LoveReading Says
Our July 2020 Book Club Recommendation.
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A completely divine and ultimately uplifting debut, I cried, I smiled, I laughed, I loved it. With the best intentions Andrew has told a fib which has grown to surround and become a part of him, his life is then thrown up in the air when he meets Peggy. Ahh, Andrew, I admit to completely falling for this shy, kind, thoughtful man.
The first few pages had me smiling, humour finely balancing and holding hands with poignancy. Richard Roper has developed the most fabulous characters and one heck of an emotional setting, which he handles with beautiful sensitivity. As the story developed, I hoped, oh how I hoped for a happy ending but I really couldn’t tell what the final outcome was going to be.
With heartache tempered by gentle good humour Something To Live For casts the warmest of glows. I have no doubt that it will be topping my favourite reads of the year. We adore this quirky must-read and have chosen it to sit as a Debut of the Month, Liz Pick, and LoveReading Star Book!
Explore our '80+ Books That Deliver a Hug' listicle for more feel-good or uplifting books.
About Something to Live For
'If you loved Eleanor Oliphant, try this brilliant new read. We completely fell in love with this funny, uplifting debut' Fabulous Magazine'A magnificent read. Tender, funny, compelling' Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Hunting PartySometimes you have to risk everything to find your something...All Andrew wants is to be normal. He has the perfect wife and 2.4 children waiting at home for him after a long day. At least, that's what he's told people.The truth is, his life isn't exactly as people think and his little white lie is about to catch up with him.Because in all Andrew's efforts to fit in, he's forgotten one important thing: how to really live. And maybe, it's about time for him to start.Your favourite authors have all got Something to Live For...'Funny, moving and uplifting...I loved it' Libby Page, bestselling author of The Lido'Heart-breaking. Hilarious. Life-affirming' Holly Bourne, bestselling author of How Do You Like Me Now?'Funny, moving and thought-provoking - I loved this' Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of Let Me Lie'I completely fell under its spell. It pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart - in short, does everything that you want a novel to do. What an extraordinary debut' Gill Hornby, bestselling author of The Hive'Endearing and delightful' Prima Book of the Month'Funny, tender and all-the-feels' Red'A perfect, quirky summer page-turner. A life-affirming debut' The Times** This book is published in the US under the title How Not to Die Alone **
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Richard Roper Press Reviews
A beautiful, heart-warming laugh out loud story. - Dinah Jefferies via Twitter
Richard Roper has crafted a compelling mystery in this clever and uplifting debut... Something to Live For is a story about the problems we encounter as human beings and the connections that save us. -- Sarah Gilmartin - IRISH TIMES
Life-affirming...moments of hilarity while conveying a message about stepping out of comfort zones - GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Quirky and heartfelt... Andrew's past traumas are revealed gradually, and the reasons behind his isolation are heartbreaking and poignant. A moving and funny look at grief, hope, and the power of human connections. - KIRKUS REVIEWS
Tragic, sweet, and hopeful... This novel will appeal to fans of Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. - BOOKLIST
Roper's delightful debut is as funny as it is touching... This story of a neurotic, tenderhearted man struggling to learn how not to be alone is irresistible. - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Darkly humorous. - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Gentle comedy and these characters' innately kind natures enriches what might have been starkly sad moments... [Roper] admirably tackles a painful subject with goodhearted characters it's easy to root for. - USA TODAY
[An] off-beat and winning debut..., [Something To Live For] earns its pathos. Even more to its credit, it gives resiliency and the triumph of the human spirit a good name. - WALL STREET JOURNAL
A life-affirming novel that simultaneously tweaks your funny-bone and tugs at your heartstrings. Brilliant! -- Matt Dunn A definite contender for my book of the year . . . funny, heartbreaking and cleverly observed -- Claire Frost Wryly funny and quirkily charming - perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters
Funny, moving and uplifting... I loved it. - Libby Page, author of THE LIDO
Nick Hornby and David Nicholls' quirky love child would write like Richard Roper. Something to Live For is endearing, funny and life-affirming, with a perfect dose of loneliness and human kindness -- Caroline Smailes Warmed my heart, broke it a little, then put it back together -- Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of the THE FLATSHARE Just finished Something To Live For with tears running down my cheeks. Heart-breaking. Hilarious. Life-affirming. Some descriptions of loneliness took my breath away. This book deserves to be HUGE. - Holly Bourne
Like everyone else, I completely fell under its spell. It pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart - in short, does everything that you want a novel to do. Every character is round and real - from dear old Andrew, through the wonderful Peggy - oh, Peggy! - to the anonymous woman in the cloud of perfume who lives downstairs. While it is very much in the David Nicholls' tradition of sympathetic quirk and comedy, it is, at the same time, so fresh and different. I loved the voice, the people, the world..... Who couldn't? What an extraordinary debut. - Gill Hornby
Tender, funny, compelling - this wonderful book deserves to be huge! -- Lucy Foley, author of THE HUNTING PARTY Funny, moving and thought-provoking - I loved this. - Clare Mackintosh
A poignant, superbly funny debut novel about love, loneliness and the many ways life doesn't always go to plan. - WATERSTONES
Endearing. -- Patricia Nicol - SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE
A poignant but uplifting novel that's related with great compassion and humour. -- Fanny Blake - DAILY MAIL
A sweetly poignant debut. -- Eithne Farry - SUNDAY EXPRESS S MAGAZINE
A wonderful debut that's heartbreaking, uplifting and laugh-out-loud funny all at once. - WOMAN'S OWN
It's no surprise that TV rights to this funny, tender and all-the-feels book have already been snapped up. -- Sarra Manning - RED
Richard Roper's debut is heart-breaking, uplifting, funny and brimming with human kindness. - SUNDAY HERALD
This could almost be the tie-in novel for a Richard Curtis romcom... Something To Live For benefits from the same earnest charm. -- Thomas Barrie - GQ
Eleanor Oliphant for men -- David Sexton - EVENING STANDARD
Something To Live For is a heart-warming, funny yet poignant debut novel. Exploring loneliness and family breakdown, Richard Roper has created a cast of colourful and weirdly wonderful characters. An uplifting and life-affirming read. -- Anne Cater - DAILY EXPRESS
A wonderful debut that's heartbreaking, uplifting and laugh-out-loud funny... an inspiring, life-affirming read. -- Zoe West - WOMAN'S WEEKLY
This is a story that gets under your skin - and a must read. -- Natasha Harding - THE SUN
This perfect, quirky summer page-turner... a life-affirming debut. -- Sharmaine Lovegrove - SUNDAY TIMES STYLE
Endearing and delightful. -- Nina Pottell - PRIMA
I loved this novel with my whole heart. - THE NEW YORK TIMES
If you loved Eleanor Oliphant, try this brilliant new read... We completely fell in love with this funny, uplifting debut. -- Claire Frost - FABULOUS
The story Roper tells is a charming, humorous and life-affirming tale about human kindness that strikes a chord in a world where loneliness is a growing problem. -- Rebecca Thomas - BBC NEWS ONLINE, Best Fiction of 2019
