No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they had been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond’s big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one. If she does, she’ll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all.

Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

the only way to survive is to open your heart.

It took me a bit to get into this story. I listened to the audiobook, so I turned the speed up because I wanted to see if I could get into it without wasting too much time.

The good news — it grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed Eleanor’s view of life and her willingness to confront her struggles. Her attitude is really quite impressive considering her circumstances. I did think the book was a bit predictable, but I grew to care for Eleanor and Raymond, so I stuck with the book. I couldn’t give it five stars because it started slowly and I always prefer a good romantic subplot, but it was still a great book that I will gladly recommend.

If you enjoyed The Rosie Project, you might enjoy this book too.

(I HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook — the accents are so fun!)

R-rated for thematic elements, drinking, and language. Get your copy here!