What Does It Feel Like?, Sophie Kinsella
What Does It Feel Like?, Sophie Kinsella
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What Does It Feel Like?

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Narrator: Sally Phillips, Sophie Kinsella

Unabridged: 1 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/08/2024


Synopsis

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.

“The bravest book you’ll read all year.”—Jodi Picoult

“Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid

A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella

About Sophie Kinsella

I think I could have written a series of books on being a Shopaholic, but British author Sophie Kinsella had beat me to it. In 2000, she had her big hit novel, the first in the Shopaholic series.....The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. The great irony is that the book's main character is Becky Bloomwood, who is a financial journalist who should be giving sensible money spending and saving advice. However, she loves to shop, and is hopeless with money! It struck a nerve with many readers around the world. The other books in the series are: Shopaholic Abroad (Shopaholic Takes Manhattan), Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby, Mini Shopaholic, Shopaholic to the Stars, and Shopaholic to the Rescue. Her first novel in the series was produced as a movie by Disney as, Confessions
of a Shopaholic.

Other books she has written include: Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I've Got Your Number, Wedding Night, My Not So Perfect Life, and Surprise Me. Her latest work is I Owe You, which is described as being empowering.

Sophie lives in London with her husband, Henry Wickham, four sons and a daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on May 20, 2025

It's tough to review Sophie Kinsella’s latest autobiographical book without feeling as though daggers are stabbing into your heart, with tears streaming down your cheeks, and barely holding yourself back from choking up. What surprised me, however, was that despite honestly fictionalizing her own lif......more

Goodreads review by Shelley's Book Nook on September 09, 2024

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On: The Book Review Crew Blog This is a hard review to write because the book and the story are so raw, real and personal. I used to devour Kinsella's books when I was younger. I haven't read any of her newer works since 2019's I Owe You One. I wasn't aware that Kinsella......more

Goodreads review by Cara on July 29, 2024

What Does It Feel Like? written by Sophie Kinsella was such a heart breaking, beautiful, raw, poignant, powerful, and inspirational story. This is an autobiographical novella although some events and facts were changed by the author. It's so hard to review Sophie's novella without getting chocked up......more

Goodreads review by Rosh ~catching up slowly~ on January 02, 2025

In a Nutshell: A heartfelt novella inspired by the author’s own health scare. Not a light romcom like her other works. Heartbreaking, pragmatic, humorous, hopeful. I never thought I would recommend a Sophie Kinsella book this strongly, but never say never, right? Much recommended! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~......more

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on April 24, 2025

This is Kinsella’s devastating journey with terminal brain cancer. She did fictionalize it; however, this is her truth with the minor alterations she made to the story. This was courageously done with grace and even some laughter. May you continue to beat the odds and be a beacon of strength and hope......more


Quotes

“Soul-stirring, funny, and beautiful. A must-read.”—Zibby Owens, Katie Couric Media

“I laughed. And I cried. And then I thought about the meaning of life. It’s a little jewel of a book.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes

“Kinsella is a skillful storyteller. She doesn’t front-load the narrative with exposition, instead parceling out information organically. . . . Most resonant is this book’s bravery—and its emotional honesty.”The Wall Street Journal

“A powerful tale about love, life and grief . . . filled with poignant moments and Kinsella’s signature charm.”—Woman’s World

“Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying. What Does it Feel Like? is daring and original—both a breath of fresh air and a deeply courageous story. This is one of the gutsiest moves I’ve seen from a writer in a long time. I could not put it down.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“As writers we are told to write what we know—but there are some things people wish they never had to learn. Such is the case for Sophie Kinsella, whose new novel follows an author whose greatest asset—a creative brain—becomes her biggest liability when it develops a cancerous tumor. Hearing from the point of view of a novelist who has crafted so many stories but doesn’t know how her own will end is raw, humbling, and tender. This is the bravest book you’ll read all year.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult
 
What Does It Feel Like? is not the kind of book that uses silliness and joy to divert readers from their lives. But, in a sense, it’s a way for readers who have been rescued by Kinsella to repay her—to witness what she’s gone through as she uses words to process her pain and search for catharsis.”The Washington Post

“A beautiful love story, and a glowing beacon of hope in the midst of terrible darkness.”—Bestselling author Jenny Colgan