Overall, I enjoyed this book but I have to be completely honest: It took me forever to get into it. I pretty much DNF’ed the book about 10% in. However, as I had received a Review copy of the book, I decided to pick it up again after a while. At some point I started clicking with it all and I ended up finishing the book within a few days.

I will start with the negatives that bothered me initially: For a woman close to my own age, I found Emily incredibly immature. She is obsessed with a TV programme that made her believe she is the epitome of the average human being and as a result goes through a bit of a… third-of-life-crisis, I guess? She makes a list of things she needs to do or achieve to not be average anymore.

All of this behaviour clearly stems from unprocessed grief and survivor’s guilt after her twin sister’s death as a child. At the same time I found her quite annoying - while I understand her issues, I found her obsession with the life list exhausting to read about, especially initially.

What Emily really needed was a good therapist to be completely honest with you and I think this was the part I was struggling with. The book isn’t a rom com as processing grief and death after prolonged illness is a prevalent and quite heavy topic. Yet a lot of the elements to Emily’s “life list” are portrayed in a comedic way and it didn’t sit quite right with me. I saw a woman going through a mental health crisis, if I’m completely honest.

Nonetheless, Emily is charming and the feeling of needing to achieve something special in one’s life, somehow put meaning into one’s life is actually a common one not just to me but also many other women my age that I speak to. We all have different ideas of what that should look like and Emily is obviously going through her own version of this.

In the end of the day, the book is also not a typical RomCom - although the cover, the blurb and the set up / first meeting with the romantic interest made me believe so. In fact, the romance doesn’t even begging to develop until the second half of the book. The story is more about Emily’s development, the romance is just part of that.

I wish the other characters had been a little more developed. I found the family, friends and love interest to be quite one-dimensional. The dead twin if, of course, put on a pedestal but this is understandable.

Overall, this is a very decent debut, I definitely think the author has potential for more and I enjoyed that there was more to this book than just a rom com. It’s a solid 3.5 out 5 stars for me and I look forward to seeing what Rebecca Ryan does next.

This was a fantastic debut. Although I wasn't the FMC's biggest fan, I did find parts of her that I could relate to. Its quite an emotional read so be prepared going into it. I’ll 100% keep up with this author and pick up her next release

Another good read
Perfect book to curl up with and to get lost in
Will have you hooked from the first page
Thanks NetGalley

'My (extra)Ordinary Life' by Rebecca Ryan is a charming and relatable exploration of self-discovery and the quest for an extraordinary life in a world filled with averages. In this cleverly crafted tale, Emily, our endearingly normal protagonist, embarks on a journey to break free from the constraints of her ordinary existence.

The story begins with Emily's realisation that she perfectly fits the profile of the average woman in the UK. Her name, height, occupation, and even her blood group all align with the standard statistics. The only exception is her status as a twin, with her sister passing away at a young age. Emily grapples with survivor's guilt, believing her sister would have led a more exceptional life.

Rebecca Ryan's writing is engaging and filled with humour, making it easy for readers to connect with Emily's struggles and triumphs. The author navigates the complexities of self-doubt and the desire for something more with sensitivity and authenticity.

As Emily sets out on her journey to self-discovery, the story highlights the universal desire to break free from societal norms and embrace the extraordinary. Emily's reluctance to fall in love due to the statistical odds adds a layer of intrigue and tension to the narrative, making readers eager to see how her quest unfolds.

While 'My (extra)Ordinary Life' is a delightful and heart-warming read, it doesn't quite reach the level of a 5-star rating for me due to some overly predictable elements in the plot and character development. However, it makes up for this with its relatable and endearing protagonist, a story that reminds us all to chase our dreams, and a light-hearted exploration of the human desire for uniqueness.

In conclusion, 'My (extra)Ordinary Life' is a 4-star gem that offers a refreshing take on the pursuit of an extraordinary life. Rebecca Ryan's writing is engaging, and Emily's journey to self-discovery is a relatable and enjoyable ride. This book serves as a reminder that even in the pursuit of the extraordinary, it's our unique quirks and imperfections that truly make us special.

I couldn't get on with the main character - which is a me problem, not the writing. 3 stars because i couldn't get into it.

I had such a great time with this debut. Emily was so fun and relatable, the book full of messages to take away about choosing yourself and love and grief.
It was emotional, but at the end when I finally finished I just felt so content with the journey that I was able to go on with the characters.
It’s a story that is going to stay with me for a while, a profound message about not comparing yourself and falling in love with who you are. A message I didn’t know I needed, but am so appreciative of.
I’m definitely going to be looking out for more from this author!

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

Wow, this book is full of emotions. Its such a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely read more from this author.

A great read, although quite emotional at times. After watching a documentary, Emily sets out to try and be less average to make her life more interesting. She has a list of things to try and achieve on a month by month basis, but the real reason is to do with her sister. When she meets the man for her will she let herself be happy?

So much laughter in this book but also some sadness, its quite lighthearted but a great read! another book i couldnt put down until i had finished it.

i could not put this book down! it was a journey filled with both laughter and sadness and was utterly relatable

Lighthearted, fun and I got through this very quickly. Would definitely read more from this author and I’ll be looking out for more asap

My (Extra) Ordinary Life is the debut novel by Rebecca Ryan.

I’m kicking off 2023 with a review of the fantastic novel by Rebecca Ryan.

