Book Review: Not Working By Lisa Owens

If you've been following my blog for the past few months (or my Instagram/Twitter) you will notice that I've been obsessed with book buying and reading recently so when I received this book from the lovely people at Pan MacMillan I was so so excited! I have *Not Working by Lisa Owens (£12.99, hardcover) and I couldn't wait to start it!

Firstly, the cover is gorgeous; it looks so pretty on my bookshelf! Although I have to say before I start my review that I rarely read contemporary books (I'm more of a fantasy, mystery, crime or horror book lover) but I definitely wanted to give this a go particularly because it has so many positive and rave reviews!

Claire Flannery has quit her job in order to discover her true vocation - only to realize she has no idea how to go about finding it. Whilst everyone around her seems to have their lives entirely under control, Claire finds herself sinking under pressure and wondering where her own fell apart. 'It's fine,' her grandmother says. 'I remember what being your age was like - of course, I had four children under eight then, but modern life is different, you've got an awful lot on.'

To me, this book is a mixture between poetry, Bridget Jones's diary and Sophie Kinsella books. It is told in a snippet of thoughts kind of way which makes it feel a little bit unstructured but it also makes the book seem quite lighthearted and interesting. I haven't read a book before with this kind of structure or layout.

I really liked the main character, Claire, and I definitely got a Bridget Jones's diary feel from this book which I loved! It's entertaining, funny and very, very relatable. It isn't quite as laugh out loud funny as I thought it would be but it was still an interesting and super enjoyable read – a perfect summer/holiday read. I did find a couple of the characters a little bit annoying and even though the majority of the book is fun and light-hearted; there are some more deeper and melancholy themes throughout the book, in my opinion but even so I was very happy with the ending and the book as a whole.

I love the writing style and the layout of the book – it's really unique especially compared to all the other books I've been reading recently. If you're not really a fan of contemporary books, I'd still definitely give this one a go! If you like Bridget Jones's diary or any of the Sophie Kinsella books then you will probably love this too. It's quite a short read and it's easy to get through but it still has an impact! Overall rating: ★★★★☆, 4/5. 

Will you be picking up this book? What are you currently reading?