Cleopatra and Frankenstein: ‘Move over Sally Rooney: this is the hottest new book’ - Sunday Times

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She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art—and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. Whilst Frank feels indebted to help his sister who has been cut off but is plagued with illness and the need to feel something.

After graduating with an English Literature degree and taking on a Communications job, Sophie's Edit focuses on her love for literature and film, good food, pop culture and her love for Scotland. The two central characters are in two very different chapters of their life – Cleo has graduated with an arts degree and finds herself with very little to live on and a visa that is about run out, and Frank is still clinging onto his youthful abandonment while making a name for himself in advertising. Twenty-four-year-old British painter Cleo has escaped from England to New York and is still finding her place in the sleepless city when, a few months before her student visa ends, she meets Frank.

Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year’s Eve party changes everything, for better or worse.

it touched on a lot of things that it failed to explore them in a more meaningful way, so that the important topics became a quirky backdrop for the characters instead.Coco Mellors also adds some gritty and dark storylines to the mix, which for me makes the story have a deeper layer to it rather than romanticising being in your 20s and living in New York City. The effects of their marriage reverberate out into the lives of their family and friends: Zoe, Frank's ambitious half-sister; Quentin, Cleo's best friend grappling with his sexuality; Eleanor, a new hire at Frank's office; and more. i don't mind self-important nor self-indulgent novels but they need to actually bring something to the 'literary' table. frank is in his forties, currently running a successful advertising agency that he built from the ground up.

First romance, then turbulance ensues, as Cleo's artistic ambitions do not develop as expected and Frank drinks quite a lot.She talks about being broke, drugs, alcohol abuse, childhood trauma, suicide, loss of friendship, mental health and multiple LGBTQ+ topics. I did enjoy this debut novel - the evocation of New York as a setting is really well done (I’ve visited recently, so was. Their romance story isn't based on love at first sight and their marriage isn't created from some cringe high-school love. Part of me longed to get to the bits where her quirky personality hit the pages and her relationship with Frank was seen through, because that is what they both deserved.