A really enjoyable read. Paced well with interesting characters. I loved the chapters reflecting on past memories too - such a clever way to give insight into characters & relationships!

I read and really enjoyed Gannon’s first fiction book “Olive” so I knew, when I saw this on the Discover page, I had to pick this up.

This is essentially a tale of two halves: one half is the main character believing she’s living a happy life and the other half is her actually living it. It took a while to get started, and I really disliked the main character’s boyfriend (even though you’re supposed to), but I really enjoyed this read in the end.

The main character is by no means perfect but she is a relatable showcase of both sides of the coin: being happy (and unhappy) in a relationship and being happy (and unhappy) out of one. I loved the relationships with her friends and her aunt Carla particularly, as well as her newfound friendship with a woman who is her polar opposite.

No matter whether you are single or in a relationship, this book is a great read to pick up. It’s a reminder to get out of a relationship that doesn’t serve you (if you can) and to embrace the mess but also the joy that comes with life, friendships and figuring everything out again.

It even has me tempted to book a, well, Table for One.

When Willow's relationship falls apart, she is forced to realise how much of her identity it had shaped. Returning to the world as a single woman after 10 years in a comfortable relationship, she finds herself mildly obsessed with pro-single-life influencer Naz in a simultaneously envious and skeptical way.

As Naz challenges Willow's world view on romantic relationships and her relationship with herself, readers are whisked along for the journey. There's nothing overwhelmingly revolutionary about Naz's philosophies but I can see how, perhaps to a different reader, Table For One might be able to give people in unhappy relationships "permission" to put themselves first.

The musings on butterflies/caterpillars I found particularly meaningful, and her relationship with her aunt and friends were also well done. A well-rounded, readable narrative that I would recommend to anyone who feels stuck in their personal life.

This felt like a coming of age but in your 30s kinda book. Realising that you might not have been happy when you thought you had everything you wanted and I loved that aspect!

Absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending it.

3.5⭐️

First off, how great is this cover? I‘m obsessed.

The premise of this story is, unfortunately, all too relatable. Willow has everything she‘s ever wanted - a boyfriend, house and is the co-founder of a company. But, her boyfriend thinks it‘s time to move on and dumps her. Now she‘s in her thirties, single and jobless.

This is particularly shitty for a woman who wants children. That being said, I just… don‘t like Willow all that much, as she sometimes seems so condescending and judgmental. She’s also pretty self-absorbed and whenever great things happen for her friends, she reflects on her life and feels sorry for herself. Like I absolutely get that this can happen, especially after her breakup, but it’s constantly repeated, so much so that I want to have a chat with her and explain to her that not everything’s about her. However, this does get better as the story progresses (yay, character growth!).

So I guess I was kind of rooting for the idea of her (woman finding herself after a terrible relationship). But Willow was… not great. Still, I adored Carla and the mother-daughter relationship she had with Willow.

I think it‘s a good read for women in their 30ies who are faced with a different reality from the one they‘ve envisoned.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing me with a digital review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Willow has her whole life figured out, until she doesn’t. Suddenly finding herself out of a long-term relationship, out of a job, and back to living with her aunt, she has to start over.

Truly a heartwarming, moving story that centers around loneliness, friendships, relationships, love, and self-love.

I will admit it did take me a while to get invested; I really liked the plot from the get-go, but it did take me a while to get to know and, ultimately, care for Willow as a character. Which I ended up doing, even if very well into the book, but I do think she had a great journey, and amazing character growth. Even though I would say the pacing also felt a little weird at times, and it felt like time was just jumping around very randomly, and things were changing so quickly from one chapter to the other for seemingly no reason, but it wasn’t bad enough of an issue to take me out of the story or anything like that.

There’s a good cast of supporting characters, who I found very interesting and enjoyable to see glimpses of, and would have loved to see more of since they felt more of a device to further Willow’s story — which makes sense as this is about her, and this is just to say they were a great addition to the story. Being closer in age to Naz’s character I was very interested in seeing how she would be portrayed, and I will say I was surprised with it all and the direction her story took — not in a bad way, but I will need to come back on it.

