This was interesting it reminded me of the Oliphant book that I read for book club. I am glad that I read it but found it really difficult to connect with the characters but I would like to try another book by this author as generally I find her very talented. I could hear her voice throughout if that makes sense.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

It was always a risk, wasn’t it? I find Sara Pascoe very amusing and likeable in her TV appearances, so this (yes, I know, entirely unreasonably) sets up an expectation that the book has a good chance of being entertaining and humorous. But the reality is a bit of a come down. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a perfectly serviceable novel, centred around Sophie. It’s written well and there is a reasonably well constructed narrative, but the author’s intention, presumably, to get her readers to engage with Sophie - and even relate to and like her - mean that the reader feels sorry for her and I’m not sure that’s the best outcome for a novel like this.
So, in summary, not for me, but could be a good read with a different set of expectations.

I wanted to love this book as I find Sara Pascoe very funny, you can hear her voice in the story but unfortunately I struggled with it and nearly gave up half way through. Sophie and the dysfunctional people in her life are quite hard to like, but I did warm more to Sophie towards the end of the book.
It seems to be a collection of bad choices, questionable decisions and manipulative people making a slightly depressing story with one or two funny moments.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Weirdo.

Good book, I enjoyed reading this giving this 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I think if you can connect with Sophie you will have a good time with this book. Sadly, I couldn't :(
And at times, quite a few, she really annoyed me. Not quite enough for me to ditch the book. But definitely enough for me to be happy to wave goodbye to her as I turned the final page.
She's a victim. Some of her own making, some of her upbringing, some from other people taking advantage. But she's not a victim that you get behind. Well, I couldn't. She chased a dream that put her into debt. A LOT of debt. And she has been struggling just to keep on top of things ever since.
She did have some good observations along the way though and occasionally made me chuckle with her shenanigans. So it wasn't all bad.
My advice if you are unsure would be to take advantage of the "sample" facility and give her a whirl. Just cos I didn't get on with her, doesn't mean you won't. Indeed, reading other reviews, she does have plenty of other fans... Just not me.

I really didn't like this book. It just felt so disjointed. It was like a series of anecdotes rather than a plot driven fiction book. I have read both of Pascoe's non-fiction books, and this just felt like one of those.
I just didn't enjoy the plot or the writing style. It was funny, but I couldn't really tell you about the plot.

Didn't enjoy this one. Left me a bit confused...

I still haven't decided if I liked this book or not. The title definitely covers the main character, Sophie, She really is away with the fairies most of the time and always seems to want something that she hasn't got. She's currently living with Ian, but when Chris, an old crush, a big time old crush, turns up at the pub she's working at, her feelings for him flicker into life again and all she can think about is how incompatible Ian and her are. Then there's her relationship with her family. And the people at work.
I don't think there was one character that I warmed to, but I think that's how it's meant to be.

“But surely what’s more likely is that most people have never felt any magic and it’s an appalling discovery to find out you were supposed to.”

After reading the blurb for Weirdo, I knew I had to add the book to my reading list. I must have been living under a rock because I had to Google who Sara Pascoe is, but I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority there. The fact that a comedian wrote it made me optimistic, so I got stuck straight in. It was not what I expected, but it didn’t disappoint!

Pascoe’s writing style is sharp and concise, saying so much in just a few words. And it’s just so damn easy to read! I got Eleanor Oliphant vibes, so it will likely appeal to her fans. I could have happily kept on reading for longer.

Quite early on, I was wondering if Sophie, the main character, might have autism or Asperger’s. Then again, maybe we’d all sound like that if we spewed our innermost thoughts out in a running monologue! Honestly, though, I’m still wondering now, and I suspect I will long after finishing this. I felt every emotion while reading – laughter, sympathy, revulsion, fury and downright shock – again, credit to the quality of the writing. Any book that includes words like “gormless” and “thought-roaches” is a win for me!

The humour was my favourite part. This book is bitingly funny at times. It seems you either appreciate this type of humour or don’t, so I fully expected to see mixed reviews because of this.

