Funny,clever, warm and interesting. Whilst that doesn't necessarily describe many of the characters in Mel Geidroyc's debut novel, it is a charming tale of an unlikeable group of characters. With all the wit and charm that you would expect from one of the nation's favourites, this is a fun romp through the lives of the Surrey Elite.

When famous people for something other than writing then write a book, there is always an element of doubt and trepidation. Looking back at reviews now I have read it, seemed to be very much of the love it or loathe it variety but shows you that not all books are for everyone, despite who wrote it.

I could hear the author’s voice as if she was telling me the story as we got to know Sally and Frank Parker. They had it all literally and then one day they didn’t.

Sally is living a half life, she has everything, she doesn’t even have to think. She has people to do that for her, whether it be ferrying the children a few yards to school, to the cooking and the laundry. She just needs to get up and be there, be part of those groups in the suburbs who are simply trying to out do each other. Whether it be home décor, shopping, holidays or clothes. Think Margot Leadbetter but in the 21st century!

However Sally is in for a rude awakening and thankfully so were some of the more unpleasant characters in the book.

Sally has to think. She has to save herself from her husband Frank as well as save him from himself. Then there are the children, Stephen, overweight and addicted to online games, Cleo who has no sense common or otherwise and her interactions were aspiring and so astute they were laugh out loud funny. Mikey, the wheeling dealing eleven year old girl who is going places if only they would listen to her. Then niece Emily, the academic exceeder who feels she has no place in the family anymore.

Add to the mix, a Welsh great granny, a couple of strange uncles and a few dogs and tractors and you have a real mix of a book about what you really need to survive. The trappings of life do not always fulfil what you most want and need.

I was pleasantly surprised at this book, it made me laugh about some of the ridiculousness of the situations but also there was some rather empathic moments especially with the children, which gave it added pathos. What I liked the most, that for added impact perhaps, the author really laid on thick about how much ‘stuff’ they had, whether it be electronic devices, decorations and ornaments from around the world, thirty two named lawnmowers, a pool house, a rack of BBQs and the envy of every other resident in the suburb who were all trying to emulate or be better.

Pure escapism but with an undercurrent that this is a world that does exist and that actually being in that world seems quite frightening. Some great characters to love, loathe and hate!

I struggled to get into this but by the end I found I had enjoyed it more than I expected to at the start. I found the writing style funny and engaging, and although I didn't warm to the main character initially, I did grow to like her over the course of the book.

I was wading through a pile of horse manure in the first couple of pages, thinking this book can only get better! Luckily it did, but nowhere near as funny, witty and entertaining as I was led to believe. Should have know it from the start!

Such a shame, I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly couldn't connect with it. Too much going on and too many characters for me. Just too. busy. There are some excellent reviews for it though so I know its just not my kind of book.

Thank you Headline and Netgalley.

I was so looking forward to reading this book thought it would be a bit more to it.

It is based on a family we have Frank & Sally and their 3 children plus Sally’s niece. Frank is a hotshot in the city but are things going to become difficult for them.

Some of it was funny but other bits were a bit slow burning.

It was a nice book.

Urrrrrrrgh... if I had to sum this up in one word it would be 'lacking'

I LOVE Mel Geidroyc so in part I was expecting Mel and her sense of humour to shine through but sadly I was left feeling disappointed. It lacked everything I was expecting.

I have to have a connection with the characters in some way no matter what book I'm reading but it just didn't happen. They came across as purely selfish, somewhat chaotic braggers who cated more about what society thought of them than their own children.

I'm giving 2 stars as I did feel the need to read until the end (hoping it would get better) but unfortunately it's a no from me.

Thanks to netgalley and Headline for the ARC.

After reading the first chapter I was sure I wasn't going to enjoy this book. But I kept going. A whole cast of pretty unlikable characters. Bit tongue in cheek. Felt sorry for Sally. I was hoping Frank would learn a lesson. Wonder what happens next to the family. A sequel? Like Sue on the telly but none of her came across in the book. Not sure it lived up to my expectations but it was a quick light read.

Thank you Headline and NetGalley for the advance copy
Although well written and funny in places this didn't live up to expectations - could have been alot better.

Thirty years ago Sally fell in love with Frank, a wide boy entrepreneur, now she is married to multimillionaire hedgefund head, on valium and feeling out of control with her life, her children, her friends and her staff in her Leatherhead McMansion. Then overnight everything falls apart and Sally realises that things will never be the same again.
Celebrity novels go one of two ways, either they are wonderful (eg. Graham Norton) or they are like this one. My expectations were high, Giedroyc is a funny woman and her non-fiction articles in magazines have been supremely entertaining, but this was such a disappointment, it felt like a story 'phoned in' using every cliche of the genre. There are a funny episodes but overall I couldn't wait to reach the (predictable) end.

