I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It was certainly very true to life and Maggie, is painfully truthful in her thoughts and her actions.
I suspect that this will be one of those books that will linger around me while I spend a few weeks / months coming to terms with everything that I read.

I struggled with the book as it was rather chaotic to read and i found myself not being able to follow when it switched between fantasy and real life.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the copy.

Thanks so much Netgalley and Fourth Estate for sending me a copy of Really Good, Actually.

I love 'unlikable'/'complicated' women and our MC is definitely that. Going through a divorce in your 20s is not easy...I would assume. And she is going through it. Hooking up, exploring her sexuality, living alone for the first time, burning bridges, building bridges, going to therapy.

Ugh, this book is flawless.

Focussing on the first year after a divorce for a 29 year old, this novel was funny but cringeworthy read. Maggie is an understandably flawed character who struggles to deal with her problematic behaviour. Although the storyline did develop, it took a long time to find its pace. Maggie was at times very unbelievable that she could not see the impact of her behaviour and I found the initial therapist scene particularly unrealistic.

This book was a great read. The stream of consciousness of a young woman whose marriage has just broken down painted a vivid picture of the effect of a relationship breakdown. Maggie's marriage of not quite 2 years has ended, but she's doing fine - not! Her behaviour sabotages relationships in all parts of her life, her friends rally initially, but they become weary of her mood swings and unreliability. The book however, is often laugh out loud funny while being uncomfortable, relatable and poignant. A very modern story of sadness, stress and depression with a light humorous touch

A young woman going through a divorce finds herself increasingly estranged from her friends as she tries to cope by starting to date, taking stock of her career and seeking a resolution to her issues with her ex husband. This was a great read, almost loathe to mention similarity to Bridget Jones but it did give some echoes of that classic single girl/messy life heroine but only in that at the time, her trials and tribulations trying to negotiate the life of a single woman dating and figuring out her career were so spot on. Maggie’s narration conveys perfectly the struggle to try and be better, be less messy, be more the perfect woman with it all together, in a terrifying modern world where everyone else seems to be getting a grip, starting a family and getting over their ex partner with no trouble at all and can also present all this perfectly on social media. Maggie is chaotic and troubled but in such a relatable, charming way it’s easy to root for her. There’s a glimmer of hope for Maggie’s new life as the story ends with her resolving to sort her life out, mending her relationships with her friends and with a message from a prospective and promising romantic partner in Simon, but neatly (and realistically) avoids the easy resolution.

I almost gave up on this about 5% in, because it seems like a long Cosmo article rather than a novel - amusing but a bit shapeless. I’m glad I persisted though, because I became more and more invested in the main character and her journey, and ultimately was rooting for her. The structure eventually emerged, and along with it a decent cast of extras who provided a lot of light relief in a sometimes-intense long dark night of the soul.

Absolutely brilliant - lives up to all the hype and more. Very funny and felt very true. A must read.

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey has been one of the most talked-about debut novels of 2023 and tells the story of Maggie, a 29-year-old woman who is going through a divorce less than two years after getting married to her partner of 9 years, Jon. Heisey has worked on TV sitcoms such as Schitt’s Creek and her talent for sharp one-liners is evident in the dry and witty tone as Maggie navigates the chaos of her post-divorce life, loosely based on Heisey’s personal experience of her marriage ending when she was still in her 20s. However, the plot development is relatively limited in that it is a slow path towards Maggie’s eventual realisation that she has to move on with her life. Many thanks to 4th Estate for sending me a review copy via NetGalley.

I was really disappointed given all of the 5 star reviews by writers I really love. Honestly I feel this book is massively over-hyped. It was repetitive, self-indulgent and humourless. Maybe I'm the wrong audience but it felt like reading a diary of a really self-obsessed (and boring) person. And her ex-husband was a gaslighting knob aswell.

To me, this was an incredibly, very okay book. I may not be the target audience and would recommend to someone who could relate more to the character.

