Rachel's Holiday

By Marian Keyes,

Book cover of Rachel's Holiday

Book description

Here's Rachel Walsh, twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond - some might say too fond - of recreational drugs. Until she finds herself being frogmarched to the Cloisters -…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Rachel's Holiday as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I absolutely adored the way the narrative creates almost continual laugh-out-loud moments whilst tackling some pretty heavy themes.

Drug abuse and its effect on others is handled in a genuinely uplifting way, alongside hilarious family and relationship dynamics. I love Keyes’ ability to shine light through darkness every time.

I never take a bath or a vacation without a Marian Keyes book. That said, beneath the “chick lit” veneer, Keyes’ books typically contain keen insights on depression, addiction, grief, and more.

I recommend her entire canon but my starting point was Rachel’s Holiday. It gave me an understanding of my least favorite parts of myself when I wasn’t looking for it, an introduction to mental health vocabulary long before I ever knew I would need it, and a firm grasp on the importance of addressing the parts of you that frighten you—even if they seem unrelated to the “real”…

From JoEllen's list on helping you talk about mental health.

This book blew my mind when I first read it because I had no idea there could be such a thing as a hilarious novel about addiction. I will never forget this line she has in it about how recovery groups will be comprised of “middle-aged men in sweaters.” It was also the first time I realized that people in recovery outside of the US were just as hilarious as those here. The story is a fun sort of Bridget Jones romp if Bridget loved cocaine and men in leather pants but it’s the voice—self-deprecating, self-aware, and funny AF—that’s always…

From Anna's list on addiction from a former party girl.

The Pact

By Lisa Darcy,

Book cover of The Pact

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Lisa Darcy Author Of The Pact

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Cat lover Traveler Reader Amateur tennis player Foodie

Lisa's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

The Pact is a contemporary fiction novel about Australian sisters, Samantha and Annie, who are doubles tennis champions. This story amplifies the usual sibling issues and explores their professional partnership and personal relationships – similarities, differences, motivation, competition, abandonment, and grief – and how they each respond to the stress of constantly being under the media spotlight.

What happens when, at the pinnacle of fame, it all falls apart?

With dreams shattered and egos destroyed, how do they cope?

I have an older sister and although our rapport isn’t as dramatic, or as close, for that matter, I was able…

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