I also liked the style, which included letters and emails interspersed throughout the story that revealed fresh details and surprises, not only about Sophie but also about the other characters. The author kept me guessing right to the end. I had so many theories and speculations about what was going on with whom while reading this book. It felt like no one was who they appeared to be, and there was always something simmering under the surface. I liked this – nothing I hate more than a predictable book, and this is anything but – however, I kept waiting for a big reveal or an explanation, and it never came. This is the reason for giving four stars instead of five.

Sophie will stay with me for a while, I think, and I’d love to catch up with her in a future book and see how she’s doing, maybe learn a bit more about her. On the whole, I felt so sorry for her. She deserved better on many levels.

I also think Ian owes me an explanation or two! Sara, please take note!

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. I love Sara Pascoe and I really enjoyed her two previous non-fiction books. There’s something a bit unfocused about this, which I just didn’t enjoy.
The story centres on Sophie, who is a barmaid, a bit obsessed with a man called Chris. She’s followed him to Australia, and run up a staggering amount of debt in doing so. She has an awful sister, who is marrying Sophie’s ex boyfriend. She also has a horrible boyfriend, a horrible mother and no real friends. The book is narrated in the first person and Sophie does come across as a weirdo. She often acknowledges her strange thoughts.
There are parts of this book which are funny, but I mostly just felt sad for Sophie. I wanted her to have something nice happen to her. When something which might have been nice happens it is taken away. Overall, this just made me a bit sad, and cross with the awful men who appear throughout the book. It’s a well-written book. Just not my cup of tea.

Sophie is a weirdo. At least that's how she sees herself as she narrates this novel with her meandering thoughts on her life, a life that is somewhat tragic and full of bad decisions.
This is how she finds herself working the bar at an Essex pub, facing mounting debts from a questionable trip to Australia in searching for ex-colleague Chris, and trying to convince herself that she's in love with her boyfriend Ian.
And that's before we meet her dysfunctional family including her sister Dana who is engaged to Sophie's ex-boyfriend James.

It's a tragicomedy and Sara Pascoe's comedian credentials are put to good use with the situations that Sophie finds herself in and there are some great lines that made me chuckle.

However, it wasn't as funny as I expected and although I was rooting for Sophie she's not exactly likeable. Yes, the drama comes from her bad choices and it highlights the stresses and expectations of modern life but she acts so stupid at times that I kept wanting to give her a good talking to.
Sophie isn't as weird as she thinks as all the other characters are weird too. Maybe the book title is saying that we're all the weirdo in our own life narrative?
This causes a problem in that none of the characters are likeable but I suppose it does open things up for plenty of sarcastic and self-deprecating humour.

I did like that there are some dark and difficult issues addressed in the book in a sensitive way and there are a lot of Sophie's worries that feel real.

I wanted to like the book more than I did. The writing is good and it was an interesting idea to put letters, notes, etc, between chapters, but it wasn't quite the page turner I needed.
Comedy drama is always down to personal preference and not an easy genre to pull off.
Sophie is a memorable character. Frustrating, funny, sad, hopeful, a dreamer, and yes, a weirdo.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the E-arc.

Written by comedian Sara Pascoe this is obviously and naturally funny. I loved that especially as the humour is very relatable about every day stuff. I too hate hugs, agreeing with main character Sophie that "they're too confining and imprisoning". And I now can't stop wondering about periods (you'll know what I mean if you read it). But, there wasn't really much of a storyline and it actually felt more like a long stand up sketch than a story. I didn't especially take to Sophie either because as the title suggests is a little weird. For example, following someone she fancies but barely knows to Australia (although to be fair a friend of mine did actually do this in real life) and wondering if life is just one big science experiment. So I did enjoy it but wanted more.

Sophie is a weirdo. She is in debt, in a dead end relationship, a fraught relationship with her family, and moving from job to job with no real direction.

The good - I thought Weirdo was funny, full of quips with kept me going. I also thought the family dynamics were well observed and cutting.

Unfortunately I felt the novel did at times drag (particularly through the middle). Maybe would be better in audio?

Wandering thoughts, tangents and asides are not inherently bad - Marian Keyes is the queen of telling a story within a story. Here, they do tend to detract from the story. I think the world around Sophie was not established or charismatic enough to take the readers on the storytelling journey.

I think Weirdo showed a lot of promise, and may click with others more than it did with me. I would be interested to see what Pascoe writes next.

