A fantastic, warm and hilarious book that had me laughing out loud withing a matter of pages. Elissa is a witty, funny, and authentic character that - at times - you feel as though you know personally. This is down to Abigail's fantastic and unique writing style. The character development is second to none. The Lonely Fajita is a fantastic must-read!

I read this ARC in a matter of HOURS, and I could not put Elissa's story down. 

The Lonely Fajita (bonus points for the excellent title) follows Elissa, a twenty six year old social media intern for a dating app. At the beginning of the book her relationship comes to a sudden end, leaving her as a newly single woman, but more importantly, without a home. She signs up for a community pairing scheme and moves in with Annie, an eighty three year old woman with a complex past. This is a story about two people from entirely different worlds, coming together and offering each other something that they didn't even realise that they needed. And I loved every second. 

Mann's style of writing made me laugh out loud at points, but is also overflowing with heart and vulnerability. Elissa was such a well developed character that I want to be friends with her, and her budding friendship with Annie - a strong willed Yorkshire woman - was so joyful to read about. This was a book of self-exploration and unlikely friendship, of constructing a life for yourself on your own terms, and of rising above situations that make you want to live permanently under your duvet covers. SO GOOD. I can't wait to read more from this author.

What a great read! I really enjoyed this novel story of the suddenly dumped and homeless Elissa, the ‘Lonely Fajita’ of the clever and original title. Descriptions of her monstrous boss in the social media company she is interned to, are by turns amusing and scary - are there really  bosses in this modern world who get away with behaving like this to their employees, even unpaid ones like Elissa?
The cast of characters in Elissa’s workplace, and her elderly housemate Annie, are beautifully drawn, as are Annie’s neighbours in the sheltered community where they live. And as for the loathsome Craig, their self seeking warden- I think we’ve all met his counterpart at some point in our lives! 
Elissa’s friends Maggie and Suki have her best interests at heart, even though it doesn’t always seem that way. They usually manage to come through for her when it matters most. 
 I would love to read more of Elissa and Annie’s escapades as they continue their lives together, I was sorry to leave them behind when the book finished, always a sign of an enjoyable read.
This book will appeal to any age group, as it is a lighthearted, feel good story. That is what this reader needed at this difficult time of lockdown. The Lonely Fajita did not disappoint. (I admit to being much closer to Annie’s age than Elissa, but I loved them both equally.) 
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for this advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review. To say that I love this book is an absolute understatement. So funny, charming and moving. Much needed comic relief in today's world.

The story had potential but I felt like it was trying to be too many things, and thus lacked direction. In addition humour is very subjective and I couldn't connect with it. Elissa is dumped by her 2 year boyfriend and since he was her meal ticket, she now found herself very high and dry and desperate for somewhere to live. She is also a sad sack at work, where she is the social media manager for a dating app- Lovr - and appears to be working for free. She answers an ad to live rent-free by providing support for a senior citizen, Annie. Annie is the best character in this book because she seems to have some dignity, But even she has managed to squander her life. Was this meant to funny? I found it downright depressing. 

I  liked the unusual community angle and there were a few threads that could have been interesting but didn't lead anywhere. Mostly I could not relate to the main character, whose negative attitude and doormat personality felt over the top. In addition, if something could go wrong it did - she flashed her bum in the toilets cos she didn't close the door, she always chose shoes/sweater that would give her the most discomfort, she was always scraping together a few cents to eat/travel etc but did nothing to improve her bank balance despite everyone else seeming to have a plan, This story had too many ideas and felt too fragmented for it to be memorable for me.

Thanks NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"The Lonely Fajita" by Abigail Mann was a cute read about Elissa who loses her home when her boyfriend passively breaks up with her and lets her get kicked out of their apartment. From there, Elissa enrolls in a program where young people move in with elderly people. Without other options, Elissa moves in with Annie and that's when everything changes.

