I started a physical copy of this and ended up DNF as I just didnt find any interest in the main character.

We meet Serena on the morning of her wedding to Alistair, the perfectly handsome and nice estate agent she’s been with since uni, a whole ten years. Except she can’t go through with it and at the last minute runs away leaving all her friends and family confused as to what went wrong.
What follows is her move to central London, a new job and several attempts (with varying success) to get back into the dating scene.
Her friends set her a challenge to go on one date a week and a series of uneventful men follow.
This is a fun, amusing read which made a good audiobook, particularly focusing around female friendships, finding yourself again after a breakup, and body confidence.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I found this story about SERENA refreshing and envigorating
The cover sums up the book so well I really enjoyed it
Great book, really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

An endearing story about Serena, newly single and just trying to find herself.

The story was filled with strong and empowered female leads, and this was refreshing and certainly a great message to put out there.

I loved Serena and Nicole, and their adventures in London, meeting new people, spin classes, drinks and overall good times. Serena's personal growth was a delight to follow, and I was pleased with the outcome of the book.

The narrator was also wonderful. Her voice was rich and expressive and it was a lovely way to be kept company on my walks.

Serena Mills should have been getting married that morning. Instead, she ate ice cream and drank a glass of wine as she realised that the 'love of her life' is just a part of a relationship that swept her along. As she separates her life from him, Serena builds herself a new one: new friends, a new job, a new home and a challenge to go out on one date a week.

To sum this book up: it's fun but fine. It does little to distinguish itself from the host of 'young woman finding herself through acceptance and a new romance' novels that have preceded it, but it's a topic that has, and will continue to, attract readers. Much of the content is silly and dramatic, but there's just enough substance to it for the book to be relatable. It's simply nice.

It's evident this is Rutter's first foray into adult writing. It retains much of the fast, fleeting pace and tone of a YA novel, just with more swearing and references to sex included. Thus, it's an easy read because it approaches all points of conflict on a surface level. This is fine (that word again) but feels disappointing as it could have done much more.

This is true of the discussions of plus-size women. There's a capricious tone used throughout; some comments are insightful, with balance and respectful consideration towards other people (e.g. thin/thinner women, men). The rest are Serena seemingly just being annoyed that thin/thinner-than-her people exist. There's a beautiful inner monologue at the wedding, exploring that feeling of constantly being aware of your differences (in this case, weight and body shape) and the taint that puts on your view.

I’m conscious, as he snaps a series of photos, that I’m the biggest person here. I don’t know when I started looking around rooms, gatherings, meetings and scanning the participants for their fatness or thinness. (p97)

The moment created is quietly endearing; one sees how she struggles and empathises. However, every character description features a pointed mention of their body size or shape. It's a fixation on the women but a targeted attack on the men. The discussion of the content of men's online dating profiles (always mentioning their height and that they're seeking a woman between 18-30) feels like it wanted to offer meaningful commentary on contemporary culture but Rutter couldn't find the words to do her point justice.

This difficulty is also seen in the characters' speech. Many of them sound alike, making it difficult to distinguish between them in large sections of speech. Serena's friendship with Nicole is sweet but, aside from Nicole sharing a body shape with Serena, there's little to ground their dynamic. Nicole is simply a larger version of Lola.

Ultimately, the book aims to combine humorous and poignant moments but results in not having enough of either.

I’m planning to write a blogpost about books millennials will enjoy and this will definitely feature.

On the day of her wedding, Serena panics and runs away from her husband-to-be and their ceremony. She ultimately ends up in a London flat, sharing with her university friend, and sets herself a challenge: 52 weeks, 52 dates.

As someone who dated in London, I can verify that it is The Worst. I loved relating to Selena’s story; it’s enjoyable, body positive, inclusive and funny. It made me want to read even more “books for millennials”!

