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Weirdo
Tonight, Sophie is working at a pub, about to wrap cutlery, when she turns to find Chris ordering two G&T's.
Chris: the man she travelled to Sydney to see. The trip which cost so much money it maxed out her credit card on the flight alone, just so she could 'accidentally' bump into him on Bondi beach is now standing in front of her. In Essex.
Sophie is trying not to think too much about Chris, as well as trying not to think about:
1) Debt collection letters.
2) Her mum, her sister and her sister's new fiancé, James, who is also Sophie's ex - and the money she owes them.
3) Texts from Ian, her current boyfriend - although that's not as hard as 1 & 2 as he's quite good at coming up with reasons for them not to have any physical contact.
Chris is back. It's a sign. It must be a sign.
Sophie is about to find out how far she'll go to see if she has a future with Chris. If only she can work out how to behave like a normal, laid-back person first.
Chris: the man she travelled to Sydney to see. The trip which cost so much money it maxed out her credit card on the flight alone, just so she could 'accidentally' bump into him on Bondi beach is now standing in front of her. In Essex.
Sophie is trying not to think too much about Chris, as well as trying not to think about:
1) Debt collection letters.
2) Her mum, her sister and her sister's new fiancé, James, who is also Sophie's ex - and the money she owes them.
3) Texts from Ian, her current boyfriend - although that's not as hard as 1 & 2 as he's quite good at coming up with reasons for them not to have any physical contact.
Chris is back. It's a sign. It must be a sign.
Sophie is about to find out how far she'll go to see if she has a future with Chris. If only she can work out how to behave like a normal, laid-back person first.
359 pages, Hardcover
Published September 14, 2023
About the author
Sara Pascoe
7 books340 followersSara Patricia Pascoe is an English comedian and actress. She has appeared on TV programmes such as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown for Channel 4, and Taskmaster for digital channel Dave.
Twitter @sarapascoe
Twitter @sarapascoe
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 428 reviews
April 12, 2024
Such a sweetie. Attractive, talented Sara Pascoe has written a novel narrated by a not-so-attractive, not-so-talented single lady who is ten years her junior.
Sara Pascoe's Weirdo will take you on quite a ride. It's a terrific novel that instantly captivates. The narrator is Sophie Collins, a thirty-two-year-old Brit, and her story is a real whopper. However, please be warned: since Sara Pascoe makes her living as a stand-up comic, you might expect Sophie's tale to be one extended comic riff. This is definitely not the case. Sophie's story is a somber one. While there are certainly some humorous moments, even these are shrouded in a layer of sadness.
In an interview, Sara Pascoe mentioned that people, either in real life or as characters in fiction, typically do not share their deepest and most embarrassing thoughts. However, in her novel, readers are given insight into Sophie's darkest obsessions and most twisted desires. It may not be the prettiest picture, but that's how it works: as humans, we all have our dark side and flaws.
I'd love to see Weirdo hit the best-seller list. The main reason: so many people, especially young women, will find Sophie Collins a fascinating study – not necessarily a kindred spirit but surely a close cousin. Another top reason: Sara Pascoe's novel proves to be a keen study of our modern urbanized society, a society saturated with cell phones, mass media, drugs, and booze. In fact, Weirdo would make an excellent supplemental text in a college course in sociology or developmental psychology.
There's so much I'd like to highlight. Thus, I'll abandon a more conventional review format and make an immediate shift to snapshots.
UNHEALTHY OBSESSION - The novel opens with Sophie spotting Chris, a cool, good-looking guy she'd met when they both worked on London tour buses. She's been obsessing over Chris for some time, and now, there he is, sitting at a table with a couple of friends in the pub where she's working. However, as we delve deeper into the novel, we discover that Chris is little more than a self-centered scumbag. Sophie also makes this discovery, in a way. Sara Pascoe observes: as we mature, we recognize that our happiness and personal growth frequently result from surviving negative events.
DEEP IN DEBT - Sophie spent money she didn't have—over £6,000—traveling to Australia to find Chris. This extravagance didn't work out nearly the way Sophie thought it might. Each section of the narrative is punctuated by short written correspondences, usually from a bank, credit company, or the law, asking Sophie to start paying up. In our current world, many women and men are in serious debt, but as Sara Pascoe notes, this is something one doesn't encounter in fiction. Not in her novel! We, as readers, are continually reminded just how much Sophie worries over her debt.
A WOMAN'S BODY, ONE - "The rage is always worst on the first day. The only positive is that my period cramps are drowning out the throbbing of my hemorrhoids/cancer, lucky me, happy birthday Jesus." Sophie is constantly aware of where she is in her menstrual cycle, a cycle that has a huge influence on her mood and sense of self-worth. Sophie even wonders if a woman commits murder at the beginning of her period, whether this should be considered a mitigating circumstance in a court of law. Sara Pascoe has always wanted to know where female characters in novels are in their menstrual cycle, but, alas, the author never tells us. Not so in her novel!
