would highly recommend.

Very Nearly Normal’ is the debut novel by Hannah Sunderland.

Matilda ‘Effie’ Heaton has always felt like she’s swimming against the tide. Everyone around her has life sorted, but Effie’s living with her parents and crying into a wine bottle at night. The only thing she loves is her job at a bookshop, where she can lose herself in other people’s stories. But then she meets Theo, who knows only too well that life isn’t something to take for granted. Because Theo has a life-changing secret, and as Effie starts to realise that she’s falling in love instead of falling apart, fate steps in and deals her a new hand. And this time, the stakes are high.

If you’re looking for a warm and funny story then I would wholeheartedly recommend this story.

Seen from the perspective of Effie, a sarcastic and moody woman, who’s upset that she’s not the successful writer she aspired to be. Instead she lives with her parents, working in a bookshop and she begrudges everyone else’s happiness. When a Tinder date ends in disaster with a handsome stranger coming to her rescue called Theo and helps her end life through a different lens only to disappear.

I loved this story, the characters are great. Effie is outspoken, fun and completely relatable. She’s tried of the falseness of social media and the filters that people put on their lives and wishes she didn’t envy everyone else’s happiness. She works in a bookshop with with a manager called Arthur and I loved the scenes and banter between the two of them. When Theo comes into Effie, we see a softer side to her, she becomes gentler, more open minded and it’s lovely to see her progress as well as the relationship and Theo makes her value and understand the important things in life.

I also loved Theo, handsome and funny, he helps Effie realise her worth and when he disappeared I did find myself longing for his return.

A quirky and uplifting love story that is filled with funny and relatable characters, with a plot that travels at a lovely pace. ‘Very Nearly Normal’ is by a new voice in female fiction, a voice that made me giggle at witty dialogue, fun situations and makes you appreciate the smaller things in life.

You can buy ‘Very Nearly Normal’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshop.

I feel utterly in love with Effie and Theo. A gorgeous, entirely relatable romance, highly recommend. A super-easy read but completely enchanting.

I’ve just finished Very Nearly Normal and want everyone to grab a copy and meet Effie and Theo right away. Definitely an early contender for my book of 2020.

At 28 years old Effie is struggling to find any positives with the world she exists in. Clinging on to a childhood friendship that is long past it’s sell by date and living at home with her parents is doing little for her positivity. Instead alcohol appears to be her only vice to quieten the loneliness and self-loathing.

Theo however is the polar opposite, with a thirst for life and infectious positivity! Not content on wasting any time being miserable, when he meets Effie by chance he sets out on a mission to make her love herself and rid the self doubt.

This book made me laugh out loud, cringe at the brutality of Effie’s words and cry at the realisation of Theo’s secret. Heartbreaking and sweet, it really packed an emotional punch.

Hannah Sunderland has written characters that are really believable. There are some complex storylines that are written beautifully and the research undertaken shows. I can’t wait to read more from this talented author.

I’ve seen a few reviews that question Effie as a spoilt, annoying character. Please stick with her, this part of Effie’s journey to loving herself is integral to the storyline. Give her a chance and oversee her flaws. After all she just wants to be seen!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free review copy in return for an unbiased review. I picked up 'Very Nearly Normal' without reading the 'blurb' as a random read, and I am so glad I did. Effie is my heroine - at the beginning of the book she is cranky, has one friend who is actually a complete fake, a mother who never ceases to be disappointed in her, and no self worth. She reminded me a little of Marianne in Normal People, but without the intelligence or good looks.

Effie meets Theo when she is on a disastrous date with Daz, who tells her in no uncertain terms that she is not what he thought he was getting when he swiped right! Theo is a bit of an enigma - we don't find out that much about him to start with apart from his amazing determination to win Effie's heart. The interactions between Theo and Effie are funny, smart and sad in turn and this is a really intelligent, clever love story. The reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is that I felt the end section was a bit too tidy and formulaic, but maybe I'm just fussy! A lovely book.

It’s actually difficult to even do this book justice in a review.It’s more than just a romance, the characters are a little bit different, and so is this book. It’s quirky and funny, heart-warming but heartbreaking.

Effie has a lot of issues, but I couldn’t help liking her. Theo I liked instantly. They seem so ill-matched, but somehow they just fit together.

This book is poignant and beautifully written, with rich imagery that really pulls you into the story, but it’s also very funny. Not in a madcap, funny events, sort of way, but in the dynamics between the two main characters. Effie has a dark sense of humour and is very self deprecating, and Theo has some great comebacks.

