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After My Own Heart
The course of true love never did run straight...
Evie Day has never wanted a boyfriend she's gay, out and proud, and as far as she's concerned, her life is perfect that way. But when her girlfriend leaves her for a leggy blonde, everything changes her flat, her friends, her future and she finds herself having feelings for an old friend, who just happens to be a man. To say that things aren t turning out the way she planned is an understatement.
With her best friend Jamie's Big Fat Gay Wedding looming on the horizon, Evie struggles to choose between her ex, her old friend, a new best friend in the form of a beautiful, chaotic burlesque artist, and a grumpy but distracting new flatmate.
All she wants to do is find The One, but for Evie, thinking straight never did come naturally.
Evie Day has never wanted a boyfriend she's gay, out and proud, and as far as she's concerned, her life is perfect that way. But when her girlfriend leaves her for a leggy blonde, everything changes her flat, her friends, her future and she finds herself having feelings for an old friend, who just happens to be a man. To say that things aren t turning out the way she planned is an understatement.
With her best friend Jamie's Big Fat Gay Wedding looming on the horizon, Evie struggles to choose between her ex, her old friend, a new best friend in the form of a beautiful, chaotic burlesque artist, and a grumpy but distracting new flatmate.
All she wants to do is find The One, but for Evie, thinking straight never did come naturally.
329 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
19 people want to read
About the author
Sophia Blackwell
7 books10 followersSophia Blackwell was born in Newcastle and read English at Oxford. She lives in North London and has been performing poetry for almost a decade and has featured at Glastonbury, Edinburgh, the Big Chill and the Secret Garden Party among many other festivals.
Her debut collection of poetry, Into Temptation, was published in 2009 by Tollington Press and her first novel, After My Own Heart, was published by Limehouse Books in March 2012. Her short stories are featured in the gay and lesbian anthologies Boys and Girls and Men and Women. Her second collection of poetry is publishing in Spring 2015.
Her debut collection of poetry, Into Temptation, was published in 2009 by Tollington Press and her first novel, After My Own Heart, was published by Limehouse Books in March 2012. Her short stories are featured in the gay and lesbian anthologies Boys and Girls and Men and Women. Her second collection of poetry is publishing in Spring 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 16, 2012
It’s taken me a while to write this review but sometimes it’s impossible to read a book and then sit down and review it because for the past few weeks that book has moved alongside your life and intertwined with it. What I now call, thanks to Pinterest, a ‘book hangover’: http://pinterest.com/pin/107171666103... This book especially, with its fluid description of characters and relationships was so lifelike to me I felt these characters were real people. Now I know I do tend to get a little too involved with characters and believe they’re real people but they are, aren’t they!, equal rights and all that!
This book is the story of Evie Day whose life seems to have everything set up: good job, girlfriend, nice flat, etc but it all starts to crumble around her and the year in front of her, that this novel covers, isn’t about how she rebuilds what’s fallen down it’s how she takes the ruins of her life, grinds them down even more and makes a sand picture out of them on the floor. It’s beautiful, it has a long way to come and the smallest gust of wind might rock things but she knows who she is at the end of it all.
I think I like this story so much because at the core of it, even though there’s so much heartache in it, it’s a love story. But do we want any of these relationships to work out for Evie? Or do we also know, somehow, that they’re not the right person for her right now. Her friends may make snap decisions on this based on the gender of her choice of partner but we need to delve further in before we see this decision come to fruition.
I like the inverted taboo of falling for the ‘wrong gender’ but from our side of the fence. Lesbians (yes I used a capital) get a lot of flack sometimes for falling for a boy. Is it because our friend is now ridiculing our life choice and living on the easy side of the life or is it just because they fell in love, like everyone can, and gender was secondary to this notion – that’s what I love most here. I almost wanted her and Roshan to make a go of it ... but that’s so Lesbian of me ... move in on the second date, grab your moving van.
Sophia Blackwell’s writing is as fluid as sexuality and I think this is a great novel not just for a/the gay community and this isn’t a ‘lesbian writer’s’ book, this is for everyone. Everyone who’s been a little lost in life, has some emotional baggage to work through, has been in love, wants to fall in love, has friends, enjoys life, enjoys reading ... everyone.
This book is the story of Evie Day whose life seems to have everything set up: good job, girlfriend, nice flat, etc but it all starts to crumble around her and the year in front of her, that this novel covers, isn’t about how she rebuilds what’s fallen down it’s how she takes the ruins of her life, grinds them down even more and makes a sand picture out of them on the floor. It’s beautiful, it has a long way to come and the smallest gust of wind might rock things but she knows who she is at the end of it all.
I think I like this story so much because at the core of it, even though there’s so much heartache in it, it’s a love story. But do we want any of these relationships to work out for Evie? Or do we also know, somehow, that they’re not the right person for her right now. Her friends may make snap decisions on this based on the gender of her choice of partner but we need to delve further in before we see this decision come to fruition.