I liked the themes it explored and how it was executed, even if I was a little skeptical I would at times. It was maybe a little predictable, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, I really liked a lot of this story, and I do think a lot of it will stick with me for a long time.

Willow, the protagonist of Gannon's latest novel, offers a softened, more mature voice than Olive - the titular character of Gannon's debut. A voice I personally much prefer. The story is a gentle, considered meander through a period of great change and transition in a 30-something woman's life. The quiet ordinariness of the plot is a comfort, I imagine especially for those currently going through a challenging time of their own.

I had taken interest in this book because the premise sounded so much fun, especially as someone who’s never been in a relationship. However the MC was unbearable in my opinion for 70% of the book. I’ve always been the “Pen” in all my friendships, so I just couldn’t bear the protagonist expecting her best-friend who she didn’t have time for during her relationship to be at her beck and call now that she was single. That’s not how friendships work. I enjoyed her growth by the end, however considering that I spent majority of the book being annoyed by her, I can’t rate it more than 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nice tale of growing up to find what you really want and not lose sight of those who are important. It's a beach read for the thirty somethings but enjoyable all.

I adored Olive, so jumped at the chance to pick this up as an ARC.
Bless Willow, she’s had some shite to deal with in her life and typically just when you think everything’s going smoothly, the rug gets pulled out from under you!
I loved learning more about Willows backstory, character and her relationships with friends and family!
It made me feel so thankful that I am in a happy relationship and loved so very much by my husband, I couldn’t put myself through all that dating malarkey again! But I loved how Willows closet friends and Aunt were there to support her and guide her through the tough times! Girls supporting girls, just as it should be.
Did I love it as much as Olive, no. But that was always going to be such a high bar to reach!
Overall another great book from Emma Gannon, showcasing strong female friendships and family at the very core of the story!

“How did thirty-five creep up on us so fast? One minute you’re making a big song and dance about turning thirty in a silver dress, and then bam: you’re in your mid-thirties and time has just flown and you’re looking forty square in the eye.”

Table for One is the book that finally got me out of my early January/midwinter reading slump; I’ve been a long-timer reader of Emma Gannon’s work, so I knew it would. It’s the comforting yet realistic story of Willow, a woman at a crossroads in her mid-thirties, who’s at a different life stage from her close circle of friends, and how she finds her own place in the world, personally and professionally.

(As an aside, I loved how specifically “millennial” the book felt, with lots of cultural references to moments in the main character’s teens and twenties that I’m sure any fellow British elder millennials can relate to/remember!)

I loved the author’s debut novel, Olive, so was looking forward to reading Table For One.
I do enjoy Emma Gannon’s style of writing and I was drawn into Willow’s life from the start. It’s an engaging novel, however I did feel at times that I wasn’t the right demographic for it, I found it hard to connect with the characters lifestyles and for this reason it sometimes felt a little shallow. This is no criticism of the novel it just wasn’t a right fit for me at this time in my life.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars

Willow is leading a perfect life. She has moved into a new home with her long-term boyfriend, Dom, and their business is skyrocketing. The only thing left is to build a family, and it looks like Dom will propose soon, considering the stability of their lives right now.
But life has a funny way to throw you off course. Suddenly, Willow needs to learn how to be content with being alone, feeling lost and unfair, but it's just might be the start of rediscovering herself.

"Women, especially young women, are made to feel like this a lot, like they have to wait for someone else to take the lead. To tell them where to go, how to navigate difficult paths. It is something that a lot of us pick up as children through subtle social clues."

