Tell Me Everything by Laura Kay - #BookReview #blogblast

 

"See," Georgia says, "it was worth the walk, wasn't it?" She picks up a peach from the picnic basket in front of us and takes a bite. The juices dribbles down her chin.

I might lean forward and wipe it off but instead I sit back and watch her, pink from our walk in the sun, sleeves rolled up on her white T-shirt, cross-legged with her trainers kicked off. I smile despite not really believing it was worth the three hours and severe sunburn it took for us to get here.

"It was," I say. 

She sticks out a foot and nudges me gently in the thigh. "You're not even looking at the view."

***

Would you entrust your life choices to someone hell-bent on avoiding theirs?

Natasha has everything under control, at least that's what her clients think. As a therapist, she has all the answers but when it comes to her personal life, she seriously needs to start taking her own advice.

Still living with her ex-girlfriend, Natasha's messy love life is made up of dates and one-night stands. After all, why would you commit to one person, when there is an endless stream of people waiting for you to swipe right? Besides, people always leave.

But when Margot arrives on the scene, everything changes. Flailing between mending long broken relationships and starting new ones, Natasha's walking the line between self-actualisation and self-destruction... With denial no longer an option, it is time for Natasha to take control of her own happiness.

***

If I said that this book was an easy read but demonstrates much depth, would it make sense? Let me explain. Tell Me Everything is an easy read, and had time permitted I could have guzzled it up in a couple of sittings.

However, the vast majority of books which I would describe as 'easy' are books which I race through and forget about almost as soon as I have turned the final page. This book was different, and I have not stopped thinking about the main character, Natasha, ever since.

She possesses all of the traits that you would hope to find in a main character. She is interesting, flawed and engaging. I found her to be very likeable, and I could empathise with her short-comings. Not only was she well portrayed but all of the more minor characters were equally well fleshed out.

The principal themes of the novel are love, relationships and how we fit into those relationships with other people, be they family or friends. What the author does is to write about those aspects in an intelligent and sensitive way.

Her writing flowed beautifully and it was a pleasure to read. The concept of the flawed therapist is a familiar one, and I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Natasha on her journey towards understanding herself.

Overall, I found the book to be inspiring, heart-warming and up-lifting. I think it will appeal to anyone who enjoys character led progression in their fiction. I will definitely be adding Ms. Kay's previous novel, The Split, to my now toppling to read pile.

ISBN:978 1529409857 

Publisher: Quercus

Formats: audio, e-book and hardback.

No. of Pages: 416 (hardback)

About the Author:

Laura Kay is a London based writer whose work has appeared in Diva Magazine and the Guardian. She has a Masters degree in History from the University of Sheffield where she received the Sir Ian Kershaw Dissertation Prize. Laura was one of ten writers selected for Penguin's 2018 WriteNow programme, during which she developed her debut novel, The Split, which was published by Quercus in March 2021.

(author photo and bio info from the author's own website)

(early reading copy courtesy of Quercus Books)