I like the inverted taboo of falling for the ‘wrong gender’ but from our side of the fence. Lesbians (yes I used a capital) get a lot of flack sometimes for falling for a boy. Is it because our friend is now ridiculing our life choice and living on the easy side of the life or is it just because they fell in love, like everyone can, and gender was secondary to this notion – that’s what I love most here. I almost wanted her and Roshan to make a go of it ... but that’s so Lesbian of me ... move in on the second date, grab your moving van.
Sophia Blackwell’s writing is as fluid as sexuality and I think this is a great novel not just for a/the gay community and this isn’t a ‘lesbian writer’s’ book, this is for everyone. Everyone who’s been a little lost in life, has some emotional baggage to work through, has been in love, wants to fall in love, has friends, enjoys life, enjoys reading ... everyone.
April 21, 2019
Todettakoon, että pidin kirjasta. Paljon. Se osoittautui erinomaiseksi lajinsa edustajaksi. Hyviä kirjoja on kahta sorttia: niitä, joista haluaa heti kertoa suureen ääneen ja niitä, joita pitää pyöritellä hetki.
Tämä kirja ei muuta maailmaa. Se ei edes välttämättä ole Britannian lahja kanakirjallisuudelle. Se kuitenkin sai minut pysähtymään lukemisessani paikoitellen, tuntemaan sitä sellaista katkeransuloista melkeinkateutta: "Miksi minä en osaa sanoa asioita näin?"
Juoni kantoi alusta loppuun ja lyhyiden lukujen ansiosta kirja soveltui oivasti työmatkalukemiseksi. Junassa ehti lukea parikin lukua. Miellyttävää oli myös se, että Evien tarjokkaiden moninaisuus ja laidasta laitaan ailahtelevat tunteet säästivät lukijan ennalta-arvattavuudelta. Kuvio selviää oikeastaan vasta parin viimeisen luvun aikana. Blackwell käyttää oivasti hyväkseen kasan chick lit -kliseitä, muttei kuitenkaan liikaa ja henkilöt ovat kaikki miellyttäviä. Inhimillisiä, virheineen, mutta ketään ei tarvitse inhota. Ei edes sitä perfektionistipomoa.
Parantaa olisi voinut aikatasojen selkeyttä. Välillä hypätään aikatasosta toiseen, vain muutaman virkkeen ajaksi ja lukijan pitää ihan miettiä, että missäs nyt oltiinkaan. Toinen asia, joka paikoitellen meinasi ärsyttää, oli tietynlainen "käänteissyrjintä" useimpien henkilöiden asenteissa. Se saattaa olla tarkoituksellista, ja luultavasti onkin, mutta vähempikin alleviivaaminen olisi riittänyt.
Kieli on kaunista (sikäli kuin minä kykenen englannin hienouksia arvostamaan) ja kuvailut vallan toimivia. Sophia Blackwell on kolmikymppinen, Oxford-koulutettu esiintyvä runoilija ja burleskiartisti. Tausta näkyy paitsi tunnelmanluonnissa, myös hyvin vahvasti teemoissa. Blackwell on kirjoittanut siitä, mistä tietää.
Tämä oli niin lupaava esikoisromaani, että jään uteliaisuudella odottamaan seuraavaa.
Tämä kirja ei muuta maailmaa. Se ei edes välttämättä ole Britannian lahja kanakirjallisuudelle. Se kuitenkin sai minut pysähtymään lukemisessani paikoitellen, tuntemaan sitä sellaista katkeransuloista melkeinkateutta: "Miksi minä en osaa sanoa asioita näin?"
Juoni kantoi alusta loppuun ja lyhyiden lukujen ansiosta kirja soveltui oivasti työmatkalukemiseksi. Junassa ehti lukea parikin lukua. Miellyttävää oli myös se, että Evien tarjokkaiden moninaisuus ja laidasta laitaan ailahtelevat tunteet säästivät lukijan ennalta-arvattavuudelta. Kuvio selviää oikeastaan vasta parin viimeisen luvun aikana. Blackwell käyttää oivasti hyväkseen kasan chick lit -kliseitä, muttei kuitenkaan liikaa ja henkilöt ovat kaikki miellyttäviä. Inhimillisiä, virheineen, mutta ketään ei tarvitse inhota. Ei edes sitä perfektionistipomoa.
Parantaa olisi voinut aikatasojen selkeyttä. Välillä hypätään aikatasosta toiseen, vain muutaman virkkeen ajaksi ja lukijan pitää ihan miettiä, että missäs nyt oltiinkaan. Toinen asia, joka paikoitellen meinasi ärsyttää, oli tietynlainen "käänteissyrjintä" useimpien henkilöiden asenteissa. Se saattaa olla tarkoituksellista, ja luultavasti onkin, mutta vähempikin alleviivaaminen olisi riittänyt.
Kieli on kaunista (sikäli kuin minä kykenen englannin hienouksia arvostamaan) ja kuvailut vallan toimivia. Sophia Blackwell on kolmikymppinen, Oxford-koulutettu esiintyvä runoilija ja burleskiartisti. Tausta näkyy paitsi tunnelmanluonnissa, myös hyvin vahvasti teemoissa. Blackwell on kirjoittanut siitä, mistä tietää.
Tämä oli niin lupaava esikoisromaani, että jään uteliaisuudella odottamaan seuraavaa.
April 29, 2013
My partner Liz's review
I was sent an advanced copy of this book to review and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to do so.
The book starts with the breakdown of a relationship. Evie and Kate have been living together as a couple for about five years and all of a sudden they break up. Looking back on their time Evie can see that it had it flaws but this still didn’t prepare her for the inevidatable.
Kate had been supporting one of their other friends who had equally just gone through a breakup and the time spent together had drawn them into something new.
Evie works in PR but her love and passion is singing, so her nights are spent jobbing at clubs to promote her songs.
Anyway this book is all about the journey you have to go through to come out the other side. Evie takes that journey making some unusual connections along the way and at times doubting what she has always thought she was…. gay.
The ex as exes do so well, if they are the ones to break your heart, does string her along a bit which makes it all that much more difficult for Evie to move on.
I thoroughly enjoyed finding out how Evie’s life would pan out and it wasn’t right until the end that you do, so you’re kept in suspense for the whole read.
Definitely would recommend it and in fact my partner is just about to start reading it now that I have finished.
Loved it!
I was sent an advanced copy of this book to review and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to do so.
The book starts with the breakdown of a relationship. Evie and Kate have been living together as a couple for about five years and all of a sudden they break up. Looking back on their time Evie can see that it had it flaws but this still didn’t prepare her for the inevidatable.
Kate had been supporting one of their other friends who had equally just gone through a breakup and the time spent together had drawn them into something new.
Evie works in PR but her love and passion is singing, so her nights are spent jobbing at clubs to promote her songs.
Anyway this book is all about the journey you have to go through to come out the other side. Evie takes that journey making some unusual connections along the way and at times doubting what she has always thought she was…. gay.
The ex as exes do so well, if they are the ones to break your heart, does string her along a bit which makes it all that much more difficult for Evie to move on.
I thoroughly enjoyed finding out how Evie’s life would pan out and it wasn’t right until the end that you do, so you’re kept in suspense for the whole read.
Definitely would recommend it and in fact my partner is just about to start reading it now that I have finished.
Loved it!
September 28, 2012
Evie is left desolate after discovering that her long-term girlfriend has been cheating on her with a mutual friend. Her journey to recovery (with pit stops for sexual confusion, rediscovered friends, and self-pity) will resonate with anyone who has put on a sardonic brave face to mask heartbreak. Stunning one-liners make your stomach clench with the memory of when you, albeit less eloquently, thought them yourself. To describe this novel as ‘lesbian chick lit’ is to undervalue a relentlessly honest, witty account of post emotional-apocalypse. Blackwell expertly captures today’s London and the cynical humour of those that frequent its underbelly.
Like my review? Read more at http://booksbeccabuys.com
Like my review? Read more at http://booksbeccabuys.com
August 24, 2012
I was already hooked after the first few paragraphs of this emotional roller-coaster. Sophia Blackwell has crafted her central characters so convincingly that I very quickly felt I had a vested interest in the course their lives were to take. Relationship classification, sexuality, mental health and equality are just a few of the 'topics' that help to make this book more than just a fanciful divertissement, giving you food for thought as well as a good laugh and a cry!
November 13, 2012
It was a good book, i really enjoyed it. Really its just about a girl going through a confusing year-long break-up, taking the reader along for the ride.And boy is it a doozy of an emotional roller coaster.
Gets real personal in there, almost disconcertingly so. I mean, I can only read about how amazing Roshan smells so many times before I yell in the tube "I get it!" and start skipping paragraphs.
Gets real personal in there, almost disconcertingly so. I mean, I can only read about how amazing Roshan smells so many times before I yell in the tube "I get it!" and start skipping paragraphs.
January 11, 2013
This is a good book, beautifully written with a likable main character, but not that memorable. At times there was way too much going on, and I wasn't very fond of the way absolutely everything revolved around Evie's love interests.
It was the language I liked the most – it's stunning! I just wish there had been more to the story.
It was the language I liked the most – it's stunning! I just wish there had been more to the story.
May 24, 2012
I cannot recommend this book enough! Funny, witty, all-in-all a great story which makes you think outside the usual confines of a love story.... absolutely loved it. More novels please Sophia!
November 27, 2012
I've posted a video review on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5OfSp...
March 14, 2014
I liked the way it successfully balanced the tragedy with humour. It's a beautifully produced book which complements Sophia's volume of poetry.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews