Surprisingly I really enjoyed this. Something different to my usual read, but once I got into it, I wanted to continue reading. Very apt in the world we live in and humorous with it. Found myself nodding along and agreeing with so many things.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I'm honestly not really sure what to make of this book! I suspect I'm well outside the target audience (too female, too straight, too old, too provincial, too white) so it was a bit like reading an insight into what it means to be young(er) and gay and black and living the high life in hipster-ish London.

Still, Raven Smith is a clever, witty and engaging writer, so makes an excellent guide through his world. I'm never going to understand Instagram or the need for perfect lighting in my house or the stealing of plates from restaurants visited. However, I can appreciate the funny way this is all delivered and the endless similes that are at once surprising and fresh and intelligent. I'm not sure I'm totally there with the pace of the book - it's like a million-mile an hour tour and you have to pay attention for the sudden shifts in focus, but it's all interesting. Smith himself fears that he is 'too much' for his friends and I can kind of see that - as charming and humorous as he is, I feel like I need a lie down after finishing this!

I would recommend this book if you want an diverting and fun read. It touches on serious matters, but the main focus is the endless trivial things that distract us and make up our daily lives. Raven Smith might be living a different life to me, but there are some very relatable things talked about and I enjoyed this book immensely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this book; funny, sharp, sarcastic and observationally accurate.

Only dropped a star because the writing style is a bit full on so you have to read just a few chapters at a time.

Recommended.