A WOMAN'S BODY, TWO - “Okay, pants down, seat up and I'm finally pissing. There's no elegant way to do this – I try not to get too much on my hand. I can never be entirely sure where exactly the urine is going to come from – yes, from my fanny obviously, but it seems like slightly different places sometimes.” Just as Raymond Carver and Richard Ford wrote in the style of "dirty realism," Sara Pascoe has crafted her own version of "bathroom realism." Reading Weirdo, we're presented with a complete picture of Sophie, from top to bottom.
LIGHTS, ACTION, CAMERA - “If I was in a film I'd be better-looking and that's why men in films like women in films even when they're terrible people.” Sophie continually thinks of films and TV; she imagines how glorious it would be if she were a star performing for the camera. Paradoxically, Sophie feels she's being continually watched by her mother, even through the eyes of a cat. Paranoia, anyone? Such is the irony of our modern world.
AM I NORMAL? - Sophie desperately wants to be normal, like everyone else. Unfortunately, what is considered 'normal' in today's world often borders on the pathological. It's a brutal fact that nearly all men and women find themselves trapped in their own minds, with a whirlwind of thoughts racing at lightning speed, perpetually disconnecting us from our bodies and our true nature.
BADASS BACKSTORY - Is it any wonder that Sophie's favorite fictional character is Matilda from the Roald Dahl novel? After all, like Matilda, she comes from an awful family and loves reading. The novel provides glimpses of just how awful Sophie's upbringing must have been, not only through her actual recollections but also in those scenes where Sophie deals with her mum and sister. One memorable instance is when her current boyfriend, Ian, spends Christmas with her at her mother's house. 'Also, Ian shouldn't be too pleased to receive her compliments; earlier in the evening, she had described Vladimir Putin as 'charismatic.' Yet, as Sara Pascoe remarks, Sophie's mom loves her – but in ways that are not so terribly apparent.
NOT EXACTLY ROMEO AND JULIET – Like most young lasses, Sophie would dearly love a relationship with deep intimacy, affection, sharing – and passion. But her reality is quite different. “I don't know what love is, but it's not this. It's not being treated like a horny binbag of rotting leaves. I asked him once why he won't even kiss me. I wasn't shouting and freaking out, by the way, I was being calm and listening and hoping I could make it better. He said he doesn't like kissing in case it might turn me on.”
Weirdo is a novel for our time. Pick up a copy and join Sophie on her London odyssey. A most rewarding read. There's also an audiobook where Sara Pascoe does the narrating. I'm currently making my way through a number of novels written by young authors. Without doubt, Weirdo counts as a high point.
At least my depression is making me poetic. I would leave such a good suicide note. 'Dear world, a boy won't text me and my haemorrhoids are back. Bye from Sophie.'
October 14, 2023
INGREDIENTS FOR A MODERN BRITISH BITTERSWEET COMEDY
1 protagonist, female, 32 years old or so
3 boyfriends (1 ex, 1 current, 1 in your dreams)
4 aggravating family members
Five large tubs of withering, mordant, rueful and sardonic comments about modern romance, life, awful realisations, etc
12 packs of assorted references to celebrities
Several generous helpings of assorted references to brand names, stores, outdated technology, etc
3 quirky jobs (e.g. scarer in a dungeon)
1 catastrophe
1 large chunk of bad sex
20 litres (minimum) of prosecco
10 litres sundry other wine, ale, spirits, etc to taste
15 to 20 letters from debt collection agencies
Shove it all together in a blender then liberally sprinkle with neurodiversity and whisk with self-deprecation and serve
1 protagonist, female, 32 years old or so
3 boyfriends (1 ex, 1 current, 1 in your dreams)
4 aggravating family members
Five large tubs of withering, mordant, rueful and sardonic comments about modern romance, life, awful realisations, etc
12 packs of assorted references to celebrities
Several generous helpings of assorted references to brand names, stores, outdated technology, etc
3 quirky jobs (e.g. scarer in a dungeon)
1 catastrophe
1 large chunk of bad sex
20 litres (minimum) of prosecco
10 litres sundry other wine, ale, spirits, etc to taste
15 to 20 letters from debt collection agencies
Shove it all together in a blender then liberally sprinkle with neurodiversity and whisk with self-deprecation and serve
July 29, 2023
It hurts me to rate this so low.
I wanted to love this, but I needed someone to root for. It's trying to be Fleabag, I think, but there's no heart there.
I wanted to love this, but I needed someone to root for. It's trying to be Fleabag, I think, but there's no heart there.
