DNF'd at 40%. Just wasn't enjoying the story overall unfortunately. I didn't really care about the characters and wasn't interested in where the story was going.

Elissa is in a bit of a mess. She's an unpaid social media manager for a dating app that swiftly seems to be going down the drain, her boyfriend wants to travel the world - and not with her - and she can't afford the rent on her measly apartment share. Eldercare ends up to the rescue with Elissa moving in with Annie rent-free, and sharing her youth and companionship to the older home owner. But Annie might have more to teach Elissa than she first realises.

This was just fun and definitely made me snort with laughter at a lot of points during the story. There's no other words to describe Elissa other than a hot mess, and there was times I was surprised she had clean laundry yet alone affording a cheese sandwich in the corner shop for lunch. As someone who works in social media and a tech company, I enjoyed the office vibes and Elissa's experience in a start-up company.

I also think anyone who has ever had to deal with the adulting that is figuring out how to pay rent, food, commute let alone afford a social life all on a cheap salary will find this book relatable. This book touches on the unattainable rafters that is affordable living in London for millennials, as well as the not so obvious issue of loneliness amongst the young and the old - despite a world that's now built to be forever connected.

I love the scheme of people struggling with rent moving in with older people who need a bit of companionship and a link to the modern world, and I know it exists in various forms in the real world. I will say this book made me ache for my gran who I haven't seen enough because of the pandemic.

Annie was a great character, and her dynamic with Elissa was lovely. There were some storylines that were briefer than I would have liked - I would have liked to have dug deeper into Annie's background, and her issues with her husband and son, and her romance with H. I also would have loved more time to get to know the other neighbours in Evergreen, as we only really see them at the end. If Elissa had moved in with Annie at the beginning of the book, more so than in the middle, I think it would have given a lot more time to expand on some areas of the novel that felt too brief for me.

This book was fun and a quick read and gave me a laugh, which was exactly what I needed!

I was gripped just by the title of this book. It promised so much humour and it delivered! Heart-warming and uplifting.

So many good things to say about this one first the two main characters Elissa and Annie! This book where do I start it was un put downable and I loved every minute of it a few times it made me cry but mostly it was fun and real and everything in between

This was an entertaining book. A quick easy read but not a home-run for me. I did not share a review outside of NetGalley for this title.

I still can’t get over how cute the cover is, absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

I enjoyed this book for what it was, the character felt quite relatable and the author did a great job writing a character that was facing an absolutely disastrous time in her life. You really end up rooting for the character and hoping that things will change or improve them the way she wants to.

This book felt like a warm, comfort read in the middle of a winter snow storm. It was well written and the characters were Highly relatable !

I laughed out loud so many times during this book! It had me radiating and sinking my teeth so far into the chapters I didn’t want to put it down.

The emotional journey Elissa travels through was raw and I loved watching her character development.

The book was a joy to read and easy to fly through.

DNF

Calling a book "The most utterly relatable feel-good comedy of 2020" sets a high bar. I could see what The Lonely Fajita was trying to do, but I wasn't laughing along.

This book was easy to read, fun and interesting! I was invested from the beginning and really enjoyed the story!

Really enjoyed this book! Such a wonderful and heartwarming book. Abigail Mann captures millennials so well, warts and all which I loved. The main character of Elissa was a joy to get to know and I felt that Mann tackled the modern themes of career and love extremely well. The wit is what really stands out in this novel and had many, many unglamorous snorts of laughter whilst reading. Friendship is at the heart of this book, moving away from the predictable romance - the journey of Elissa and Annie is a pleasure to read.

The humour and relatable main character are what sells this book and have recommend to many friends for a light hearted, enjoyable read.

What’s more inspirational than finding yourself- and than doing so by moving in with an old lady, who also happens to be a complete stranger?

This is the perfect mix of heartwarming, funny and ever-so-slightly bittersweet. We find Elissa at a low ebb, without money, just dumped and without a place to live. She fixes the last problem by moving in with Annie, an old lady in need of some company.

