Really Good, Actually
Published on 28. September 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-0-00-851176-0 (ISBN)
Description
THE NO. 2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2025
The Times Popular Fiction Book of the Year
'A heartbreaker of a book'
THE TIMES
'Alarmingly relatable' MARIAN KEYES
'Hilarious and profound' DOLLY ALDERTON
The hottest debut novel of 2023 from Schitt's Creek and Smothered screenwriter and an Observer debut author of the year, Monica Heisey.
Maggie's marriage has ended just 608 days after it started, but she's fine - she's doing really good, actually. Sure, she's alone for the first time and can't afford her rent and her obscure PhD is going nowhere... but at the age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new status as a Surprisingly Young Divorcee (TM).
As Maggie throws herself headlong into the chaos of her first year of divorce, she soon finds herself questioning everything, including: Why do we still get married? Did I fail before I even got started? And how many 4am delivery burgers do I need to eat until I am happy?
Really Good, Actually is an irresistible debut novel about the uncertainties of modern love, friendship and happiness.
'Hilarious, heart-warming, wise' PAULA HAWKINS
'Heisey makes me laugh hard and often' ROB DELANEY
'A Sex and The City for social media-obsessed millennials ... Irresistible'
METRO
'Wry, modern, self-deprecating'
INDEPENDENT
'One of the most talked-about releases for 2023'
EVENING STANDARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2025
The Times Popular Fiction Book of the Year
'A heartbreaker of a book'
THE TIMES
'Alarmingly relatable' MARIAN KEYES
'Hilarious and profound' DOLLY ALDERTON
The hottest debut novel of 2023 from Schitt's Creek and Smothered screenwriter and an Observer debut author of the year, Monica Heisey.
Maggie's marriage has ended just 608 days after it started, but she's fine - she's doing really good, actually. Sure, she's alone for the first time and can't afford her rent and her obscure PhD is going nowhere... but at the age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new status as a Surprisingly Young Divorcee (TM).
As Maggie throws herself headlong into the chaos of her first year of divorce, she soon finds herself questioning everything, including: Why do we still get married? Did I fail before I even got started? And how many 4am delivery burgers do I need to eat until I am happy?
Really Good, Actually is an irresistible debut novel about the uncertainties of modern love, friendship and happiness.
'Hilarious, heart-warming, wise' PAULA HAWKINS
'Heisey makes me laugh hard and often' ROB DELANEY
'A Sex and The City for social media-obsessed millennials ... Irresistible'
METRO
'Wry, modern, self-deprecating'
INDEPENDENT
'One of the most talked-about releases for 2023'
EVENING STANDARD
Reviews / Votes
'Heisey's adroit control of her narrative and wickedly funny turns of phrase mean Maggie can become monstrous as she flails from one disastrous choice to the next, but remains heartbreakingly relatable' The Times'A smart and funny coming-of-divorce novel ... with a likeable heroine to root for... full of millennial witticisms and reliably regular deadpan turns' Guardian
'Wise and funny ... Heisey ... announces herself not only as a comic literary voice who articulates the absurdity of finding yourself alone, again, but also as a deft satirist of the many ridiculous trappings of modern life' Dazed
'The book's insistence on friendship being just as, if not more, important than romantic love is itself beautifully rendered... this book will be a balm' i Newspaper
'Wry, modern, self-deprecating' Independent
'Sharp and fast, the funniest book I've read in a long time' Raven Leilani, author of Luster
'You will fall in love with this protagonist and you will fall in love with Monica Heisey's writing. I couldn't put it down' Dolly Alderton, author of All I Know About Love
'An absolute effing delight ... wildly funny and almost alarmingly relatable' Marian Keyes, author of Again, Rachel
'I absolutely loved it ... Hilarious, heartwarming, wise' Paula Hawkins, author of Slow Fire Burning
'A rare and delicious treat. Monica Heisey is a genius' Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to be Cheerful
'Monica Heisey is one of the most exciting new voices in fiction' Kirsty Capes, author of Careless
'Heisey makes me laugh hard and often' Rob Delaney
'A smart, funny and warm debut with such a strong voice' Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Everyone Is Still Alive
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
338 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-851176-0 (9780008511760)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Monica Heisey
Really Good, Actually
Book
01/2023
Fourth Estate Ltd
€38.59
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Person
Monica Heisey is an author and screenwriter from Toronto, now based in London. She has written for television shows including TOO MUCH and Schitt's Creek, and her writing has been published in the New York Times, Vogue, Elle and the Guardian, among others. Her debut novel, Really Good, Actually, was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She was chosen as an Observer Best Debut Novelist of the Year 2023.