Holly Bourne is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. That is what I learned after reading her latest release - Pretending.

Pretending is the story of April. April is sick of the dating scene. She hates that she can’t live up to the expectations and standards that have been set for girls. More than that, she hates that men cannot live up to the exacting standards that she has set. There is a reason she has these standards and April is not willing to settle. So as a social experiment she invents Gretel. The perfect girl. She wants to see if Gretel is more successful than April. All of this goes well until she starts to fall for Joshua – the unwitting victim of her experiment. But who does he love – Gretel or April?

Pretending is a power house of a story. Bourne was asking questions that plagued my late twenties when it came to dating and men. Her questions and her characters anger are not unfounded. There are a lot of triggering moments in this story though so be prepared to wade through some topics that aren’t easy to read but it is with Bourne’s fearless style that as a reader you feel in safe hands.

Pretending by Holly Bourne is available now.

For more information regarding Holly Bourne (@holly_bourneYA) please visit www.hollybourne.co.uk.

For more information regarding Hodder & Stoughton (@HodderBooks) please visit www.hodder.co.uk.

Wow! This was such a hard hitting read and not at all what i was expecting, (Trigger Warnings for sexual assault.)
Holly Bourne's writing just ticks all my boxes! I found this book accessible and engaging for such a tough subject and her characters very likable and relatable.
It is a tough read but one I would defiantly recommend.
Thankyou to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I admit I’m a big Holly Bourne fan, I have loved pretty much everything she writes so when picking this new book, expectations were high. Yet again though Holly Bourne did not disappoint with this book. I thought this book was so raw and honest and tackled some difficult topics that are important to talk about. As well as all this she still managed to keep some parts of the book funny. I loved everything about this book and I think everyone should read it.

full review here:
https://isobelsbookishthoughts.wordpress.com/2020/03/29/book-review-pretending-by-holly-bourne/

I love Holly Bourne, she has been one of those authors that I go to when I'm in need of a bit of a laugh.

Pretending was just the antidote I needed after recent events.

April is a woman who's been through a lot.

She's been hurt (both physically and mentally) and this has left her with trust issues and a skewed perspective about herself.

As she tries to navigate her way through dating, working and generally living like an adult, she begins to discover that she's perhaps not quite as mad as she once thought.

This is a novel that oozes emotion and comedy - which is a fantastic mixture - it is going to make you laugh and cry, sometimes both at the same time.

As April or should we say Gretel finds herself, be prepared to look at your own self too.

Pretending is not your typical love story but in the end it succeeds in being beautifully heart-warming none the less.

This is the first book in as long as I can remember where I read it in just one sitting. I was expecting something quite fluffy and lighthearted but I found this book really deeply touching- I loved it. April can't get past date 5 with men and she has a hard time trusting them. She adopts this persona of 'Gretel' a woman who she thinks is the kind of person men are looking for. Gretel is easygoing and fun and meets a man through a dating website. This book is painfully relatable as April pushes down her own feelings to try and be the kind of woman she thinks men want. It's beautifully written and I got so attached to the characters. My top read of 2020 so far.

As expected, I loved this book. April and her friends and colleagues are entirely relatable and the book addresses very emotive topics head on, whilst still having plenty of space for humour. Highly recommend.

Holly Bourne is one of the most talented writers out there. Intelligent, fast-paced, relatable, zany - Pretending is a truly excellent read. Bourne shows us how to be the person you want to be, provides a salve and a way to heal through trauma. Absolutely loved Pretending and will recommend to all my gal pals (and men too because #notallmen, right?).

*Trigger Warning* sexual assault and abuse.
I am a huge Holly Bourne fan so I have been excited about this book for a long time and it did not disappoint. It deals with some very heavy topics which, yes, made bits of it hard to read at times but this is the reality for women every day and this book is so good at shedding light on that. Pretending is such a powerful book that perfectly captures the things that women have to go through on a daily basis and sheds light on the fact that we may change the way we do things to make life easier for men without even realising. This book is all about accepting yourself just as you are, something I think we all need to do more!

This is a fantastic book! Holly Bourne has the ability to effortlessly immerse readers in the story she tells, and 'Pretending' is no different. It's intelligent, packed with life lessons and social observations that I'm sure everyone makes from time to time.

'Pretending', while fictional, is ironically honest in its context and storyline. The characters have an interesting arc and the growth they experience throughout the novel is wonderful. As always, it's written incredibly well, with Bourne's usual voice coming through.

While the story is immersive and interesting, I'd perhaps complain it's a little similar to other YA books of the same nature. Which isn't a problem because it's certainly of a higher standard than some! But it could be a bit off-putting if you're not a fan of the genre.

I have to say though, that 'Pretending' is a must-read for all young people. It's social commentary at its finest.

