This is a heartfelt story about a young woman diagnosed with cancer. I enjoyed some parts more than others. This book has a strong theme of friendship. It’s an emotional read.

An enjoyable read, well written and entertaining. Hadn't read this author before but would consider reading again.

This book was fantastic, I absolutely adored it from start to finish and I would instantly pick up anything else from this author. The story was phenomenal, heart-wrenching, funny, engaging, and just downright incredible. I loved the main character so much, her journey was so emotional and felt so realistic, which makes sense considering it was based off of the author's own experiences with cancer. I loved her attitude to life, her work, her relationships, how she grew and changed over the course of the story from a woman taking life for granted, to an absolute badass who finally slows down and looks after herself and does what she needs to do. The side characters were fantastic and I loved how much women supporting women there was throughout, even from some characters who typically wouldn't fill that role in any other story. The writing is fantastic, the story was fantastic, the characters were fantastic, I just absolutely adored this book. Please read it!

“When you’re stranded in the middle of sea, sometimes you feel like you’ll never reach the shore. You’re kicking and kicking and trying to stay afloat. But you know what? Sometimes you have to stop kicking and let yourself float. It might take a while, but you’ll make it to the other side eventually.”

Jessica Jackson has hit all the milestones for turning thirty – the career, the loving boyfriend and a cosy London flat they share with their cat. But a shocking diagnosis of breast cancer turns Jess’s world upside down, and her contented life implodes with it. In the midst of it all, she meets Annabel, an enigmatic twenty-seven-year-old with incurable cancer who understands much more about living than anyone Jess has ever met. And she’s determined to show Jess how to make every day count.

But while Annabel may not have long left, she understands much more about living than anyone Jess has ever met. And she’s determined to show Jess how to make every day count.

In her captivating debut, Laura Price draws from her own experience of being diagnosed with cancer to tell a story that brings harsh realities to the surface. And yet, she writes with an incredible lightness that will lift your spirits even when reading it becomes emotionally overwhelming.

There’s a lot of ugly crying that comes with reading this book (be prepared with an extra-large box of tissues). This not simply about Jess but also how her diagnosis affects those around her – her family, her friends, as well as her work. Even so, for every tear you shed for Jess and Annabel, you will find yourself laughing joyously as they live up each moment.

Spirited and life-affirming, Single Bald Female will comfort you with its unflinchingly honest take on life while inspiring you with its warm, tender moments.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Pan Macmillan.

There were a couple of ups and downs for me about this book.

Obviously, it's own voices. I thought that was done quite well. The insight to Jess' cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment was an informative read.

However, some points didn't hit the mark. I didn't like Jess as a character a lot of the time, and found some of her actions closer to 13 than 31.

Also good morning to everyone except Johnny.

What a brilliant debut novel by Laura Price! This book has it all; laughter, tears, determination, struggles, heartache and love 🤍

Jessica Jackson has hit all the milestones for turning thirty – the career, the loving boyfriend and a cosy London flat they share with their cat. But a shock diagnosis of breast cancer turns Jess’s world upside down, and her contented life implodes with it.

I went into the book expecting to enjoy it, but came away absolutely loving it! I couldn’t put it down and became so immersed in Jess’ life. She really is an advocate for a strong female lead and we see it all with her, the good and the bad.

What really struck me with this book is how open and honest it is. I learnt so much about a cancer patient’s ‘journey’ (a phrase that the main characters in the book don’t like 🙈) and found it very eye opening, but beautifully written and insightful too. This book will have you in tears so be warned before reading it in a public space!

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It’s a very touching and poignant story, that makes you reflect on what truly matters in life and that life is too short. So looking forward to more brilliant writing from Laura in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This book covers the period in Jess' life from discovery of a breast lump to the end of chemotherapy treatment with a final chapter set one year later. We meet her friends and family as well as people she meets during her treatments. The book is a novel, not an autobiography, but it is clearly based on the author's personal experience.
I thought the content was very good, describing responses to chemotherapy drugs accurately. The author's talent for balancing descriptions of emotional events and associated feelings is excellent, one minute I was thinking "that's unbelievable, how could she (Lauren) behave like that?" and the next chapter I was empathising with Jess' worries about the next dose of chemotherapy with different drugs being an unknown.
There are sad events in this book, it won't be for everyone, but I found it interesting, clever, funny, emotional and very cleverly-written.