There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in this book, which wasn’t what I was expecting. Even Elliot, the cat, is funny and quirky!

I was totally captivated by this beautiful book, and absolutely enjoyed it so much. Highly recommended.

Very Nearly Normal is a really nice read and one that you can easily read in a couple of sittings. The characters are all very easy to connect with and the story flows really well and every character feels relevant and adds to the story's development.

This one was painful to read at times - the emotions certainly run high in Very Nearly Normal by Hannah Sunderland. Effie and Theo are such vastly different characters but that is part of what makes this story so great. Initially, Effie comes off as unlikeable - she is self-deprecating, somewhat whiny and a complainer but as the book unfolds you can't help but connect with her. Her constant comparison to others is so easily relatable - don't we all fall into that trap from time to time? It's a poignant novel about how things are not always what they seem in others' lives.

A lovely romance between two flawed characters. ‘Very Nearly Normal’ is told in the perspective of Effie, a woman in her late twenties that is disappointed with her life, has low self-esteem, and drinks like a fish. At the start, she is difficult to like as she constantly pities herself while taking little agency of her life. Through a chance meeting with handsome Theo, she starts to get out of her bad habits and develop. She gains a true to desire to improve her life while keeping her self-deprecating sense of humor. I was glad I kept this one as I really enjoyed the story of Effie’s redemption.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing this ARC.

Quirky, compelling and captivating, Hannah Sunderland has penned an emotional, uplifting and heart-breaking novel, Very Nearly Normal.

Matilda ‘Effie’ Heaton is surrounded by people who have got their life sorted. Everybody seems to be climbing the corporate ladder, getting married, having children, getting mortgages and living the life of a grown-up. Everybody except for Effie. Effie still lives with her parents and if her financial situation is anything to go by, her living arrangements are not going to change any time soon. Her social life is practically non-existent which means that her evenings are spent holed up in her room crying into a wine bottle and wondering just where it all went wrong. Everything else might have gone pear-shaped, but at least Effie has a job which she loves and which is her salvation. Working in a bookshop allows Effie the chance to escape reality by losing herself in other people’s stories. Books give Effie hope and comfort and provide her with the joy and happiness which has been missing from her life of late.

Fate might have kicked Effie in the teeth in the last few years, but things look like they could finally be on the up when she meets Theo. Theo is somebody who is well aware of how unfair and unjust life can be who changes Effie’s world in a heartbeat, leaving her to wonder whether she is about to fall in love with somebody who could change her life. Only, Theo is in possession of a life-changing secret that could very well have serious repercussions on any relationship he might have with Effie…

As fate deals Theo and Effie a new hand, will they manage to triumph over the obstacles standing in their way to be happy together? Or is Effie merely setting herself up for further disappointment and heartache?

Hannah Sunderland certainly puts her readers through the emotional wringer with Very Nearly Normal. A book that will make readers experience the entire gamut of emotions, Very Nearly Normal is a book that will bring a tear to even the most jaded and cynical of eyes as well as have readers roaring with laughter.

While Theo was a wonderful character, I found Effie rather difficult to like at times. She was immature, self-absorbed and frustrating in the beginning and nearly made me want to put the book down and stop reading it, however, I persevered and my patience paid off in the end as I was completely consumed by her and Theo’s story.

A book that is perfect for fans of Me Before You and PS I Love You, Very Nearly Normal is a book about hope, heartache, triumph and despair and one that will linger in the mind long after the last page is turned.

Matilda ‘Effie’ Heaton (MEH) has been falling apart for a number of years, a not so secret alcoholic, she has a difficult relationship with her mother who she always refers to as Joy. Joy can’t understand why her daughter doesn’t do more with her life, doesn’t try harder and drinks so much. Her dad spends most of his days hiding away in his office buying and selling on Facebook and when he does arrive to be with Joy and Effie, he often falls instantly asleep!

Effie claims to excel at being a failure, she does it better than most. She dreams of being a published author but her first attempt fails, and she ends up working in a book shop. She has a life full of complicated relationships and is full of hatred and bitterness. A failed date (he thought he was meeting her friend as her online dating profile shows her and her friend in the photo – top tip – don’t do that on your dating profile!) leads her to meet Theo.

Theo is broken in his own secret ways but it’s not so obvious. He helps Effie by creating a list for her of things to achieve. Effie doesn’t realise that she loves him until she almost loses him, but is it too late? He pushes her away and she can’t understand why.