This book was sweet and easy. Characters were fun and unique, with stories that you wanted to hear about. Her workplace was depressing, her boss was a usual character type. This book was built extremely well.

I think this book almost touched on something deep so many times, but it never fully got there. I wanted the break up to be dramatic. I wanted Annie's past to be delved into. I even wanted to see something more extreme happen with the elder care worker. There was just nothing that seriously hooked me.

Overall, I gave this book three stars, because I liked it, but it didn't have that extra something I was craving.

If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted read for a few hours of escapism then this book is for you.  Elissa's life is a bit of a train wreck - in a dead-end job as an unpaid intern at a social media company, she is broke and when her boyfriend leaves to go travelling she needs to find somewhere to live.  Spotting an advert asking for live in companions for the elderly, she ends up living with Annie, a quirky, independent old lady originally from Yorkshire.  

Mann paints a picture of Elissa's life that I am sure many millenials can relate to, and the inter-generational relationship between her and Annie is a heartwarming one, Add to that a good cast of supporting characters and plenty of humour and you have an easy and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you One More Chapter for a copy of The Lonely Fajita by Abigail Mann for review.

The Lonely Fajita was such a lovely heartwarming story!  Poor Elissa.  Stuck in an internship that doesn't cover the bills, with a boyfriend that only seems to tolerate her and trying to find her way in both.  Elissa seems like a really nice person who needs some guidance and she finds that in the form of Annie, the elderly woman she moves in with to help pay her bills and also watch over her elderly roommate.  I really like Annie as well.  She also had a tough life and I am glad the two of them really worked together to figure themselves out.

I requested this book on the title alone and I am pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed. What a great debut novel. It was a very funny, light hearted read with some great characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Lonely Fajita offers some lovely light relief ideal as a holiday read or when you're looking for a genuinely entertaining escape for a few hours with some nice characters. It's fun, easy and nice, with lots of amusing jokes, scene-setting and insight into trying to begin adult life in your mid 20s in London.

This was a light and easy read which was welcome during the current stressful times! 

I did, however, find Elissa as a person to be frustrating and I much preferred Annie, the elderly woman she moved in with. I did enjoy the book overall but I got bored and at no point was I desperate to finish it. If you’re after something light-hearted and easy-going though this fits the bill.

Many thanks to the author, Netgalley and One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bright,lighthearted,full of comedy,The Lonely Fajita is the kind of book designed to lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face. Sit back, make yourself comfortable and lose yourself in the lives of Elissa and Annie whose unlikely companionship will reap unexpected benefits for the pair of them.
The storyline is far from original, (who cares?) using two female characters who are poles apart in terms of age and personalities, whose lives become intertwined when Elissa is looking for a cheap place to live. Elissa is the archetypal young woman often found in this type of fiction, unlucky in love, working in that strange world of social media for literally nothing and wondering how to pay the rent when boyfriend Tom abruptly calls time on their relationship. Cue Eldercare agency who are looking for live in companions for the elderly to provide friendship, run errands and maybe cook in exchange for a room. Elissa may see this as a last resort and a sign of failure but maybe Annie, who lives in Evergreen village could be her unlikely saviour.
With writing that is witty and warm, both Elissa and Annie provide us with ample opportunity for laughter and I was never quite sure who exactly was looking after who!! Hilarious anecdotes of dating fiascos and a spectacular cooking disaster involving an apple crumble, it’s virtually impossible not to like Elissa, who is  joined by a colourful cast of characters as her friendship with Annie develops and they discover there is much to learn from one another. Odious Craig who creeps around the village ostensibly checking up on the elderly residents;formidable Margaret, Annie’s next door neighbour married to henpecked George are just a few individuals you’ll meet on Elissa’s journey of self discovery. However the weird and wacky characters in the social media world working on the ill fated Lovr dating app are some of my favourites and whom I imagine do probably exist in reality in some shape or form. The hot desking, the jargon and all the nonsensical waffle reminded  me in lots of ways of that fabulous tv comedy W1A and I pitied Elissa having to work alongside the likes of Mitchell and Rhea and Adam. When Elissa comes up with a half decent pitch to save the dating app, she definitely surprises herself in terms of her capabilities and in doing so brings together the community as her venture gains momentum. Uncovering a secret side to Annie, kept hidden for years, is just an added bonus.
Full of friendship, hope and a sense of uniting people who perhaps ordinarily would not meet, this is a feel good novel that will brighten your day and rouse a chuckle or two. I seem to be overdosing on breezy, somewhat predictable uncomplicated fiction right now but I still think my appetite for pure escapism has yet to be sated. Happiness, positivity and laughter are contagious and whilst this isn’t a storyline that will stick in my mind for very long, I’m glad to have accompanied Elissa and Annie on their path to friendship and all that follows.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

