Loved, Gorgeous book, engaging, fun, lovely characters, I really got lost here. More Lauren Bravo please.

It was an interesting, thought - provoking book, though not one that will stay with me for ever. I have really mixed feelings about this one, though am not completely sure why. Maybe because I was much more engrossed in Kelly's chapters as in those of Bryony? Really, somehow I'd rather read a book about Kelly. Though don't get me wrong here, please, Bryony's story was hilarious and poignant at the same time, although there were moments that I couldn't believe she did somethig/said something only because she didn't want to hurt people.
Sure, we all know this. But Bryony took this to totally different level.

It was an enjoyable read that in fact took me on totally different journey to the one I thought I'm going to get. The storyline took me completely by surprise. The characters, especially Ed's family, were absolutely bonkers (yes, Ann), but in a positive way to be honest. They were amusing and warm and the village was my worst dream come true - Ann as Queen Bee and everybody knowing everything about you - but nevertheless, it somehow worked with the plot and the characters.

This book is filled with wit, humour, sarcasm and tons of awkwardness. In fact, it was a deeply emotional story touching upon friendship, family dynamics, mental and physical health written in a light - hearted way. It is not a sad book, even if it sometimes poignant - it's uplifting, heart - warming and relatable, and even with my mixed feelings, I'm going to give it 4 stars.

The start of Probably Nothing is actually quite funny as we are introduced to our main character Bryony who seems quite happily single, she has been loosely dating Ed for the past three months but after their last night together Bryony decides that she is going to call it a day.

When she receives an unexpected call from his family to tell her Ed has died and that they want to embrace her, the love of their beloved Ed's life she feels awkward and goes along with the assumption that she has lost her loving boyfriend!

I was cracking up at this point because I am a typical people pleaser so I can often find myself in awkward situations but wow Bryony really takes the biscuit and gets swept along with this one and before she knew it she was in so deep that there never seemed a safe place to extract herself from the situation.

As the book moved along the witty element fizzled out and it came a little more real in the issues the storyline explored, as expect grief features in this storyline but also many health issues too from fertility, anxiety and hypochondria to name a few.

We briefly get to know the supporting characters who are Ed's family and the book is actually split between Bryony and Ed sister in-law Kelly's POV so we get to know Kelly really well too and where Bryony is really soft and people pleasing, Kelly is more matter of fact.

I was so surprised to see my home town of Orpington crop up a couple of times in this book too it is weird how a small reference like that always makes me feel like I have more of a connection to the book!

This was a good read that wasn’t what I was expecting at all and just goes to show how awkward people pleasing can become!

I loved Lauren Bravo’s debut novel Preloved and couldn’t wait to read her second novel, Probably Nothing. Would it live up to the first one? Well, yes it did. I adored this book too and raced through it in just a few days!

Bryony is a fabulous character. In her thirties, she’s got quite a casual relationship with Ed which she is about to end when she receives a phone call to say he’s died. Obviously, she’s quite shocked though not devastated, but she is very surprised to find that Ed’s friends and family, who she has never met, seem to think she’s the love of his life! Bryony is a bit like myself in that she always tries to be polite and please people and she can’t think how to tell this grieving family that actually, they’d only met a few times.

It was such fun to follow the awkward situations that Bryony then found herself in as she is taken to the heart of this family who treat her almost as one of them. The more it goes on, the harder she finds it to even think about telling them the truth. I’m sure we’ve all been in situations like that, perhaps not quite so extreme, where we’ve been too polite to contradict someone but then find it practically impossible to back down. Bryony was so relatable in this way. It was also interesting to see how she actually enjoyed feeling she was part of this welcoming and slightly bonkers family, and finding out why her own family background led to this.

Kelly is Ed’s sister-in-law and she and Bryony form what seems an unlikely alliance. They have actually met each other before in different circumstances and I feel I can’t tell you more for fear of spoilers! Many of the chapters are told from Kelly’s point of view and I really liked her too. She and Bryony form a tentative friendship, perhaps arising from both being on the fringes of the family, which grows into a very supportive relationship. Kelly’s job in a doctor’s surgery leads nicely into some themes surrounding health anxiety, fertility issues and more general anxiety.

Probably Nothing is another funny, warm and completely engaging read from Lauren Bravo. There are so many fantastic characters and great character development. Even the seemingly more minor characters add so much to the overall story. I loved this book and Lauren Bravo is firmly on my list of must-read authors.

I really like Bravo's writing. She's funny, but again, like all these people who get tagged as 'hilarious' or whatever, there's more to it than that.

Bryony is a messy person. Her life is frequently complicated by her inability to say no to people. There are times during this when you'll be wanting to shout at her but at the same time the way things get away from her feels very convincing. You might not be the sort of person who would ever find themselves going along with a bunch of strangers who think you were, like, the actual girlfriend of their recently deceased son/brother/best mate, rather than a woman who slept with him occasionally, but you can see how she lets this happen. There are definitely things missing from Bryony's life even if, actually, 'a boyfriend' isn't necessarily one of them. Her health anxiety is really well described.

Some of the book is from the PoV of Kelly, sister-in-law of the dead man, who has troubles of her own. Her acerbic nature is a good contrast to Bryony's softness. The balance is just right, I think, and the book is full of an assortment of characters who all bounce of the page like real people; not always very likeable but very human, dealing with grief in very complicated human ways.