Really Good, Actually: The must-read major Sunday Times bestselling debut novel of 2023

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A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. Freshly divorced Maggie is open to trying and doing new things, including dating, journalling, working out and standing up for herself. With all of this, she crumbles weekly and spends days indoor hiding away from the world. With the help of friends she slowly faces her situation and make plans for next step. Maggie is an interesting character in that she is more complex than first meets the eye. I'll admit to getting frustrated with her at times but to be honest that's kinda what made the book special. Had Maggie been written as a one-dimensional character , it would have been a fluffy, mindless read. Instead she's a hot mess and even though you might not make the same choices as her, on some level she is relatable.

I feel like when you get a divorce everyone’s wondering how you ruined it all, what made you so unbearable to be with. If your husband dies, at least people feel bad for you. If you want to read about the realities of modern life, love and friendship and it’s ups and downs, with plenty of humour thrown in (it felt a bit Bridget Jones’ esque in the funny but not funny situations of Maggie’s life), then you won’t want to miss this one!"

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Laugh-out-loud funny, razor sharp and painfully relatable, Really Good, Actually is an irresistible debut novel about the uncertainties of modern love, friendship and happiness from a stunning new voice in fiction, Monica Heisey.

I give the author a lot of credit because she took a subject that is explored frequently in fiction, divorce, and yet came up with a story that felt fresh and new. That's a pretty big feat to pull off. Regardless of whether you have experienced a significant break up or not, there's some value here for any reader. People in general were very keen to suggest I hang out with other people they knew who'd divorced before they'd gotten gray hair. Sometimes it felt like a gesture of support, and sometimes it felt like loading Hi, it’s Maggie, I’m the problem, it’s me 🎶 Maggie is our anti-hero. She has instigated a divorce but is maybe having second/third/forth thoughts. She’s selfish, confrontational, and has zero impulse control. She’s slowly but surely alienating her friends and co-workers as she stumbles through a terrible year of having to face the complete and total fear of starting over and being seen as a failure. 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™.I was very sold on the set up though: a young, pithy woman goes through a divorce and has to cope with all the changes that brings. She struggles to achieve independence (financial and otherwise) when she’s been part of a couple for so much of her adult life. She doesn’t necessarily know entirely who she is, how to go about being a responsible adult, or have complete control over her emotions and even though I haven’t been married or divorced, it was relatable. Unfortunately for me the execution fell short, but maybe if I experienced divorce I would appreciate it more. Monica Heisey has been a writer for television comedy, including the award winning Schitts Creek, and has just published her debut novel Really Good, Actually. The story follows 28 year old Maggie as she navigates a new life after her recent divorce. Monica talks to Johny Pitts about the crossover between fiction and her own life and finding the comedy in self-improvement.