August 19, 2023
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this to review!*
I started this book and got into it very quickly. I immediately liked the style of writing, I was drawn to whatever was happening in the story, and I really liked the voice of our narrator. It’s one of those character focused books of a girlie just trying to get through every day as it comes, so if you’re into those this could be a massive hit for you. It’s not that I didn’t like this book at all, because for the first hundred or so pages I was flying through it and having the best time, but it seemed to plateau a little after that point.
The vibes of this book are really good, and I loved our main character and the weirdly charming chaos of her life. I think the formatting by breaking different chapters up with some fun little mixed media elements was great, but I never really felt like the massively in debt storyline was ever really approached properly, so it did start to feel a bit random. We get flashes of it here and there, but I couldn’t really get a clear picture on why it was included at all because it attempted to add another dynamic to our main character and her life and where she’s at currently, but I don’t really know how successful it managed to be in that department. And to be honest apart form Sophoe a lot of the other characters in here felt bland and quite flat, so a lot of the book is riding on her making things interesting to the reader.
You can tell Pascoe is a comedian because she absolutely nailed the dry, witty, self deprecating nature of British humour that I absolutely adore. It was one of my favourite aspects of the book. Even when things were ridiculously bleak, there would be Sophie making jokes at the worst of moments and having a ridiculous internal monologue, in the best way. I just found it really funny, and relatable, and the way humour and emotion were interwoven throughout the narrative was really well done I think. I would definitely read more fiction from Pascoe, I also think it was solidly written in general though it did teeter off into the unfortunate zone of nothing much really happening and nothing overly engaging me after a while.
September 15, 2023
Imagine if Adrian Mole had written the Bell Jar…
Probably one of the best books I’ve ever read.
Probably one of the best books I’ve ever read.
July 30, 2023
With thanks to Netgalley for this ARC - Initially, I was so excited about Weirdo and thought I’d love it but it just wasn’t for me. Reading it felt a bit like doomscrolling, it was hard to put down at first but then I was too many pages in to DNF. I found some similarities to My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Weirdo being a strange kind of British version). The book is supposed to make us feel uncomfortable (I think) with its cast of unlikeable characters but I just couldn’t get on board with it all and ended up feeling REALLY deflated and relieved to have it finished.
September 19, 2023
Such a fun read that'll have you feeling more at home with your own inner little weirdo! Messy, strange and embarrassingly real, Pascoe's debut was (as to be expected) laugh out loud funny! I was immediately drawn in by our narrator Sophie who will, I believe, resonate on some level with most readers. Her struggles, hilarious inner monologues and self-sabotaging will have you cringing, laughing and entertained throughout. 💚
December 9, 2023
Turns out that Weirdo was in a new category for me that I refer to as FMTF: Forced Myself To Finish.
Really not a fan of… Well, any of the characters in this book. Sophie was immature as heck with no real character development, growth or learning. Her family were varying levels of unsupportive, her taste in men questionable at best and fantastical at worst…
I think maybe perhaps if I’d read this a decade ago I may have been able to identify with her more but overall she just annoyed me with the constant overthinking and utter insanity. Not to say I don’t think we’ve all been there thinking that things are watching us but Sophie just managed to take it to extremes.
I’m happy I finished this. I’m just disappointed it wasn’t half as good as it appeared to be on the surface.
Really not a fan of… Well, any of the characters in this book. Sophie was immature as heck with no real character development, growth or learning. Her family were varying levels of unsupportive, her taste in men questionable at best and fantastical at worst…
I think maybe perhaps if I’d read this a decade ago I may have been able to identify with her more but overall she just annoyed me with the constant overthinking and utter insanity. Not to say I don’t think we’ve all been there thinking that things are watching us but Sophie just managed to take it to extremes.
I’m happy I finished this. I’m just disappointed it wasn’t half as good as it appeared to be on the surface.
September 20, 2023
Sophie is a weirdo. She’s struggling with debt, accumulated after she travelled to Australia to try and meet up with a work colleague she was infatuated with, and now she’s a bit lost. Her family dynamic is strange, and she just seems ever so slightly unhinged. Oh, and that co-worker from Australia has just reappeared at the bar she now works at. Action stations, please.
I’m surprised by how much I liked this book - I think it’s such a strong testament to Pascoe’s writing style, which I found to be sharp and quippy, with a consistent level of humour throughout, even during its darker moments. It kept me engaged, and it truly felt like we were in Sophie’s mind as she wrangles with all her emotions and feelings. Some of the observations were so stark, the feelings so raw and real, I felt almost winded by them, just to go back to chuckling the next moment.
She’s not always a reliable narrator - and she certainly takes questionable actions, but so do the people around her. It was maybe dialled up to eleven, but I actually found it quite representative of how some of us can be. No one is perfect and we all have our odd little experiences, relationships, and internal thoughts. I found it so readable, and it had me laughing out loud, while also almost bringing me to tears at times. Highly enjoyed.
Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review!
I’m surprised by how much I liked this book - I think it’s such a strong testament to Pascoe’s writing style, which I found to be sharp and quippy, with a consistent level of humour throughout, even during its darker moments. It kept me engaged, and it truly felt like we were in Sophie’s mind as she wrangles with all her emotions and feelings. Some of the observations were so stark, the feelings so raw and real, I felt almost winded by them, just to go back to chuckling the next moment.
She’s not always a reliable narrator - and she certainly takes questionable actions, but so do the people around her. It was maybe dialled up to eleven, but I actually found it quite representative of how some of us can be. No one is perfect and we all have our odd little experiences, relationships, and internal thoughts. I found it so readable, and it had me laughing out loud, while also almost bringing me to tears at times. Highly enjoyed.
Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review!
January 21, 2024
An exhausting read. Sara we're still besties but I'm going to pretend this book didn't happen.
August 1, 2023
"I hated being told I was grown-up. I also hated being told I was young and had all my life ahead of me. I've hated all of my ages and every unnecessary and unasked-for comment upon them."
Weirdo is tragicomic gold — a messy, marvellous masterpiece that reaches into the neurotic parts of us that we all feel but never, ever talk about or acknowledge.
Sophie was a blinding narrator — a woman sick of living in a world that is designed for men, designed for constant productivity, designed to make her conform and make her feel that something is always missing. She was sometimes superficial, naive and petty, but crude, honest and relatable in all the best ways — she was a strange paradox of someone ridiculously obsessed and neurotic but so human and loveable at the same time. Her storytelling was so personable and casual it felt like a conversation or a trip into her thoughts — it was erratic and chaotic, tangents flying and while I don’t always like that kind of storytelling as it does sometimes veer into info-dumping and made for a slightly longer than expected read, but there was something that worked here.
Every single thing she went through was both hilarious and heartbreaking, with plenty of those “I need to laugh or I’m gonna cry” moments — and it’s these moments that drive the story rather than an intricate plot. It’s more of a collection of thoughts, of key moments in Sophie’s journey at a chaotic time and it’s pushed forward by Sophie and her own reflections but with plenty of heart and absurd, deadpan humour and wit.
An over the top messy story about messy people, but it was so much fun.
"Tonight, Matthew, I am going to be grown-up and in control. I respect myself for a moment and then feel sad and sorry that some people are so lonely and there isn't enough love in the world for everyon
Weirdo is tragicomic gold — a messy, marvellous masterpiece that reaches into the neurotic parts of us that we all feel but never, ever talk about or acknowledge.
Sophie was a blinding narrator — a woman sick of living in a world that is designed for men, designed for constant productivity, designed to make her conform and make her feel that something is always missing. She was sometimes superficial, naive and petty, but crude, honest and relatable in all the best ways — she was a strange paradox of someone ridiculously obsessed and neurotic but so human and loveable at the same time. Her storytelling was so personable and casual it felt like a conversation or a trip into her thoughts — it was erratic and chaotic, tangents flying and while I don’t always like that kind of storytelling as it does sometimes veer into info-dumping and made for a slightly longer than expected read, but there was something that worked here.
Every single thing she went through was both hilarious and heartbreaking, with plenty of those “I need to laugh or I’m gonna cry” moments — and it’s these moments that drive the story rather than an intricate plot. It’s more of a collection of thoughts, of key moments in Sophie’s journey at a chaotic time and it’s pushed forward by Sophie and her own reflections but with plenty of heart and absurd, deadpan humour and wit.
An over the top messy story about messy people, but it was so much fun.
"Tonight, Matthew, I am going to be grown-up and in control. I respect myself for a moment and then feel sad and sorry that some people are so lonely and there isn't enough love in the world for everyon
January 5, 2024
Opted to listen to this as Sara Pascoe herself reads it and always appreciate the author reading their work (especially when already familiar with their voice). I feel that they will always read it as they wrote it, it didn't disappoint! The audiobook also contains a chat with Cariad Lloyd at the end, in the style of their podcast, which was insightful.
In Weirdo we follow Sophie who is a great character with terrible taste in men, and who voices all of the thoughts we secretly have. She reminded me of Elinor Oliphant/Dot Watson (Lost Property) but was much more relatable and likable, I was desperate for her to be a bit nicer to herself!
The plot covers some huge topics, some of which are not often touched upon, namely debt/money worries and female hormones. Debt/money worries are an underlying theme throughout the book and we are reminded of this time and time again, much as someone with money worries would be.
Sara discussed this in the end discussion and quite rightly pointed out that for someone with money troubles, the cost of items is constantly on your mind, adding up and thinking can I afford this?
