Probably Nothing - by Lauren Bravo (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An irresistibly warm, witty and hilarious novel about one woman's pursuit of happiness--and the cost of her comfort over her fulfillment. Perfect for readers of Good Material by Dolly Alderton and The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue.

Life is short . . . but does that mean you should settle for one that's just "perfectly fine"?

Bryony doesn't actually mind being single. So she doesn't understand why she keeps seeing (okay, sleeping with) Ed, who is perfectly fine, but also only okay. After developing the ick on their fifth date, she resolves to end things--only to receive a call the next day telling her Ed has died.

Worse yet, he seems to have represented her to his family and friends as the love of his life. Obviously, it would be cruel to correct them. But then she's invited to the funeral. It would be equally rude to refuse . . . right?

Before she knows it, Bryony has been drawn in by the charisma and chaos of Ed's eccentric family and tangled in a web of her own lies. She's been guilted into signing up for his sister's pyramid scheme, she's in far too deep with several of his nearest and dearest--and to make matters worse she's experiencing a lot of physical symptoms that are becoming increasingly difficult to continue ignoring . . .

Review Quotes

"Witty, sweet . . . a novel after my own heart."
--Marian Keyes

"So fun and funny and charming: It's the perfect balance of gentle and desperate, loving and awkward, and it carries you along with every one of Bryony's quirks and questionable decisions."
--Holly Gramazio, author of The Husbands
"A sharp comedy of manners that feels as timeless as it does timely. Lauren Bravo manages to observe the world (wellness influencers, people-pleasers, overbearing mothers and all) with both affection and wit: a modern successor to Jane Austen if there ever was one."
--Morgan Dick, author of Favourite Daughter

"A book so genuinely hilarious, so deeply human, so cleverly observed, and so recognizable that I feel like I'm one of Bryony's friends who she sees for dinner a couple of times a year, sitting across a table from her going 'Oh pal, you didn't . . .'"
--Kate Young, author of Experienced
"Probably Nothing is wildly, ferociously funny, and so brilliantly observed. It's also beautiful. Bravo's book explores every complicated facet of modern family life in a way that feels vivid, warm and real. Finally, someone has written a novel that speaks directly to the recovering people pleaser. This is, without doubt, a future classic. I'm going to be buying people copies of this brilliant book for years to come."
--Daisy Buchanan, author of Careering
"Probably Nothing hums with heart, humour, and insight. Filled with smart, addictive prose and scarily relatable observations, nobody writes life quite like Lauren Bravo. An absolute banger!"
--Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing About Norman Forman

"Probably Nothing is clever, funny, and has real depth and heart on family, friendships, and falling apart. Lauren's books are like a Robyn happy-sad floor filler. Bangers that will lift you and devastate you in a heartbeat. I can't think of a higher compliment."
--Justin Myers
"So funny. And, so much fun."
--Nikki May"As a people-pleaser but mostly just as a reader . . . I LOVED THIS BOOK."
--Caroline Corcoran

"Gorgeous, generous, silly, tender, thoughtful, and just brutal enough to be genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, I truly loved this novel about guilt and grief and wanting what you haven't got."
--Ella Risbridger

About the Author

Lauren Bravo is an author, journalist and lifelong hypochondriac who has written about fashion, popular culture, food and feminism for publications including Grazia, Stylist, Vogue and Sunday Times. Her debut novel, Preloved, was named one of Red's best books of 2023. Her latest novel is Probably Nothing. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.