I had this book sitting in my to be read pile on NetGalley Uk for long enough for the book now to be published
I found this book a deeply authentic novel which charts the story of a young woman and her journey through breast cancer .she hates this way of describing her experience with cancer but I find it hard to describe the book without using it .
The author has a strong voice with a flowing clear prose style making the book despite its potentially traumatic subject matter an enjoyable easy read something a bit more than your run of the mill chick lit .The book is hopeful and optimistic but dies not shirk from dealing with medical issues.
I don’t know anything about the author as I tend to read without reading very much of the book blurb or author bios ,I think she must have lived at least some elements of this young woman’s life as it is so clearly grounded in reality
The book covers friendship new mother hood and the working world of women and I found myself easily identifying issues from my own life and those of friends .
Her descriptions of Uk nhs cancer care are so true to life that I think it would be a book that women who have recently been diagnosed with cancer particularly breast cancer would find helpful and supportive

A life affirming book which is somehow both heartbreaking and uplifting, sensitive and hopeful.

The novel revolves around Jess whose seemingly perfect life is rudely interrupted by a breast cancer diagnosis, leaving her whole future uncertain as those around her continue along the beaten track of life. Enter Annabel, a young woman with incurable cancer who teaches Jess to live every day to the fullest.

This is a gorgeously written, unique story with so much heart. The characters are vivid and real, as are the relationships they have with each other. Highly recommended.

This book is beautiful. It is really well written. Completely stunning. Really sensitive and gorgeous, uplifting, heartbreaking, life affirming and I loved it.

Jessica Jackson's life is going swimmingly well, she has just hit her 30s, she had the career, the loving boyfriend, the gorgeous cosy London flat, and a beautiful loving cat. But suddenly she is told that she had breast cancer and her world Is flipped upside down.

Around her, her friends lives continue to follow the script of life, the big white weddings, the baby scans the future that seems so uncertain for Jess and the one thing that she desperately wants.

Then Jessica meets Annabel, a beautiful and amazing spirit a 27 year old who has incurable cancer. Annabel understands more about living then anyone Jessica has ever met and she is determined to show Jessica how to make every single moment count.

Sometimes you just find a book at the most perfect time in your life and this is that book for me. Thank you for writing this beautiful book. Stunning.

A book people are sure to keep talking about. Single Bald Female had me hooked from start to finish, I loved the characters, especially Annabelle and felt a real connection with them all. As well as tackling some really heavy themes there is a light hearted element to the book and I found a lot of it really very funny.

Single Bald Female is a very special book, and that it’s Laura Price’s debut makes it even more so. Inspired by Price’s own diagnosis of breast cancer at 29, this is the story of Jessica Jackson’s experience of cancer, but it is also so much more. At it’s heart this is the story of the enduring nature of female friendship, of its power, importance and resilience in the face of whatever life throws our way. This book is spectacular.

By the age of 30 Jess Jackson has hit many of the major milestones, she has a great job, a boyfriend and a lovely flat. But a shock diagnosis turns her life upside down. Whilst Jess’ friends lives appear to be following life’s script, Jess begins to feel left behind. It is a chance meeting with the enigmatic Annabel that begins to change things for Jess. Though Annabel has incurable cancer, with not long left to live, she teaches Jess more about living than anyone she’s ever known.

Single Bald Female is such a beautiful and tender story. Whilst in places it is utterly devastating, it is also a story that will make you laugh out loud. Each of the characters are so well developed and feel so very real. I loved Jess and felt deeply for her. Having not yet gotten over her Mother’s death she is faced with her world imploding in the space of 48 hours. The way that she juggles all of the demands on her, chemo, her work, attempting to date and being a maid of honour for her best friend is something else.

It is Annabel, however, that is the real star of the show. The way that Price writes Annabel makes her just leap off the page, she is just so magical. The birthday gift that Annabel gives to Jess was one of the most wonderful and thoughtful moments (of many) in the book and brought such happy tears to my eyes.

