Very unique premise for a book nothing like anything I've read before. However, I don't think it was for me I found myself getting a little bored but I did think there were some good humorous moments. I liked the small-town vibes and the characters were good.

Initially I really was not sure about the style of the writing, but this suspicion faded and what was underneath was a lovely, gentle, emotive, empathetic book with a decent edge. This is no weak woman moving along her life but a real person who tries. I also liked that the book allowed characters to express frustration (with big and small things) but didn't go too far and turn them into unreasonable villains. Great book, makes me want to go back and read her previous!

I could not decide what I thought about this book - having left it for a couple of days I have decided that I enjoyed it! Jane loves Duncan but so does or has most of the female inhabitants of their American small town! Jane has to come to terms with sharing him and deciding what real happiness and love are.

Do not expect lots of action but instead explore characters and come to care deeply about them

Honestly, Heiny is such a joy to read - especially in these difficult times. Her writing is so light and effortless and her dialogue is always sharp and funny. She is a master of character observation: with very few words she catches someone perfectly.

This is a gorgeous, war, funny novel set in a small Michigan town that channels Anne Tyler vibes. It's one of those books when you keep thinking about the characters when you're not reading it: Are they doing ok? What are they doing now?

It's about Jane, a primary school teacher who moves to a small town in Michigan and meets Duncan, the local furniture restorer and handyman - who has also slept with most of the local women. They hook up the day they meet and will remain in one another's lives for the rest of the book. Jane is the focus of the novel and it follows her over the coming years.

This is the second book I've read by Katherine Heiny (the first was Standard Deviation). Neither book has a strong plot but the characters are rounded and wonderful. You ache when they have setbacks and smile when things go right for them. It wasn't wondering what would happen next that had me picking this up as much as wanting to spend more time with Jane and Duncan and Jimmy and the rest of the crew. Again like Anne Tyler's books, sometimes they are quirky to the point of being slightly absurd, but you still enjoy them.

Heiny has a lovely sense of humour in her writing, not so much laugh out loud funny, more smiling to yourself. I particularly loved the sections when Jane is in the classroom and corralling her lively children (different children each year but similar patterns and issues).

While this is undoubtably a warm fuzzy read, it also makes you think about the nature of family and who becomes your family. It's simply lovely, a strong 4.5 stars.

I loved this book so much. The depiction of small town life, with all its entanglements and emotional complexity, is spot on. Jane is a great character - totally believable, doing her best, taking responsibility for things. We've all known a Duncan. We dip in and out of Jane's life, see her grow as a person, see her make mistakes and rectify them. It's just a great read. Thank you, Netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book. Telling the story of Jane and her unconventional family life, it is heart warming, sad and at times hilarious. I particularly loved the passages about Jane’s class in school. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

After seeing so many 5 star reviews for this book I was really excited to pick it up.
Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations.
It's not your typical story in this genre and for that reason others may enjoy this more than I did.
But it felt a bit too long and as though it could have been significantly shorter and still have told the story well.
For that reason, parts of it dragged for me.
It was a nice/pretty average book but I doubt it will leave a lasting impression on me.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for gifting me a copy of this book for my honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book, as from other people who I had seen read it gave such rave reviews. Unfortunately this book just did not do it for me. I enjoyed the writing style of this book, and I'm sure it is the sort of books that many people will enjoy, just not me. It was enjoyable but not a story I will remember.

I felt like the story was a bit slow which just made me not want to pick it up, there are parts of the story that I felt didn’t add to the story. I didn’t get on with any of the characters, the relationships between everyone drove me a little mad. I think Jimmy had to be my favourite character, he was written well, and was central to the whole story. The story did seem to build, only for happiness to be taken from characters again. The ending was cute, but for me didn't bring enough to change my feelings for the book.

It’s a sweet book (which has had so much hype!), but I found it hard to follow and preferred Heiny’s Standard Deviation. Sometimes it covered an event so briefly - like I didn’t even realize Jane gave birth to a second child- that I could hardly notice what had happened. I enjoyed how caring the characters were with one another (especially with Jimmy), I think that was the best part of the novel for me.

Unfortunately I couldn't take to this book. Stuck with it as it was a review but had to give up half way through as I couldn't get into it. Don't think I've written that about a book before. Was looking forward to reading it

I was very grateful when 4th Estate approved me to read Early Morning Riser.

