Sarra Manning : YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME  is a very English novel written by very English Sarra Manning. Now, Ms Manning is well known author and journalist living in London. This book is one of my 'hand-me-down books' as I received from my housemate with words: "You have to read this!" I think she found it one day wondering through charity shops. And what a lucky find it was!!

"We were superglued to the pages of this book, and you'll be hooked too... " HEAT MAGAZINE

I couldn't agree more....

We follow the story of a twenty-five-year-old Neve. Neve has a long-term crush on her previous student advisor, who is currently finishing up his three years long position in California. Neve is certain that William is the love of her life and is doing everything in her power to get a permanent hold on his heart. She lost a lot of weight, she is trying to gain more experience in life... And that brings us to Max. A colleague of her sister's, who is a heart rob and shags everything with a pulse. He is not interested in a long term relationship, but something about Neve gets to him. A them two make a deal. Neve will get the experience she is after and Max will try to find out for himself how it feels to be in a relationship. So they enter into a "pancake" relationship. But of course, we all know that life isn't just one big coincidence and never goes according to plan and it leaves Neve question everything she was so certain about up until now.

Divided in five parts we follow Neve & Max's pancake relationship. This book is just so can't-put-it-down-until-i-am-finish one. You will be clued to it from the start. The reason why is because it so relatable to every girl and woman of every generation. It touches up on the problems and struggles of everyday life with humour and down-to-earth attitude.

Neve is the shy girl who has her nose always in a book. Books are her best friends. She has a crush, a lovely sister and an arch nemesis living in the same place as her. She struggles to interact with people as it's hard for the open up to them. Not the mention her long-term obstacle - her weight. But at the same time, she is the loveliest girl in the world.

Max is the one guy you can find everywhere you go, in every social group, in every office. A heartbreaker who can't keep it in his pants and has a reputation which follows him everywhere. But deep inside he actually has a heart which is desperate to feel loved.

I could not put this book down as I could find so many things similar to my everyday life and struggles. This book is really entertaining. Witty. Modernised. It's engaging and it sweeps you on your feet.

It's a sexy story about finding yourself. We all need to find the value of our personalities and we need to learn to love ourselves as much as we can - otherwise we will never be happy. And this is what this book taught me. The lesson of firstly to love ourselves and the way we look, before we can expect for someone else to love us.

This book is hilarious. Sexy. Exciting. Every girl can find a piece of her in this story. Just a story of ordinary girl with ordinary problems, which gets under your skin and you won't be able to let go. I, myself, spent long lost hours into early mornings reading this book. I find Neve a character I can most relate to in every aspect of my life.

But the best thing I like about this story is not only that at the end they both get their happy ending. But it also showed me that the object of our affection, isn't perfect how we imagined. I hated Will from the first moment he showed himself on the scene. I think he always used Neve and I was feeling sad, that she couldn't see it herself. But I guess, we never do.

 I really enjoyed reading this story and will definitely re-read it in the future.

Finally, a story which we all can relate to one way or another. Thank you Ms Manning for this wonderful english story.

Some of the quotes from the book which can be classed as life lessons: 

“That was the worst thing about having a relationship with someone, even a pretend relationship. You opened up, let someone in, and when it was over, they had all the ammunition they needed to completely destroy you.”

“What you look like is just one part of who you are - but it's not all you are.”

“The thing about love was that it caught you unawares, turned up in the most unexpected places, even when you weren't looking for it.” 

“I suppose the things that you always take for granted, that you don't even notice, are what you miss the most.”

“She was so fed up with unrequited love and platonic love and all the other kinds of love that weren’t passionate, romantic, can’t-live-without-you, I-have-to-have-you-right-now, the-beat-of-your-heart-matches-the-beat-of-mine love.”

“But Neve, you can’t start a book and leave it halfway through,’ he’d said implacably. ‘It’s almost as bad as turning down the corner of the page, instead of using a bookmark.”

“Each kiss was like biting into the richest darkest chocolate and pausing to savour the taste.”

I thought I was in love with him for all those years but it turned out I was in love with the idea of William. The actual reality was a bit of an anti-climax.

“It wasn't a perfect body but it was the body she deserved. Not just from every bar of chocolate or bag of crisps or laden plate of food that she'd eaten. This body was also testament to all the hours in the gym and cycling up hills on her bike and glugging down two litres of water a day and learning to love vegetables and fruits that didn't come as optional extra with a pastry crust. She'd earned this body.
This was her body and she had to stop giving it such a hard time.”