Really enjoyed this. Loved the narrator and all the different voices. Loved how serena turned her life around. Defo one I wanted to keep listening to!! 5 stars

I reallyy enjoyed listening to this book. Gripping and charming in equal measure Serena was a wholesome character you had to love.

You might be familiar with Bethany Rutter from her bookish podcast, What Page Are You On?, or from her YA novels. I listened to Welcome to Your Life, Bethany’s debut adult novel, on audiobook read by Ell Potter. This romcom begins when our main character Serena makes a last minute decision to not attend her own wedding and, instead, looks to turn her life around completely. It is a love letter to London and Serena’s adventures into the world of dating are a lot of fun. An uplifting, life-affirming read!

This was an absolutely incredible book with wonderful characters that really gripped your heart strings. If you want a book that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all warm inside then this is it. I love a great female MC and this book definitely has that, I want to be friends with Serena, that’s how much I love her character. Can’t wait to read the authors other books.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bethany Rutter for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this SO much. I absolutely loved every single thing about this. The way it shows the NEED to want what's good for you despite it not being the best decision at that moment. The sibling relationship, the female friendships, the toxic work place, and also thankfully, someone BELIEVING you're being harrassed. The casual body shaming by colleagues and possible dates, the not so casual body shaming by family. The fear, the happiness. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. About this was PERFECT.

I in NO way relate to being a plus size person, but I do relate to the pressure of being skinny or slim. I have a skinny friend, so I know women of any size DON'T have it better, but it is hard to look away at how hard it is for plus size women ( and men).

I loved the story and how it just flowed, the first thing I'll do after finishing this review is read up on the rest of the author's work.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Bethan Rutter for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Dating in the modern day - this book has it all. It’s a wholesome and heartwarming comedy about the trials and tribulations of dating. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d recommend it to everybody!

A romance based in the modern world of dating that starts with a non wedding and brings about some interesting scenes with online dating and other dating options. It is in part Serena learning to love herself before loving someone else. But there were quite a few life dramas plot lines tangled into this book that I’m not really sure it is about her love life it’s about Serena herself and how she discovers what she wants for her life, how she can be happy.

A really feel good book! Initially I was unsure, in fact I forgot I had even started it as it didn’t pull me in straight away but I realised as the book continued i found myself wanting to know what was going to happen Serena. A plus size main character was a breath of fresh air and Bethany Rutter captures the true essence of this with Serena.

I liked the premise of the book, the idea of 52 dates in 52 weeks but that doesn’t actually happen. That is what hooked me in and made me initially want to read the book however it was still enjoyable how the plot panned out.

As an audiobook, the narrator worked well and it was a pleasant listen.

5 Word Review: Love, friendship, acceptance, belonging, growth.

This book. It's a balm. It's amazing.

From the very first words, I was hooked. I had a massive smile on my face because this book? It's exactly what I needed and the writing style is just so gorgeous and accessible and the narrative voice feels so familiar. It was easy to read because it felt comfortable, even as the story itself was challenging. Especially in how it had me confronting myself and my own self-belief (or lack thereof).

I loved Serena's journey, how she found herself and started to truly love herself. I loved seeing her grow through her insecurities and see past what she thought people thought of her. I loved her genuine care for other people, she's such a good person. Serena's generosity shone out. Sarah is my kind of person. I loved her creativity too, how she made her own clothes - I could never.

This book had me cackling. Right from the start when it all kicks off, I was there with Serena, part of me like "oh no!" and the other part like "yes girl!". I was so glad when Serena started to look at her relationship in those first pages, and the realisation she came too.

The disastrous dates had me cringing at times because of how real they felt. Anyone who has dated will recognise the situations.

The friendships were amazing, I loved Nicole and her influence on Serena. I loved how it rubbed off on me a little too, I feel better for having read Welcome to Your Life.

The audiobook is narrated by Ell Potter and they did the most amazing job bringing Serena to life. I loved their performance and thought it fitted Serena's character and the tone of the book perfectly.