Honestly, the relationship between the two of them is the sweetest thing: Annie’s no-nonsense attitude, hidden sadness and independence contrasts perfectly with Elissa’s well-meaning, hapless personality. Both of them find a sense of belonging in the other; I was also living hard for the intergenerational relationship. We don’t see it enough in real life, and this had me wanting to pick up the phone and call my grandma. A sweet, good-natured read that’ll fly by.

I sprinted through this book. Mann has a flair for dialogue and a seamless character arc too. It's well-observed, funny, and so relevant, with its look at loneliness, kindness, friendship and growth. Perfect #lockdown reading.

I am appalled it has taken me so long to read this book when it has been on my TBR for months.

What. A. Delight! I highly recommend reading this one!

I absolutely loved this laugh out loud debut novel by Abigail Mann.
The coming together of Elissa and Annie and the friendship they make is so heart warming. Despite being generations apart the way they grow and learn from each other’s experiences is beautifully done and utterly hilarious.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Lonely Fajita! Fun, funny, a very real cast of characters and it gave me a healthy dose of the warm fuzzies by the end.

I greatly enjoyed this book, thank you for giving me a preview copy. The plot was interesting and fast paced and I sympathised with the characters. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I hope it will not be the last!

I loved it! The Lonely Fajita is so funny, heartwarming and original - I loved Elissa and Annie! an addictive story line with very well thought out characters and a touching friendship.

Elissa is stuck: a dead-end internship with a super-creepy boss, a boyfriend who is at best, inattentive, no money and questioning her relationship - all triggered when her birthday went flat. Of course, it was building long before that, but Elissa was truly unable to dig out of the funk, not able to see other choices. But, fortuitously when she's close to being turfed out with no money, fewer prospects and an ex-boyfriend situation that is the least of her problems - she finds an advert for a companion.

Annie is a widow, a bit lonely herself, and looking for companionship and friendship through a service that places live-in help with elderly folks who just may need a hand. Here Elissa has found much of what she was missing: no singleton meals for one, a roof and, most of all, a sense of belonging. All because of Annie and her perspective, her gentle existence and ability to help Elissa sort through her own issues, all while finding some answers of her own.

Such a sweet and gentle book that keeps the inter-generational friendship at the forefront, and allows us to see how people can (and do) provide support, entertainment and caring to one another despite (or in spite of) their different ways of viewing the world. Both Elissa and Annie are witty, caring and cleverly drawn, feeling organic and natural, and their relationship, while orchestrated at first, is soon skipping along happily. Moments to laugh, some truly witty dialogue and plenty of heart, this is a great summer / cabin fever / tired of everyone and everything sort of read: one that will leave you with a smile.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aHu/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The plot and story are good, the characters are interesting, but the side tracking and tangents and random bits and pieces just take away from what is otherwise a nice book. She could have rounded out the main storyline more and left the distractions out, which would have made for a smoother read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught my eye as it sounded like a light read, and I could relate to the protagonist’s circumstances more than I’d like to admit! I think many young people would be able to say the same.

I liked Elissa and Annie, and the friendship that developed between them. I think it would’ve been entertaining if the reader saw more glimpses of their day-to-day lives together.

My main problem with this book is that it felt shallow. So many things were happening, but the passage of time was so quick and the book seemed to jump rapidly from one thing to another. I didn’t feel I got to connect with the characters. Some things I would’ve liked the book to explore more. For example, letters that Elissa finds are apparently full of beautiful, touching sentiments – but we only get the smallest of glimpses.

Overall though, this wasn’t a bad book. It’s an easy read that’s full of warmth and will make you smile.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I thought the premise was really interesting. It's great to have a story about intergenerational relationships, and as part of a 'finding yourself' narrative it works well. However, I did find the writing a bit stilted in places, particularly in sections that were setting up future events or trying to be quite funny. So not completely successful, but a great story.