The Burnout: A Novel

As she always does, Sophie Kinsella has found a way once again to blend a serious topic (burnout) and humour. And, of course, she has added a healthy dose of romance to the mix. A recipe for a fabulous read!

This book resonated with me on so many levels. I fully identify with Sasha & her burnout. Sophie Kinsella was writing directly to me/about me when describing Sasha’s state of mind about work & how it was affecting her mental health & personal life. Have I tried to join a convent & run into a brick wall while escaping my horrible office & coworkers? No, no I haven’t. But the landslide of emails, the constant inescapable workload & the irritation with useless colleagues/upper management? Yup. The lack of desire to cook, see friends & have fun? Yes, 100%. Nail on the head. On top of all that, the beach is my happy place, so right off the bat I thought this was going to be a 5-star read. Come on, reading about how work can overtake your life, ruin it, chew you up & spit you out? And then going to the beach to recuperate & heal? SIGN. ME. UP. And this was a 5-star read, until about the 85% mark.Now, don’t get me wrong, I still loved it. Finn was adorable & lovable & the perfect MMC for this story. The mystery of the messages left on the beach, Terry & his wisdom, & the side characters at the hotel. All perfection. I laughed out loud, I cried, and then I laughed again through tears.So why wasn’t it 5 stars? The ending. I expected the 3rd act breakup. My heart was prepared. And sure, Sasha & Finn got their HEA. And I am nothing if not a HEA girl. But their reconciliation felt rushed, and then the book just ended. On a fantastic callback line, I might add. But I wanted more Finn & Sophie. I needed a hefty, happy epilogue, or a couple more chapters about them reuniting & their life together after burnout.The whole book felt like eating a delicious ice cream sundae with all my favorite toppings. Then right at the end, I was left with nothing but excess hot fudge & nuts at the bottom of an empty bowl. The ratio was wrong. I needed one more bite of ice cream to balance everything out & make it perfect.I guess I’m nitpicking though. I’ll definitely read this book again to be reminded of Terry’s infinite & awesome wisdom about surfing, which somehow relates wholly to everything in life.

Full disclosure: I love Kinsella's books. I love her sense of humor, the quirkiness she gives her characters, and her relatable plots.This one was no different. I found myself totally laughing my head off (the scene with the nuns and the wall was brilliant) while also identifying 100% with the poor overwhelmed, totally burnt-out Sasha. Geez, do I feel her pain!The whole thing was brilliant and zany: the hotel and its ridiculous but lovable staff, the broken down cottages, the memories, the chaos caused by misunderstandings and fear of telling the truth... the romance (swoon).I was a little disappointed in the real reason why Finn had kept his secrets (just felt a little too unbelievable, too contrite), but the rest of the book more than makes up for it.As usual Kinsella wrote a book about being a woman in today's world with humor, compassion, and humanity. Highly recommend it.

A sweet, fun read. I love this author and though this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, it was a nice story. I loved the characters and the ending.

Most readers will predict the happy ending but the writing is skillful and made me feel that I wanted to stay with it until the conclusion. I enjoyed comments that Sasha made about herself as she used the time at the ocean to reconstruct her life. I was surprised to find a small mystery about the surfing instructor and found it added to the plot.

I absolutely adore the way Sophie Kinsella writes. Her dialogue, character development, story arc, and small details she threads in each chapter captivates me as a reader.I highly recommend the audiobook companion, too. The acting adds a depth to the characters and narrative.I felt every emotion throughout this novel — I got teary-eyed, I laughed out loud, my heart ache, I was annoyed, I was in love.Sophie’s signature surprises make an appearance in the most heartwarming of ways.

Sophia Kinsella just keeps trying better! The Burnout is both touching and funny, a story with wonderful characters and a fulfilling plot. Loved it!

as fun as other books by Kinsella. delivered quickly. thank you!

Super easy to get into and read. The story is captivating. Great vacation/beach read. Light and funny.

Uma das características que eu mais aprecio nos livros da autora é o humor, que não é forçado e consegue divertir e fazer qualquer leitor dar boas risadas.Esse não é diferente.O tema central do enredo é sério e até um pouco tenso, já que a personagem principal acaba de passar por uma estafa física e mental originada pelo trabalho e volta ao local em que passava férias na infância para se recuperar.No entanto, tudo é abordado de forma leve e muito realista, com algumas passagens tristes, outras muito engraçadas e até emocionantes.Além disso, há a construção gradativa de uma amizade entre duas pessoas que se ajudam mutuamente na superação, que se torna um lindo romance.Ótima história!

Years ago I read the last book from Sophie Kinsella. Looking for something light but not shallow for a nice evening read I suddenly remembered the joy I had had with her books and gave it a try.I loved the story in the old, run down hotel at the seaside in winter, the evolving love story and the protagonists. Hope, Sophie stays with us much more time and continues to write.

I love all of Sophie’s stand-alone books, and “Can You Keep A Secret” is probable high up on my list of fav books ever. But it may have just been knocked off the top spot by this book!Finn and Sasha are my new love story heroes. Funny, real, sexy, grumpy, burned out and totally amazing. The cast of supporting characters add so much fun, and who couldn’t love Terry?I read the book in one go, only just finished it, and already want to read it again.Why is 5 stars all you can give?

Absolutely funny, cant recall having read a book so nice in a long time that gave me so much joy i had to make sure not to laugh out load while commuting