The Best Things: The Sunday Times bestseller and a funny, feel-good story of a family on the brink

· Hachette UK
4 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The funny, heartwarming Sunday Times bestselling novel from the beloved comedian Mel Giedroyc.

'A real treat. I enjoyed it HUGELY' MARIAN KEYES
'Properly funny with a brilliant cast of characters' GRAHAM NORTON
'Exactly like Mel herself: engaging, uproarious and gleeful' JO BRAND

Sally Parker is searching for the hero inside herself. But all she really wants to do is lie down.

Her husband Frank has lost his business, their home and their savings in one go. Her bank cards have been stopped. The kids are running wild. And now the bailiffs are at the door.

What does a woman do when the bottom suddenly falls out? Sally Parker is about to surprise everybody....most of all herself.

REAL READERS ADORE THE BEST THINGS...

'A well written, warm hug of a read. Something much needed in these days of doom and gloom'

'This book is everything I would have expected from the wonderful Mel Giedroyc. Funny and touching*****'

'I could hear Mel reading this book! Terrific characters. Very entertaining *****'

'A lovely, warm cuddle of a book'

'One of the best things I've read this year. Please read it *****'

'I felt like Mel was reading this into my ear. I was left with the warm fuzzys at the end****'

'Would make a brilliant film or sitcom. The Parker family are a chaotic, loveable bunch'

'I zipped through it with many an accompanying titter, the occasional chortle and the odd unladylike snort. A nice piece of escapism, so needed at this time ****'

'Warm, interesting, clever and funny, as well as poignant at times. A brave heroine, a cast of strong characters and a page-turner of a story *****'

'Glorious storytelling, this is a rich comedic feast of domesticity. Excellent characters. Kept me gripped throughout. *****'

The funny, heartwarming Sunday Times bestselling novel from the beloved comedian Mel Giedroyc. 'A real treat. I enjoyed it HUGELY' MARIAN KEYES 'Properly funny with a brilliant cast of characters' GRAHAM NORTON 'Exactly like Mel herself: engaging, uproarious and gleeful' JO BRAND Sally Parker is...

Discover more

Ratings and reviews

4 reviews
Grace J. Reviewerlady
April 1, 2021
It has to be said that I was rather excited about this one - and sorely disappointed. Sally Parker and her family are rich. When her husband loses all their money and life begins to fall apart, she knows that she should be the strong one who holds her family together - but how does she manage that when she can't even hold herself together. As life around them crumbles, so does Sally - can she find her inner strength? I expected great things for this book - not least a few good laughs according to the celebrity quotes peppering the blurb, but it wasn't to be. Having just finished reading a book where poverty loomed large, I immediately found myself annoyed at the vast sum of money and benefits give to the au pair. I didn't identify with Sally at all and whilst I'm no prude and don't object to bad language in it's place, the characters in this one all came across as thinking of themselves as a class above everyone else on the planet and tended to show their disdain by swearing - continually. I didn't feel empathetic towards any of the characters and it was a chore to read, instead of the pleasure it should be. It struck me as a rich person's story with rich people's problems and it just didn't resonate with me at all. Not one I would recommend at all and I'm struggling to give it the two stars I've struggled to muster.
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Alison Robinson
April 8, 2021
I am embarrassed to say that I could not even get past 6%. I really like Mel Giedroyc and was delighted to receive an ARC of her new book but despite several attempts over the past four months I just cannot get into the writing enough to read further. I made another attempt after seeing Mel on Saturday Kitchen Live but still I couldn't get engaged. So here's what I did glean. Sally Parker has a large house and fabulous lifestyle but she's not in control. Her husband, her children, her housekeeper and her au pair rule the house and she just wafts around feeling inadequate and swallowing tranquilisers. Clearly all of this is about to change when Sally's husband loses his business and the family become destitute. This sort of reminded me of a tv series from the early 2000s called At Home With the Braithwaites in which the mother won millions and didn't tell her family, obviously the plot isn't the same but the sheer awfulness of most of the other characters and the way in which each and every one of them is so very clearly 'a character' just grated on me. So, barely getting halfway through chapter two is particularly shameful but I am quitting now. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Did you find this helpful?
Richard Bovill
December 28, 2022
lightly humorous and feel good. very readable.
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Mel Giedroyc has been entertaining the nation for over thirty years. A comedian, writer, actor and presenter, Mel is also known for her work alongside Sue Perkins, such as multi Bafta-winning Great British Bake Off (BBC) and Light Lunch (Channel 4). Mel has written two non-fiction books and has appeared in sitcoms and panel shows, as well as on radio and on stage, in Stephen Sondheim's Olivier Award-winning Company in the West End and in Starter for Ten at Bristol's Old Vic. Mel lives in London with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel The Best Things was a Sunday Times hardback bestseller.
Mel Giedroyc has been entertaining the nation for over thirty years. A comedian, writer, actor and presenter, Mel is also known for her work alongside Sue Perkins, such as multi Bafta-winning Great British Bake Off (BBC) and Light Lunch (Channel 4). Mel has written two non-fiction books and has a...

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.