Wow, this was an emotional GUT PUNCH. Hard to review, if I'm honest...

Charlotte Paradise is a very, very talented writer, that much is clear. I didn't remember what this was about as I requested it from NetGalley a while back (thanks for the arc!) and sort of went it blind - which I don't recommend if you are the kind of person who needs trigger warnings.

Without giving too much away (which, having read the blurb again, I think gives too much away in some ways... blurbs are hard!), this is a story about trauma. Our MC, Sara, suffers from extreme body issues that make it hard for her to put a tampon in, let alone think about penetrative sex, particularly after an awful experience with ex-boyfriend. (Awful is not a strong enough word). She hasn't dated since then, but wants to move forwards in a relationship with Miles, who she genuinely has romantic feelings for, and sexual ones too, but how can they navigate a physical and emotional connection that doesn't leave them both resentful, hurt, or unsatisfied?

A lot of Sara's issues resonated with me, even though she's in a younger age profile than me (she's 25), and her raw, brutal pain is hard to read. The prose is stunning, the emotions are real and crippling. I wonder if this comes from lived experience?

<spoiler>I found it difficult that, in the end, there was an 'answer' to Sara's trauma. She was sexually abused as a child. This will resonate with a lot of people I'm sure, but I felt that as the subject centred around cPTSD, it was an unnecessary part of her backstory. I am not negating in ANY WAY people who have undergone such terrible experiences. However, the fact that Sara's trauma had a clear 'instigating moment/moments' slightly undermines people with cPTSD who do not have that clarity. It's actually possible to feel the things that Sara feels throughout the book - the life-limiting bodily detachment, dysmorphia, panic attacks, emotional detachment, irrational fears - without having such a specific and terrible event in one's life. I expected the 'twist' (but not from the very beginning), yet still felt a kind of disappointment that this can potentially deny people who experience these difficulties with just being alive, without having an 'aha' moment. cPTSD can come from micro-traumas, and I guess I was hoping to see that sort of representation. I think that it's quite a misunderstood condition in many ways. To repeat: I am not suggesting that childhood abuse makes these feelings any 'easier'; I was just hoping it might have presented a more nuanced look at complex trauma </spoiler>

Please do read the trigger warnings for this book - it may be a difficult read. Beautifully written though - Charlotte Paradise has a turn of phrase and way with words that are devastating. A strong debut; my rating is perhaps more due to personal expectations/experiences.

Sara is a 25 year-old woman who cannot use a tampon without having a panic attack. She starts dating Miles but they can’t touch. Then they can. But every time they explore something new, Sara panics. Her anxiety creeps in and her body works against her desires.

Her body is hers. But it isn’t. She wants to know it but she can’t. Things trigger her but why? What is her body trying to tell her?

✨

This is the kinda book that creeps up on you and keeps you reading, reading and reading until you finish and realise how tightly it was gripping you.

It was by no means an easy read and I felt so many emotions during my experience. I went from confusion to happiness and excitement to sadness and to thinking I was literally going to be sick. I still feel sick as I’m writing this.

Sara’s story is brutally honest and painful at times but it deserves your time and it deserves your patience. Tread gently though. The trauma explored and the self-loathing may make for difficult reading.

This is a remarkable debut. Every word felt chosen, and although the plot comes second to understanding the mind of our main character, I didn't mind at all. I really appreciate that although this book has slow romance, it hasn't been marketed as a romance book. Instead it is an authentic and gentle ode to friendship and healing.

I am very excited to watch Paradise's career and read what's next.

🫗 REVIEW 🫗

Overspill by Charlotte Paradise
Publish Date: 24th April

Thanks @netgalley and @akan_books for the e-ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

📝 - Sara is twenty-five. She has never used a tampon without having a panic attack. She starts dating Miles. For three months, they don’t touch. Miles respects her boundaries, though he longs for them to melt away. Sara desires Miles, but she knows her body, or rather she knows it is an unknowable thing. Sara wants to be in love, to find a person who allows her to be herself. Someone who is happy with everything she is and everything she isn’t. Miles hopes he won’t hurt her. But how do you navigate a relationship for which there is no blueprint? How do you love someone when your body is not your own, and how do you reclaim it?

