Pretending

Review MAGNIFICENT. The whole sorry mess of gender and sexual politics wrapped up in a compelling story told by an ADORABLE heroine. I feel educated and empowered from reading it. Brutally honest and righteously angry but still HUGELY enjoyable and engaging. I BOW DOWN! -- Marian Keyes'Unsettling and hopeful, enlightening and entertaining. A thoughtful, intelligent, urgent novel women need to read' ― Dolly AldertonPretending is the most freeing, reassuring book on dating after #MeToo I've ever read. Perceptive. Hilarious. Reassuring. Brilliant. -- Laura Jane WilliamsI love this book! It made me cry and laugh and rage and fall completely in love with the characters and you MUST READ IT! It's beautifully written and completely engrossing but also a really important, timely book. Sheer brilliance. -- Lucy FoleyPretending looks at what it is to be a woman and makes the reader look inwards (or backwards), reflecting on past encounters with more awareness, forgiveness and understanding than ever before. Empowering, thought-provoking, honest, observant, heart-wrenching and uncomfortable - an exposing and healing read ― Giovanna FletcherI cannot think of a more important modern love story to tell ― Dolly Alderton, The High Low podcastWhat looks like a lolzy rom-com is actually a punch-in-the-gut brilliant novel about consent and mental health. Don't let this one pass you by ― GraziaThe amazing thing about Holly's writing is how she's able to say not just what we're all thinking but what we're even too afraid to admit to ourselves. Her books should be mandatory reading for everyone.Thoughtful, smart and painfully true ― CosmopolitanA brilliant, hard-hitting, tell-all-your-girlfriends-to-read-it book ― Fabulous MagazineHugely entertaining rom-com for the post #MeToo generation ― Daily MailAs with all of Holly's books, I was totally hooked from the first page. Her unique voice immediately invites you in and you can't look away. Gritty, funny and poignantWhat a painful, raw, important, hilarious, whip-smart triumph of a book.I adore-love-worship this book. Every page brings another eye-wateringly relatable moment and I couldn't put it down. I was constantly laughing, crying, and nodding aggressively at every page. Holly Bourne is officially my favourite writer and this book is everything.I really, really enjoyed but also really, really admired this bookOne of Holly Bourne's greatest gifts as a writer is her ability to cut to the emotional core of her chosen subject and nowhere is that shown with more deftness than in Pretending. Searingly honest, intense, and insightful, this is a profoundly moving novel, and to my mind, Bourne's best work to dateSo relatable, powerful and thought-provoking. April is a rare and wonderful protagonist, I fell for her instantly, I loved her rage and vulnerability and I constantly rooted for her even when I knew she was doing the wrong thing. This is a vivid, contemporary exploration of the darkest side of relationships, anger and powerlessness, but it's filled with joy too. If we've all been suffering from Gone Girl Cool Girl syndrome, Holly has written the antidotePretending is Holly Bourne at her best. It's a funny, feminist yet challenging read that will make many readers feel validated and seen ― RedBourne's novels are so witty, so stingingly acute on millennial pop culture, that you only notice by stealth their serious intent ― MetroA funny, feminist and challenging story, which will make readers feel validated and seen. What an accomplishment for a novel ― Red MagazineAn extraordinary book.Properly funny, effortless to read and yet it deals with real and visceral trauma in a way that is incredibly effective and true to life. It's feminist and angry and compassionate and hopeful. I would give this book to every woman in her 20s and 30s.Smart, perceptive, funny and touching about modern life for modern women.I just read this in two sittings and I need to reiterate: I love Holly Bourne. Such unbeliev