Pity Party: the hilarious and heartfelt novel you have to read this summer

(Hardback)

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Description

Katherine lives by the rules, ticks all the boxes and prepares for the worst, even while she hopes for the best.

Then the worst actually happens and, as she tries to navigate life as a young widow, it turns out she was not prepared at all.

Nothing scares Katherine more than stopping, but everyone insists she needs to take some time for herself. Head to a wellness retreat, they said. Enjoy some me-time, they said...

Except this retreat isn't the pity party she was hoping for. Instead of massages, she has erotic meditation, and instead of spa treatments she has scream therapy.

Katherine has never lost control in her life. In fact, she's fairly certain that if she starts screaming she might never stop.

But she's about to let go, and everyone had better stand back...

Hilarious, heartbreaking and honest, this is a story about learning how to stop playing it safe in a world that feels so dangerous - and showing up to the party, even when it feels impossible.

Reviews

Pity Party is both deeply moving and very funny. A raw, honest exploration of love, loss, and the complexity of grief. I read it in one sitting. I loved it. * Louise O'Neill, author of IDOL *
Buchanan's best yet! Every page crackles with wit and every character deserves their own spin-off. As heartening as it is hilarious, Pity Party is a masterful portrait of grief, contemporary wellness culture and the ways we attempt to heal. It's the funniest book you'll read all year, and maybe the most beautiful too. * Lauren Bravo, author of PRELOVED *
Daisy Buchanan manages to make bereavement not only gloriously readable, but genuinely funny - without losing sight of real emotion. With a relatable heroine and a brilliant supporting cast of characters, this is Daisy's best yet. I tore through it. * Marina OLoughlin, journalist *
Thought-provoking, charming, cathartic and hilariously vivid. I highlighted a million little passages and sentences and metaphors and jokes. I don't know how Daisy does it, but I'm so glad that she does. * Sarah Knight, author of THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF NOT GIVING A F**K *
Pity Party is genius. It's my perfect book. It's full of light and darkness, it's hilarious and heartbreaking. It reminds me of Rachel's Holiday. It's painfully funny and often painful in an emotional way, but always unbelievably good. This is the best book I've read in ages - and Daisy's best book yet. I want everyone I know to read it so I can spend the next month talking about it. There are so many brilliantly funny moments, and so much to relate to. Katherine is such a likeable heroine - fully well-rounded and real and difficult and weird - but entirely loveable. I want her in my life full time. I really loved loved loved this book. * Lucy Vine, author of SEVEN EXES *

In that way that you only experience with the very best writers, every line in this book is a wonder. Daisy made me feel everything. There are silly, laugh-out-loud, proper jokes in there - the setting is perfectly chosen for hilarity - but seconds after snorting over a Humpty Dumpty gag, I would realise tears were running down my face.
Mostly, I thought this was a very unique, very human story. In that way that you also only experience with the very best writers, I drew out the last few pages, knowing I would miss Pity Party in my life and that the next book on my list would have a lot to live up to. Gorgeous.

* Caroline Corcoran, author of THROUGH THE WALL *
Full of Daisy's trademark insight, wit, empathy and relatability, Pity Party is the perfect book for anyone who has ever felt as though they've made a mistake. Pity Party is perfection and I will happily devour every word Daisy ever writes. * Lindsey Kelk, author of LOVE ME DO *
What a read! What a tear jerker! But very funny, and written with such breezy wit, and characters I ADORED. Daisy is EXCELLENT. * Marian Keyes, author of AGAIN, RACHEL *
Wonderfully funny. Her best book yet. * Nina Stibbe, author of REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL *

Author Bio

Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster. Her books include the novels Insatiable (longlisted for the CWIP prize), Careering (as heard on BBC Sounds) and Limelight, and the non-fiction titles How to Be a Grown Up and The Sisterhood. She hosts the Daisy Is... podcast series, and the chart-topping podcast You're Booked, where she interviews legendary writers from all over the world about how their reading habits shape their work. You can also hear her on beloved podcasts including Comfort Blanket, Cuddle Club and Crushed. Daisy has appeared on a number of TV and radio shows including Woman's Hour, The Today Programme, Soul Music, A Good Read, This Morning and Good Morning Britain. She is a TEDx speaker and has guest presented the Booker Prize for BBC News. Her newest novel Pity Party is published in July 2024.

You can find Daisy on X @NotRollergirl and Instagram @thedaisybee.