A first for me from Carmel Harrington. This was an uplifting read despite having some darker topics throughout.

My first read by Carmel Harrington and was pleasantly surprised. This was a lovely and uplifting read despite covering some darker topics such as addiction and obesity. It felt like quite a "real" story and Greta could be your friend or neighbour in a relatable way.

During lockdown I requested a lot of books and accepted a lot of invitations on NetGalley which has resulted in a bit of a backlog. I’m slowly working my way through them and last week I started My Pear-Shaped Life. I initially picked it as I was having a bit of a moment and felt the title resonated with my feelings. I cannot believe I didn’t pick this up sooner!

What a joy of a book and a must read for anybody struggling with their own self-worth. Greta Gale is such a relatable character, overweight and hiding behind humour. It would appear that she is the life of the party but after an accidental overdose on sleeping tablets we soon discover her insecurities.

I loved so much about this book, in particular the relationship between Greta and her Uncle Ray. I enjoyed going with them on their road trip across America and discovering their individual regrets and growth. They were both each others cheerleader and I was here for it! I also enjoyed Billie (Ray’s love interest) and her mum Susan - what a wise lady. The nods to The Wizard of Oz were fabulous too!

Overall this is a fun, inspiring read with hidden depth. The author discusses various topics that can be difficult but with a humour that limits the tears and sadness. I will be reading more from this author.

A really enjoyed this one!
Deals with a lot of serious issues well.
Gave me Marian Keyes vibes.

It lost a 🌟 because it took me a little while to get invested in the main character.

I absolutely loved this book!
Greta Gale is such a relatable character and I read this story in one sitting. I read this with a constant smile on my face and enjoyed every page. Greta like the rest of us isn’t perfect. We follow her as she takes a journey to find herself and I especially liked the wizard of oz references scattered throughout
I’d love to read more about these characters. 100% recommend 💕

This is a quick and uplifting read.
This book is hard hitting but the author has managed to weave in some humour.
The book is well written and the pace was great.

Funny, brutally honest, heartwarming.
Fabulous characters that were relatable
Easy to get into and actually quite thought provoking

I enjoyed this one. The characters were likeable and I couldn't put the book down from start to finish. Looking forward to reading more of Carmel's books in the future.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. This is a thought provoking read that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed the latter parts of the book, the road trip - I really felt like I was along for the journey.
Will recommend highly!

This story is delightful!

It is full of emotion and covers some difficult topics - addiction, loss, etc, but it does it in a sensitive way, with the right amount of humour.

I loved the characters - Great is wonderfully upbeat and her personal journey through learning to love yourself and realising that it's ok to ask for help and rely on friends and family is moving and it was great to see the personal growth.

The relationships and friendships that were formed are fabulous.

A great read!

This is an enjoyable light read, but with more substance to it than I expected to be honest.

The heroine of the story is a lovely character called Greta Gale, who is very likeable and makes you want the best for her. Greta is the only overweight member of her close-knit family, and her struggle to overcome this - and her addiction to sleeping pills - forms the backbone of the story.

I loved the many references to "The Wizard of Oz" (which I expect are a feature of many families who have Gale as their surname!). The writing is very good at making you feel emotions - happiness and sadness, sympathy - and the characters are so well written that you feel you've met some of them in real life.

All in all an enjoyable and uplifting read. I'd definitely read more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Such a lovely book was easy to get into and grabbed my attention.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Bit late in leaving a review but thank you Harper Fiction for giving me the opportunity to read such a beautifully written book.

I relate to Greta, who struggles with her weight and is having a tough time of it!
She has a large & humorous personality to cover up her insecurities which works as no one seems to realise what she’s going through, surrounded by a loving family and friends she still feels alone!
Set in Ireland and travelling across America, facing truths and demons, I felt I was right beside Greta all the way.
The only person to make her happy is herself, if only she’d realise.

This was my first book by Carmel Harrison and I’m certainly interested to pick up some more of her work.

This was an easy read, but don’t let that statement or the book cover fool you into thinking it is a Rom-Com. This book tackles a lot of serious subjects, which some people may find triggering.

Greta, the main protagonist, was such a likeable character and I actually found myself relating to her on a number of occasions.

A book about addiction, self-discovery, family and love. The second half of the book was much more upbeat and lighthearted than the first and I enjoyed following Greta and her Uncle Ray on their American Road Trip of discovery!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Uk for. Copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Meet Greta.

She’s funny. She’s flawed. She’s hiding so much behind her big smile she’s forgotten who she is.

But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is … being you.

Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn’t matter when you can laugh at yourself, right?

Until Greta realises she’s the only one not laughing. And deep down, she’s not sure if she’ll ever laugh again.

But with her world feeling like it’s falling down around her, Greta is about to discover she’s stronger than she feels. And that sometimes the best moments in life come when it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped…
Laugh out loud moments

This was such a great read . It’s quite different to my normal genre of psychological and crime thrillers . Reading this was just perfect for me and it was just what I needed. This is such a lovely and uplifting read.

Another great book from Carmel. Great storyline and fab characters. Greta and Rays big adventure across the USA. I really want to go there. Great insight into addiction which has affected a lot of people’s lives.

A compelling and gripping story right from the beginning. I loved the portrayal of Greta's self image and the long held view of how your own view of yourself is often so different to how others see you.

It was also fantastic to read a story set in Ireland, bringing me back home to the sights I know and the slang and affectionate slagging I'm familiar with.

Incredibly likeable and relatable characters made this a must read book of the summer for me.

A great book I felt for Greta from the first pages and was willing her to find happiness. I loved her character and Uncle Ray and what a lovely road trip. The book is great for making you think about tolerance and how everyone is different and that's fine. Definitely recommended

Ahhh, thank you Carmel, what a delightful read. I've had it on my kindle for a while, it somehow got 'lost' but I'm so glad to find it and more importantly, to recommend it to everyone. There are so many parts of the story that we will all recognise in ourselves. Its a big 5 stars from me!