Having not read anything from the author before, the blurb intrigued me and the front cover sealed it for me.

The story tells us about a small town in the US, about the goings on in every day life in this inconsequential place.

This is a tale of friendship, of relationships, of hardships.

I said to someone when they asked how I was finding it enjoyable but it was quite a change of pace to the books I've read recently. I guess I'd say it is relaxed in its approach but really makes you pause to think about certain things.

We follow Jane and her journey to essentially being happy with her lot. Not all is plan sailing, her relationship with Duncan’s which also happened to involve his Ex wife and her new husband, as well as all of his previous girlfriends who they couldn't seem to avoid.

My favourite character had to be Duncan’s work colleague Jimmy, he was misunderstood but loved by all and I really adored how people cared for him and how he (in his own way) cared for them right back.

This novel is quietly comedic. Filled with wit and real hearty feels.

Not a typical love story but no less heartwarming.

Gentle, tender and loveable is how I'd describe Early Morning Riser. Funnily enough I did read a lot of this in the early hours and it was comforting at that time of the day.

This was a charming, funny, clever and romantic book, but one sharpened by a fine wit and a knowing smile. Really enjoyable and very modern take on an old theme.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it stayed with me for days after finishing. The lanndscape becomes another character and transported me back to my brief time living in North America, with the bitter winters and beautiful summers.

I really loved this novel. It tells the story of a small town and the way families can come in different varieties. It was witty and made me smile so many times. I loved all the characters and I feel like I’ll miss them now I’ve finished it! A really lovely read.

Brilliantly written and witty from beginning to end!! I never would have thought I would love this book so much! It is not a genre I usually read but how wrong was I!? I could not even define this novel, it just felt like a soft summer breeze, warm and comforting. A feel good book that I heartily recommend!

A fantastic novel about a small town and a family. I loved the main characters and the dialogue was witty throughout. Brilliant insights into family life (I loved the headstrong toddler!) and heartwarming without being corny. Just brilliant.

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

Comic novels feel like an increasingly rare breed, with prizes being cancelled in recent years because the books weren’t funny enough, and subtly funny women like Sue Townsend have left a space in the comic canon that is often filled with the weird, whimsical and misogynistic, but not always the funny. Katherine Heiny is one of the few authors I’ve read recently that made me laugh out loud, Jonathan Coe and new YA author Kate Weston being another two.

This woman is flat-out hilarious. I’d describe her style as ‘dirty Anne Tyler,’ a modern, bawdier chronicler of family and small-town life, with the same sly look at human eccentricities. Early Morning Riser has something else in common with Tyler’s masterpiece, 'Saint Maybe.' In a moment of understandable selfishness, the heroine Jane causes a tragedy that means someone else is forever tied to her life. And that someone isn’t necessarily the love of her life, Duncan, who has slept with literally all the women in the surrounding area, but Jimmy, the adult son of a neighbour who Jane wasn’t all that close to before, who has learning difficulties - and a huge heart.

As in her previous novel Standard Deviation, several of the characters are on the autistic spectrum and even those who are apparently not neuro-diverse behave exactly as though they are. Heiny is particularly good at intractable characters, whether that’s two-year-old hellion Patrice, the plain-speaking seven-year-olds Jane teaches, or Gary, a middle-aged man with a string of irrational dislikes and a story behind each one. All these characters – including Duncan’s ex-wife Aggie, a woman whose cooking is as delicious as her passive-aggressive pronouncements are annoying – deviate from the standard, and this book is all the better for it. It was so good I went back and read everything else by Katherine Heiny!

This is a funny novel with some appealing, larger than life characters, most of whom manage to be irritating yet strangely loveable. I particularly liked the character of Jimmy and his relationship with the narrator, who unexpectedly becomes his surrogate family. Even the two young children had great personalities, and the author did a great job of bringing everyone to life.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves vibrant characters who lead the story themselves.

This was just a total joy to read, and exactly what I needed right now. Hugely compelling, it draws you in and carries you along with its atmosphere, warmth and wit. Wonderful characters, and a great balance between darkness and humour. My first book by the author, and I'll definitely be seeking out more.