💭 - This was an intriguing read, and one I finished in less than 24 hours, which hasn’t happened for a while. Despite the heavy topics covered throughout, it is easy to get lost in the story and the characters. That said, I couldn’t fully invest myself in the relationship between Sara and Miles - for reasons I’m struggling to articulate without giving away any spoilers. As said, it is a heavy read, delving into Sara’s life full of anxiety due to previous trauma, while she tries her best to be ‘normal’. There are some serious content warnings for this one, so definitely make sure you’re aware

#overspill #charlotteparadise #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #advancereaderscopy #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #contemporaryfiction #fiction

Some books don’t just tell a story, they name a feeling you’ve lived your whole life without the words for. This is Overspill, a quiet, brutal, beautiful book about c-PTSD, intimacy, and what love looks like when touch isn’t always safe. Sara meets Miles. They fall in love but for three months they never touch. Can love survive when your body says no, even when your heart says yes? It’s raw, it’s gentle, it doesn’t romanticise trauma – it understands it, honours it. It lingers. If you have lived in freeze or flight mode this book will find you, and hold you. An incredible debut novel, for all the ones still surviving, I wish this had been published when I was in my 20s.

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. This book is not just an incredible read its essential.

2.5 rounded up. I really wanted to love this one and I’ve seen many amazing reviews for it (so make sure to check those out as I’m in the minority) but the pace was too slow. Sadly had to DNF at 50%. Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC - sadly I just couldn’t get invested in this one.

wow. Honest, unflinching, raw. I loved it. It was agonising.

Sara (that’s Zara with an S not Sarah) is entering into a new relationship with Miles, but she needs to be honest about her issues surrounding penetration. Miles thinks he can love Sara and is trying to be a better man. Their love is uncomplicated but their physical touch is anything but. What defines a romantic relationship? How do you reconcile the physicality of love when you can’t reconcile your attachment to your own body?

I couldn’t put this down. There are trigger warnings all over the place for readers so proceed with caution. If you can brave it though, this is enlightening. I’d encourage all genders (especially cis men) to read it.

I wanted to write that it was graphic but actually I’m wrong. It’s factual, it calls a vagina a vagina, it is not graphic, it just does not use euphemisms and I think actually it’s quite refreshing. Sara suffers from vaginismus which although explorer in sex education (the show, not in schools), this very real and very personal condition isn’t really talked about. I think romance novels absolutely have their place in the world but books like this should always sit along side, so we can fantastise but also really learn.

The characters broke my heart. There are certainly villains in the story but neither are Sara or Miles, they get stuff right and wrong but what a difficult path they walk. I sympathise with both of their journeys in this story. They feel real to me.

This book has made me face some of my own hang ups and encouraged me to have open conversations. It’s not the point of the story, but it’s made me feel braver. I’m very very glad I read it.

Thank you Charlotte Paradise (great name) for this work.
Thank you #netgalley and #HQstories for my #arc

An interesting book about how a new relationship can be defined with some big barriers in the way. Enjoyed this and gave a new perspective.

8/10

Overspill is a wonderfully crushing, heart-warming story following self love, self discovery, mental health and relationships.

From the moment I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. It’s so raw, feminine and life-like, which is refreshing and captivating.

While there are new experiences I learnt and appreciated from this book that a 25 year old girl could have, there were so much familiarity about it that I found my self relating to every experience in one way or another. And while relating so much to it may have made it hard to read at times, it shows true vulnerability and security through the navigation of mental health issues and past trauma.