Effie grows so much throughout the book and while she appears to have a lot going for her, she can’t see it without the help of Theo and his instructions but through it all, she learns to appreciate what she has and finally ends up happy.

This was a great read, I really enjoyed following Effie’s growth and the characters within the book provide different elements and views, while she can see her friends are in love, she can’t see she is too. The characters are very real and well developed on the whole though, being critical, I would have liked to have learnt more about Theo and Effie’s dad was almost a non-character because he features so little.

This is not your average boy meets girl fiction where they live happily ever after, but a more in-depth book with highs and lows following Effie’s story and the impact of others on her life.

This is a great debut novel from Hannah Sunderland, and I hope it gets the attention it deserves!

Very Nearly Normal is the love story between Effie and Theo, but it's not a straightforward romance and does not go exactly as you might expect. They meet after Effie has had a disastrous date and it seems that she might finally have met 'the one' at last.

Effie has been compared to the character of Eleanor Oliphant and I can see why. At first I really didn't take to her, she seemed a rather miserable character who had a real 'poor me' attitude when in fact most of her problems were of her own making. She feels like she has been a failure at life and that everyone else is prettier, more likeable and luckier than her no matter how hard she tries. She comes across as quite a bitter person but as the book went on, I certainly began to soften in my attitude towards her.

Theo on the other hand is a character who is immediately appealing. He is a good humoured character who sees past Effie's misery and befriends her. I liked the various challenges he set for her to encourage her to move out of comfort zone. However, in a complete opposite way to my feelings towards Effie, something happens which made me rather angry with him!

This is a book I read pretty much over the course of a day as I became so invested in the lives of these two memorable and somewhat quirky characters. I loved watching Effie start to learn that she wasn't as unworthy as she had thought and start to believe in herself. I must also mention bookshop owner Arthur who was another character I really loved. As I said at the beginning, this isn't as straightforward a romance as you might expect, and the author certainly made me have my heart in my mouth on more than a few occasions, but I thought the ending was just right. Very Nearly Normal is an uplifting story about two characters who are far from perfect and whose love story is definitely out of the ordinary.

I felt a real connection with Effie who considers herself one of life’s losers. Not that I feel that I am a loser but I do agree that some people sail through life while for others it’s a hard slog through what feels like quicksand.

Her life is a bit of a shambles and after a disastrous Tinder date with Daz she meets Theo and life changes. Theo sees right through her facade to her very core and foists himself into her life much to Effie’s chagrin.

I have to say Effie’s humour in this book was very similar to mine. Snarky, sarcastic and dry and unless you get it, it can come across as rude. But it fit her character like a glove and just warmed me to her even more. And the positively effervescent Theo was more than a match, throwing witty remarks back at her like they were playing a game of humour tennis. But with these two it’s like mixing rain and sunshine and getting a beautiful rainbow.

And I haven’t even got to the other characters, her argumentative mother who she is constantly battling, her eBay obsessed father shut away in his room, Arthur and Toby and even the strange cat is full of personality.

Then there is the story itself which is heartbreakingly glorious. This is for anyone who has ever felt different, not quite good enough or that they don’t matter. You do matter, this is about how we all make our mark in the world even though we feel like we are failures. So if like me you like to root for the underdog, read this and root for Effie. Follow her struggles and be inspired.

I really like Very Nearly Normal! Although, when I started reading this book, I wasn't sure that I liked Effie at all. She was quite a depressing character, angry at everything and drank...a lot! It didn't seem like she had any clue how to change her miserable life...until Theo. I loved watching the transformation from the train wreck that was Effie, to the loveable, confident woman that would in return, rescue the hero himself. Once I saw through the wall Effie put up, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I cringed, I laughed and I cried...more than once! This was heartwarming and heartbreaking all wrapped up together. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC of Very Nearly Normal in exchange for an honest review.

We meet Effie, who is down on her life. She is exceedingly morose and has but one person she does not quarrel with regularly. This is the story of how she finds herself again.

Effie is living with her parents, has but one childhood friend who counts more as a frenemy and as someone who has had a partial experience of that kind of dynamics, understood her frustration. A noisy eater crosses her path, and from then on, she is forced to shake up her regular monotony. It has a very significant growth arc, leading to the point that the Matilda (Effie) who we end up with is a woman who likes the legs she stands on and we can cheer on any regular day. There was a lot of angst and soul searching, and at a point, I thought I had noticed too many ‘sneer’s and on checking found only five in the entire book so I was mistaken. It is a gruelling journey, and the author has not left any stones unturned in describing the depths of despair Matilda goes to. It just was mildly frustrating to be able to see what was wrong (as an outside observer) while the character continues to bemoan the situation without addressing the relevant possibilities.

It is a story of a couple and the journey they take towards common goals, and it was well written, and I would read other books by the author in the future!

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Matilda Effie Heaton is a bit of a mess. In her eyes, at least, she is below average; even her initial spell MEH, and that’s how she lives her life. Everyone around her has their world in order – the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect fiancé, the gorgeous hair, the stunning body. Effie is increasingly unravelling at the seams.

Then, suddenly, the seemingly perfect Theo forces his way in to her world and makes her confront her own perceptions and reality. In an attempt to take her out of her comfort zone, Theo challenges Effie to complete a list of 10 “missions”, akin to a bucket list, which combined, will help change her life.

This story follows Effie as she tries to regain control of not only her life, but her perceptions of self, and her descent in to alcoholism; picking up a few new wounds along the way. In that sense, it’s a great idea for a story, and is told remarkably well.

Effie, as our protagonist is, on some levels, quite unlikeable; however, you can see her personality shining through her many flaws, and you just want her to see her potential. Personally, I warmed to her very quickly and loved the fact she was not perfect. However, I struggled with the juxtaposition of Theo, who was built up to be this all-amazing, wonderfully sculpted, gorgeous being. I get it, I do, he looks too-good-to-be-true, and on some levels, he is; still, it would have been nice if he was a bit more on the average side, too. But, that’s just personal opinion and doesn’t detract from the story at all.

I loved the way the author made me feel – I actually had tears in my eyes at some points. What Effie goes through (NO spoilers) was written in such a raw way, that I felt it for her. I wanted to reach in and hold her and tell her she was going to be OK. Creating a situation where your readers feel that way is no mean feat, and I have to applaud that level of skill.

That said, the overall book was let down by a rushed ending. I remember getting to about 95% and thinking there’s a lot that needs to happen before this is over, and 5% later I had whiplash and felt a bit mugged off. Again, I get it; it’s hard coming to a nice gentle close on these things. At 400 pages this isn’t the shortest book in it’s genre, and you don’t want to run the risk of it turning in to an epic, but there must be a balance.

I found Effie seemed to have solved some of her more complex and challenging issues very quickly, and neatly – in a way that can only happen in fiction. Given the time and patience put in to developing her descent, I would have thought it would make more sense to demonstrate her struggle out of it a bit more. What had, at times, felt far grittier than a traditional ChickLit read, quickly turned in to a typical perfect happy-ever-after ending.

The Stars
A strong four stars. Although I found part of this quite frustrating, specifically the ending, the rest of the story was brilliantly told and executed, and the character development was largely excellent. This is a fantastic debut, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this other.

Oh wow I really loved this book. I wasn’t sure when I started it as I found the main character really depressing and was always under a “black cloud” and I wondered if I could finish this book. But, I read on and discovering that this book was actually quite funny as well as sad but with a happy ending. I loved the fact that she worked in a bookshop and wanted to be a writer. I really recommend this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Effie is not the usual run of the mill 29 year old. The story highlights very much the problems faced by someone who is a square peg in a round box. However much she has tried to be the "average Jane" Effie has never fitted the mould much to the dismay of her mother. From her school years she has been brash, I would say never considering what to say before she says it so that she has ended up at this age with no friends, no family life and very much alone, sad and bitter.

The only person who seemed to see a glimmer of a person within the person was Arthur her employer who treated her with distance and care at the same time which seemed to be the way to go. That is until she met Theo who saw the rough diamond that Effie was and who was determined to bring the person out.

The travails of Theo and Effie form the crux of the story - emotional, heart breaking but thank the Lord with a happy ever after ending. I couldn't have borne it if I saw Effie disillusioned again!

How our books drag us into a fantasy all the time!

This book was an interesting read because it talks about topics that somehow, nowadays seem more taboo than what the reality is actually like.
Two broken souls, dealing with heartbreak and alcoholism and what-ifs and a bit of hope for a better future.
There are many moments that I had to stop reading as well as moments where I felt like the story is dragging a bit or we are told some unnecessary things.
It’s easy to say You can do this, you can overcome this but while in fiction everything seems easy, in reality, it’s way harder but overall I think the author has done a good job.
It’s my first book by the author but won’t be the last that I’ll read by her.