The heating system had switched to its winter setting and it was too hot. Should the core temperature of the MS sufferer rise by more than one degree there will be danger of symptom exacerbation. Beth, Ruby and Lauren are all women who from the outside could possibly have it all. Good jobs, comfortable lives and in Lauren's case, a very successful social media career. However, each women is suffering; Ruby from a condition causing excess body hair that she's allowed to rule her life, Beth's husband doesn't appear to fancy her anymore and Lauren is struggling with anxiety yet is being told to hide it.

Standouts for me were an astonishing belt out of Never Too Late from Giovanni Spano as Nathan's best man Ash, and the pals' completely hilarious reimagining of Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) at a Turkish nightclub. The nightclub is also the scene for a magical segue of Mel and Kim's classics Showing Out and Respectable." She kept looking at her notes, evidently found the relevant line, under Employment. Now that I had lesions on the brain, was I an unreliable source? “Fatigue may be a problem,” she said. “Particularly during exacerbations. Do try to rest for the next few days.” This book is brutally honest, frank and gritty. A range of emotions ebbs and flows over the reader whilst you progress through the chapters. The empowerment towards of the end of the book is just brilliant. The shadows under her eyes, the tiny tight lines by her mouth, nearly broke my heart. I hoped the lover whose name I knew perfectly well but refused to use would know what to do when those lines crinkled down like concertinas, as they were doing now.This book is spot on in so many ways, from swipes at celebrities who express “fashionable” mental health issues and “keeping it real” in terms of body image while constantly portraying unrealistically perfect lives and bodies, to Beth’s assistant’s well meant and sincerely held but sometimes naive conceptions of feminism. Then we have Ruby. Ruby has a 'condition' (no spoilers). She was married for a brief time but her husband humiliated her at their wedding (we don't find out how until near the end of the book). They have a 3 and a half year old daughter called Bonnie. Ruby looks after Bonnie all week (although puts her in Nursery 8 am - 5.00 pm) and her estranged husband Liam has Bonnie every weekend. Now I know Dawn O'Porter has two children but I found Bonnie's language was too adult! There were no mispronounced words common for a child that age instead she was just written with adult language which seemed too advanced for that age range. Ruby hasn't particularly bonded with Bonnie. This is due to her 'condition' and her own relationship with her mother. Ruby's job is to touch up photographs to make people look perfect. I loved everything about this book, even though from time to time, I was blushing like a little schoolgirl!!! LOL Ruby being the most intelligent of the three spends her time touching up photos of models (including Lauren) though she despises her own body and struggling to connect with her daughter.

I suppose the book falls into the category of what these days is called auto-fiction. The author was a self-defense instructor diagnosed with MS who has reinvented herself into a full-time award winning writer. She is the author of one of my favorite books ever, the amazing Hild. She has written seven novels and now holds a PhD in Humanities. She is an unrelenting champion of women. Jarnagin, Briana (2019-01-30). "2019 Over the Rainbow List released, over 100 fiction and non-fiction titles". News and Press Center. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17 . Retrieved 2022-02-25. MY HAND WAS FINE, and my right leg, though noticeably weaker than my left, recovered enough so that I didn’t limp until I’d walked more than a hundred yards. But I was deathly tired, and the prednisolone made me restless. I adore her crazy humor cause it gave me so much joy, and boy, I really need some joy in my life right now!!!

Our review on I Should Be So Lucky

The muscle under my eye twitched. I flexed my face hideously to make it stop. “People with disabilities are not details.” Man, I had so much fun reading this story, even though I needed a fan for the spicy things that I've read in it!!! Tropes: Accidental Marriage, Alphahole, Fake Relationship, Forced Proximity, One Night Stand, Pro Athlete, Rich AF O'Porter has her hand on the pulse of femininity, women, sexuality and also how conflicted women are at times. It's not easy being pulled in so many different directions at the same time or being judged for every choice and decision.