A book of real emotion - angry and raw and honest and funny. Complicated, real characters spill from the page and keep you reading, questioning yourself, thinking about you and your relationships and all that shapes who you are.

I’ve always wanted to read this author - now I’ll definitely be looking for more by her.

I loved this novel, with its wonderful cast of characters and gorgeous prose. The storyline was engaging and flowed seamlessly.
Highly recommended!

Funny & brutally honest! This is full of Holly Bourne's signature wit and complicated female characters. I really hope they are teaching her books in schools one day.

Pretending is a book of many facets. Following a highly traumatic experience April has to deal with the significant impact on her mental health. Working in a charity aligned to her trauma, she often has to face her demons and the reader grasps the weight and gravity of these issues. It is an insightful and thought provoking read.

Alongside this April is dabbling in looking for a man. Warmly told and, while normally out with my reading choice, I hugely enjoyed ‘April’ dating and getting herself in a muddle in the guise of her alter-ego.

I did however feel that there was a little too much repetition of the anti-men message and that the dating advice of April’s alter-ego jarred a little with the flow of the story.

Overall, really enjoyable and a rounded up 3.5*.

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advanced copy in consideration of an honest review.

I love Holly Bourne. I devoured her last story and then this one so quickly.
Pretending is another smack in the face piece of contemporary reading in what it is to be a woman in 2020. She takes difficult, challenging and very relevant topics and yet conveys ideas and messages with humour and thought. I liked and understood April, I felt like I knew her even though I have such a different view point. This story is engaging and frustrating and relatable, it will be a top book of 2020 and I am so privileged to have read it early doors. I want to read it again, and look forward to doing so.

TW: Rape

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy of the arc for Pretending.

Holly Bourne never ever fails to write a book that is everything that you could want from a book. I have a feeling that I've said that about previous books she's written, but there really was a reason I was so incredibly happy to receive the arc.

Pretending is the story of a woman who hates men, in fact the book starts with that very well expressed, and April is absolutely not without reason. She sees some of the worst of humanity at her day job, and also has experienced it personally. Maybe it's a spoiler, or maybe a content warning, but this book very heavily features and discusses rape and a lot of the surrounding issues.

I couldn't not rate this a 5 star read, partly because so often I found myself brushing away a tear, partly because the characters were so human and partly because Holly Bourne doesn't shy away from thoroughly exploring how rape is seen in so many lights by different people, how it can completely change lives, the different ways victims are affected, and the ways that specifically it relates to dating after being a victim.

What really struck me about this book is the characters depiction of how rape and sexuality are not linked but yet so intertwined, one particular quote being "What's strange about your sexuality after being raped is that it changes nothing and yet it also changes everything.". This is just one example of why I think this book is so important - because it is a truly brilliant literary read, but also it covers a lot of ground that people may find helpful, or interesting.

The internal dialogue between April and Gretel is also really affecting, in a way that helps to really show exactly how much April has been through, and emphasises that we should never ever judge anyone because we don't know what they're going through inside - they might act like they've got it all together but no one ever really knows how someone feels behind the veneer we see.

I'd recommend this book to anyone that has previously enjoyed anything by Holly Bourne, likes a strong woman taking charge of her life, that enjoys a book that is a great read and an even better viewpoint of society and it's affect on us all, and that wants to pick up something that will leave you with a newfound respect of life and humans.

Fantastic! I couldn't put this down. I felt so much empathy for April and Megan, it's tough being single in this day and age. I think most of us have a truth that we feel we have to keep hidden.
There were some traumatic moments, but they were dealt with in a sensitive way and I admire the fact that the author tackled things with such warmth and compassion.
Another great insightful read.

Wooooo, what a punch of a book. It is angry and it is real and while it can feel stark, the heart is unmistakable,. I loved the comradarie of the boxing club girls and the aforementioned starkness of the aftermath of abuse. A tough read at times but worth it.

After a point where I didn't think I would enjoy this book (though I think the formatting had something to do with that) I did. A great story by Holly Bourne. Quite a departure from other books by Holly but really powerful and really powerful message.

Another brilliant, bitingly honest and horribly real novel from Holly Bourne. There's nothing quite like the funny and visceral way she writes.

April is tired of men. Every time she thinks she's found a man she can trust, they've proven to be awful and she ends up heartbroken. She's nice, she's normal, but she wishes she could be more like her imagined perfect woman: Gretel.

She's the cool girl, the manic pixie dream girl. She's everything April should be, in theory, so that's who she becomes, as an act of almost-revenge. And when she tries out this new persona, she meets Joshua. The problem? He seems different than the rest.

This started as an unsuspecting book. An easy read. Then as April's work with charity, the nuance of how trauma can impact people, fear of being rejected as yourself, flaws being exposed, not being good enough, all began to unfold - the book swept me up. Funny, nuanced, touching, brilliant. Really liked this one.