I am a huge fan of Bob Mortimer and always avidly watch anything he is in on tv. I was thrilled to hear that he had written a novel, so was happy to have the chance to read & review the first two chapters. Will admit it's not my usual type of tale to read, but that said I thoroughly enjoyed it and eagerly await being able to read the rest of the story

It is difficult not to love Bob Mortimer and in this extract his ebullient tone is as present as ever. Compelling and surreal in equal measure.

I love Bob Mortimer and watch him eagerly on TV. However, I do not like his writing style - this is just my personal opinion.

Humourous, quirky, intriguing...more than enough to whet your appetite and get you wanting to read the rest. Not huge depth but more than adequate if you want an airport novel to pass the time with.

I very much enjoyed this sneak peek into the first chapters. I liked the character Gary immediately and I will be downloading the whole book to finish reading.

What a sweet, funny, joyous first look at The Satsuma Complex. Bob Mortimor has a way of making characters relatable and quirky. Showing us something that rings true rather than feeling trite. I'll be seeking out the full book so I can find out if he finds the girl again!!

I am so excited to review the first 2 chapters, thanks to Jess Barratt at Simon & Schuster has presented to me in e-book form. The star rating is based on the first 2 chapters alone as this is what I’ve been exceedingly lucky to have been gifted.  I’ve liked Bob Mortimer’s work for a long time. His comedic style amuses me and although I’ve not been fishing since I was a child, I’ve been enjoying, most recently, “Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing”and all those tales and life experiences they share. Now, Bob Mortimer has a debut novel - The Satsuma Complex… Follow down to the blurb and see if the first 2 chapters capture my attention and imagination like his tv shows, it’s a big question as tv and books are in some ways different mediums. Find out if I’m hooked into this contemporary fiction…

Everything looks intriguing to begin with, from the cover to the blurb and the humour within it. But what of those pages inside?
From page 1 I start to get the measure of Gary Thorn, a 30 year old legal assistant and his seemingly “unremarkable life”. Bob Mortimer has painted a clear picture for the mind’s eye to capture him and how ordinary he is. I suspect he would be relatable to many people. From the start he draws you in, using first person narrative. It’s enough for curiosity to strike to want to know more about his life and see how this story pans out in what is a good premise, which gets even more intriguing when he and Brendan are down the pub.

Those first two chapters are fast-paced and I was becoming intrigued in the first chapter. A couple of pages into chapter 2 and I’m hooked, wishing I had the entire book, but also feeling exceedingly lucky to have these initial chapters.

Delving deeper into these chapters, there’s a slight air of intrigue and mystery within the characters, such as who is certain women? There is already humour in some of the chat and suddenly some poignancy. It tells a certain truth about London and the challenges of forming friendships etc.

I am impressed by the observations, laced with poignancy and humour. The writing style itself just works so well. It’s naturally formed and would make any reader truly see these characters down the pub, perhaps even their own local. It’s all easy on the eye and a book to truly relax into. When these 2 chapters ended, I was left of that feeling of wanting more. All these questions of where is it going to go, how will it end and I actually care about all of that.

Bob Mortimer can write as well as he can do tv. I scrutinised and thought about it carefully and there just seems there’s not much he cannot do. I reckon this shouldn’t be the first and last of Bob Mortimer’s novels.

I know this is only the first 2 chapters but I can honestly say I highly recommend people to get started on this book.

I absolutely loved these chapters, bobs writing is easy to follow and perfectly crafted. The humour throughout is brilliant. I bought the book. Thanks

A fun book with great characterisation although I was little unsure of the parts with the squirrel! It was hard to separate Bob Mortimer from the book as I could hear his voice the whole time I was reading it (although that wasn't a bad thing.) I think it needed a bit more editing at the beginning but once the story got going I really enjoyed it and I think his next book is likely to be better. Well done Bob!

*This is a review of the first two chapters only.*

My boyfriend and I are both huge fans of Bob Mortimer. so I jumped at the chance to read his first novel. It sounds obvious but his writing style is so quintessentially Bob - you can literally picture him narrating the story in your head as you read. Definitely intrigued by the protagonist, Gary, and the storyline so far. We’ve ended up buying the book as a joint Christmas present, so I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

*Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Written by comedian and author Bob Mortimer, The Satsuma Complex is a funny read. Gary, a thirty year old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors goes for a pint with Brendan his work colleague. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He falls for her even though he does not know her name. The only memory he has of her, is the book she left behind.

Brendan goes missing. Gary starts tracking down the girl he calls Satsuma for answers. His quests connects him with love and excitement. .

Solid first chapters. It had elements of Bob Mortimer’s quirky and whimsical humour allowing you to get a real feel of the main character. Will have to read the rest now!

This is a sample of the book and really gives you a good idea of what you're letting yourself in for - and it has really whetted my appetite to read more!

I really like the author with his TV appearances so I quickly connected to his humour and I cannot wait to read more!!

This was only a sample of two chapters. I don't think it is for me. It is a joky style which I think comes off better in speech than in writing. I was not tempted to read on.

Interesting extract from this novel by comedian Bob Mortimer. These two chapters introduce the main character and the difficulty he is having meeting women. I have no doubt that the book will be full of wittiness and laughs based on what I read. Will look out for it when it hits the bookshops.

Yes I really enjoyed this short excerpt and will look out for it paperback. It was fast moving, contemporary and funny. Very enjoyable.

I didn’t realise until I started reading this and was a bit disappointed it was only the first two chapters but it was enough that I would want to read the rest of it. I love the authors sense of humour and it was starting to show itself quite well. It’s hard to give a high score for such a short extract but it was fun and engaging.

This sneak peek of the first chapters of The Satsuma Complex was very enjoyable. It’s written in Bob Mortimer’s unique speaking style, the turns of phrase couldn’t really be coming from anyone else.
Gary is a bit of a hapless man, seemingly unthreatening and the kind of person you forget about the minute you leave the office/wedding/focus group where you met him.
But what of the mysterious Doc Marten wearing lady? This temptress that snagged his attention and then disappeared?
And what is Brendan up to? How is he going to use Gary (because you can tell he is going to) to help himself?
And most importantly, is the squirrel going to bag a beau before Gary?
I’m intrigued to find out

Just a sample so to give myself wriggle room four stars. Has hooked me in all the same. Look forward to reading the whole book.

This is a very funny book from what I have read of the sample i was sent. My partner has bought the audio version and says its very funny. I would like to read it all.