What Does It Feel Like?
Oct 2024 · Sold by Dial Press
4.5star
15 reviews
Ebook
144
Pages
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shoppingmode75% price drop on Jun 13
About this ebook
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.
“Sophie Kinsella’s final autobiographical novella inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ll be forever grateful to this incredible woman.”—Freida McFadden
“The bravest book you’ll read all year.”—Jodi Picoult
“Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid
“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella
Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.
As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.
Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.
“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella
A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
“Sophie Kinsella’s final autobiographical novella inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ll be forever grateful to this incredible woman.”—Freida McFadden
“The bravest book you’ll read all year.”—Jodi Picoult
“Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid
“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella
Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.
As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.
Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.
“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella
A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
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Ratings and reviews
4.5
15 reviews
A J Moschette
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September 2, 2025
A peek into Kinsella’s private life, she shares the story of her own experience with brain cancer in a fictionalized format. It’s skillfully written and takes us on her journey as she learns to walk and talk again. Her strength and mindset are inspirational examples for anyone fighting depression and disease. The unwavering support of her family and the ability to weave humor through such a painful time, is extraordinary and tender.
About the author
Sophie Kinsella was a writer and financial journalist. She was the #1 bestselling author of Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, My Not So Perfect Life, Surprise Me, The Burnout, What Does It Feel Like?, the hugely popular Shopaholic novels, and the young adult novel Finding Audrey. She passed away in 2025.
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