What do you think?
Rate this book
Enough Already
When a junior on her team pitches an exciting new idea to her boss, Briony is so preoccupied by her fear of public speaking that she misses the concept entirely, and ends up in a spiralling web of lies and excuses as she tries to manage a project she knows nothing about. When everything comes to a head with a colossal panic attack, she is signed off work for a month on mental health leave.
To make matters worse, Briony's boyfriend Ben is being distant, and her best friend Sami seems to have replaced her with a new work friend. And then there is her dad, who needs a lift home from jail - again. Briony feels like she will never be enough for any of them.
Briony decides that she needs to make a change, to become a better employee, a better girlfriend, a better friend and a better daughter, and signs up to a local social anxiety support group in order to deal with her issues. It is there that she meets Jordan and Sarah, two new friends who might just show Briony that she is 'enough' already.
To make matters worse, Briony's boyfriend Ben is being distant, and her best friend Sami seems to have replaced her with a new work friend. And then there is her dad, who needs a lift home from jail - again. Briony feels like she will never be enough for any of them.
Briony decides that she needs to make a change, to become a better employee, a better girlfriend, a better friend and a better daughter, and signs up to a local social anxiety support group in order to deal with her issues. It is there that she meets Jordan and Sarah, two new friends who might just show Briony that she is 'enough' already.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2021
145 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 3, 2021
This book is fantastic. Witty, sharp, funny and filled to the brim with relatability. I feel we’ve all been Briony at one point in our lives and her story is so beautifully put, touching on mental health and showing the reader you can be ‘enough’ already. It provides an array of different emotions throughout, which is what I love in a book!
I highly recommend this book to anyone. A brilliant new author, who’s writing you do not want to miss!
I highly recommend this book to anyone. A brilliant new author, who’s writing you do not want to miss!
September 10, 2024
Started this thinking Briony is an absolute basket case and will this book be an entire rambling of fatalist, anxiety-driven scenarios of a possible future where every possible train is derailed? Almost put me off the story, to be honest...but then again, this was reading/flowing so easily and it caught me in, and I had to know what Briony would do next, and especially how the two people she meets in the group will help her figure out she is enough already.
It's not an easy read in some places - the narcissistic parental abuse was hard to take (having lived this IRL) - and the dismissal all around Briony felt personal at times... But that's also the beauty of this book. It doesn't shy away from issues. Even the mental trainwreck rambling of Briony's anxiety is a strength, because it's the unvarnished look into her mind, the real her, utterly authentic of her being and what she's going through. So for that alone, it's a great read. Hard, but realistic.
I'll admit I stuck along to find out what will happen with Ben, then with Jason at the office, and especially to see Sami get what she deserves! The author didn't disappoint in the latter, for sure.
Thoroughly engaging and especially because it reads so 'real' and true to life.
It's not an easy read in some places - the narcissistic parental abuse was hard to take (having lived this IRL) - and the dismissal all around Briony felt personal at times... But that's also the beauty of this book. It doesn't shy away from issues. Even the mental trainwreck rambling of Briony's anxiety is a strength, because it's the unvarnished look into her mind, the real her, utterly authentic of her being and what she's going through. So for that alone, it's a great read. Hard, but realistic.
I'll admit I stuck along to find out what will happen with Ben, then with Jason at the office, and especially to see Sami get what she deserves! The author didn't disappoint in the latter, for sure.
Thoroughly engaging and especially because it reads so 'real' and true to life.
June 3, 2021
I had the absolute joy to read this early and from the very first page, I was laughing out loud. The m/c Briony is completely and utterly paranoid about everything which makes for some brilliantly comic scenes but the further into the book you go, the more the layers to her character are revealed. There are some big issues tackled in this book - self-love, mental health, friendship, forgiveness - and Briony and her friends become people to really root for.
December 25, 2021
Big thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for sending a copy of this book to read and review,
This book was an absolute pleasure and joy to read. As someone who suffers from social anxiety and depression, this hit close to home, I couldn't help but make comparisons with some of the things that she feels and goes through regarding anxiety and depression with what I feel when my anxiety is high. I love that this book celebrates the person that Briony is from the start. A lot of the time in mental health books they are somehow more and so much better as people once there affliction is 'cured' rather than them being enough with or without what they are going through. A mental health condition does not make you less. Just in case those in the back didn't hear me.. A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION DOES NOT MAKE YOU LESS.
There is no logic to anxiety and depression. You could have everything you need or want but still suffer from one or the other, or maybe even both. You cannot tell someone to just snap out of it or that what they are feeling is nothing. This book is stunning in the way that it deals with these issues and I would recommend it to anyone.
This book was an absolute pleasure and joy to read. As someone who suffers from social anxiety and depression, this hit close to home, I couldn't help but make comparisons with some of the things that she feels and goes through regarding anxiety and depression with what I feel when my anxiety is high. I love that this book celebrates the person that Briony is from the start. A lot of the time in mental health books they are somehow more and so much better as people once there affliction is 'cured' rather than them being enough with or without what they are going through. A mental health condition does not make you less. Just in case those in the back didn't hear me.. A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION DOES NOT MAKE YOU LESS.