When Elissa finds herself boyfriend-less and money-less her only option is to move in with a stranger, an elderly stranger at that. She finds herself living in a delightful London village with Annie. However that doesn’t solve all her problems, she still has a dead end job, that she is getting paid a pittance to do and her love life leaves a lot to be desired. With the advice and support from Annie, Elissa gains the confidence to begin to shine. 

I love that this book focuses on inter generational friendships. Elissa gains so much from Annie and vice versa really.  

This was a great book.

Living in a modern Whirl!

This was a really enjoyable read. Elissa, who just can't seem to get her life together, has a non wage earning internship as an App blogger /media start up worker for a somewhat dodgy Internet dating type organization called Lovr.
Financially she lives on the edge. Her boyfriend/partner is a jerk who obviously has lost interest but Elissa doesn't clue into that until he leaves her high and dry. Mind you, sharing his bedroom in a shared household does cut costs.
This is when Elissa meets eighty-three year old Annie. Forced to look for other living arrangements Elissa embarks on a wholly different life style and 'surprise, surprise' she begins to find herself.
On the work front Elissa is treated badly (talk about continually going around the mountain!) Just another instance where she seems to allow herself to be taken advantage of. 
When Elissa decides to step up things become way more interesting!
Her work cohorts are a disconnected group, the atmosphere and design of the work place is very rah rah--living in a glass house à la Silicon Valley type arrangement, with some rather awkward/funny moment. Her boss is somewhat on par with her boyfriend and not only dreadfully sexist, but completely narcissistic. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him! On the other hand Elissa's gay female workplace friend Suki is a scream!
I loved this cross generational story where the disparate age groups find they have something to offer each other, and our heroine comes into her own--with a little help from her old and new friends. The story invoked much chuckles and laughter in amongst the frenetic pace.

A HarperCollins UK ARC via NetGalley

The premise sounded interesting and it was marketed as "utterly relatable feel-good comedy".
Instead of utterly relating and feeling good I could only shake my head at Elissa's life and relationship choices and I wanted to shake her to make her wake up.
She leads a very problematic relationship, lets herself being exploited and treated horribly at work and the only thing she can think of is how she wants to go out dancing and drinking.
That was just sad.
I also feel like that she didn't get any support from family or friends. The idea of sharing space with an elderly lady was great, but wasn't done very well. 
Annie was the most interesting character, but I couldn't care less about Elissa's whining and feeling sorry for herself.
I was missing some major breakthrough and character development along the line and the ending was just unrealistic and silly.

Unfortunately not a contemporary novel that I can recommend, so 2 coffee cups out of 5.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliantly funny, well observed and relatable- the tag line doesn’t do it justice!

“Breaking up is hard to do… Or the best thing that could happen to you!” This tagline could attach itself to countless chicklit novels that have come before, but this one is most definitely different. The lack of constant romance is incredibly refreshing. Elissa has other (and bigger) problems, and had me screaming with laughter as she tries to solve them. 

I particularly enjoyed the understated final conclusion to her romance with Tom (profile removed, no hesitation) and Annie’s magnificent takedown of Craig. 

