Living My Best Li(f)e by Claire Frost

A few months ago I was in a reading slump. I hadn't been finishing as many books as previous years because of lack of time around my job, and so I wanted each read I picked up to be truly worth it and wow me. But they didn't. Until I devoured Lindsey Kelk's I Heart Hawaii (the final installment in her most wonderful I Heart series) and Claire Frost's Living My Best Li(f)e back-to-back. I finished Claire's brilliant debut in almost one sitting, it was that good, and together this power-duo has rekindled my love for reading ♥

Social media is a blessing and a curse at the same time. On the one hand it's a great tool to keep up-to-date with what's happening in the world, be inspired by beautiful photos of recipes to try or places to travel to, and stay in touch with people we may otherwise have never even known. On the other, it paints a very skewed picture – as we tend to only show the good bits – increasing people's feelings of anxiety and not being good enough, as they think they can't compare to everyone else's seemingly perfect lives.

Living My Best Li(f)e shows this 21st century issue through Bell's eyes. Nearly 40 years-old, her relationship of ten years has just fallen apart, and seeing everyone's supposedly wonderful lives on social media doesn't help her get out of her slump. Until she meets social media influencer Millie. Millie has a cute son and a gorgeous Instagram feed and is seemingly living the 'hashtag blessed' life. While on the surface the two women aren't the most likely friendship pair, there is an instant click. Although they have different struggles and life experiences, together they conquer social media obsession, selfish exes, and everything else that comes on their path to start living their actual best life.

Gosh, I loved this book so much! The writing was intelligent and inviting and while it's classified as 'women's fiction' it wasn't at all about the main characters – a single mum and someone in their late thirties – only being able to find happiness through a partner, which so often tends to be the case. And the story of how social media impacts how we live our day-to-day life and feel about ourselves was hugely relatable. No-one can compete with the picture-perfect representation we put on our public feeds as it's a filtered and fine-tuned version of ourselves. But while we're all a part of this falsification of life, we tend to forget everyone else does the same. This book is a much needed eye-opener and reminder that there are far more important things to help us find happiness and contentment.

It's crazy to think this is Claire Frost's debut novel as it's already SO good – and I'm beyond excited to see what she'll write next. For now, whether you'll be spending your summer on a beach somewhere far away or at your local lido, make sure you pick up the smashin' Living My Best Li(f)e as it's the perfect holiday companion. Packed with a great story and even greater characters, the novel is relatable, fresh, and so much fun. It has heartfelt moments as well as a generous dose of laughs, and at the end you will not only walk away with two new friends, but also with some much-needed reminders about what's truly important in life.



Living My Best Li(f)e by Claire Frost is published by Simon & Schuster and is out now in ebook. Alternatively you can pre-order your paperback copy (out in September) from Foyles or your own preferred retailer.
 

Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me by the publisher, but it was my choice to cover it on my blog with an honest review.