There is no logic to anxiety and depression. You could have everything you need or want but still suffer from one or the other, or maybe even both. You cannot tell someone to just snap out of it or that what they are feeling is nothing. This book is stunning in the way that it deals with these issues and I would recommend it to anyone.
June 11, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Enough Already by Mary Hargreaves
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and Trapeze for providing me with an Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Briony, a twenty-something working in tech, living with her boyfriend and going out partying with her friends. Except Briony worries about everything, whether she’s done something to upset someone, whether they hate her because of something she said, whether she’s doomed at work because she can’t do public speaking. Following a panic attack at work, she seeks help at a group therapy session and meets Sarah and Jordan, who have issues of their own.
I thought the story moved at a relatively good pace, the characters were interesting and they all had their own quirks and pasts that you had to uncover. While I understand it was par the course for Briony’s thoughts to be repetitive and spiral off into doomsday scenarios, it felt a little bit tired to me. The book as a whole gave off very Eleanor Oliphant vibes, but in my opinion it wasn’t as well refined. I think the biggest issue Briony had was overthinking and catastrophising too much, as she could have avoided causing problems for herself at work and relationship issues with her boyfriend because she got in her own head too much.
There are some surprises and twists along the way that I wasn’t expecting and all in all, it’s a very positive book, some of the characters are so lovely I wish I could know them in real life and it definitely is worth a read if you’re ever worried about overthinking things.
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and Trapeze for providing me with an Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Briony, a twenty-something working in tech, living with her boyfriend and going out partying with her friends. Except Briony worries about everything, whether she’s done something to upset someone, whether they hate her because of something she said, whether she’s doomed at work because she can’t do public speaking. Following a panic attack at work, she seeks help at a group therapy session and meets Sarah and Jordan, who have issues of their own.
I thought the story moved at a relatively good pace, the characters were interesting and they all had their own quirks and pasts that you had to uncover. While I understand it was par the course for Briony’s thoughts to be repetitive and spiral off into doomsday scenarios, it felt a little bit tired to me. The book as a whole gave off very Eleanor Oliphant vibes, but in my opinion it wasn’t as well refined. I think the biggest issue Briony had was overthinking and catastrophising too much, as she could have avoided causing problems for herself at work and relationship issues with her boyfriend because she got in her own head too much.
There are some surprises and twists along the way that I wasn’t expecting and all in all, it’s a very positive book, some of the characters are so lovely I wish I could know them in real life and it definitely is worth a read if you’re ever worried about overthinking things.
June 7, 2021
I loved this book. I enjoyed Mary's debut This is Not a Love Story, very much, but I actually preferred Enough Already. I thought it was really witty and keenly observed. Mary has a great way with humour, which I really appreciate as good humour is really hard to write. In Briony she has created a character that I think everyone will be able to empathise with. A very well deserved 5*.
April 9, 2025
I almost stopped a couple of chapters in, because Briony is a basket case who needs a therapist and some Xanax. I typically don’t enjoy books where the main character is a disaster, but Briony gets under your skin. She’s so relatable, and you’re pulling for her to get the help she needs. By the end, she pretty much has her crap together.
March 14, 2024
Favourite quotes:
“It’s not about how many friends you have, it’s about the quality of those friendships.”
~pg 105-106
“We can’t always be our perfect selves in every situation… sometimes life gets in the way. Everyone has stuff they’re dealing with”
~pg 247
“It’s not about how many friends you have, it’s about the quality of those friendships.”
~pg 105-106
“We can’t always be our perfect selves in every situation… sometimes life gets in the way. Everyone has stuff they’re dealing with”
~pg 247
July 14, 2022
Great easy read. Very well written, couldn’t wait to finish
August 4, 2023
I loved this book. Funny, witty, real and a joy to read. It had bouts of real deep emotion and really relatable topics. Would 100% recommend.
January 1, 2025
DNF
This just wasn't my cup of tea, didn't like the writing style though the theme had potential
This just wasn't my cup of tea, didn't like the writing style though the theme had potential
February 2, 2025
I love everything about this book. Pls keep writing!
March 25, 2025
Shout out to the author who left a signed copy of this book on the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in Manchester <3
October 11, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review
This book dealt with mental illness in a way that was humorous, and serious. It did not romanticise mental illness and highlighted how serious it can be. I love how the protagonist, Briony, is extremely relatable in her personal struggles, and everyday life, and I especially love the character development. Amazing book, would recommend.
This book dealt with mental illness in a way that was humorous, and serious. It did not romanticise mental illness and highlighted how serious it can be. I love how the protagonist, Briony, is extremely relatable in her personal struggles, and everyday life, and I especially love the character development. Amazing book, would recommend.
October 16, 2023
What a great second book from the talented Mary Hargreaves. Easy to read and not very easy to put down as you get drawn into the characters and will them to succeed in life. As with mary’s first book, the story has a purpose and inspires you to be true to yourself and look out for others.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews