"Hot mess sad girl Penny tries to take her friend’s and therapist’s advice and leave her bad habits behind "
Look, it isn’t the first time we’ve read a novel about a woman who is unsatisfied with her career and relationships, struggling with her mental health, drinking too much and dating rubbish men, only to then work things out better and find upturns in each – and I highly doubt it will be the last. But that isn’t to say No Hard Feelings isn’t a good book. It’s a classic character arc for a reason. I think a lot of late-twenties/early-thirties women can find this book relatable. I was rooting for Penny to finally get with her secretly perfect fuckboy housemate, and the scene where (spoiler alert) things change in their feelings and he confesses made me want to shake her and kiss him. There are some really great lines, and I particularly enjoyed the way Novak groups chats on the page, and she captures well the way texts between friends can be deliciously rapid and hilarious or stomach-curdlingly tense and passive aggressive.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
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Closing date: 31/03/2025
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