Love Your Life: A Novel Paperback – June 22, 2021

Of all the Sophie Kinsella books I’ve read, (and I've read most) this is my new favorite. The balance in the main character, Ava, is so much more appealing and believable than say, “Shopaholic.” The plotting and pace are perfect. Ava sometimes does crazy things, but she has much more restraint than some of Kinsella's previous heroines. This would make a perfect movie. What fun to see all these characters come to life-especially Harold!

Sophie Kinsella has been one of my favorite rom-com authors since I read Confessions of a Shopaholic nearly 20 years ago. Love Your Life is a classic Kinsella book with quirky characters, romance, and a feel-good ending.

Let me start by saying I'm a massive Kinsella fan. I love the "heart" her heroines all have, and have enjoyed just about every book.This one did not live up to my expectations. It seemed to cram EVERY possible Kinsella element (dating problems, deluding yourself, family business, rich mean parents, silly encounters, quirky EVERYONE) in as fast as possible, whether or not they made sense or were carried through to conclusion.This one also required a more-than-usual suspension of disbelief:*How does Ava afford her own place (even if it's a slum) when she appears never to work and at best is a freelance writer?*Why do Matt and his 2 roomies live together when all 3 of them appear to have HUGELY SUCCESSFUL jobs?*Matt seemed to veer from intelligent/sensitive to kind of an inarticulate blockhead.Matt's mean parents and his ex-girlfriend seemed to be put in almost as "expected" elements of a Kinsella novel rather than for a meaningful plot point. Ditto with Ava being essentially an orphan.For much of the novel, Ava was so maddening I wanted Matt to just run and not look back! I would much prefer hanging out with Matt and his roomies to being at Ava's house.I love seeing a new Kinsella novel, but I hope she's not feeling pressured and rushed - which seems possible - to keep churning them out.Frankly, my favorite part of this book was Matt's roommates. They felt totally "real" in a way Ava's friends never did and I enjoyed seeing the relationships with them blossom. The end of this book wrapped up with her usual heart and the message about the importance of friends. But I feel that removing some of the extraneous plot points could have allowed for even more focus on this.

Sophie Kinsella's books make me laugh out loud and this novel was no exception. It was so much fun to read.

Getting to the end… well, that was a bit stressful. Having endured relationships where one or both of us bickered, I found it difficult to read. Part of that is a reflection of my personal journey to saying NO to people who do not add goodness to my life, so I will own that opinion. Coming from that space, all I could think about was how sad and difficult for Ava to be with a man so unwilling to budge out of his unhappy life. As a former optimist, I understood why she stuck with him for as long as she did, and it made me sad when she kept choosing the fantasy over what he was showing her day in and day out. Therefore, I removed one star because I wanted her to choose herself and move away from the toxicity that shrouded Matt’s life. Reading that portion felt dated, but like I said, maybe it felt dated because I’ve changed as a reader. Anyway, the good ‘ol Sophie Kinsella narrative kicked in at the “Harriet House World Expo” scene, and from then on, it was like settling in to another favorite book from my favorite author. In the end, we all got what our hearts wanted: peace, friendship, silly stories, and contentedness. Four stars.

I wasn't sure i liked the story initially, but after a 2nd read, i found i really loved it

Oh my, where has Sophie Kinsella gone? She isn’t anywhere in this mess of a book. Could there BE another girl as annoying as Ava? If so, she is dead somewhere, her head smashed in by one of the pieces of junk she adores. And the guy? He was a saint for not dropping her headfirst off her own charming and rickety fire escape. But was he believable? Not for a second. Was their romance charming and lighthearted? Ummmmm....no. Disappointed and annoyed that i read the whole thing. I kept hoping Ava would get a clue, or Matt would develop a believable personality. Not happening friends, OH, and her FRIENDS? No, no, no. They were as annoying as Ava. In case its not clear, I thought this was a real loser of a book.

This book was charming, heartfelt, warm and fuzzy, brave, strong, and all other good things in one! I loved every moment of this adorable romcom. It was completely unique and had such great characters! I loved all the characters and their differences, their strengths, and even their weaknesses. The writing was incredible- warm and light-hearted when it should be, and tones of seriousness at appropriate times as well. You could feel when Ava and "Dutch" ran into tiny disagreements and slowly feel the build of their relationship throughout. Harold was a monster but a loveable one! I'm a librarian who works in a public library and overall, I loved it so much I bought it. I will be reading this story again. Thank you for your incredible story telling skills, Sophie Kinsella!