The book is enjoyable, but not great. I love Willow as a person, I resonate with her feelings and confusion as someone in early twenties. The thought that you had your life all figured out only for it to be ruined, the helplessness, the frustration.. I find it so relatable. It is also the accurate depiction of best friends where one is single and another is taken, how Willow kept putting her boyfriend above Pen, yet when it's the other way around, she feels so betrayed.
The closure or the lack thereof feels so real. I get the author is trying to get this message of loving our own companion across, and I agree, but sometimes I can't help this longing to have one great relationship as my anchor in life. I am also not a fan of the characters' names in this book, they feel short, a bit odd, that it comes off as lazy. But other than that, I recommend checking out Table for One! I feel like a lot of people will find it more entertaining than I did.

What a lovely, life affirming book by Emma Gannon.

We follow the story of Willow, who we meet happily settled in a relationship, doing a job she doesn't overly love.
Suddenly everything changes and she is forced to redefine her life by making new choices. Throw in some old....and new....friends, and we, as readers, join her on her journey of rediscovery.

A book written for any one facing life changes.....a reminder that we all hold the keys to our own destiny.....if we are brave enough to use them.

A very joyful, yet touching book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Table for One is a difficult book to rate because it definitely felt flawed but had some merit too.

The focus on female friendships and non traditional families / family ties was something I really enjoyed about this. It’s definitely something the author believes in and you can tell that on each page.

However, the friendships themselves felt somewhat unrealistic. All friends seem to have really high amounts of disposable income that they spend renting locations / expensive meals and yet those occasions seem to be the only time they communicate with one another. A lot of big things happen for the characters in the book and the don’t call or text (not really) and it means everyone has an announcement at every meal time.

If you liked Gannon’s previous novel then I think you would enjoy this but I would not that it is not a romance.

A few years ago, it would’ve been a convivial, fun, romantic table for two with her partner, Dom. Now, his attention is firmly fixed on their increasingly successful company and Willow is much more likely to be at a table for one. She may be in a relationship but she has never felt so lonely. The Dom she first sits down with at that table, has gone.

I like the way Emma Gannon writes, it’s lively and entertaining and feels authentic. The characterisation, especially of Willow, is excellent as she launches herself into the world as a singleton. She feels or fumbles her way, rediscovering her old self or reinventing as she seeks a fresh start. Willow‘s initial loneliness is palpable and the comparison to the joyful way in which the novel starts and ends is very stark. I love the relationship between Willow and Carla, whose warmth and love of her niece is very heartwarming. Everyone needs a Carla in their lives. What to make of Dom? Well, he may smell nice but your views on him will be less than fragrant. Enough said.

The novel is very good on friendship and it’s that which gets Willow through, her friends old and new, help her both practically and are emotionally supportive.

I think the first half is probably stronger than the second although it is heartening to see Willow move to accept and embrace her situation, despite the ups, downs, the pain and the losses. The ending is optimistic after all the sadness and she’s now comfortably sitting at her table for one. I like the powerful message of the novel which is thought provoking.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins for the much appreciated EPUB in return for an honest review.

Willow, who was involved in setting up a wildly successful business with her boyfriend, is finding that she's suddenly no longer required by either. Not ideal. In a bit of a limbo, she becomes intrigued by and then commissioned to write about Naz Chopra, a young social media influencer whose USP is celebrating the single life as by far the best option for women. She's heralded by many as a role model, but it's Willow's job - as she comes to know and like Naz - to dig beneath the glossy surface.

There are some great characters here - aside from Willow and Naz, there're Willow's friends Pen, Lola and Alice, and most of all her aunt Carla, the wonderful woman who loved and raised Willow when her own mother couldn't or wouldn't.

This was a great read, asking the question - what does a fulfilling life look like? Is it necessary to have a partner, or children, or is it necessary to have neither? Obviously, there's no generic answer - but a powerful message that other relationships can also have profound value and meaning.

And that sometimes, a table for one is all you need.

I adored this thoughtful, funny novel. It’s so refreshing to read a book where a woman gets to find herself instead of a man. Bravo.

I like the way that both Emma Gannon's novels look at the positive aspects of life away from the must get married, must have kids bubble and the message that being able to be happy with/in yourself is what matters most of all is an important one. I found this a thought-provoking and enjoyable read, though I found Dom rather predictable/stereotypical