I was so drawn to this book because I've loved Mel since she started out on TV and her brand of comic wit is right up my street.
I'm happy to say The Best Things didn't disappoint...it was clever and funny with so many observations that were just typically Mel. The characters were full and well rounded, and the descriptions and little observations made me giggle at points and gasp at others.
I would say the style of writing is similar to Sue Townsend; wry and witty with heart underneath. There were points where it was a bit wordy and descriptions were long winded but I think that's typically Mel so I found it quite charming. It's also a first novel so the 'over descriptions' are more understandable.
Overall I would highly recommend The Best Things; it's a funny, thoughtful book about a very rich family who think they have it all and realise the best things on life are free.
Thanks to Headline, Netgalley and Mel for the ARC.

Although well written and funny in places, I just could not get on with this book. I did not connect with any of the characters and felt they lacked depth and substance.

This is clearly another opinion of 'didn't live up to expectations'. I have watched Giedroyc on several TV shows over the years, and enjoyed her as a personality, so was looking forward to seeing how her foray into fiction would turn out.
I'm sad to say, not well.
Like another reviewer, I was utterly baffled by the introduction. Horse manure? Really? I'm still trying to fathom why it was there. Bizarre.
The characters weren't likeable, they had echoes of Schitts Creek but I like those characters, whereas these just didn't make me care about them.
At over 400 pages, it is long, and feels like the author was just waffling to get her word count up!
I'm glad others have enjoyed it, but it wasn't for me, sadly.

An easy read with a good plot line. I didn't really connect with the characters as much as I would have liked but a nice ending.

A rollocking, lighthearted, riches-to-rags tale that feels well-timed for the pandemic: how will the Parkers of Leatherhead fare when everything crashes down around their ears? With splendidly-drawn characters and scenes laid out like staging instructions, reading this debut feels like what you might expect from an afternoon spent with Giedroyc’s TV personality: high-speed stories, detailed descriptions, anecdotes and analogies come flying off the page and it’s an enjoyable race to keep up with the tale as it weaves from Surrey garden parties to hedge fund offices and beyond. It’s difficult to relate to any of the characters, yet it feels like that might just be Giedroyc’s point: all are fairly ghastly in their own ways, entitled and shallow and unaware of the riches they already had.

Featured in April's Book Club in Cambridge Edition Magazine

Gutted to say because I love Mel on tv and stage but this book did not hold my attention at all, lacked warmth and character for me cos I genuinely found nothing to make me warm to any of the characters, I am sure others will love this but for me sadly no

This novel sounded so intriguing. I kind of love seeing rich people get their come-uppances by thinking they'll always be rich and it turns out, they won't. Not when they buy exorbitantly expensive things just for the sake of it, and the person who brings in the money works in the financial sector of all places. However, what normally makes those novels great is that it gives the characters a certain humility. It makes them humble and appreciative and, quite honestly, the Parker family were so bloody up themselves I just didn't care about them.

There was just no warmth to this novel. The characters were hideous caricatures of themselves and it was just awful. They went to every single extreme of how a rich character could ask and I just didn't care for ANY of them. I genuinely assumed a novel written by Mel who always comes across so warm and friendly would be more down to Earth, but instead I just didn't like anything about this novel. I didn't care, and for me that's the kiss of death for any novel.

Sally and Frank are a power couple. Frank is a successful businessman and he family live in a luxurious home, seemingly having it all and only worrying about the caterers and what to wear next. Unfortunately Frank loses everything, and they have to start from the bottom and build it all back up again. I love Mel Giedroyc's TV work, and loved the memoir by Sue Perkins, Spectacles (which involves Mel and Sue doing everything from holding up a coach to Edinburgh on the way to the Fringe to inadvertently throwing a bucket of pee at their audience when they get there)! Long story short, I'd read Sue's book instead of this one.

I was expecting big things from this book being a fan of Mel and Sue. I enjoyed the characters enough and the sentiment that people are able to shine when put in a situation where they have to survive. However I found the start of the book boring and found that a story of a family losing their wealth is not the most exciting thing to read.

I was hoping there would be more comedy in the story based on Mel's usual persona but this didn't show through.

I had high hopes as I have loved everything from Mel’s career, but sadly, this book was not for me.

This is not to say it would not be wonderful for other readers. It took me a long time to get into The Best Things and found it lacking to once I got there.

Whilst the main character Sally was funny, and the children insightful sub characters (the sole reason for the 3-star rating), the narrative was all over the place. Granted this could be due to the layout of the copy, but after seeing what other reviewers have noted, I think not.

Maybe I am old fashioned and like a story with a beginning middle and end, and they were there but the changes between the story beats were no significant enough.

Please note that as I was kindly given the opportunity by the publisher Headline, and Netgalley to review Mel’s debut novel

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1472256212/ref=nav_signin?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1472256212&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1472256212/ref=nav_signin?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1472256212&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-best-things

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-best-things/mel-giedroyc/9781472285089