Pick this book up if: you are a fan of Pascoe’s comedy or looking for a dark and funny read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really like Sara Pascoe as a comedian – so when I saw she had her first novel out, I thought I’d request a copy from NetGalley – and was very pleased to be granted an ARC (it’s out next week). I then noticed it had a massively wide variety of stars on the review platform – it appeared to be literary marmite – but I still wanted to give it a go.

The book is told from Sophie’s point of view – and it is seemingly just a massive brain dump of her thoughts and the tangents she goes off on. She clearly has mental health struggles – and the meandering views screamed ADHD to me (although I don’t believe that is ever referenced). It is occasionally interspersed with other documents – an email from her bridezilla sister, a letter from debt collectors, correspondence from her estranged father in Australia – etc etc – and these break up the storyline and give some context.

I have to say I kept reading – but I’m not really sure why – as it just didn’t seem to go anywhere, and the journey to nowhere wasn’t that exciting or funny. It wasn’t offensive or badly written – just a bit ‘meh’.

But as I said – some people appear to have loved it – so don’t necessarily take my word for it!

Had an hour to wait for an appointment, so opened my kindle app on my phone and started to read this. Couldn’t put it down. I found the pace of the story very fast, which I enjoyed. Well worth a read.

I did not enjoy this book. I found it to be unstructured and rambling. Hence I will not be reviewing on Amazon/

I like Sara Pascoe’s tv presenting and comedy work and I wanted to like this book. I had three attempts and gave up on the third try. Not for me but maybe I’m not the target audience.

Right after finishing "Weirdo" by Sara Pascoe, I was not inclined to rate it so highly. I guess this book needed to grow on me.

I figured that my doubts about this novel stemmed from many exaggerations and initial doubts if people truly go through their lives as some of the characters portrayed in the book. To put it simply: are the characters likeable. Well, spoiler alert: they're not.

After a while I realised that what Pascoe did really well, was creating a main character whose actions are very believable, considering the familial abandonment and parental immaturity she witnessed in her life, even though to an observer her choices seem illogical, if not plainly stupid. And because the narrative comes from Sophie's perspective, supplemented by an odd debt collector's correspondence and wedding announcements/updates from her sister, as readers we can't touch the objective truth regarding the events, even though these interludes create a valuable context. I think it's the ambiguity of the events that makes "Weirdo" such a good read.

I was so excited to see that Sara Pascoe had written a novel. I was expecting a book full or humour and sharp observations but unfortunately I was left disappointed.

The story meanders along but doesn't really seem to go anywhere. It did feel like a slog to make it to the end and then it finishes very abruptly with no satisfying conclusion.

I didn't connect with the main character, Sophie. I felt no empathy for her and the mess of a life she created for herself. In fact all of the characters in this book are very unlikeable and that is probably part of the problem for me.

I really wanted to like this one but it just didn't work for me. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie is in a bit of a mess. She is broke, in a dead end relationship and basically just isn't sure where to go next with her life. The story is written from her point of view, with letters and emails interspersed to add extra background.

I found the book quite chaotic and difficult to understand at times. I couldn't engage with Sophie, even though I really wanted to love the book. There were some funny observations that I found myself relating to, so I did complete the book in the hope there would be more, but it just wasn't for me.

Sophie is a weirdo. She’s struggling with debt, accumulated after she travelled to Australia to try and meet up with a work colleague she was infatuated with, and now she’s a bit lost. Her family dynamic is strange, and she just seems ever so slightly unhinged. Oh, and that co-worker from Australia has just reappeared at the bar she now works at. Action stances, please.

I’m surprised by how much I liked this book - I think it’s such a strong testament to Pascoe’s writing style, which I found to be sharp and quippy, with a consistent level of humour throughout, even during its darker moments. It kept me engaged, and it truly felt like we were in Sophie’s mind as she wrangles with all her emotions and feelings. Some of the observations were so stark, the feelings so raw and real, I felt almost winded by them, just to go back to chuckling the next moment.

She’s not always a reliable narrator - and she certainly takes questionable actions, but so do the people around her. It was maybe dialled up to eleven, but I actually found it quite representative of how some of us can be. No one is perfect and we all have our odd little experiences, relationships, and internal thoughts. I found it so readable, and it had me laughing out loud, while also almost bringing me to tears at times. Highly enjoyed.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review!