ive lived in oxford for almost 3 years and, as it's not a huge city and due to the nature of my job, i know this city inside out so i loved how much oxford was a setting in this book. i don't always love books of this genre, i've tried them a few times recently and they haven;t worked out but i liked this one! the protagonist was likeable, the setting was great, it was funny and heartwarming and i would read it again

Love love loved it! Nell Frizzell has a fantastic way of writing and this story was just brilliant. It felt very realistic, frustrating at times but funny, sharp and has heart for sure. Very much recommended!

Square One by Nell Frizzell should have been right up my street in terms of genre and storyline but unfortunately I really struggled to get into it and to really connect. I will be trying to read it again because I know lots of people have enjoyed it, so hopefully I will be able to post an updated review!

Hanna's split from her boyfriend Joe has meant she's had to swallow her pride and move in to the spare room of her Dads flat. She's feeling the pressure of not being where she wanted to be in her life by the age of thirty. All her friends have lovely homes, successful careers, are getting married and having babies and she is back to square one.
This is a well written and funny in places book but I found aspects of the main character very unlikeable. She is very critical and over judgemental with her Dad who is only trying to help her out, constantly whining about his bad habits when in truth she's just as bad herself.
The ending of the book fell a little flat for me. It was a good conclusion to the story, with Hanna having some resolution to her accommodation problem, but I was hoping for a more satisfying ending.

I found this book to be an easy read, but I struggled with engaging with the main character - she is struggling, fed-up with her life and where she has ended up after splitting from her boyfriend and having to move back in with her Dad for a while.. We follow her as she tries to get to grips with her new normal, navigate work and relationships both romantic and familial.

The story was a bit formulaic in parts I felt, I also found I did not particularly like Hannah at times - although maybe that was the point? She feels lost and left behind, while also not mature enough to have to deal with some of the things which come her way - I think that in itself is probably a common enough feeling, as is being a bit self-absorbed at times and sorry for yourself when it appears everyone else is having a better time/life than you are. Adulting can be hard!

I persevered to get to the end of the story, I am sure plenty of people will really enjoy this - it just wasn't a favourite for me personally.

I really enjoyed this book. Hanna is leaving her boyfriend and has to move in with her Dad back in her home town.

Searching for a new job, place to live and love, things do not run smoothly.

This book really shows the everyday habits of people that annoy you and the little things they do to show love.

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps, stop/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me.

I enjoyed this book very much. It’s not often this genre of book don’t have your typical ending and I very much appreciated that this book really focused on what it means to find your place in the world as an individual rather than your happiness being dependent on another. The relationship between the main character and her parents was very amusing, and it was fun to have a silliness in their sense of humour. Thank you netgalley for early access.

Yes to this book!! Various family relationships are portrayed in this book and I honestly felt it was a true story

Square One is an easy to read book with a likeable lead in Hannah - a relatable and honest character finding her way in the world post break up.
4 stars.

We're taught that by the age of thirty, we should have: an established career, a successful relationship (maybe even a ring) and bought property.

Hanna is back at square one. She's broken up with her long-term but unfulfilling boyfriend, swamped by wedding invitations and pregnancy announcements and living with her single father, sleeping under Jungle Book bedding and with no prospect of finding somewhere else.

The writing style was the most compelling aspect of this book; it is poignant and meaningful but remains light and pacy. It's about 20% in that the plot truly begins so it was the writing that kept me reading. Hanna is a messy but honest main character, and while you don't root for everything to go well for her, you are genuinely interested in the turns she takes.

It is a humorous book, although this is in a literary fashion. Throughout, there are well-considered comments on life at thirty. Many of them leave you feeling thoroughly seen, as Frizzell has noticed elements of your life that you had never realised before but now can't ignore.

