Brave and honest, a raw look at love alongside trauma. The first novel I've read in a long while that unashamedly explores the barriers to female desire and the ways our bodies tell us what we've been trying to ignore. So authentic I felt like a fly on the wall of Sara's life.

This book is beautiful and I absolutely devoured it, but the central relationship hit really close to home for me. I think I’ll have to curl up in a corner after this. Such amazing characterisation and so moving, I really loved it. An excellent read.

Hugely moving. Sara's journey to try to "cure" herself and have a meaningful relationship is both heartbreaking and admirable and I like the fact the book did not shy away from how difficult the relationship was for both parties and how Miles struggled to understand and hold back.
Sara is a truly astonishing character and I did not want the book to end.

A gorgeous, aching, generous novel about a side of female desire that is woefully unexplored in fiction - and a perfect evocation of what it is to be young in London. This is the kind of book that demands to be passed between friends. Charlotte Paradise's prose is beautiful and precise. Readers will want to wrap Sara in their arms. Erin Kelly

Thank you so much to Akan Books for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up!

I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and feelings of this when I finished. I got the ARC and began to read & annotate and only stopped when I needed to sleep.

The writing within this is something that is so raw and familiar. Brutally honest and relatable that you get dragged into it relating to maybe everything that Sarah herself mentions, has experienced, or even just little parts.

The subject matter within the story is deep and crushing. Extremely crushing. Especially to witness a character we have been on a journey with try to gain some control on things, understandings of herself and her new relationship with Miles, we see the changes she tries to make, the things she does, the way she thinks, etc. and yet it just seemed to be piling up and up until it would actually overspill into a different yet related level that Sarah herself and the reader is now confronted with.

The writing is stunning and looking back on things that are scattered here and there and how they were within the story to where it leads to and ends just makes everything hit you with force even more. I loved how talking about bodies was so natural as well and the love/hate with bodies within it. You can't help but find at least something you have thought about. I found several LOOOOOL

I will say this, the way I was absolutely taken by Miles. Wow. He has his flaws don't get me wrong lol
What a debut!

This book is not an easy read but it is very well written. Basically it deals with CPTSD. The trauma is revealed slowly through the book but it is nevertheless a page turner. The book is very sad but there is hope. I was glad to be offered the book in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review. It is not a book I would normally have picked up but I learnt a lot from it. The characters are well depicted and relatable.

Let me first preface by saying that I think this book is well written and should be read by most people. It has insights into important topics that are shaping the reality of 20 year-olds these days, and it is likely beneficial to all to learn more about these.

The book is the story of a young woman in her 20s, trying to understand the physical and emotional barriers that make it hard for her to be intimate with men, despite having the usual desires and passions of any woman her age. At the beginning of the book our protagonist meets a young man roughly her age, and the story follows their relationship growing and struggling. These struggles, in their own right, help our protagonist learn more about herself and discover more about traumatic events that plague her on a daily basis.

For me the story and the writing were illuminating. I learned a lot about what dating these days looks like for young people, how they deal with trauma and stress, and what shape honestly and clear communication take in this day and age.

I did find myself struggling with the book and myself as the story progressed. This struggle, on a meta level, is the reason I would recommend reading this book, actually. On the one hand, I found myself annoyed with the apparent self indulgence of the protagonist, and her need to have everyone around her understand her, accept her, and adjust to her. This was equally applicable to the larger things, as well as to the smaller ones (like veganism). The book was full of hyper sensitivity, hyper awareness of self, and an overwhelming amount of psychological self diagnosis. On the other hand, I had to face the reality of the trauma afflicting the protagonist, and the fundamental inseparable truth of the need to heal it. On balance, it was an educational experience for me, even though I finished the book feeling that, while the trauma is ubdeniable, it doesn't mean the the person suffering from it is expemt from the need to be empathetic to others.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an opportunity to read the book ahead of its release in return for an honest review.

Overspill is an incredibly powerful and well-written debut novel that explores C-PTSD, navigating love alongside trauma, female desire and self-reclamation. Another element I found really interesting involved the reflections on Miles’ religious upbringing and the impact it had on him around desire and the shame that follows. I really do recommend Overspill; as you can imagine it can feel suffocating at times due to the subject matter but at the same time it’s an overwhelmingly raw, honest and brave book that reminded me of Jaded by Ela Lee (one of my favourite books from last year.) It’s being published just under a month today in the UK on the 24th April 2025 so one to add to your radar. A big thank you to Akan Books/Harper Collins - via Rachel Quin Marketing - as well as Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this one.

Overspill by Charlotte Paradise is a raw and poignant exploration of trauma, grief, and the complexities of relationships in the face of personal struggles. The novel follows Sara, a twenty-five-year-old woman grappling with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and a deep sense of bodily detachment. She has never been able to use a tampon without experiencing a panic attack, and her struggles with her body affect her ability to connect with others, even as she desires love and intimacy.

When Sara begins dating Miles, a man who respects her boundaries, they navigate a relationship that is anything but conventional. For three months, they don't touch, but their emotional bond grows. While Miles longs to break down the walls between them, Sara struggles to reconcile her need for love with the trauma that keeps her body and mind at odds. As they navigate their connection, the novel examines Sara's journey to reclaim her body and find a sense of self-worth in a world where her own body feels foreign to her.

Paradise’s prose is beautiful and evocative, capturing the essence of Sara's emotional turmoil and the complexity of human relationships with sensitivity and depth. This book is a sincere portrayal of the challenges of living with trauma, showing how two imperfect individuals can come together and try their best, without the need to label their struggles as "toxic" or full of red flags. Overspill is a deeply emotional and difficult read, but it is ultimately a journey worth taking. Readers should be aware of the trigger warnings, as the book deals with sensitive and challenging topics, but it offers a powerful and honest depiction of the realities of trauma and the human experience.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Overspill by Charlotte Paradise is one of those books that gets under your skin in the best way. It’s raw, honest, and beautifully written, tackling trauma, love, and self-acceptance with so much heart.

Sara’s story feels painfully real; her struggles with intimacy are written with such care that you can’t help but root for her. And Miles? He’s the kind of love interest that makes you believe in patience and understanding. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but that’s what makes it so compelling. I can understand that the pacing could be somewhat slow for some readers, however, I think despite this, the result is rewarding, and it will be a book that if you find connections with the themes, you'll fine that it reflects your own thoughts and feelings, in such a well written format.

The writing is gorgeous, sometimes tender, sometimes brutal, but always deeply human. It’s the kind of book that will stay with me for a very long time.
I look forward to what Charlotte will write in the future and what stories she looks to tell!

Just finished *Overspill* and WOW. 😭 This book is raw, beautiful, and so real. Sara’s journey with love, her body, and Miles (the sweetest, most patient guy) hit me hard. The writing? Stunning. 💌 It’s tender, heartbreaking, and will stay with you forever. 10/10, but be ready to feel ALL the feels. 💔✨ #MustRead

Initially, it took me a while to get into the writing style of this one. But then, as Miles and Sara's story started to begin, I was really absorbed. Thematically similar to What A Shame (another book I loved), but I felt so connected to Sara - huge empathy and the prose felt so realistic. I particularly appreciated the ending - I won't spoil it for anyone but I thought it was the most moving wat to finish the novel.

Five stars.