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Start giftingReally Good, Actually
A Novel
Bookseller recommendation
“Heartbreaking, hilarious, hopeful- this is a story that anyone in their late twenties/early thirties can relate to even if they aren't going through a divorce. Maggie is messy and unlikable for most of the book, but Heisey's writing made me root for her the entire time- even though I knew it was going to be a painful journey, I kept coming back for more. I related to Maggie in more ways than I thought I would- from the disastrous dating app trysts, wondering if the group chat has been silent for a little too long, and trying to blame personal problems on societal issues, at the core of this novel is a woman starting over after already thinking she had everything figured out- but in a brutally honest, embarrassingly funny way. I really enjoyed listening to this book- I'm quickly becoming a Julia Whelan stan!!”
— Maggie • East City Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“There are books about it, songs about it, endless poetry written all about the tragic, heart-wrenching, vulnerable experience of losing love. It's difficult, however, to capture the full physical and mental ramifications of such events. Monica Heisey has shown that, though it is difficult, it is not impossible. In an honest, realistic view, Heisey writes this story of Maggie who is embarking on not just a lost love or a break up, but a divorce after a 9 year relationship. I loved how relatable Maggie is, whether you have experienced this or not. I especially love the feeling I got as I read that there is support in surprising places, and even though it may seem like you'll feel this sad and broken forever, things WILL get better. The audiobook experience is exceptionally engrossing with a narration from Julia Whelan. I strongly recommend. ”
— Kalli • Rediscovered Books
Summary
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
“Very funny—think Bridget Jones meets ‘Broad City’. . . . Heisey is making a career out of guiding characters through the kinds of crises we can laugh at and sympathize with all at once, while upending enough rom-com tropes to keep things interesting.” – Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
“One of the most hilarious and barbed accounts of unexpectedly starting over I’ve ever read. . . . If you’ve ever felt lost and hoped that it was leading towards wisdom, Really Good, Actually is your novel.” — Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter
Recommended 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 Heisey
Maggie 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