The story is seen through the narrative of Emily, who upon watching a television show becomes quite obsessed with being average. She’s discovered that she’s an average woman, average height, job and life. She decided that she’s tired of being average and devises a list called ‘The Life List’ and sets herself tasks and goals that will make her far from average. But in the background of this exciting list, there is a sad reminder that Emily lost her twin sister Claire when she was a child and had felt that she’s lives in the shadow of the more boisterous character but as Claire’s memorial gets closer, Emily has to finally deal with putting ghosts to rest.

I really enjoyed this story, for a debut it’s fun, witty and totally relatable. I loved Emily, a woman after my own heart, she’d love to change the world, but do it from the comfort of her own sofa. She’s setting outside her own comfort zone with lacklustre energy but brimming with wit and I loved her honesty. Last year, when I turned a certain age, I tasked myself with my own list of adventures and goals, although some are still to be achieved!

Although the story is witty with comedic moments, there is the underlying story of dealing with grief and this does makes for tender reading as Emily reflects on the loss of her twin sister. The story also includes past references so we see the relationship between the pair, the closeness and just how much Emily lived in Claire’s shadow.

Packed with humour, honesty and tugs on the heartstrings. This book is fun and packed with energy plus a handsome love interest, ‘My (Extra) Ordinary Life’ is a fantastic debut that was highly engaging and is perfect for fans of Claire Frost.

You can buy ‘My (Extra) Ordinary Life’ from Amazon and other good bookshops.

I was a DNF with this book. Just couldn't get into it.
But it sounded so appealing and I had a nagging feeling the problem was my mood at the time, and not the book. So this month, I started it again and I whipped through it and loved it. Really loved it.
The main character was so relatable. I've worked as a teacher in Huddersfield so I loved that that was her job and the way she went about it was almost entirely believable. (Not sure about the bit where she left her post so suddenly without notice but hey! Bit of artistic license allowed).
All in all, I thought it was a really great read. So much so that I've gone from 'DNF' to 'I want to read more by this author'.

Many thanks to Netgalley,Simon and Schuster UK, and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story of Emily, deciding to live a life that is not painfully average. Emily watches a documentary one night that makes her go on a spiral as based on her google searches she is as average as they come. Now she has to come up with a plan to rectify this and becoame at the very least above average, in this messy journey of reinvention, Emily runs and faints during a marathon, makes a freinds, finds out where her true passion lies, finds love (maybe) and maybe even goes viral!

A funny quirky story about reinventing life while dealing with childhood trauma's of loss and love. This was a very easy read and was painfully ordinary at times, though I thoroughly enjoyed it.

TW: Grief, anxiety, ED, Depression, death, loss, Cancer

Lighthearted story!

This novel is about a woman who is struggling with her specific life as she falls into the category of ‘average’ in regards to her job, looks, height and so forth.
She still thinks her twin sister should have lived when this happened years ago.
Very slowly paced.

This novel can be motivating for some, heart-breaking or heart-warming and inspiring.

We as humans do naturally go through life where moments may be boring and this novel covers a lot of that.
But the main character Emily does develop eventually.
I just could not get into too much heart-break as I find that can be depressing sometimes.

Overall, this novel is serious that it talks you through the more boring bits of life and it also reassures you.

Thanks to publishers for sending this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I'm not usually a romcom reader but My (extra)Ordinary Life was an absolute breath of fresh air and the perfect read to pep me up on holiday. When Emily realises that she's the statistically average UK woman, she's determined to shake up her life as quickly as possible - which is a pretty tough challenge. Pretty soon her 'fake it till you make it' approach is yielding some surprising results, and some of them are disastrous and hilarious.

Emily and her friends and relatives, as well as the cast of characters she meets in the course of her new life adventure, are so relatable and laugh-out-loud funny that I couldn't put this book down. It's got a little bit of spice, and though it has some serious themes as well, Ryan handles them both with deftness and flair. As uplifting as this book is, I still burst into tears at the finale scene. Brava, Rebecca Ryan - this generation's Helen Fielding

I absolutely loved this. A perfect 'Laugh-Out-Loud' story.

I loved the way this story was written in the present day with a mix of flashbacks. I loved Emily's character and the way as a reader we could relate to the different scenarios that were presented. It really tied the story together.

For me, the ending was my favourite. It left me feeling happy, which is always a bonus.

It was an extraordinary debut novel from Rebecca Ryan! Really! Sure, it had its downs but altogether it was a brilliant, bitter - sweet story about grief, love and life altogether.
It started really well and I liked Emily from the word go. However, the deeper into the book, and please don't get me wrong, everyone deals with grief in their own way, but I was getting tired with her all the time comparing herself to Claire, putting Claire on pedestal - it was too much. Living life she though Claire would be living - not sure what it was, some kind of tribute to Claire? Like I said, everybody is allowed to deal with grief for how long they want, it's just that I had a feeling that Emily has take this all to another level. But that'S the only thing that bothered me in the story. Other than that, it was absolutely brilliant book. There were some of the most hilarious scenes ever and the author has captured all the feelings of being out of the comfort zone so, so well.I really could feel Emily's feelings and emotions.

A story about facing and confronting your fears, leaving your comfort zones to find a better place for yourself, to feel better in your own skin - hilariously funny and poignant at the same time.

Such an adorable read! I loved the heartwarming characters, the story and everything about this read. Cannot believe it is a debut novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange of my opinion.