fragmented.ME …
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review: my year of saying no …

Review : My Year Of Saying No …

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Introduction …

As part of ME Awareness 2021, I am fundraising for The ME Trust UK by taking up one of their challenges.

I am going to read 10 books in 10 months and will review each one once I’ve finished it. Below you will find the review for one of the ten books that I read as part of this challenge.

Why …

I have been sick since 1984. It took till 2001 for doctors to diagnose me with ME. Initially, I was mildly sick then moderately but in recent years I’ve progressed to being severely affected. I am housebound and often bedbound for months on end.

I really want to raise awareness and to raise money to help research #endME.

I am planning on reading ten books in ten months starting 12th May, which is international ME Awareness Day. At one time in my life I could have read ten books in ten days. But this challenge will be hard for me to do.

So please please if you can support me and help raise money for the ME Trust UK

YOU CAN DONATE BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW:

ME Awareness Fundraising : Ten Books In Ten Months

My Year Of Saying No by Maxine Morrey …

Maxine has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten.

As years went by, she continued to write, but ‘normal’ work often got in the way. She has written articles on a variety of subjects, as well as a local history book on Brighton. However, novels are her first love.

In August 2015, she won Harper Collins/Carina UK’s ‘Write Christmas’ competition with her first romantic comedy, ‘Winter’s Fairytale’. Her second, ‘The Christmas Project’ was a top 10 bestseller on the UK Kindle chart.

Maxine lives on the south coast of England, and when not wrangling with words loves to read, sew and listen to podcasts. Being a fan of tea and cake means she can (should!) also be found out on a walk.

Book Synopsis … (taken from book cover, can be skipped ↴)

My Year of Saying No by Maxine Morrey ...

When a long-term relationship ended, her best friend’s scheme to get Lottie back in the swing of things seemed like a good idea. She’s kept her promise to Jess to see it through but, as a lover of the quiet life, Lottie couldn’t be happier to say hello to a brand new year – The Year of Saying No!

Unfortunately, the one thing she still seems unable to say no to is the crush she has on her best client and now friend, Army veteran, Seb Marshall. But she’s working on it, and with rescue dog Humphrey at her side, she knows that she’ll manage just fine.

Lottie’s decision to stop trying to please everyone has brought a sense of relief beyond what she had expected. Her actions and determination have also begun to send ripples throughout her life and those closest to her, bringing about changes none of them could have expected.

Book Genre …

My Year of Saying No falls into the Fiction, Humour, Contemporary Romance, genres.

About The Book …

See above in the synopsis for additional information.

As well as the kindle edition I bought the audible version just in case I wasn’t well enough to actually read the book.

The kindle edition has 342 pages and at my reading speed a suggested reading time of 6 hours 17 minutes.

On audible it has a listening time of 10 hours 34 minutes. It is narrated by: Gloria Sanders who reads very nicely, she ensures all characters sound suitably different so you can follow along fairly effortlessly.

I was too poorly to read the kindle and so I listened to the book on audio. I did get quite a bit lost quite a few times. Being so unwell with ME means that I cannot concentrate for too long and so when I read an actual book, or even a kindle version, I am able to flick back to remind myself of who is who, what is what, and kind of remind myself what’s gone and where I’m up to. But on this occasion I just could not hold a book or my kindle and so I had to listen on audio, which meant that when I got lost as to which chapter was about who I couldn’t flick back.

I had a few none starters because I just couldn’t get into the book. I also listened to the book twice before I really got the storyline and even after twice I still felt a bit confused as to how the characters all slotted together. It took three listens to the whole audio version before I really got the plot.

That said, it is a very warm and enjoyable storyline, with an element of, go for it Lottie, learn to say no and yes at the right times … and stop people pleasing but please yourself …, and it about how she starts her year saying no as a follow on from the previous year when she spent the year saying yes in order to help her get over a longterm relationship ending and to also please her friend Jess.

When a long-term relationship ended, her best friend’s scheme to get Lottie back in the swing of things seemed like a good idea. She’s kept her promise to Jess to see it through but, as a lover of the quiet life, Lottie couldn’t be happier to say hello to a brand new year – The Year of Saying No!

Why I Chose This  Book …

It was 99p for the kindle and had such great reviews it sounded like a read that I would thoroughly enjoy.

How I Found The  Book …

It was a lovely read, or more correctly it was a lovely listen. No deep dilemmas or moral issues. It felt light and easy and quite humorous at points. And ended up being a lovely love story.

Critical Comments …

At first I struggled with the audio because I am six books in and each new book has a different tone and obvious a new narrator, which is a big switch up for me to deal with. This is not a criticism of he book itself, just a note for you to bear in mind when you read my review as it will be tainted with my own illness truffles, like being able to switch and follow on.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. However, at the end part of me wanted to tell Seb to sod off and stop messing Lottie around. In the end, I was admirable of her kindness and understanding but mostly her genuine love for Seb.

I do fell that the author enabled the reader to see and empathise with the side of both Lottie and Seb, but personally I leant towards Lottie and her PJ quiet life.

Lessons To Learn From The Book …

Communication saves confusion and sometimes can help save us much heartache. Love comes in the most unexpected places, often when we blur the lines of business and personal relationships.

Favourites Quotes …

So, what we’re saying here is that if we’d both just talked to each other a bit more, we might have saved ourselves a bit of heartache.

Letting the lines between business and friendship blur. That was wrong of me and I won’t— …

not everyone who travelled first class had first-class manners …

My Likes & My Dislikes …

See below …

Book Vs Movie …

No movie and I’m not so sure it would be a good movie, maybe an episode or two in a drama series.

Final Notes & Recommendation …

I thoroughly enjoyed listened to this as an audio book. Once I got the complete picture it has become a firm favourite to listen to over and over when I’m feeling really unwell and need reliable stable entertainment.

See below for my most important pros and cons in relation to the book.

The Important Bits …

My Year of Saying No …

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Disclaimer

I bought My Year of Saying No with my own money and all the views and opinions stated are my own. Anything in the review should not be used as law, it is simply my own honest and personal opinion. It is not medical advice, I am not medically qualified, and should not be used as such.

Please see Reviews Disclaimer … for my full disclaimer policy.

 fragmented.ME xXx

My birth name is Denise, but I’m know as Bella to those who love me. I have a first class honours degree in education & psychology and a strong passion to keep learning and educating others ... I have severe ME/CFS and lots of other chronic illnesses and I started this blog as an expansion to my instagram page, where I advocate for chronic illness. I am married and have two grown up boys, or should I say young men. I have three gorgeous grandchildren, one boy and two girls. And despite being chronically sick and housebound I am mostly happy. 🥰