She also mentioned that she thought of where Sophie would be in her cycle at each point of the story and how that affects her mood, thoughts, and well everything! Again this is something that isn't discussed in many stories and highlighted how hormones can affect how we see ourselves and the actions of others.
With such big topics being discussed this could easily have been a really sad and depressing read however there is plenty of humor as you'd expect from Sara Pascoe.
I found this a great listen/read and thought the ending was brilliant.
In Weirdo we follow Sophie who is a great character with terrible taste in men, and who voices all of the thoughts we secretly have. She reminded me of Elinor Oliphant/Dot Watson (Lost Property) but was much more relatable and likable, I was desperate for her to be a bit nicer to herself!
The plot covers some huge topics, some of which are not often touched upon, namely debt/money worries and female hormones. Debt/money worries are an underlying theme throughout the book and we are reminded of this time and time again, much as someone with money worries would be.
Sara discussed this in the end discussion and quite rightly pointed out that for someone with money troubles, the cost of items is constantly on your mind, adding up and thinking can I afford this?
She also mentioned that she thought of where Sophie would be in her cycle at each point of the story and how that affects her mood, thoughts, and well everything! Again this is something that isn't discussed in many stories and highlighted how hormones can affect how we see ourselves and the actions of others.
With such big topics being discussed this could easily have been a really sad and depressing read however there is plenty of humor as you'd expect from Sara Pascoe.
I found this a great listen/read and thought the ending was brilliant.
August 3, 2023
Weirdo is the first book in a long time that I’ve found myself staying up longer than I wanted to because I wanted to read one more chapter. The writing really zooms in to the central character’s perspective to an almost uncomfortable level, which made this a compulsive read for me. Sophie isn’t always a likeable character in terms of the things she does or the choices she makes but because you are so inside her head and each scenario is so acutely described, I still found myself entirely on her side of every situation that played out.
Despite being a novel, the book is structured a bit like a TV series, with there being several distinct episodes Sophie is in each one of them but there are a rotating cast of characters that pop in different parts of the story which draw out different parts of her character. These sections could be self-contained stories in themselves but they combine together to tell a wider story.
There is a general theme of Sophie being surrounded by a variety of terrible men and struggling with the consequences of their bad behaviour. While to some readers I can imagine these men might seem like caricatures because their behaviour may seem extreme but I’ve met men like them in my personal life so didn’t the things they did or said too far fetched.
It’s a while since I read Confederacy of Dunces, but this book reminds me of that quite a lot it, in that both were stories that I enjoyed a great deal despite all the characters being fundamentally unlikeable. Sophie is nowhere near as unpleasant as Ingnatius T Reilly but she does make a series of bad choices in the story.
As Sara Pascoe is known as a standup comedian it’s tricky to come to a novel of hers without expecting laughs but the humour in this book is different to the set up and punchline of a comedy show. There are funny moments but it’s more subtle and infused within the story and the things the characters say and do. So I don’t remember laughing out loud but I generally found the writing to be amusing and Pascoe’s writing is laced with funny observations and turns of phrase which are naturally witty but still serve the story.
This is one of the best novels I’ve read in a long time. It’s gives an interesting and honest perspective on modern relationships which is uncomfortable to read at times but hard to look away from at the same time. I found myself reading in grim fascination a lot of the time.
Despite being a novel, the book is structured a bit like a TV series, with there being several distinct episodes Sophie is in each one of them but there are a rotating cast of characters that pop in different parts of the story which draw out different parts of her character. These sections could be self-contained stories in themselves but they combine together to tell a wider story.
There is a general theme of Sophie being surrounded by a variety of terrible men and struggling with the consequences of their bad behaviour. While to some readers I can imagine these men might seem like caricatures because their behaviour may seem extreme but I’ve met men like them in my personal life so didn’t the things they did or said too far fetched.
It’s a while since I read Confederacy of Dunces, but this book reminds me of that quite a lot it, in that both were stories that I enjoyed a great deal despite all the characters being fundamentally unlikeable. Sophie is nowhere near as unpleasant as Ingnatius T Reilly but she does make a series of bad choices in the story.
As Sara Pascoe is known as a standup comedian it’s tricky to come to a novel of hers without expecting laughs but the humour in this book is different to the set up and punchline of a comedy show. There are funny moments but it’s more subtle and infused within the story and the things the characters say and do. So I don’t remember laughing out loud but I generally found the writing to be amusing and Pascoe’s writing is laced with funny observations and turns of phrase which are naturally witty but still serve the story.
This is one of the best novels I’ve read in a long time. It’s gives an interesting and honest perspective on modern relationships which is uncomfortable to read at times but hard to look away from at the same time. I found myself reading in grim fascination a lot of the time.
