Cover Image: The Lonely Fajita

The Lonely Fajita

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Member Reviews

A quick run read! Thank you for the advanced reader copy! I don't usually go for this kind of book but enjoyed reading it.

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I really enjoyed this book.
I loved the plot and the characters
It was a fun read and made me laugh at times.
A fun quick read

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Elissa, a 26 year old living in London, working as an intern as a social media officer with a borderline-psychotic boss!

This book takes us through the problems in Elissa's life, including the break down of her relationship, her worsening work life and lack of funds. When rent becomes impossible, Eliisa moves with with Annie; an elderly woman that she cares for in exchange of a room. Elissa has no idea that Annie will turn out to be a woman of secrets and swearwords, and that living with her is about to shake everything up...

This book was fun and sure make me laugh throughout at certain points. It also seemed very relatable for a lot of people, especially those that live in London as rent prices are !!!

The best person in this book is Annie, the older lady that Elissa begin's living with. She was bold and fiery and completely no nonsense which is a breath of fresh air.

Overall, this book was fun and a quick read and made me laugh, which was exactly what I'm looking for in a book sometimes.

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I couldn't quite gel with this book. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did, but having never been part of the young, trendy, work-y gang, I didn't get it. However, the writing is great, the characters are well written, and the flow is good.

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A true look at a life run on the philosophy of being half full. Elissa Evan’s is overdrawn, her life from the outside could not be worse and yet somehow it does. She meets her life hurdles and finds ways to be herself. If she is lonely she doesn’t dwell in the loneliness. If she is broke she believes money is just around the next bend. A fun read.

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I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

3.5 star review!

Nice easy read, some laugh out loud moments as 2 unlikely people pair up for this romcom showing that friendships can be made in the most unlikely of places. Perfect escapism book, but did not star higher as it felt the plot line was quite predictable, however would definitely read more of her books.

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First of all a big thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

I absolutely loved this. It made me smile so much and was just hilarious. This reminds me a little of Bridget Jones in all the best ways. I definitely should have picked this book up sooner. All in all this was a quick and easy read that I just did not want to put down.

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If you need a bit of a pick me up, or a giggle then this is a book for you. It certainly made me giggle. Thank you to both the publishers and NetGalley for gifting me this book

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The Lonely Fajita by Abigail Mann is a delightfully relatable feel-good comedy about learning to be single and love yourself.

Elissa’s birthday is looming and her boyfriend hasn’t noticed – then her accidental cervical smear appointment doesn’t help. She’s feeling the weight of work and worrying that she’ll soon be dumped. Elissa learns, however, that she doesn’t need a man to be happy – and with the help of her friends, a lonely girl can make a life for herself.

Mann captures a deep emotional journey with her writing, portraying all the trials and tribulations that come with breaking up. Along with this is her effortless humour, injecting even the most tense scenes with comic relief. The story flows nicely and the characters feel very real – allowing readers to build connections.

All in all, The Lonely Fajita is a highly relatable, poignant and witty story about love, loneliness and friendships. A must-read for those in need of a good pick-me-up.

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Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read. Great read.

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Heart warming and funny, The Lonely Fajita was a good read exploring friendship and following Elissa finding her way after a breakup.

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Intergenerational friendships for the win! I really enjoy books with older characters and this was a fun one.
Elissa has just broken up with her boyfriend, her job is terrible and she doesn't know what to do, so she signs up to Cohabit with an elderly person for somewhere to live.
I enjoyed reading about their unlikely friendship and how they helped each other grow as people.

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was super excited for this book and sadly felt quite a bit underwhelmed.

I absolutely appreciate the humour in this book - it's quintessential British humour at it's finest. And I adore Annie, the elder character.

However the main character, Elissa, felt incredibly passive. (Understatement of the century). For quite a lot of the middle part it just felt like it dragged on and I wasn't as invested as I was in the first third.

My biggest issue... spoiler: [ was the side plot of Elissa trying so hard to uncover Annie's secrets and things that Annie was purposely avoiding talking about etc. Elissa went to extremes to uncover and go behind Annie's back and it just felt so wrong. I was really uncomfortable with it, even if eventually it ended well. in my opinion. (hide spoiler)]

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I think the promo set me up to expect more from this book. I really needed a comedy and this one just didn't grab me the way I'd hoped. Sadly, this wasn't a great fit for me.

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Really wanted to love this book as it sounded like the perfect book to read during lockdown, it was a DNF for me at 25%. The storyline was just a bit boring and didn’t capture or hold my interest, I didn’t find it funny at all really and the characters just weren’t very interesting. I thought Elissa’s character was totally unbelievable she was a bit clueless and made problematic choices. Chose to DNF as I had no urge to pick it up and it was just too slow for my liking. It’s a shame as the blurb really had me sold. Love the cover though! Thank you for the review copy.

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Loved the whole concept of this book, really fun and lighthearted - just what was needed.
I thought that Elissa was a really relatable character and I liked that she was written realistically. I loved her friends and their friendship. I did laugh out loud a few times whilst reading.

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Elissa and Annie form an unlikely friendship in this humorous multi-generational story. Through shared experiences, they discover what they truly want. Humorous moments with a cast of relatable characters and the women's believable dynamic make this an engaging read.

This is a heartwarming, humorous tale of friendship and self-realisation.

I received a copy of this book from One More Chapter via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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This book was one that took me a little bit to get into to. I don’t know why, I mean I enjoyed it but it just wasn’t what I was expecting

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If you are looking for a gorgeous book with feisty old folks in it, this is the one!

Elissa is working in an unpaid internship - because the 21st century workforce is a joke - when her boyfriend decides he is going to go on a gap year. Alone. Leaving her...homeless.

So, naturally, Elissa ends up accepting an offer to live rent free with 83 year old Annie in an elderly village.

The book charts Elissa's journey towards a better working life (i.e. maybe she might get paid?) whilst hilariously reflecting the ridiculousness of some aspects of modern life. Annie shows Elissa how to exist in the world and connect with actual humans rather than feeling lonely and sad after spending all day working and socialising on the Internet.

It is heartwarming and real - Annie isn't some doddery old woman, she is a nightmare pensioner that will remind you of the ridiculous situations your grandparents regularly decide to put you in. In a time of lockdown and permanently trying to engage online, it helped me remember that it is OK I find that exhausting and false -because it is. And that I miss my Gran the most because she is the one person I count on to always point out to me I'm doing just fine but also being completely ridiculous.

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The Lonely Fajita is a comforting and lovely read. Any millennial who has ever wondered what they're doing with their life will find a kindred spirit in the protagonist Elissa.

Elissa, a frustrated twenty-something intern lives in London, in a hostile house share with an absent-minded boyfriend who's growing staler by the minute and his nagging housemates.
Her job at a dating app startup just about pays for a sausage roll and her tube fare home, and something's got to give.

Luckily, when one door closes another one opens, and when a blessing in disguise lands on her doorstep, Elissa makes a change that sets her off on a path to fulfilment.
When she becomes a live-in companion to pensioner Annie, she gains purpose in her life that she'd lost along the way, and this reflects on every area of her life. Annie, too benefits from Elissa's arrival, and the relationship that the two build is heartwarming, moving and very human.

This was brilliant escapism and I look forward to reading more from Abigail Mann. The characters of Elissa and Annie are full of heart and humour, the scenes set in the chaotic LOVR office are hilarious and the elderly characters in the novel are painted in a very positive light which was lovely to see.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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