Really Good, Actually

Books | Fiction / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce

3.5

(269)

Monica Heisey

NATIONAL BESTSELLER“Every sentence of Monica Heisey’s writing is a treat. No one makes me laugh like she does.” —Dolly Alderton, New York Times bestselling author of Everything I Know About LoveRecommended by Los Angeles Times • Washington Post • GQ • Elle • Good Morning America • People • Guardian • The Times • E! News Online • The Globe and Mail • Toronto Star • The Week • New York Post • Shondaland • and many more!A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about one woman’s messy search for joy and meaning in the wake of an unexpected breakup, from comedian, essayist, and award-winning screenwriter Monica HeiseyMaggie is fine. She’s doing really good, actually. Sure, she’s broke, her graduate thesis on something obscure is going nowhere, and her marriage only lasted 608 days, but at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new life as a Surprisingly Young Divorcée™.Now she has time to take up nine hobbies, eat hamburgers at 4 am, and “get back out there” sex-wise. With the support of her tough-loving academic advisor, Merris; her newly divorced friend, Amy; and her group chat (naturally), Maggie barrels through her first year of single life, intermittently dating, occasionally waking up on the floor and asking herself tough questions along the way.Laugh-out-loud funny and filled with sharp observations, Really Good, Actually is a tender and bittersweet comedy that lays bare the uncertainties of modern love, friendship, and our search for that thing we like to call “happiness”. This is a remarkable debut from an unforgettable new voice in fiction.“A prime example of how a storyteller's voice can pull you right in and keep you clinging to every sentence. . . . This is a book I will give to my closest girlfriends and say, ‘You have to read this.’” — Zibby Owens, GoodMorningAmerica.com“Tremendously funny and thoughtful.” –GQ

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More Details:

Author

Monica Heisey

Pages

384

Publisher

HarperCollins

Published Date

2023-01-17

ISBN

0063235439 9780063235434

Community ReviewsSee all

" DNF"

Sher Free✌️

"Maggie's life is a total dumpster fire. She is recently separated from her husband and in a seemingly endless spiral. She is not likeable, she is terrible and does terrible things. She starts to get her **** together at the very end and realizes how awful she is. This was a bit tough to get through, maybe more meaningful for people who have been through a divorce? I did like some of the other characters besides Maggie. "

Tiffany Wysbeek

"So, I had a hard time getting into this book. I just nearly quit halfway through it. I’m glad I didn’t because it was an overall good read. It’s one of those books where the main character is really hard to love but yet you still feel for them. I went back and forth on who I was upset with the most during the story. Some of the reviews I read said it was laugh out loud funny, and this I did not find to be true. I don’t think I would read it again knowing what I do now about it."

Jennifer Quinney

"Dnf"

Sarah

"This book follows the story of Maggie Mason processing a divorce. <br/>Appreciate that the author takes a very sensitive, raw, Chaotic and life-changing difficult moment and brings in so much insight on the ups and downs. Maggie is trying to convince herself and those around her that she is fine and everything is good on the surface. When you journey through the emotional waters with her character, you realize just how much deeper its bubbling over. <br/>The grief, the starting over, the fear of being alone, the change of lifestyle, feeling disconnected with family and friends, feeling vulnerable, anger, depression, addictions, therapy... It does get very repetitive and hard to continue at times because as much as you can empathize with the character you also want things to move forward and hope she finally pulls herself together. I stuck through to see where it all leads to and it just fizzled. Yes it did bring some humour and dramatic moments . I loved that it was set in Toronto and many of the neighbourhoods are very familiar to my childhood. overall an ok read."

Chrissyg

"Just ok. Funny, for sure. But the storyline wasn’t my favorite. "

Heidi Oneil

"Some parts were giggle worthy and relatable, but it did lack something. Especially concerning the main character and supporting characters. That being said, it’s my understanding that the book was a cathartic write for the author who was experiencing her own divorce and I think that would be a huge and brave undertaking! "

Taylor

"Character is hard to like, self centered and whiney. Book had no point."

M B

Maddie B

"Being a very recent divorcee, I thought that this book would be something I could relate to and understand in a deeper way; however, it made me cringe. The book was basically one woman’s neurotic word vomit at how she was too young to be getting divorced at 29/30! She had many friends and they just stood back and watched this happen and never thought she needed serious intervention. I don’t know, but it was wayyy over the top especially since it went on for almost a year! This was the entire book and that’s it! <br/><br/>I listened to the audiobook and I think that was the only thing that helped propel me to finish. Julia Whelen was the narrator and she is my favorite. I gave it 2.5 stars for the audio portion. It would have been a dnf if not."

Jodie L

"If you want to read a book about a self-centered depressed person, this book is for you. Personally, I want my time back. Almost DNF but was really hoping to redeem the time I spent readying with an amazing ending. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t."