December 8, 2023
Weirdo was written in a day-to-day narrative of Sophie, who accidentally met her ex, Chris one night and thought that she might have a second chance with him. From an unrequited love chase to a realisation that she needs to find a new ending and start to pay off her huge amounting debts—both financial and emotional—soon, Sophie brought me to observe on how far one’s vulnerability could go and wrangled with those series of relationship heartbreaks and personal distress.
I didn’t fancy much on the storytelling esp on the earliest part of the book as I find Sophie’s train of thoughts to be so hectic for how her musings went jumping from one scene to another. She was so random and it felt too chaotic and a bit stressful to follow her manners of thinking. I love her characterful side but to see how she gets swayed too much into a life mess and troubles with slightly unhinged encounters giving me too much anxiety to grasp. The familial drama giving me more anxious insight too yet I digress with this part as I find Sophie’s interactions with both of her sister, Dana and mom to be too enthralling and amusing at times.
The later part was way better and dig pleasantly bittersweet (in a good way) to me. Still with a galore of chaotic monologues yet the dramatic part of it was so whimsically narrated that I enjoyed this phase of Sophie in redeeming herself from those emotional baggages— love her relationship with mom and Dana’s ‘witty’ narrative with her wedding preparations in between those chapters. That letters of debts really hooked me too— I like that the author giving me that style of peek and let me know on the updates. Lots of characters that come and go as well so it might get too chunky to digest on both of their interactions and characterization— some can be fun but most just unlikeable and not that memorable much to me.
Neither too good nor too underwhelming for me, a kind of read that I would just go for the lifestyle exploration and get invested for its almost realistic and relatable main character.
3.7/5 stars!
Thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!
I didn’t fancy much on the storytelling esp on the earliest part of the book as I find Sophie’s train of thoughts to be so hectic for how her musings went jumping from one scene to another. She was so random and it felt too chaotic and a bit stressful to follow her manners of thinking. I love her characterful side but to see how she gets swayed too much into a life mess and troubles with slightly unhinged encounters giving me too much anxiety to grasp. The familial drama giving me more anxious insight too yet I digress with this part as I find Sophie’s interactions with both of her sister, Dana and mom to be too enthralling and amusing at times.
The later part was way better and dig pleasantly bittersweet (in a good way) to me. Still with a galore of chaotic monologues yet the dramatic part of it was so whimsically narrated that I enjoyed this phase of Sophie in redeeming herself from those emotional baggages— love her relationship with mom and Dana’s ‘witty’ narrative with her wedding preparations in between those chapters. That letters of debts really hooked me too— I like that the author giving me that style of peek and let me know on the updates. Lots of characters that come and go as well so it might get too chunky to digest on both of their interactions and characterization— some can be fun but most just unlikeable and not that memorable much to me.
Neither too good nor too underwhelming for me, a kind of read that I would just go for the lifestyle exploration and get invested for its almost realistic and relatable main character.
3.7/5 stars!
Thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!
August 14, 2023
There were elements of this book which I found hugely entertaining and I laughed aloud at a lot, I also had massive sympathy for Sophie. This reminded me a little of Eleanor Oliphant, where in this book, Sophie just couldn’t catch a break and I felt a lot of people took advantage of her. I could also imagine this book being played out in a multi-episode sitcom, and if it does turn into that, I can imagine it being a hit. This was entertaining and I could hear Sara Pascoe’s voice throughout, her bluntness and sarcasm were written brilliantly.
April 20, 2024
DNF… I found it to be uninteresting, had to force myself to make it to 30%, and I just couldn’t go on.
July 14, 2024
After loving @sara.pascoe as host of seasons eight and nine of @britishsewingbee I was delighted to discover she'd written a novel, even more so when I realised I'd already bought it not long ago in a @kobobooks sale.
Weirdo is seriously funny in a deadpan way and unexpectedly serious in what it explores. I devoured it, laughed, had a little cry, and fell in love with Sara Pascoe a little bit more. This may be a debut novel, but Sara is no novice when it comes to writing, having already written a couple of other books and years and years of stand up and TV material. She knows how to tell a story.
At first, our main character of Weirdo, Sophie, comes across as a stalker whose life is a literal bin fire. And a bit of that is true, but her situation is more complex than that, her chaotic life a mess on account of many factors, three of which are in her immediate family. She also habitually is drawn to men who treat her badly. I swiftly looked past the chaos and developed a great deal of empathy for her. By half way through, I adored her.
Weirdo is one of those coming of age novels where the protagonist should have had her life in order by now but doesn't because life is not always smooth sailing and we aren't all as resilient as the next person. She gets there in the end, but what a beautiful, messy, funny, tragic journey it is along the way.
Weirdo is seriously funny in a deadpan way and unexpectedly serious in what it explores. I devoured it, laughed, had a little cry, and fell in love with Sara Pascoe a little bit more. This may be a debut novel, but Sara is no novice when it comes to writing, having already written a couple of other books and years and years of stand up and TV material. She knows how to tell a story.
