A review by liz_mcc
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

4.0

In the beginning, I found Eleanor to be a tough narrator to listen to. I wanted to shake her and explain basic social cues to her and give her pep-talks about self-worth. But as the story continues and you understand more about why Eleanor is the way she is, you really start to root for her. The back-of-the-book description made me worried Eleanor and Raymond would be thin character tropes we've all seen before, but they had so much more depth than I was anticipating, and I ended up truly caring about how their stories would end. I didn't immediately realize I cared, but I found myself practically unable to put this book down! By the end, I loved Eleanor's unique, touching, funny voice as a narrator.

A satisfying, often-amusing (though surprisingly dark at times) read that kept me engaged all the way through. And one plot point toward the end really surprised me, just as I was starting to think this was an enjoyable but predictable story!

Spoiler Also, shout out to the healthy, positive portrayal of therapy in this book! It made me so happy to read such an effective series of therapy sessions.