Overspill is a well written with beautiful prose and is an honest and sincere book.
I felt it dealt with difficult themes in a realistic and hopeful way. I loved the imperfect characters, the connection and how they move through life together.
Whilst there is romance and tender moments the main focus is on our main character Sara. The narrator really gave her a voice and I couldn’t help but want to go and help her reclaim herself.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Brutal, honest and raw.

Listening to this audiobook was both uncomfortable and enlightening due to its unapologetic honesty and realistic portrayal of characters. I found myself constantly shifting between comprehending their actions and being irritated by their choices.

Thank you for the ARC HarperCollins UK Audio!

Sara is a character I wanted to wrap up in a big hug as Overspill takes on an intense journey that left me feeling deeply emotional and connected to the characters especially Sara. In her late twenties we learn that Sara has a lot of trauma she is working through especially around physical intimacy following an assault she suffered at the hands of her ex partner. The book puts us into Sara’s world as she attempts to navigate a new relationship getting to know and dating Miles, a man who admits his flaws but believes he can love and help Sara.

The story of Sara trying to find herself and ultimately heal from her trauma and become “normal” is a tough and painful journey at times. We can feel as we read this book just how desperate she is to be better and how badly she wants to escape the struggles of her own brain. As for miles he tries desperately to be patient and understanding provides a love that Sara has craved for so long.

Both these characters have so much to unpack and their relationship while lacking in intimacy is full of love and hope. Their relationship and personal struggles felt relatable and heartfelt and the writing and development of both Sara and miles brought them to life and made them feel so real.

I felt honoured to be involved in Sara’s journey to recovery and a better life. Her honesty, bravery and hope was intoxicating and has put me as a reader in a position of wanting to look at my own trauma and how it may be affecting my relationship.

This is perfect for fans of sally Rooney and I would highly recommend but definitely check out the triggers.

The story follows Sara as she tries to navigate a healthy relationship with her boyfriend Miles, while also overcoming her previous trauma that she is only just accepting. The book mostly centres the plot of their sex life, which has been impacted through Sara's vaginismus developed from her previous experiences, and how it impacts their overall relationship under the pressure of societal pressures surrounding sex.

As difficult as the topics were, I did enjoy navigating through this journey from Sara perspective. Overspill is a thought-provoking and clear novel showcasing important and lesser spoken about topics. There are plenty of moments to emphasise and relate to the characters proving that relationships can be complex and take a lot of work. I gave this book 3.75 stars and would recommend if happy with the trigger warnings!

4.5 ⭐️

Really really good, dare I say, the most relatable book I’ve read all year if not ever! So thought provoking and raw, perfectly describes CPTSD and the feelings of denial, not believing yourself/your own childhood memories & how it impacts your life and relationship, just really well done. Just make sure to read CW/TWs ahead of reading!

Listened via audiobook & the only thing I’d criticise is that it was hard at times to keep up with the POV/who was speaking!

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK for the early access copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

a much more intense book than I’m used to picking up but I’m so glad I did because I really enjoyed this one.

the audiobook narrator, victoria morrison did an amazing job. she really brought the character & her personality to life.

i really enjoyed the writing style in this book, it felt genuine and almost biographical in the war that the plot was developed.

a lot of darker topics are explored and how they can continue to follow you into your adult life even without ever really knowing or remembering the cause of the trauma.

this is definitely a book worth checking the trigger warnings for if you’re interested in reading the story.

Trigger Warning before we start: This book deals with topics of CPTSD and SA. /// Ouch. Charlotte Paradises debut novel “Overspill” is, as they truthfully say, tender, brutal, devastating. Paradise writes about 25-year-old Sara, who lives in London and has panic attacks. We ease into the story with a seemingly small problem – how can Sara wear tampons? Her fear of - or rather her aversion to her own body parts turns into something much bigger, as the story progresses. Her therapist brings up CPTSD roughly about the same time she starts dating Miles. But how can trust her partner, feel safe in a relationship, when she isn’t even sure she is in her own body. This is a story about a woman reclaiming her strength, her body, her voice. About facing and overcoming Trauma. About the realistic struggles a relationship can face whilst trying to figure out a way through it all and that sometimes love just isn’t enough. This is an incredible debut, so raw, powerful and heartbreaking. At times it was quite hard to read but so very worth it.

A very conflicted and complicated 5 🌟

It’s incredibly hard to believe that this is Charlotte Paradise’s debut. It’s such an accomplished piece. It’s raw and breathtaking, yet it’s suffocating and anxiety inducing the writing is absolutely stunning, it’s beautiful and lyrical and really is the sole reason for the 5 stars.

I connected immediately with Sara and her trauma, she’s a complicated young woman, but I had so much admiration for her longing for change, her want to feel whole and have a sexual partner, her sheer bravery in putting herself out there on the dating scene. When she met Miles I had so much hope for their relationship and I absolutely adored Miles, I think that may seem a little controversial given that he isn’t quite the man she hoped he could be, but there was a real honesty to that and I found him to be really endearing, I hope that somewhere beyond the story there’s a future for them. The beauty of the story is in the hope.

Now, here is where my conflict lies. I would’ve really appreciated a trigger/content warning of some kind, I coped with Sara’s trauma fairly well for the majority of the book, even though it was distressing and triggering. However I was completely ill prepared mentally for the final chapters where childhood sexual assault is disclosed in therapy, I fully appreciate that it fits with the story and the timeline, that it had to come out in the way it did but it came at me like a sledgehammer, I really didn’t expect it and I found it extremely hard to listen to. I think readers need to be aware of distressing content, and would really encourage adding a content warning for publication.

The audio narration by Victoria Morrison was a perfect fit for the writing I felt, in fact it felt like I was hearing the story from the author.

All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends - if there’s a content warning added.

Huge gratitude to Harper Collins U.K. audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC 🎧

Charlotte paradise's prose is amazingly raw and frank, so much that I had trouble reading it. You don't have the time breathing, unless you close the book and take a break from it.
The purpose of the book isn't entertainment or distraction, sometimes I really couldn't take it anymore.
Survivors of SA, I truly don't recommend reading it. Deeply triggering.
Overall it is an impressing debut, thoughtfully written.

thank you netgalley for the copy.

2.5 rounded up

This wasn't for me. Not necessarily content wise but in terms of storytelling style. It made me feel more like an observer than an immersed reader. I struggled to care about the characters, which was odd, because I liked Sara, and Miles was okay, too--though, with him, the narration too often didn't match the indication given by the text itself, for example the narrator said something in an unsure way but follows it up with "he said condescendingly" (paraphrasing here). That took me out several times. But nothing felt urgent or interesting enough, the pacing was kind of sluggish. There's a bit of head-hopping, too... Overall, I think if you have similar experiences to Sara this will be more "your thing".

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!