Title: Sad Girl Novel

Author: Pip Finkemeyer

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 10th August 2023

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Maybe my main character will slowly lose their mind too. Novels usually need an abandoned woman going crazy in them. It’s gonna be, like, a sad girl novel.

An Australian expat in Berlin, Kim is jobless, rootless, and – as she’s slowly discovering – somewhat useless.
That is until a chance encounter with Matthew, a hotshot New York literary agent, gives Kim the direction she’s been craving. This year she will:

* Finally write her novel
* Decide what said novel is actually about
* Romantically pin down the increasingly flighty Matthew
* Be less jealous of best friend Bel’s baby
* Convince her therapist that the amount of artichokes she eats doesn’t classify as an eating disorder
* Stay sane in the process of achieving the above

Because Kim’s story will not become a sad girl novel.
Definitely not.

Review:

I was immediately drawn to Sad Girl Novel because of the genius cover and, happily, I can confirm the book inside is just as fantastic. The story follows Kim, an Australian expat in Berlin attempting to write her novel. Kim is a brilliant main character to follow – she is both confusing and confused, annoying yet achingly relatable and hilarious in a weird, slightly offbeat, manner that I found thoroughly entertaining. Her inner monologue is meandering but filled with witticisms that make Sad Girl Novel hard to put down.

The most impressive thing about this unusual book is the brilliant writing. Finkemeyer has an intriguing and incisive style that makes practically every page eminently quotable. I was taking down notes constantly whilst reading! It is also a fascinating and astute depiction of the twists and turns of female friendship. Kim’s best friend, Bel, is a deeply compelling character throughout. Overall, Sad Girl Novel is an intelligent and witty take on the search for identity and purpose in a complicated world which I would highly recommend to anyone looking for something fresh and unique.

✶✶✶✶.5

Huge thanks to Emily and Hodder & Stoughton for having me on the tour and for providing a copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

Buy the book:

Waterstones | Blackwell’s | Amazon