Hanna, a woman who finds drama in an M&S changing room and has insightful thoughts whilst having drinks at the pub, is such a relatable and, therefore, endearing character. She doesn't get her life neatly packaged in a bow, there isn't a beautiful romance to make it all better and there isn't a perfect solution to all of her woes, but she does her best to tackle it all with dignity.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Unfortunately, I felt uncomfortable reading "Square One" as I felt some of the descriptions completely unnecessary and rather crude. I understand that Hannah is 30 years of age, fed up, lacking direction, disappointed with the choices she has made, and that they have led her to moving back in with her Father. The narrative and descriptions of the characters were very visual, but I simply wasn't interested and struggled to grasp why I was continuing to read the book, and was very relieved when I finally reached the last page. I am really, really sorry.. I wonder if it is an age thing, as a young 50 year old (that's what I have always told myself), I am probably lacking in empathy?

I really enjoyed this book, having just entered my 30s I really related to some of the feelings Hanna had about having it all sorted. An enjoyable, fun read. I look forward to reading more of Nell’s fiction in the future.

There's a bit of a trend at the moment of novels who deal with how tricky adulthood can be, and to tell it with wit and humor. So I couldn't help but compare this books like "Ghosts" by Dolly Alderton, and it just fell flat.

It was an easy read, but I didn't really care that much about Hannah. Everything that happened felt a little cliche.

It's a quick read but I don't think it's something i'll ever come back to or think about again.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC

This was an engaging novel, with a relatable central character in Hanna. So many twenty somethings find themselves in the position that Hanna has - in the wrong relationship with the wrong man - but being even worse off in the aftermath. I’d have liked her to be a bit more feisty, a bit more pro-active - especially in the bathroom scene! A pleasant read - I enjoyed and would recommend it.

3.5 stars
I've got a feeling that if you enjoyed Ghosts by Dolly Alderton or Olive by Emma Gannon, you may well enjoy this.
Having adored Ghosts, this fell a bit short of that but was about on par with Olive.
It is well written and a quick, easy read.
I also related to where the main character was in life, even if she's not completely likeable.
I would be up for reading more from Nell Frizzell in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about Hanna, a young woman finding her path following the break up of her relationships with her long-term boyfriend. She goes back to Oxford, her home town to stay with her father, who has disgusting personal habits. She connects with old schoolfriends, and starts a new life for herself. She gets to know Mary, her father's girlfriend, who becomes a friend and mentor. It was an enjoyable book with some interesting characters.

Hanna really is at “Square One” having ended things with Joe, leaving her life in London behind to move in with her dad and having to start all over again while everyone else seems to have “The Stuff” sorted in their 30s.
Square One really struck a chord with me as someone who moved back in with their parents, battled through a breakup while desperately trying to kick-start my career while my friends were getting engaged and moving on with their lives.
Charming, relatable, heartfelt and funny, Square One is a great read and
I’m sure a lot of others can relate to comparing your life to others around you, having to start again and find your way.
I loved how this book explored the father-daughter relationship, friendships and the non-traditional family dynamic.
Hanna is on a journey – healing after the breakdown of a long-term stifled relationship, trying to find her way again, having some sort of relationship with her parents especially her dad and trying to get her stuff together!
We’ve all been there comparing our lives with our friends and exes while scrolling through perfect feeds on social media.
There’s lots of funny moments in this book and really warm banter with Hanna and her dad and Hanna and her friends.
By the end of this book, I was really rooting for Hanna to succeed and I think you will too.

Thanks for the advance copy if this book unfortunately it did not .meet my expectations for an enjoyable read. I found Hanna, the main character very unlikeable. She had split with her boyfriend & moved back to Oxford with her father. The story reveals her constant whinging about her father's bad habits, his new girlfriend her ex boyfriends lack of commitment even her new job. I found the story depressing and long winded and can only think perhaps I am to old & experienced in life, and it might be more suited for a younger person going through the turmoil of relationships and becoming a mature adult.

I really enjoyed Hanna and her slightly odd, often disgusting Father!
Hanna is feeling left behind by her friends who are all finding commitment, marriage, mortgages and babies whilst she is back at home with her dad and occasionally his new love interest and all the horrors that brings as an adult living with a parent!
The story follows Hanna finding her feet with a new job, new friends and a possible new love interest all whilst she still stalks her ex only to find he has very much moved on from her.
Thoroughly enjoyable with a host of characters who will garner empathy, disgust and squirming cringing as you get to know them!