At first, our main character of Weirdo, Sophie, comes across as a stalker whose life is a literal bin fire. And a bit of that is true, but her situation is more complex than that, her chaotic life a mess on account of many factors, three of which are in her immediate family. She also habitually is drawn to men who treat her badly. I swiftly looked past the chaos and developed a great deal of empathy for her. By half way through, I adored her.
Weirdo is one of those coming of age novels where the protagonist should have had her life in order by now but doesn't because life is not always smooth sailing and we aren't all as resilient as the next person. She gets there in the end, but what a beautiful, messy, funny, tragic journey it is along the way.
May 6, 2024
Good but mediocre ending :/
December 15, 2023
This book was a collection of interesting, relatable and intrusive thoughts with very little plot. At times I really struggled to get through it, while at other points I really found myself relating to Sophie and her mind. Overall, 3.5 stars!
January 3, 2024
Loved every second of it. Sara has written it in a specific way to reflect the ‘weird’ nature of the protagonist, but then she makes you question whether Sophie really is weird or are these just thoughts that drift around everyone’s heads? Very funny but also very sad at times.
June 4, 2024
I’m probably a bit old for the 20’s angst, but this book certainly gave an insight into it. Humorously written, even snort out loud in parts, it details the story of Sophie (or Abi), her jobs, loves, family, and general life in the UK. Certified overthinker, possibly slightly stalkerish, flawed, but never uninteresting, she shares her musings on relationships, life, other people, and exactly where she features in all of the aforementioned.
‘Woah. She smiled at me. Red Mouth is smiling at me because I accidentally glanced at her while waiting for a stout to settle. Stupid eyes of mine. I smile into the stout, not on purpose, and when I pass the pint to the waiting customer he smiles, taking what is not for him.’
‘…there is a big new white wine next to my half-drunk old one. “I’M A HALF-DRUNK OLD ONE!” I shout as I approach Chris. I thought it was a funny play on words, but when he doesn’t react, I realise the joke only works if you were in my head hearing the words used in their other context.’
Oh… same.
‘Woah. She smiled at me. Red Mouth is smiling at me because I accidentally glanced at her while waiting for a stout to settle. Stupid eyes of mine. I smile into the stout, not on purpose, and when I pass the pint to the waiting customer he smiles, taking what is not for him.’
‘…there is a big new white wine next to my half-drunk old one. “I’M A HALF-DRUNK OLD ONE!” I shout as I approach Chris. I thought it was a funny play on words, but when he doesn’t react, I realise the joke only works if you were in my head hearing the words used in their other context.’
Oh… same.
May 28, 2024
Relate to Sophie too much😂😭
June 26, 2024
This is a book centered in a woman’s thoughts and feelings. It can be a little confusing at times, as her thoughts and the things that are happening around her mix and you are constantly shifting perspectives. I thought the character was not very likable and actually a bit annoying at times. I see how other people may enjoy this book, as it is fast paced and has its funny moments, but it was not for me, unfortunately.
January 18, 2024
Hello. My name is Hannah. And I am also a Weirdo. Maybe not QUITE to the extreme that Sophie is in this book… but there were definite parallels between her overthinking brain and mine!
We were sent an amazing (and on brand) pink and green parcel of goodies by @faberbooks which also contained this, the debut fiction novel of comedian @sara.pascoe . Of course we were both immediately obsessed with the colour scheme, almost like it was made for us! This book is out today so read on if you’re interested!
Firstly, a warning, Sophie is not at all likeable (take from that what you will about my self-esteem), but I understood her motivations and reactions throughout. At one point we read one of her school reports which could absolutely have been taken from a box in my Mums attic! 😂 So it stands to reason that I connected with her as a protagonist immediately.
If you are wanting a serious and heavy plot, with drama and life lessons, this is not the one for you. But if you like a bit of mess and chaos and you just like peeking into the brain of someone who thinks VERY outside the box, then have at it! We basically follow Sophie as she tries to get through each day unscathed, with the biggest danger to herself being, well, herself!
Fleabag-esque… if Fleabag had undiagnosed ADHD. There is self-deprecation, some self-reflection and dark humour. The comedy is blunt and sarcastic and, for anyone whose brain works a little differently, the emotion is REAL.
A solid 4 stars from me, I read this in one sunny day and it felt 100% representative of an overthinking and messy mind.
We were sent an amazing (and on brand) pink and green parcel of goodies by @faberbooks which also contained this, the debut fiction novel of comedian @sara.pascoe . Of course we were both immediately obsessed with the colour scheme, almost like it was made for us! This book is out today so read on if you’re interested!
