Review: So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: "So Thrilled for You" follows four friends over the course of a disastrous baby shower that ends up in a fire. Over the course of the day past arguments are dragged up, and new ones started. It is half who done it, and half a character study of four very different people who just so happen to be best friends for life.

Spoiler free Review of So Thrilled for You:

As you can see by the review, I really enjoyed this book. It was another of my friend and I's book club books, and I saw it on Waterstones, and was partially tempted as I could buy a signed copy, and the concept looked good. As a guy, I've only been to one baby shower (I was recruited to run the BBQ), and that was a fairly laid back affair, but I have no doubts that some can get pretty intense.

So Thrilled I got a signed copy

From the first page this book had me laughing, it has a great sense of humour. Who wouldn't find the first line "The flames take the vulva piñata immediately" at least slightly giggle worthy. The laughs continue as you continue the story.

Some of the character's traits are exaggerated beyond believability, this always runs the risk of being annoying and taking you out of the story, but I think Holly Bourne manages to avoid that, and instead I ended up not only liking most of the characters, but rooting for them.

As Giovanna Fletcher says, the book is, while funny, also very sad. It gave me a new empathy for new parents, and helped me to understand why their tiredness may be a bit more extreme than mine. There are a few horrific scenes that make me question why anyone would ever want to be a mother. Holly Bourne handles these parts with a high level of realism and respect, and while they are extreme I have no doubt there will be women who will relate to them.

Overall this book is well written, and while humorous also had me near tears at points. It's a book I really want to talk about (My book club friend reads slower than me) so I have recommended it to a few people in the hope they will talk to me about it. It seems Holly Bourne knows people will want to talk about it, as at the end she has a list of suggested questions and talking points, which I intend to use.