- What a fabulous book, I devoured it over a few days, laughing out loud and quietly sobbing. - Both devastating and comforting - Unhinge will make you laugh and cry. Read this book. It's that simple - It's the best read I've had for a long time. I laughed and cried. Will definitely recommend it my family and other friends. - The characters are so relatable and well drawn.
Have you ever found yourself having to 'move on'? It wasn't easy, was it?
Alfie Anderson isn't finding it very easy either. After 14 years with the same person, having to start all over again is an exhausting thought. However, we all need to move on, right?
Therefore, Alfie finds himself entering the soul destroying world of online dating in an attempt to meet someone new.
But moving on is easier said than done, and Alfie has a few ghosts to exorcise before he's going to be able to finally leave the past behind.
UNHINGE is the uplifitng story of love, family and friendship and is the perfect read for those looking to laugh, cry and have their heart warmed.
I have been writing now for around 16 months (as of end of December 25)
I have written four books. UNHINGE, FATE FELL SHORT and NOT MIDNIGHT YET are part of a trilogy, while 49 THINGS TO DO WITH DAD BEFORE HE DIES is a standalone story.
I am a teacher of politics to trade at a high school just outside of Glasgow. It is a job I love and have done for close to twenty years, which is scary to write down!
My spare time is spent writing, watching football and going to the movies. However, my favourite thing to do is spend time/argue/ with my daughter, Sophie.
I do love a holiday (they are my vice) and I try to get abroad four or five times a year. I love the Canary Islands and have recently discovered Virgin Cruises, which has been bad for my bank balance.
I hope you enjoy reading my work. I try to write about real life in a way that is relatable, with some humour and leave the reader with something to think about.
Really enjoyed this book. Was a really easy read, loved the way it was written. I could imagine all the characters and was really rooting for them. Know quite a few of the places in the book too. Laughed a lot, cried a few times. Would definitely read more.
Could do with a proofread as a few spelling errors and extra words, mixed up words that the pedant in me noticed. But I notice that in most books 😊
Now that I have composed myself after all the emotions, I guess I can put together some words in the way of a review. However, where to start with a book that had me belly laughing, ugly crying, reminiscing on my own life, thinking about my friends lives, wanting to give Alfie a hug while telling the ladies to look after him, wanting to put Alan in his place and everything in-between in one chapter never mind the entirety of the book.
Firstly, I will say definitely not my usual type of book to be reading but we all have persuasive friends, right... and one of my besties happens to be the 'Jenny' mentioned in the authors acknowledgements at the back of the book. My views here are entirely my own. I will add that. I will also say I'm so glad she did as ... I LOVE IT!
You just have to read it. You're not going to be blown away by Craig Scoular's description of his brilliant book, although perfectly accurate, totally under sells it in a beautifully modest way. My other besties just read the early on reviews and bought it before I told them much more 😂 Jenny, however, sent me the book like she sends me work docs to proof read 😂 she knows me too well.
Being from Lanarkshire myself, though not the same town as Alfie, the setting and references to Lanarkshire and Glasgow were just brilliant. Though I've not been to them all yet I have heard about them all prior to reading and with Scoular's amazing way with words could picture being in every location with Alfie the whole way through the book. And what amazing timing to launch a book in the season that it's written in beautiful.
The characters are so relatable, all on their own journey through life as we all are influenced by our past, current surcomdtances, personal expectations and those we love, philia as well as eros obviously. Alfie, of course, has the added complications of the online word, as many of my friends navigated, too. Who I thought about all the way through reading. Let's hope Alfie is as successful and fulfilled as they are while still navigating life's latest hills and valleys.
A mans POV into online dating with hilarious incidents has quickly made this one of my all time favourite Romance Novels! Think A male Bridget Jones Diary welcome to the escapades of Alfie Anderson
Clearly a massive statement but what the author does here is makes you feel many emotions throughout the book you will be laughing you will be cringing and there will be heartbreak as that’s love in a nutshell you take the good with the bad but remember “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
I throughly enjoyed this book it hit home with me especially finding my Partner on Hinge and having my own fair share of awkward dates in the past it’s a relatable story for anyone in the dating world from both sides and explores a very honest view on how dating midlife can be.
The characters are lovable I had a soft spot for UJ in particular because he reminded me of my Grandfather who would be more of a cockney version
Hearing that a sequel is on the horizon fills me with joy as I wasn’t ready to let Alfie go quite yet this character in particular you will feel many emotions towards but on reflection he is perfectly flawed just like is all
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Unhinge our book club book for June by debut author Craig Scoular. So much so, I had to finish the trilogy to find out what life had in store for Alfie.
Yes Alfie's experiences are reminiscent of Bridget Jones' trials and tribulations, equally though the author could be compared to the Lad Lit writers Nick Hornby and Mike Gayle or the recent award winning Scottish debut novelist Tom Newlands.
Scoular handles very heavy subjects skillfully and has created characters we genuinely love and care about strongly. These books have universal appeal and the author deserves the recognition that would come with having a wider audience. So get the word out.
I absolutely loved this book and all the relatable characters. I loved the pace, the humour, and the familiarity of it all. Sad that I’ve finished it after binging on it all day on a rainy September day x
Good story, funny, sad, had all the feels. Interesting to see how men view dating, as we usually only have the woman's view. Would definitely recommend, will download the next book.
Really enjoyed this. Binged it in a day, couldn’t put it down. The characters are relatable and funny. Highly recommend for anyone needing to laugh and cry about life’s twists and turns.
Wow! What a fabulous book, I devoured it over a few days, laughing out loud and quietly sobbing. I've recommended it to friends & and I really hope there will be a sequel!
Such an easy read, I couldn’t put my kindle down! I felt like I was deep in a funny/ embarrassing dating stories Reddit thread, whilst also picturing a comedy reality tv series. Would recommend :)
Well that was a rollercoaster of emotions to say the least. Massive Thank you to Craig Scoular for coming on my radio show and discussing the book. You can listen to it on mixcloud!
Unhinge follows Alfie Anderson who is trying to move on after being married to Heather for a life time. It’s two years on, he’s 42 and he’s trying to navigate the joy of online dating. Based in Glasgow and surrounding areas was what first drew me to this book as I love a local based story. Just being able to see the places I see everyday in my head while reading this was great.
The characters in this book are all amazing in their own way but I particularly loved UJ and Alan. They just reminded me of people in my life and we definitely need people like them sometimes! Alfie character development was something I would say was one of the strongest things within the book and to be honest it goes hand in hand with the plot. Around 16% of the way through he was annoying me but yes he developed as the chapters went on.
I loved the friendships within the book. It reminded me of my own friends in many different ways and I think reading this as a 25 year old in a 42 male perspective was interesting and learned some things to take into my own friendships.
If you’re looking for a good laugh, a little cry and a wholesome book about navigating how to move on in life this is the book for you! A lot of good stuff in it and yeah I think some people who seen me on the train would think I was as crazy as Margaret (read to understand) with my laughter on the train.