Book Review: Leftovers by Stella Newman

Leftovers by Stella Newman

Published by: Avon (25th Apr 2013)

Received a copy for review from publisher, thank you! 

Blurb:

According to a magazine, Susie is a ‘Leftover’ – a post Bridget-Jones 30 something who has neither her dream man, job, nor home. She doesn’t even own six matching dinner plates. 

According to her friend Rebecca, Susie needs to get over her ex, Jake, start online dating – or at least stop being so rude to every guy who tries to chat her up. 

But Susie’s got a plan. If she can just make it the 307 days till her promotion and bonus, she can finally quit and pursue her dream career in food, then surely everything else will fall into place. If only her love life wasn’t so complicated… 

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Why you will love this:

After writing her brilliant debut, Pear-Shaped, Stella Newman is back this year with Leftovers, another fresh novel about a lovable singleton, Susie. If you've read Pear-Shaped and loved it, I think you will enjoy this one!

Susie is trying to forget about some silly quiz she has done in a magazine which labels her as a "Leftover", but she can't help it if she's single, living in a flat which she shares its ownership with her brother and loathes her job. But she has a plan, if she can land herself a promotion, she would finally quit her retched job and pursue her dream career in food, well, if only she could make plans for her love life..

From the beginning, I was hooked on the book. Not by it's (pretty) cover, but by the way the book began. What captured me was Stella Newman's writing style, which I have to only tell you that it's fresh, sharp and incredibly witty. It's pretty obvious that every writer has their own voice, but for me, Stella Newman's writing voice stood out from the first chapter and I knew I would love Leftovers.

I warmed up to Susie immediately as I really adored how funny and original she is, as a character. I loved her witty bantering with her friend, Sam and her best friend, Rebecca was clearly a wonderful presence to read about. The other thing that made me enjoy this book was the pasta. Oh, gosh. Susie is part-Italian, hence, her love for pasta. Nothing like a food-themed book to put a smile on my face!

If you loved Stella Newman's incredible debut, Pear-Shaped, I can guarantee you that you will love Leftovers. And of course, some characters from Pear-Shaped will make a cameo appearance in this book. Hint: disgusting table manners. A fast-paced, modern story about a girl who finds her way through life, balancing friendship, love and work. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Lucy Robinson.

Rating: 8/10

Zooey Deschanel as Susie and John Krasinski(he's mine, not Emily's) as the adorable Sam