This book begs to be read with a cold glass of wine on a warm evening. It is uplifting and soul restoring, and the perfect balm to a bad week. I loved the themes of hope and acceptance and personal growth, and how the characters tackled the bad things.

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed. I loved the body positive message. But even more I appreciated how it showed that body positivity isn’t one size fits all, it isn’t easy and it’s not a straight path. However I felt the message was weakened slightly by the NEED for Serena to find a man, I felt she was only trying to love herself so that she could find a man.

I think I would have preferred to read this book centred around Nicole. She is bad ass and I would find her perspective much more fun and empowering.

Top tier narration! Brilliant story. Really resonated with the main character. Couldn’t stop listening. The plot was brilliant and the characters were very well developed and I found myself very invested in them. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the author and to Net Galley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

I really loved the audio version of Welcome to your Life! I was immediately invested in Serena’s story and loved the witty and fast paced rhythm of the book. Laugh out loud funny whilst keeping it real, a strong 4.5 stars. Thank you for the ARC.

Welcome to Your Life is my first time reading a novel from journalist and blogger Bethany Rutter.

A lot of her content both online and in her books has a focus on body politics, plus size fashion, and living in a fat body.
I heard great things about her latest novel so I was delighted to get an ARC of the audiobook.

Serena has just jilted her boyfriend of 10 years on their wedding day. Everyone is shocked by this as he’s deemed “out of her league”, but Serena knows she’s not meant to be with him and so sets out on a voyage of self discovery, finding some body confidence, and eh, dating 52 men over 52 weeks. What could possibly go wrong?!

Things I loved about this book; a plus size protagonist with storylines that reflect the reality of that; fat phobia etc., great friendships, terrible dates described in a humorous way (always fun), the CLOTHES!! (Serena makes her own, thanks to the fashion industry rarely providing up-to-date styles for women her size), and what an ode to London it was. I particularly enjoyed how each season was described.

In general, I also just liked that this was a warm and funny story that was easy to read and got me out of a book rut. Always grateful for that!

Things I didn’t love; pretty obvious safety concerns that almost all women have when dating strangers, didn’t seem to be mentioned that much in the book, which seemed like an oversight.
The ending also felt a bit too neat for me, and I wasn’t sure I felt as happy for the main character and the choice she made as the author wanted me to be.

All of that said, I think this will be a perfect holiday read, or a great book to get you out of a reading rut!

My first but not my last book from Bethany Rutter.


With thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the opportunity to read #WelcomeToYourLife.

A story of self-invention, body confidence and fateful romance. When Serena leaves her fiancé at the altar and breaks off their 10-year relationship, she abandons her life with him and moves into a flat in London with her best friend. She sets herself a goal of getting herself “out there” by going on a date with a new guy every week. Serena is subjected to the men on Tinder and similar dating apps, until a fateful meet cute at a wedding. While Serena is making a new life for herself in London, working in an agency as a copywriter, she befriends her colleague Nicole, who seems to have her life together, who’s confident and everything Serena aspires to be.

I find this kind of trope really interesting, as there is a lot to be said for the poor timing, rock bottom and rebuilding yourself from the ground up. Serena had body confidence issues, as a larger woman, and she started out with the mentality that no one besides her ex-fiancé would love her. That was part of the reason she gravitated to her colleague Nicole so much, who was also a larger woman, but she wore bold clothing, was very confident in herself, and went on dates constantly.

I think this was a really honest and frank look into how making a decision like calling off an engagement can really throw off where you thought your life was going off track. But I respected Serena’s dedication to trying new things, without whinging and too many complaints about the difficulty, and how she threw herself into her new life in London, new adventures and work on herself. I think it was an important story to tell, with really well-demonstrated lessons on female friendships, self-confidence and the value of yourself as a person without a partner. I also loved the audiobook of this, I got through it really quickly and it was such an enjoyable and easy read!