Truly worth the read and all the emotions felt while reading it.

oh my god this book ripped me open (& to begin with I wasn't enjoying it as much as l anticipated as I do thinking the writing needs a bit of refining, and the narrative felt disjointed. It was a bit too matter of fact, saying instead of showing.For a debut novel though, these things can be expected. As the novel progressed, what it lacked in convincing me to read in a literary sense, it made up for in heart. This story broke me and it takes a very special writer to make you feel so connected to a characters trauma. I can really tell the author poured her heart and soul into this novel. It bleeds through the page. It also had a lot of disability/ chronic illness representation that I really appreciated.
In summary, what l'm essentially trying to say here is despite having my criticisms, an author can learn the ways of writing and connecting a narrative through practice and patience. But the ability to make you feel?
The ways in which the pain bleeds through the page? that's a god given gift that Paradise certainly has. I can't wait to see what this author does next!

I felt like this book conveyed its message in a way that was both beautifully delicate and incredibly raw. It really hit me. The format, with its very short chapters, was surprisingly refreshing for a literary fiction piece. It kept the pacing dynamic while still delivering emotional depth.

'm not quite sure how best to review this book. I've just finished and am feeling a lot of things right now (the sign of a good book, I'd say).

Overspill follows Sara as she goes through life with serious mental health struggles and trauma, focusing on her relationship with Miles. She wants badly to be 'normal', but wishing mental health problems to go away has never worked for anyone. It's an incredibly intimate and unflinching book, and hard to read at times.

The writing is beautiful and easy to follow, the characters are real and human (even if the side characters do feel a bit one dimensional at times), and the plot is well thought out. A very introspective read, and while it's not perfect, it's an impressive debut. I'll be keeping an eye out for what the author writes best. I definitely recommend this, but do make sure you're in the right frame of mind before you start - mind your trigger warnings.

Many thanks to HQ for providing me with an eARC of this book through Netgalley.

Overspill is Charlotte Paradise's intense and raw debut novel, with realistic and perfectly crafted characters. I haven’t read a story this heartbreaking in a while, and it's so moving that your heart breaks for all the characters in this one. It’s a complex read, and I recommend you read the trigger warnings before you do.

Even though it was difficult to get through I found myself flying through each page, the emotion on each page felt so real. We see Sara suffer from cpstd and trauma, she’s trying to deal with everyday struggles and a new relationship. It’s a beautiful novel and I recommend you pick this up!

Thank you to Rachel Quin and Netgalley for my ARC.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the copy of this book. I took quite a while to read this book, had to take breaks because of the subject matter. I enjoyed it, but again because of the subject matter I wouldn't read again.

3.5 stars
Overspill follows Sara, a 25-year-old woman with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, as she embarks on an unconventional relationship. It took me quite a long time to get into the writing style and I had some issues with the pacing, but I still felt compelled to pick it back up whenever I stopped reading. It’s an emotional and, at times, difficult read (make sure you check your trigger warnings!) that will definitely stay with you long after you finish it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Charlotte Paradise, HQ | Akan Books, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh. I so desperately wanted to love this. I really enjoy the author’s presence online and I love the weird girl lit fic / girl in her 20s / girl in London genre. It can be a struggle to read at times so would recommend being in a healthy head space before starting.

I just didn’t gel with any of the characters at all. As a character, Sara just felt a little lacklustre, which didn’t have anything to do with her MH / medical struggles. She mentioned being vegan approximately 8 times within the first 22-ish pages. You don’t have to mention you’re going to a vegan restaurant to have vegan food and then mention the food by name as ‘phish’. If you mention you’re vegan once, I understand you’re vegan. I don’t mind being reminded every now and again but 35% in and I’ve counted like 30+ times. Of course, Sara is also trying to indoctrinate the man she’s dating into veganism as well (don’t get me started on that - the privilege of choosing dietary restrictions is particularly jarring to me). I don’t even mind an unlikeable character, this just wasn’t that.

Miles was being given gold stickers left, right, and centre for doing the bare minimum of respecting her boundaries (yay-straight-man-didn’t-assault-his-date-award). I didn’t believe their romance either. All the side-characters seemed very one dimensional and not very fleshed out. At times, I’d even mix up Sara and Anji.

