Publisher: HarperCollins
Release: 6th November 2014
Genre: Chick-lit, Women’s Fiction
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
"Delia Moss isn’t quite sure where she went wrong. When she proposed and discovered her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else – she thought it was her fault. When she realised life would never be the same again – she thought it was her fault. And when he wanted her back like nothing had changed – Delia started to wonder if perhaps she was not to blame… From Newcastle to London and back again, with dodgy jobs, eccentric bosses and annoyingly handsome journalists thrown in, Delia must find out where her old self went – and if she can ever get her back."
Review
Delia Moss lives a very ordinary life and she’s quite content with her lot. She lives with her long term boyfriend (soon to be fiancée when Delia pops the question) and their scruffy rescue dog and has a job that she neither loves nor hates so who is she to complain?
When Delia finds out on the night she proposes that Paul has been having an affair she’s pushed to take a leap into the unknown and start afresh in London. It’s there that Delia takes a good hard look at her choices and realises that she’s always picked comfort and safety rather than gambling on what she really wants when it comes to her career and love life. As Delia begins to open up to every day acts of bravery she discovers that any risk that could end in happiness is always worth taking.
It’s Not Me It’s You reads like a classic chick-lit. I cried both happy and sad tears reading this book. In one chapter I’d be giggling away to myself and with the turn of a page I’d be physically fist pumping for Delia. Delia is a ridiculously relatable heroine it’s very easy to like her and want what’s best for her.
It’s Not Me It’s You is one of those books where the characters are so hilarious and solid that before long it feels like you’re reading about your best friends. Even Paul who I would normally dislike by default for cheating on Delia had his good qualities so I could see why Delia loved him and how easy it would be for her to go back to what she knows. Mhairi McFarlane has this magical way of making these characters on the page feel like they’re made from flesh and blood with histories and futures outside of this story.
Initially I was a bit intimidated by the size of It’s Not Me It’s You but despite being over 500 pages I never felt like the book was overly long or boring. I thoroughly enjoyed every sentence and the pages seemed to turn themselves with no conscious effort on my part.
Hilarious and warm-fuzzy inducing It’s Not Me It’s You is the most enjoyable book I’ve read in a long time. Fans of Rainbow Rowell will love Mhairi McFarlane.