Firstly, a warning, Sophie is not at all likeable (take from that what you will about my self-esteem), but I understood her motivations and reactions throughout. At one point we read one of her school reports which could absolutely have been taken from a box in my Mums attic! 😂 So it stands to reason that I connected with her as a protagonist immediately.
If you are wanting a serious and heavy plot, with drama and life lessons, this is not the one for you. But if you like a bit of mess and chaos and you just like peeking into the brain of someone who thinks VERY outside the box, then have at it! We basically follow Sophie as she tries to get through each day unscathed, with the biggest danger to herself being, well, herself!
Fleabag-esque… if Fleabag had undiagnosed ADHD. There is self-deprecation, some self-reflection and dark humour. The comedy is blunt and sarcastic and, for anyone whose brain works a little differently, the emotion is REAL.
A solid 4 stars from me, I read this in one sunny day and it felt 100% representative of an overthinking and messy mind.
January 4, 2024
Full review to come
August 9, 2023
I have really enjoyed Sara Pascoe's non-fiction works, but this novel is not for me. Sophie is a young woman trying to find her way out of the mess she has made of her life. This is all narrated by Sophie except for several breaks in the text for a series of letters and documents which undercut or explain some of the things that Sophie says. It becomes rapidly clear that Sophie has a lot of issues and makes very poor life choices, not entirely unrelated to her toxic upbringing and relationships with her family.
I found the bits that were meant to be funny mostly devastatingly sad and Sophie an increasingly troubling character for whom there is no redemptive arc. I know not every book has to have a destination or a neat ending but it felt like this narrative just stopped in the middle of a life.
It was well written but there were no likeable characters here and no real sense of self awareness in Sophie and I found it just too bleak.
I found the bits that were meant to be funny mostly devastatingly sad and Sophie an increasingly troubling character for whom there is no redemptive arc. I know not every book has to have a destination or a neat ending but it felt like this narrative just stopped in the middle of a life.
It was well written but there were no likeable characters here and no real sense of self awareness in Sophie and I found it just too bleak.
January 5, 2024
I for one really like it when the protagonist is weird not as in 'quirky' but 'seriously mentally ill'.
On the surface, this slice-of-life novel could remind you of Fleabag, in Fleabag's most mundane/less unhinged moments (like, breaking up with the boyfriend to get the house deep cleaned). But there's such little edge here. Sophie, the protagonist, is a truly tragic character, a child-like 30-year-old whose wins are so small that your heart sort of breaks for her.
When it's funny it's funny in a sad way, and when it's sad it's pretty tragic.
Which is to say that I really liked it, but it sort of deflates towards the end for me.
On the surface, this slice-of-life novel could remind you of Fleabag, in Fleabag's most mundane/less unhinged moments (like, breaking up with the boyfriend to get the house deep cleaned). But there's such little edge here. Sophie, the protagonist, is a truly tragic character, a child-like 30-year-old whose wins are so small that your heart sort of breaks for her.
When it's funny it's funny in a sad way, and when it's sad it's pretty tragic.
Which is to say that I really liked it, but it sort of deflates towards the end for me.
March 5, 2024
Took me a while because I really did not enjoy it!
Sophie, our main character and narrator is not weird. Unreliable, yes. Impacted severely by questionable parenting, yes. Traumatised by emotionally and sexually abusive relationships, yes. Has a lot of unresolved trauma due to an abortion and miscarriage, yes.
But not weird, any more so than the rest of us.
All the characters in this book were thoroughly unlikeable. I don’t know why she wrote it! Sophie unfortunately is no Fleabag or Eleanor Oliphant. She just needs to go to therapy and process some of the crap that has come her way!
Sophie, our main character and narrator is not weird. Unreliable, yes. Impacted severely by questionable parenting, yes. Traumatised by emotionally and sexually abusive relationships, yes. Has a lot of unresolved trauma due to an abortion and miscarriage, yes.
But not weird, any more so than the rest of us.
All the characters in this book were thoroughly unlikeable. I don’t know why she wrote it! Sophie unfortunately is no Fleabag or Eleanor Oliphant. She just needs to go to therapy and process some of the crap that has come her way!
October 6, 2023
Bridget Jones meets Catcher in the Rye. Read in it's entirety on a long haul flight
May 29, 2024
I really wanted to like this book but I found myself skipping over so many parts of it and then having to go back because some important plot nugget was littered in amongst the incessant rambling. There were some points where I felt like I was starting to understand the character and then all of a sudden I wasn��t again and part of me thinks that was kind of the point of the book while the other half of me thinks it’s probably just due to poor writing choices🙃 That being said it was a quick and pretty easy read (although a lottttttt of existentialism and some abortion/miscarriage discourse, but I wouldn’t say it was a difficult read as such as these were approached in the same odd way as the rest of the book)
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