A really, brave debut. But with all books that attempt to inject humour, its a very fine line and deeply personal whether the reader is going to find it funny or not. I spent most of the book frustrated, too curious to abort but not really loving the journey.

Maggie’s marriage has ended and she isn't really coping. After being in serial relationships, she finds being alone really challenging. We follow her journey of discovering who she really is, but not before she reaches her "rock bottom".

I've read lots of these kinds of books but I struggled with this one. Mainly, I did not like the main character. I understand she was deeply depressed, but I thought she lacked all charm and her friends were saints for putting up with her. I couldn't relate to this kind of depression where all empathy or thought for anyone else deserts you. And while the character does grow, she is stuck at the bottom of the barrel for a really long time.

In fact, the story felt really long. Admittedly I read it on Kindle so I had no idea how long it really was, but it seemed to go on forever and there were parts that I could only get through by skimming.

That said, I saw some rave reviews so I guess "each to their own".

I tried hard with this book but it turned out not to be my type of read so I really struggled to finish it despite my best efforts.

*Really Good Actually* is equally funny and heartbreaking. It has the vibe of a modern divorced Bridget Jones of Toronto. Maggie has recently separated from her husband, who she only recently married. They have been together for nine years, so Maggie is having a very difficult time adjusting to life alone. She tries various coping strategies, each one more unhinged than the last.

Some of Maggie’s antics were difficult for me to read and I had a lot of second-hand embarrassment for her. Her soft spiral out of control was sad to watch and I was simultaneously full of empathy as well as annoyance. I think Monica Heisey created a book that feels realistic and amusing about the breakup of a long-term relationship. I rated this book four stars because it was well-written, had emotional depth, and made me laugh a lot. Having finished this book, Heisey’s comedy non-fiction book is on my radar, and I would like to read any more fiction books she writes.

Oh I really loved this. It's far more than "really good actually", it's bloomin' wonderful actually. A real feel-good, heart-warming story, some really laugh out loud passages. I could have done with reading this when I was going through my divorce, it would have cheered me up no end.
It's a keeper, I will read this again and again.

A funny in your face style of book narrating the ups and downs of life when faced with divorce. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

After a slow start (probably down to me more than the book) I really got stuck into this one. I was almost hoping the baby would wake up to feed during the night so I had an excuse to stay awake reading.

Maggie is a divorcee at 29 and well, she’s going through it. It’s interesting, and it’s something I was messaging other readers about on here, I found her to be really annoying and just a bit of a moan at the start. But I think that was probably the point. And as the novel went on, my fondness and sympathy for Maggie grew. She’s her own worst enemy. You can’t not love her. I also have never felt more seen than when she answers “lol” to a serious text message… Would I ever do it? Of course not. Have I ever felt the urge to because I don’t know the right thing to say but also don’t want to not reply and at the same time also want to lighten the moment? Maybe..

I also loved the structure of this one. At the end of each chapter there’s a scene from a dream or fantasy she’s had, or a list of Google searches which I particularly enjoyed. Some can be more revealing than a diary entry.

But most importantly, there’s a Harry Styles fantasy. The easiest way to win me over on anything. Really easy, actually.

Darkly funny and exactly what I was expecting, this was sharp and painful with no let up - I loved it. A classic unreliable narrator, Maggie's downward spiral is cleverly shielded from the reader, we are given snippets and ideas but never the full picture even right up until the end. When stories are revealed it is raw but contained, quick flashes into Maggie's psyche and behaviour. Heisey is witty and clever, I hope this is the first of many novels.

Maggie finds herself divorced at 29. She didn't want this but decides to embrace it and move on. This book takes us on the hilarious escapades of Maggie the singleton. At times it was hilarious but as the book progresses I found it a bit tedious.

The first novel by this author, telling the story of Maggie. Newly and unexpectedly single, this book follows her as she engages in life as a single person for the first time in her adulthood, with the help of friends and her pet. Lots of changes happen whilst she is working through the year ahead but I enjoyed this story and was rooting for a Maggie throughout.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.