I hope there’s many more books to come!

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I could not even begin to think how the title could relate to the synopsis - but trust me, it does make sense. A really feel good book.
Alissa is really not having a good birthday - she has accidentally booked a smear test and things just go from bad to worse. She is working as an intern - which means she only gets expenses; then her boyfriend tells her he is going travelling; then she loses her unpaid job. Now homeless, unemployed, and properly single she is struggling.

Then luckily she finds free bed and board in return for living with an elderly lady - Annie. Some characters just shine, and Annie and Alissa shine very bright indeed!

A good, fun read that makes you think 'ahh'. Loved it, great, thanks so much Ms Mann.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

A lovely feel good read. Curl up on the sofa and lose yourself for a few hours.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I flew through this book in about 5 hours. I loved it and I loved the whole idea of the book, as well as the characters and plot.

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 loved that the storyline wasn’t cliched. Elissa didn’t make annoying or stupid decisions that make you want to shake a character. She’s likeable and really enjoyable to read.

As for secondary characters, Annie, Maggie and Suki were great to read and all had different personalities that added to the story. 

This is a quick, easy and enjoyable read that put a smile on my face! I’d recommend to anyone who enjoyed contemporary fiction written by the likes of Ali Pantony, Lindsey Kelk & Beth O’Leary 😊

There’s something about warmer weather that makes me wolf down rom-coms like there’s no tomorrow. I knew that this one would be a little bit different and something that I knew I definitely needed.

Elissa has managed to book a cervical smear on her birthday and that’s not even the worst of her problems. Her boyfriend Tom is about to jet off to Vegas on a stag do and she is penniless, thanks to her expenses-only internship as Social Media Manager at dating app Lovr. Her best friends Suki and Maggie are always busy living their best lives, so Elissa feels pretty dang lonely. Then she comes across ElderCare, a companionship scheme that pairs up lonely older people with those who need a cheap rent and a sense of purpose. Could this be the excitement Elissa is looking for?

It’s obvious that Elissa and Tom’s relationship is on the rocks right from the beginning, although Elissa doesn’t seem to know that. They’re the most uncoupley couple and the fact that she doesn’t seem to mind is another red flag. I settled in quite comfortable in the assumption that this story would be less about falling in love with someone else and more about a girl falling in love with herself and with life.

When Elissa meets 83-year-old Yorkshirewoman Annie, her life takes a turn for the much better. Annie is one of the best characters I’ve read in a long time and I’d love to meet her in real life. Her bluntly-delivered wisdom is exactly what Elissa needs and actually, it’s exactly what every struggling millennial needs. I’m constantly worrying about and questioning my ideas but Annie has inspired me to roll with them and do all I can to make them a success.

As is likely for many people who have reached their eighties, Annie has a few secrets that she is reluctant to talk about. Elissa slowly uncovers them and in turn, reveals a tragic story that will give you all of the feels. It’s sometimes easy to forget that older people once had lives outside of comfy slippers and game shows. Annie’s life has been full of self-sacrifice and heartbreak. Listening to her story gives her a vulnerability that goes beyond her physical fragility and taps into the woman she used to be and still is on the inside.

Amongst the sexism, hypocritical, toxic behaviours in her office, a string of awful dates in the name of getting ahead in said office and living pitiful pay cheque to pitiful pay cheque, Elissa learns that fitting in and following a predictable corporate life isn’t always the way to go. It’s only when she meets Annie and her neighbours that she finally learns what really matters in life and where her energy is best directed. 

The Lonely Fajita is a wonderfully uplifting novel focused on a mutually beneficial, unlikely friendship that will warm your heart. It’s about stepping outside of your comfort zone, letting go of past pain and finding true profound happiness. It’s also hilariously funny, inspiring and heartwarming. Perfect for fans of Three Things About Elsie and A Man Called Ove with plenty of contemporary millennial realness, it’s a stellar choice for a quick delightful summer read.