There are many other significant characters to this story including Jess’ Dad, her friends Lauren, Kate and Aisha, and Annabel’s brother Joe. Each are so well drawn and have their own lives and things to deal with highlighting the different challenges that life can present us and the importance of coming together and not facing them alone.

I especially loved the inclusion of Jess’ articles for Luxxe magazine. They worked so well within the story and showed so much of Jess. I think the 7 dates in 7 days may have been my favourite, where Jess tried to get back into dating in the app filled arena. So much of Price’s novel is so very relatable from figuring out dating, to the chaos of organising a hen do and trying to figure out who you are once you become a mother. As I’ve said this is a story of cancer, but it’s also a story of what it is to be an early 30s woman and everything that can come with that.

I will not forgot this story and it’s characters easily and cannot recommend it highly enough.

I absolutely loved Single Bald Female and found it to be an emotional, warm and ultimately hopeful and uplifting novel. 31 year old Jess is diagnosed with cancer at the same time she finds out her long term partner has cheated on her and she's trying to establish herself as the editor of a women's magazine. The author writes with honesty and empathy about an intense and life changing issue but does so with a light touch and shows huge love for her characters. The importance and the power of female friendship comes through strongly and the author explores old and new friendships. I loved all of the characters in the novel and was completely immersed in the life of Jess and her friends. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

What's the book about?

Jess' world is turned upside down when she receives a shocking diagnosis at the age of 31. Her happy life implodes along with it. Jess doesn't want to be left behind as her friends go about their daily lives. In the midst of everything, she meets Annabel, an enigmatic and loveable twenty-seven-year-old with incurable cancer. Even though Annabel is nearing the end of her life, she knows far more about living than anyone Jess has ever met. Annabel is determined to show Jess how to make the most of each day.

My thoughts:

This book packs is so much more than cancer (that's such a huge topic in itself). I loved that it focused on how relationships get impacted as well as how mental health gets affected.

A well written, poignant read.

This was a tear-jerking, raw and heart-rendering read dealing with extremely difficult yet realistic subject matter. There were moments when I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, with the author striking the perfect balance between the emotive and more lighthearted moments.

Annabel was truly special and in my opinion she was the star character - as a 27-year-old myself, I found myself even more affected by her cancer journey and her experiences. I believe every reader will be able to take a life lesson from Annabel’s approach to life, fictional or not. I also really enjoyed the snippets of Jess’ magazine articles and only wish Luxxe was a real publication!

I absolutely loved this book and would be keen to read more by Laura Price in the future.

*Thank you to PanMacmillan and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I really, REALLY, wanted to love this book and I am sad to say that I feel really disappointed in it. I feel like it had all the ingredients to be a 5 star book, but could only really sit around 2.5.

I didn't understand why we went through all of the first 50% with her being with her boyfriend, when we KNOW the title is Single, bald, female. I think it would have felt more natural to me if either there wasn't a boyfriend from day one or they broke up within the first couple of chapters.

I feel like a lot of the Characters in this didn't feel 3d, and just felt not real. Some of the friends were Awful and I really wish we had more from the "chemo club" those scenes warmed my heart but I think we didn't have enough from the group to really feel like we knew them. I also thought we would have more of the dating columns, I feel that this was a missed opportunity to really show insights into how Jess was feeling.

I did keep on reading this book though, and I understood what the author was trying to do. I would definalety give further books from them a go, this one just left me feeling rather meh.

I couldn't believe this was a debut! A true stand-out and whip-smart novel that kept me entertained throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

I am an absolute blubbering mess!!!! I haven’t cried reading a book in a long time but this had me in pieces. I’ve laughed and cried all the way through this.

I can’t say too much without giving the story away but as soon as this is released in April I will be buying it!!!!! Massive five stars from me

This one was interesting and captivating. The characters were real and I felt connected throughout the story. An enjoyable read

This book was raw, heartfelt, realistic and lovely.. The main character was so realistic and wholesome and I shed so many tears reading this book. One of those characters I loved from the first page. I whole heartedly recommend this. Thankyou so much for the ARC!