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Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
Oscar Wilde once said, “To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.” The title character in Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine by Mo Fanning finds herself constantly struggling just to be herself. She lives a quiet life in Manchester, which is suddenly upended late one night when she posts on Instagram about her engagement. The catch is that she’s not even dating anyone, much less engaged to them. Why would she do this? Well, her best friend, Helen, tells her she’s engaged. So instead of just letting that be, Lisa decides to invent a fake fiancé to ease her feelings of being left out and lonely at age 32. She manages to rope in her other best mate, Andy, to pose as her “fiancé,” Brian. Meanwhile, to further complicate her life, real feelings begin to bubble up about a person she sees daily. Could he possibly be interested in her, too? Will she have to reveal her lie? Will everyone in her life that matters understand her predicament? Will she get a happily-ever-after?
Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine by Mo Fanning pulled me in from the very beginning. I knew the lie would complicate her life, and I wanted to find out how she sorts it all out. The writing balances sharp, funny moments with more vulnerable, quieter ones. The dialogue is realistic. There were parts of the story where I genuinely felt sadness for Lisa, especially when she’s sitting alone in her dad’s old armchair. I think the loneliness she feels is so relatable. It was suffocating her life. I appreciated the ending so much, and I suspect others will feel the same way. I can honestly picture this book as a movie or maybe even a television series. Fans of realistic, character-driven contemporary fiction and stories about friendship, found family, and second chances will love this book.