I did really enjoy the writing style and others didn’t but did enjoy the characters so maybe they just didn’t mesh together overall? I liked the representation for c-ptsd and vaginismus and how they affect the main character’s general life. I did have to dnf but I would definitely check out other books by the author though.

I’d recommend this book to mentally stable vegans (optometry optional).

Sara is a normal girl in her twenties living in London. Except she’s not. Feeling chronically alone, and unable to do a standard task like putting in a tampon, Sara knows that something is wrong but she can’t quite put her finger on it. When Miles shows up and the two share undeniable chemistry, Sara is forced to face her trauma, one devastating trigger at a time. The two are desperate to make things work, but Miles has his own experiences to deal with, and their individual fears set them up for an emotional collision course.

To call this book dark would be an understatement. It is soft and light in places, and the short chapters make it easy to get into. However, as the story builds momentum, the darkness does too. Charlotte Paradise does a good job at propelling the narrative forward whilst holding back on key details, letting them build gradually. I struggled with this slightly as Sara’s increasingly intense reactions were growing exponentially faster than the very valid reasons she had for them. I found myself getting frustrated with the character and then feeling guilty as there was definitely something lurking behind the tense tone. I really liked Sara and Miles’s relationship and I think the author really captures the loving and tumultuous sides of their relationship well. Sara’s relationship with Miles isn’t the only relationship the author explores. I also really liked Sara’s relationship with housemate Anji.

Overspill is a tough hitter that deals with very dark themes. It’s written with care and skill. A raw and emotional debut.

I don't even know how to put my thoughts into words about this one— it was one of the most tender, powerful and emotionally heavy books I've read. I couldn't give this any less than five stars and I'd recommend it to everyone, just take note of the content/trigger warnings.

This was such a raw look at trauma, grief, recovery and self love. I can see how this will resonate with a lot of readers and even though I couldn't relate to some of what Sara was going through, with Paradise's amazing writing, I still found it easy to empathise with her all the way and just wanted the best for her. I loved the occasional switches of perspective between Sara & Miles, getting to see the man's POV in certain scenes was interesting but also making sure this story was Sara's alone instead of focusing on the male counterpart more than what's necessary.

The writing in this was beautiful, almost lyrical. Right from the first few lines, I was gripped and knew this was going to be a special book. The further in we get, the heavier the plot becomes which I hadn't fully expected and there were plenty moments I had to take a breath before carrying on, but I think the rawness is what makes this book what it is. It doesn't hold back and I think that's important for the context of the story.

I'm in awe at this being Paradise's debut, I can't wait to see what else she does in the future. If you liked Gold Rush by Olivia Petter & Normal People by Sally Rooney, this is one to get on your radar.

Thank you to the publishers & Netgalley for my free eARC!

An intense read on how to live with C-PTSD, how to understand and reclaim your body, how to navigate new relationships and the baggage the other person brings with them. It's raw, bittersweet and ultimately hopeful.

A very strong debut that I would definitely recommend (TW include: SA, child abuse, mental illness).

This was a difficult book to finish. Sara has severe phobias which are really impacting her life. As the book progresses, they are explained and it is clear she has PTSD; however, by this point I had become quite frustrated with her.

Delicately revealed, Sara really is picking her way through life and struggling deeply. Her relationships with to everyone around her are fractured by her ‘frozen’ nature. Miles, her boyfriend, is so respectful and patient with her but it is hard to imagine any longevity in their relationship.

Sara suffers with vaginismus - which means she is unable to use a tampon or have any type of penetration, which impacts her life. I have sympathy for her situation, and I suspect her feelings are deeply felt and beautifully portrayed; however, never having (luckily!) any experience of these symptoms, I became increasingly frustrated with her character. Sara doesn’t really drink (very controlled), she is vegan - vehemently- so those around her eating meat (Miles) repulses her, she lacks any sense of joy or escapism and has crippling anxiety attacks.

Sara seems to want to live rather than exist, but progress is sloww. I know I sound harsh as I do feel sorry for her, but as a read this was very hard with no reward. Not one for me!